By Suppose you’re a carrier or manufacturer and you want to offer an application store on your Android-based device that ISN’T the Android market. Nope… not at all. You want a customized UI on your phone and you want your own store – branded as whatever the hack you want. Can you get it done? With the help of DROIDcloud the answer is yes.
The solution is provided by a company called Noser and my first inclination is that this was stupid – you’re essentially taking a fully featured product and removing capabilities. On second thought, consumers might be overwhelmed by all the possibilities in the Android Market and what if a carrier wanted to provide a simpler, more strategic offering? Perhaps DROIDcloud would be a good fit.
[Via IntoMobile]
I’ll agree with your initial thought… very stupid. If your too stupid to deal with all the options go to iphone! Dont gimp android to make it easier for granny to use
Would also be nice if someone provided a market that didn’t have the all the fart apps, wallpapers of cars, “IT’S FREE (as a cut down trial) apps, etc. that clog up every market I’ve seen.
In Belgium we don’t even have access to the Android market. :S So I think this isn’t a very bad idea.
@Delphi
That’s exactly why you do it, so parents and grandparents who are somewhat cellphone savvy, but not entirely smartphone capable can be marketed. Broadens your market.
Could there be an Android Jitterbug in the making? lol
Just for the Info:
Noser actually is in the OHA and they implemented almoast all of the java api for android! I actually visited them and they really have a good team there so I think they know what they’re doing.
(They ported Android to a colibri evaluationboard with a 10″ 800x600px display and an infra red touch in 3 days for us)
Greets
There are so many restrictions on the Android Market, that you just have to expect competitors will spring up.
Here are some more reasons to choose an alternative market:
– use on non-phone Android devices. (How do the tablets and netbooks get apps now, anyway?)
– Access to paid apps (because non-americans use Android too!)
– Possibility of filtering out useless apps. (Why oh why, would I want my phone to show pictures “after I finish a call?)
I was almost tempted to buy the N900 for Maemo, since it was the ONLY system without a fart app… That sounded like a good criterium!
Google Market does not work in Canada (/w out root) so I have been using “slideme.org” a “Google Market” that works in any country.
I love “SlideMe” because I can now buy-and-use the SNES emulaters and save state! Before it was not possable with out root!
@YankeeDudeL
But why create this and gimp android when there are already perfectly good phones that are easy for old people and inepts to use? Where android truely shines is it’s complexity and the level of freedom that it offers. All those things might be cut down for all of us if the industry decides that it’s better to market to the masses with gimped versions of android in order to better fulfill the inept/iphone crowds wishes.
Alltogether I see this only as a very bad thing for all android fans everywhere.
The best reason I can think of is some devices do not have access to the “Market” site. My wife got me an ereader for Christmas and I can use “CruzMarket”. I am still trying to find a site that has apps that do not go to the market site for the download as it will not work for me. I would gladly pay for apps that I use and like, just as I do on my cell phone that does have the Market.
I have freeewarelovers.com and SlideMe.org for my reader as well and that helps but it is not the answer.
Dale