The Android Market has been subject to a bit of controversy. While Apple and the App Store has a much more controlled process of apps getting in, for Android apps, it’s not nearly as difficult. That opens them up to more potential for malware and apps that have very shady things going on in the background.

Thankfully though, Google has helped fix this problem with their very own malware scanner that scans the entire marketplace, hundreds of thousands of apps, and is able to detect if anything suspicious is within any apps. Dubbed Bouncer which fits quite well, it has done a pretty job so far.

Via Computerworld:

“The scanning service, appropriately codenamed “Bouncer,” has been in action “a number of months,” said Hiroshi Lockheimer, the vice president of engineering for Android, in an interview Thursday. “The interesting thing is that no one really noticed. It didn’t disrupt the end user’s experience [in the Android Market] or disrupt the developers. They didn’t have to think about it at all.”

“Once an app is uploaded to Google by its developer but before it’s published to the Android Market, Bouncer scans the code for known malware, including spyware and Trojan horses, and looks for behaviors that match apps which the company has previously decided are unacceptable. Some apps that sound Bouncer’s alarm are immediately denied entrance to the Android Market, said Lockheimer. Others are flagged for human review.”

Thanks to the malware scanner, they’ve seen 40% less malicious app downloads in the second half of 2011.

Do you have an Android phone? If so, how many apps would you say you’ve downloaded from the market?

Android Market Quite Safe Thanks To Google’s Own Malware Scanner is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android, the very popular mobile operating system from Google, has hundreds of thousands of apps across all sorts of different categories. The best thing to happen for a developer is actually a few things.

For one, people enjoy the app and leave it great reviews. Two, it makes them money which is clearly important when trying to make a living out of it. And three, getting featured in the marketplace.

Thanks to Distimo, a private company that delivers insights and analytics to app developers, their new report shows that being featured significantly boosts rank both when being featured, and even after one is no longer featured.

Via TechCrunch:

“The chart shows that approximately half the apps that have been featured in the Android Market have an increase over 100% while one-third of featured iPad apps gained more than 200%. (Ranks were as follows: iPad up 252%, iPhone up 137%, and Android up 172%).”

“Also interesting is what happens when the featured period ends. Using an average from the following five days after being featured, Distimo found that the boost was still having an overall positive effect. On average, iPad apps were up +145%, iPhone apps were up +75% and Android apps were up +828% during this “post-featured” time period.”

Very promising stats for developers and a definite encouragement to think outside the box and create better, higher quality, and more valuable applications for either of the top two mobile operating systems. The report also goes to show that those who get featured don’t immediately see the affects in the first three days, but rank goes up after that.

What are your favorite Android apps?

Android Apps Being Featured Significantly Boosts Rank Shows Report is a post from: The Inquisitr

At one time, Android was playing a game of catch up with Apple’s mobile operating system, but it appears that’s not necessarily the case anymore. 400,000 apps are now available while iOS has over 500,000 apps. The massive growth can be attributed to the increase in free apps which is the most popular option for app developers.

Android has the largest percentage of free apps, 68% accounting for 65% of total revenue, compared to iOS which less than half of it’s revenue is made from freebies. Despite the large number of apps for both platforms, it’s interesting to note that even though Apple has a strict review process and Android doesn’t have a review process quite to that extent, there’s still more apps, 100,000 more to be precise, in the App Store.

As The Washington Post puts it, “The next big gap for Google to close will be in total income, as Apple collects around four times as much from its App Store as Google does from the Market — and that’s before you even factor in the iPad.”

Yes. Four times as much revenue. Both tech companies do exceptionally well with monetizing, particularly Google as far as monetizing content, though it seems the App Store has a more profitable offering. Combine that with users who historically spend more on tech whether that be gadgets or what have you, and you’ve got a winning combination.

At the end of the day, while sheer numbers are great, Android has some work ahead of itself to become even more of a money maker.

Android Continues To Explode, 400,000 Apps Now In Market is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android developers have reason to celebrate today as Google has finally released in-app purchasing capabilities for Google Android applications.

As you may recall, Google was a bit slow allowing paid apps onto the Android Market and one of the biggest qualms developers have had has been the lack of profit capabilities offered without in-app billing.

