Why Are There No Apps for Android Tablets? (ContributorNetwork)

The iPad 2 has more than 65,000 apps for it, in the App Store. And that's not counting iPhone / iPod Touch apps, which can be scaled up to fit its display.

How many apps do we have in the Android world, for our tablets? There are only a few dozen in the Android Market's "Featured Tablet Apps" section. And while that's probably not all the tablet apps out there, not all of those are even designed for tablets; many are just Android phone apps that work OK on a larger screen.

It's clear that we're facing an app shortage, for people who bought an Android tablet like a Xoom or an Asus Transformer. But why, when there are so many for the iPad ... and when Android phones are catching up to the iPhone, app-wise?

To find out, let's look at two things: Who's writing the apps, and why they write them.

These are the developers in your neighborhood

Imagine, if you will, that we're watching an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and he's going to take us on a tour of where our apps are made. (Which, he totally would've if he were still alive today.) Where do you suppose we'd end up?

Apple answers that question on its website, profiling indie, academic, and corporate app developers in an entertaining video tour. Some were Mac app developers, who found that writing for iOS was a natural use of their talents. Some worked for a company like AOL, which decided it had to have a presence in the App Store. And some were drawn in during the iPhone's Gold Rush, looking to sell apps right when the App Store opened.

I have a feeling that if you profile Android developers, you'll see basically the same motivations. Some like the technology, and enjoy making it do stuff; some work for a company that tells them to; and some simply want to make money. The problem is, the differences between the App Store and the Android Market make the latter much less appealing to many of those developers.

This is why we can't have nice things

Android apps are written in Java, which is an easy programming language that's often taught in college. Add to that how it's just a $25 flat fee to put your apps on the Android Market (compared to $99 per year on the App Store), and you see why Android beats out iOS in its number of free apps.

So that's your "like the technology" contingent, right there. But what about the people who see the design possibilities? Who see a tablet's screen as a canvas, and want to create their masterpiece? Which platform do you think they'd like better, the quirky one with the ugly apps or the shiny, pristine Apple one?

People like that write apps for the devices they have, and they're buying a lot more iPads. Add in the fact that there's less money being made on the Android Market, and that doesn't leave too many developers who aren't writing the official CNN app (or something). The problem is even worse with Android tablets than with Android phones, because fewer people are buying them and buying apps for them.

What are people buying? iPads ... and the Nook Color, which doesn't even run the tablet version of Android. Maybe things will pick up once Amazon releases its rumored tablet, but I won't be holding my breath.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

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Amazon Kindle Tablet Rumor Roundup (ContributorNetwork)

We should've known this was coming. The Kindle may have made it to the gate first, but pretty soon Barnes and Noble had the Nook, with its mini-color touch screen. Then came the iPad and Nook Color, and now more people are reading on color touch screens, and expecting games and apps and things like that.

Now the rumors are in, and it sounds like Amazon is planning to enter the tablet market "with a bang." So what does it look like the future Kindle tablet will be like?

Android under the hood

This one's a gimme, for several reasons.

First, the Android operating system is open source, which basically means anyone can take it and do what they want with it. Including, say use it to get a head start in making a tablet. (Want to look at the programming code? Knock yourself out.) The tablet version of Android isn't open-source yet, but that hasn't stopped Barnes and Noble, which stretched the smartphone version of Android to fit on the Nook Color -- not that you'd recognize it after all the streamlining that B&N did.

Second, and this is the big one, Amazon's already got a lot invested in Android. And I don't just mean its Amazon.com and Amazon MP3 apps in the Android Market. See, there's an Amazon Appstore for Android, which actually competes with the Android Market. And the new Amazon Cloud Drive service lets you get to the MP3s you buy from Amazon.com from anywhere -- like, say, your Android smartphone, from the app that lets you do that.

Google plays hardball with its competitors, and can block them from installing official Google apps (which aren't open-source) on their devices. I'm betting Amazon feels it doesn't need them, especially with its own app store and music store.

"Medium" and "Large" sizes

Boy Genius Report supposedly got a tip that says Amazon's working on dual-core and quad-core tablets, code named "Coyote" and "Hollywood." Coyote's supposedly a Tegra 2 device -- that's Android Enthusiast speak for "really powerful." Hollywood's supposedly going to use the upcoming Kal-El platform, and if the fact that it's named after Superman doesn't tip you off, BGR reports that it may be five times more powerful than Coyote's processor.

Price and release date

As with all of the rest of this, it's still up in the air and nothing but rumor. But PCMag's Tim Bajarin says a tipster told him that Coyote (probably not the name it'll sell under) will be a 7-inch tablet that'll cost $349, while Hollywood will be a 10-inch tablet that costs $449. Both will supposedly be available "before 2011 ends."

