On Jan 19, 12:50 am, Dianne Hackborn <[email protected]> wrote: > Specifically which problems are you having?
Problem is, half the time we don't know. Users post 1* Market comments saying "Force closes on Droid" or "Doesn't work on Samsung Moment", and unless you have that specific handset to test on, you're SOL. You "sanity check" on an emulator instance of the same resolution and OS version, and nothing is obviously broken, so where do you go? The increasing array of hardware devices (with different OS versions, screen sizes, and crappy vendor-specific UIs) simply exacerbates the structural problems with the Market, where it's far too easy for users to downrate apps, and with no meaningful way for the developer to respond. Put another way, the current Market punishes devs for ANY "flaw" in their app, real or perceived, and the diversity of the device ecosystem is bound to generate such "flaws". I recognize that nobody (including Google) can force OS upgrades to existing devices. That responsibility lies with manufacturers and carriers, and all too often, they shirk it in favor of selling the next handset of the week. Perhaps Google could apply some pressure, perhaps not. At the least, please ensure that "Google Experience" devices have sufficient RAM to enable future upgrades; I'm still bitter about the G1's memory limit, which makes me feel like I'm being punished for being an early adopter. What Google CAN do is improve the flippin' Market. It's routinely mentioned as one of the weakest links in the Android chain; the upgrade with 1.6 was a step in the right direction, but many more are needed, benefiting both users and developers. Addressing some of the many Market issues on b.android.com would stop so-called "fragmentation" issues from being magnified the way they now are. Google can also slow the frenetic pace of new OS releases, to allow both devs and handset vendors a chance to catch up. Finally, I'd really like to see Google sponsor some sort of hardware support for devs. The recent Developer Labs were a good start; they should be recurring events at the very least, ideally an ongoing service where registered devs could stop by a Google office at any time and test on hardware which they can't afford to buy themselves. Some sort of loaner program or DeviceAnywhere-style service might also be possible. What I'm NOT opposed to is the proliferation of Android devices in the wild. I believe it's one of the ecosystem's real strengths: the diversity and choice in hardware. I'd love to see a WIDER range available, from cheap QVGA PMPs through 10" touchscreen tablets and e- readers. There's a lot of untapped Android potential out there, and every new class of device opens up a new market segment to buy my apps. :^) Growth is good. String
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