Droidcon UK 2010

Meta­Market Model

   

Developers:What Are the Android Market's Problems?

   

Users:What Are the Android Market's Problems?

   

Android Market

● Tactical Problem #1: Developers Dislike It– Limited descriptive material– No links– Only one-way feedback via comments– Rating spam– Etc.

   

Android Market

● Tactical Problem #2: Users Dislike It– Off-device searching

● Tough to type on the frakkin' keyboard

– Better discovery options● Tactical Problem #3: Glacial Innovation

– Market reboot: 5 months and counting...

   

Android Market

● Strategic Problem: Locked-Up Data– No platform for ecosystem innovation– Relegated to pirating the data

● AppBrain, Androlib, etc.

– Not unique to Google and Android● Solution??? Route Around Damage

   

Adobe AIR

● Corporate Routing– Submit once, pushed into Market and additional

markets– Data still owned by Adobe, most likely– Interesting but limited

● Only AIR● Only Adobe-selected partners

   

Vision

● Developers– Write and publish rich description once– Description published in CC-licensed feed

● Markets you choose auto-list● Used for other search engines, etc.

– Android Market browser extension/bookmarklet● Avoid rekeying in most information

– Goal: negligible additional effort for you,free data for ecosystem

   

Vision

● Users: many ways to find apps, in/out Market– On-device apps using richer data– Web sites

● Better search● Recommendations● Two-way interaction with developers● Push-to-phone● Based off of free data, not relying on Google

good graces

   

Thoughts?

   

HOW?

   

How Do Blogs Work?

● Standards– RSS/Atom– Microformats (tags, reviews, etc.)

● Service Providers– Blog hosts– Comment engines (DISQUS, IntenseDebate)– Search engines, aggregators, etc.

   

Standards for Metadata

● Common App Description– Rich to start with, extensible for innovation– Direct data plus pointers

● Discussion/feedback (embeddable?)

● Description Publishing– In-APK via resource– Online via file, microformat, etc.

● CC licensed (see OpenStreetMap)

   

Build the Ecosystem

● Service Providers– Aggregator for feed of apps and updates– Comment/discussion engines

● Toolsmiths– Android Market bookmarklet/extension– Library project for standard “about” box based

on metadata

   

Build the Ecosystem

● App Stores– Work off of the feed– Secured way to get APKs for paid apps

● User Experience– Sites and apps to search the aggregated apps– Link/embed feedback engines– Ratings republished via hReview, aggregated

   

Bootstrap

● Spike Solution– Initial standards– Android Market tool– Web app to collect/publish metadata– Aggregator

– Lots and lots and lots of evangelism

   

Thoughts?