These prices could just be wishful thinking, but Barnes and Noble did manage to sell a 7-inch tablet for $249. Maybe Amazon's making these tablets minimalist, like the Nook Color? And the release date seems likely, as it gives Amazon plenty of time to prepare for the holiday season -- and hopefully, for them, to upstage whatever Nook that Barnes and Noble comes out with next.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

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Q-and-A: AT&T Allows Sideloading of Android Apps (ContributorNetwork)

Unlike the iPhone, where apps can only be bought from the App Store, Android smartphones and tablets can get apps from anywhere: Google's Android Market, Amazon's Appstore, and even third-party publishers' stores like Gameloft's.

Until a few days ago, Android smartphones on AT&T's network were the exception.

What do you mean? Where did AT&T phones get their apps from?

An Android smartphone on AT&T's network could only install apps from the Android Market.

Why's that?

The official reason, given by AT&T, was that making you get all your apps from the Android Market "forces developers to be accountable for the apps they submit," and "minimizes the risk of malicious apps harming customers." Which is ironic in hindsight because "the mother of all Android malware attacks" didn't come from some dodgy third-party market, but the Android Market itself.

I'm not sure if that was the real reason or not. But then, I'm inclined to dislike AT&T (even though they're responsible for my $15 per month smartphone plan). So your mileage may vary.

OK, so what's changed and why?

You can install apps from other app markets now. Heck, you could download a beta app from outside the Market and install it like you'd install software on a PC. Anything goes.

As for why? Apparently, AT&T's decided to "be more open," after all the "negative publicity" it got about this. AT&T rep Jeff Bradley would also like you to know that AT&T had your best interests in mind when it disabled a feature on your Android phone, and hopes you won't hold it against his company.

Does my AT&T Android phone let me do this?

I don't know. Mine does. The Samsung Infuse 4G apparently did before it.

How can I tell?

Unlike with operating system updates, like my Aria's earlier upgrade to Android 2.2 "Froyo," you won't be texted to download something for this. Instead, AT&T appears to be quietly streaming updates to your phone, without notifying you.

If you want to see if the upgrade's taken place yet, go to the Settings app on your Android phone, then tap on Applications. If your phone has the upgrade, there will be a new check box, called "Unknown Sources." If this box is checked, you can install apps from outside the Android Market.

Why would I want to do that?

Well, for starters, there's this place called Amazon.com, and I hear they give out a free Android app every day. The kind that would normally cost you money.

Seriously!?

Yep. Check it out.

Cool, thanks!

Don't thank me, thank AT&T. For finally doing what it should've done in the first place.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

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The App Store vs. The Android Market (ContributorNetwork)

The Android Market is like Apple's App Store, Google-style. It's where you go to buy apps, if you use a smartphone powered by Google's open-source Android operating system instead of an iPhone. You can't choose to buy apps for one kind of phone from the other's store; and if you switch, you can't use your old apps anymore, unless the app's developer wrote it for both kinds of phones.

I could show you which apps are in each store, but then this would be a catalog instead of an article. In a nutshell, the App Store is known for its polished, "magical," sometimes whimsical iPhone and iPad apps, like Tapbots'. It's also known for having a huge selection of games, including games from big-name publishers like Square-Enix and EA. Meanwhile, the Android Market's selection more or less pales in comparison, except when it comes to tweaks and customization apps. Like a replacement for your home screen, or on-screen keyboard.

The reasons why are complex, but they boil down to the difference between the two companies: To Apple, you're a customer, and it sells you its finest products. To Google, you're a product, and it sells you to advertisers.

Chasing dollar signs

Apple tries its best to deliver a polished, perfect experience, so good that you'll want to pay for it. To keep that perfection, though, it tries its darndest to control everything. You have to pay $99 a year and get Apple's permission to sell your apps on its App Store, and there's no other way to sell iPhone and iPad apps except to people with "jailbroken" devices.

Google's goal is simpler. It wants to make sure lots of people are clicking (or tapping) on ads. So it lets developers basically run wild and do anything, paying a one-time fee of under $50 to put anything they want on the Android Market without asking permission. Instead, each app asks your permission to do things like access your phone records, and you have to decide whether to allow it or not.

This is partly a good thing, since it allows you to do things that would spoil Apple's "experience" -- like install a new 3D home screen. But it also means the Android Market is flooded with tons of junk apps and soundboards, which do their jobs poorly and are crowded with ads.

Perhaps the best example of Google's "anything goes" approach is an app I just bought for my Android phone, called GrooVe IP. It lets you make phone calls using your data plan. But it's tied to your Google Voice account, and its settings menu is complex and poorly-organized. Plus, it crams a garish green icon into the notification bar at the top of your phone's screen, unless you can navigate the menus well enough to figure out how to get rid of it. The only annoying thing it doesn't do is tell you which "partners" sponsored your phone call.

The Upshot

Google seems to be trying, these days, to make the Android Market friendlier to developers who care about writing good apps. It's introduced new ways of finding apps on the Market, which favor the best and the neatest apps. At heart, though, Google does not really know how to sell stuff. It just knows how to sell people.

For a variety of reasons, I'm personally sold on Android. I like how it works, and I understand what I'm getting. But app developers don't like it as much, because it's harder to work with and they're making less money. That's the biggest difference.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

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