Since the Android Market is included in the base OS on every US Android device, this is probably what you are most familiar with. However, the market is not available for all International locations, and most certainly does not contain all the quality Android applications that are available for download and/or purchase. While I appreciate that the Market gives you 24 hours to evaluate just about any application, offering a refund if you choose to uninstall within that time period, that can also be an issue. 24 hours is not always long enough to figure out if an application is going to work for you. So, you find a plethora of ‘Lite’ and ‘Full’ applications flooding the market much like the iTunes App Store. Additionally, it can be very difficult to find what you want in the Market and in my opinion, a serious lack is the ability to browse the Market from a desktop browser, where it is much easier to search and see the whole of the information available for an application. The good news is that there are many alternatives out there to help with this.
Desktop Browsing of the Market
It is possible to review the Market from the desktop. However, these are 3rd Party views and you cannot really purchase from these locations, although they do offer scan codes that will take you directly to the application in the Market. You might enjoy taking a look at the top three (in my opinion).
Cyrket
Cyrket is a website dedicated to “Mobile Application Marketplace Statistics and Analysis (learn about the marketplaces, find and track apps).†It is a great way to see what is popular, available, and is one of the first places I look when trying to find an application that meets a specific need. That being said, the site has been plagued by unexplained absences, where it was down and unavailable for an extended period of time.
AndroLib
AndroLib is another website that you can visit and see what is available in the Market. I find the ability to read comments on each of the application very helpful, as well as links for author/support websites very useful. The look and feel is rather kludgey, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Additionally, every application page features a QR Code so that you can jump directly to the application in the Market.
MobiHand
The MobiHand store is the engine behind many of the website/forum stores, covering a multitude of platforms, including Blackberry, Windows Mobile, Android, Symbian, and Palm. There are others, which I won’t really mention here, as many have very onerous policies and I don’t wish to give them any publicity at all, but you can find those on your own. I have always found the MobiHand brand to be easy to use and a great place to browse for new applications.
How Do I Get These Applications on My Android Device?
This is a fundamentally different method of installing applications that what you might be used to with the Android Market, I thought that I would take the opportunity to step you through the process.
- After purchasing the application (or not, if it is free), you can enter an email address that will receive an OTA download link.
- Clicking on the download link, the application will be copied to your device.
- Once downloaded you will find yourself viewing a list of recent downloads. Click on the application just downloaded.
- You will be presented with the standard pre-install information and you can then authorize the installation of the application.
- When finished, the installation dialog will give the option to open the application right there, or just exit back to the OS.
As you can see, this process is not appreciably more difficult than what you are already used to with the Android Market. If you happen to run across an application that does not allow OTA (Over the Air) download, you can download it to your PC, connect your Android device and mount it as a USB device, and then simply copy the .APK file to the \SDCard\Downloads directory on your Android. From there you can install in much the same way.
Don’t be afraid to spend some time searching for applications that meet your own personal needs, as opposed to just taking what you are offered. We always love to get feedback. If this needs additional clarification, just let us know and we will be happy to help. Enjoy!