Developers can now offer “Free” applications, while enticing users to purchase in-app extras that increase their gaming experience, such as allowing users to advance more quickly in the games they are playing.

Google in turn will take 30% of the profits from in-app purchases, much in the same way Apple charges their developers.ou like t

Personally I have turned off “in-app” purchases through my Apple iPhone 4′s settings, but it’s nice to know that it’s there if I ever want to use it. Historically Google Android users have been less likely to buy paid Android apps then users of iPhone devices, perhaps this is the push developers need to improve their Android apps, while providing new features for their programs.

Android Market Finally Gets In-App Billing System, Developers Breath Sigh of Relief is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google Android users now have the option to surf the web for the next newest and greatest app and then install that Android application over-the-air.

Using the web client users are able to browse the entire Market catalog, just as they can on their Smartphones. Users can then purchase applications which are downloaded to their phone via OTA.

Users can also setup a phone management system on the client, allowing them to know exactly which one of their Android phones they are downloading the software to.

Google has also made available “in-app purchases” which will allow developers to charge for added services within their programs.

With the “in-app” function launching to developers via SDK today, you can expect to see micropayments in some of your apps by the end of the quarter.

Check out market.android.com and let us know what you think.

Android Market Gets Web Store, OTA Installs And More is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google today announced that U.S. carrier AT&T Wireless is now offering support for carrier billing for the Android Market. Under the new setup users no longer need to enter their credit card information for every app purchase, a process that required Google Checkout use. Instead, downloads will now be added directly to the customers monthly cellular bill.

Last year T-Mobile began offering carrier billing support for the Android Market, after an initial push by Google, however other carriers have been slow to follow suit.

The update is slowly being rolled out to AT&T Android device users and with that update will come 15-minute trial periods for all apps, new categories in the Android Market and a larger app file size limit.

What do you think about the new carrier direct billing function?

AT&T Now Offering Carrier Billing For Android Market is a post from: The Inquisitr

Android Market Apps Will Soon Require Content Ratings is a post from: The Inquisitr

What’s cooler than Google Maps? How about Google Maps 4.0 with Buzz Support. The Buzz supported software was released today by Google and is available for immediate download via the Android Market.

Google Maps 4.0 with Buzz is available on any Android handset running Android 1.6 and higher. Engadget also heard from several of their readers that the Droid and G1 are both a full go for the software.

Let us know what you think about the software and be sure to leave your device name and Google Android OS version.

Google Maps 4.0 With Buzz Support Hits Android Market is a post from: The Inquisitr

T-Mobile USA Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Cole Brodman spoke at the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco today and he focused his message on the companies investment in the Google Android operating system.

Mr. Brodman spoke about the success of the Motorola Cliq, the companies upcoming Samsung Behold II and the T-Mobile G1 and T-Mobile MyTouch devices, all of which are featured in the companies Q4 line-up.

Coles comments about myTouch usage trending offered some insight into T-Mobile Customer Data Usage:

• About half myTouch users visit the Android Market at least once per day.
• 80% of myTouch users browse the web at least once per day, and 2/3 say several times per day.
• Nearly half of myTouch users say they have “completely customized” their myTouch.
• More than 40% of myTouch users access social networking sites multiple times per day.

He also talked about the success of the Android Market which has grown to over 12,000 applications, while specifically focusing on the T-Mobile AppPack, an Android market features that shows off 3rd party applications that have been developed by T-Mobile developers and include both free and paid offerings.

This month T-Mobile will even receive their very own channel on the Android Market for apps, while the Android Market will launch carrier billing features to streamline customer services efforts while purchasing applications.

Developers will also be able to visit developer.t-mobile.com to pitch their apps for a daily “featured apps” spot in the channel, a great way for T-Mobile to show customers apps they believe to be the best of the best.

So what’s the point of all this brew-ha-ha with open development, streamlining billing processes, etc? According to T-Mobile USA:

T-Mobile’s goal is to be the easiest carrier to do business with and the most open to new innovation.

If they can stop stupid data issues from occurring it could be a great time to be a T-Mobile USA customer.

Open Mobile Summit: T-Mobile Discusses Continued Investment In Google Android is a post from: The Inquisitr