Google To Allow Tablets Access To Android Market?
Our very own Jeremiah from the AndroidPIT forums was asking on the forums if anyone could access his apps on a tablet. Unfortunately, I tried myself and couldn't find his apps. We may now know the reason. According to Liliputing, Google only allows devices that can make telefone calls (aka phones) access the Android Market. It now seems that Google may soon relax that requirement, making the Android Market available to nearly any Android device.
Jeremiah's problem is that he want's his apps (like many other developers) to be available to any person using an Android device. However, it seems as though Google decided long ago that tablets and smartbooks will not have access to the Android Market. The reasoning behind the decision is not easy to exactly pin down.
Liliputing thinks that a likely reason is the variety of devices that can run Android:
Google has never made it entirely clear why tablets and smartbooks don’t have full access to the Android Market. But one reason is likely because different devices have different physical properties — and apps designed for a phone (with GPS and 3G with buttons for search, home, menu, and back) might not work on a tablet or a laptop.
The good news is that Liliputing also believes that Google's stance on the policy may change soon, by way of opening up the Android Market, or creating a similar market for tablets and smartbooks:
Notion Ink, makers of the long-anticipated Adam tablet, say that they’ve been testing alpha App and Content stores on their products. Adobe Flash is also working without any battery issues.
There’s a chance that Notion Ink is referring to the Google Chrome operating system rather than Android. After all, we already know that Google Chrome will be aimed at tablets as well as netbooks, and that a market for web apps is in the works. But since Notion Ink has been showing off a tablet running Google Android for the past 6 months, I think it’s more likely that we’re talking about an Android Market for tablets.
AndroidGuys notes that if Google does come through, "this move certainly cannot hurt their chances of Android 2.1/2.2 and beyond getting on more and more devices. Remember, it's a pure numbers game with installs and activations right now and Android has just started to gain ground in emerging markets."
For those of you without Android Market access, hold on. Google's move may be only a short time away.
Other Sources: AndroidGuys
Image from AndroidGuys
Source: Liliputing
Might buy an Android tablet if they do open the Market up. I would love to have a larger screen for the house and my smaller Eris for running around/phone use.