Al Sutton wrote: > The TomTom iPhone app launched in the last 24 hours, and the smallest > version of the it I could find (The UK & Ireland version) weighed in > a 241MB, which, if it were an Android app, simply would not install > on any current device, and that to me is a problem that needs > solving.
1. Bandwidth charges for 241MB might exceed the cost of the app, depending on what the per-MB charge is for a given mobile carrier. 2. Download time for 241MB over EDGE might take long enough for tectonic shifts to occur, invalidating the map. > - What happens if the user gets the app and then finds TomToms > download server is temporarily offline? (I can see users flocking to > the 24 hour refund button). > > - How does the TomTom server determine which version was bought (e.g. > UK & Ireland, Western Europe or Global)? (yes, this could be done by > having different apps available, but that would require TomTom to > maintain multiple apps with different packages just to achieve > something the Apple App Store does easily). Assuming that the bulk of the 241MB is map data that could easily enough live on the SD card, the simplest solution may be to cook up another file format (call it XPK) that is a signed APK and other data put together (e.g., ZIP file). Some enterprising alternative Android market might add XPK support to their client, where downloading the XPK would trigger copying the non-APK contents of the XPK out to the SD card, then installing the APK (with all the usual Android prompts surrounding that process). If the user bails on the APK install, the market client would quietly clean up the rest of the unpacked XPK. And, in either case, the market client would get rid of the XPK itself once the install is complete or canceled. This is a chunk of work, but not that big, and would not have to be TomTom-specific. Ideally, a common format would be agreed upon that all market-style clients could use, even perhaps the Android Market someday. Yes, this approach doesn't directly work on the Android Market, requiring some sort of shim, running afoul of your aforementioned problems. But it is important not to confuse market client problems with OS problems. The TomTom scenario can be addressed without OS changes, just not perfectly given the Android Market implementation. It is much easier for TomTom to work out XPK distribution than it is for TomTom to change the OS implementation of devices. Something like the XPK file format is probably inevitable, given the conflicting needs for signed APKs and packaging other stuff for download (databases, etc.). > - What happens if the user doesn't have enough SD card space to > download the map? (There no way to check this prior to purchase and > install). This is another thing that is a market client problem in the here and now. Basically, whoever is responsible for downloading the thing has to be able to know if the thing is bigger than available storage, wherever that storage is. > Given all of this, I believe the longer apps on SD is put off for > engineering or time reasons the more users are going to get annoyed > with it, and the more users are going to take the view that Android > is an inferior alternative to the iPhone. Bear in mind that apps-on-SD does not address your third problem. If it doesn't fit on SD, it doesn't fit on SD, no matter whether apps-on-SD exists or not. This is not to say that apps-on-SD should not be addressed, just that I do not think it matters any more for the TomTom scenario than it does for any other app. But, hey, that's just me. -- Mark Murphy (a Commons Guy) http://commonsware.com | http://twitter.com/commonsguy _Android Programming Tutorials_ Version 1.0 In Print! --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
