Unlike other marketplaces for mobile apps, the Android Market is completely open and anyone can publish an app. Unlike Apple and Microsoft, Google works more defensively, removing bad apps after the fact rather than previewing them before publishing.
According to Sanjay Jha, this is a problem as many apps available on the Android Market are poorly written and affect the performance of the phones in a negative way.
– Of all our Android phones that are returned, 70 percent of customers claim that it is due to performance issues with certain apps, says Sanjay Jha.
He criticizes Google because there is no review of either the security or the quality of the apps posted on the Android Market.
– These apps are not tested for either performance or how much battery power they consume, now we are beginning to better understand the impact this has, says Sanjay Jha.
To solve the problem, Motorola has created an app that ships with the company’s Android phones. The app, called Motoblur, collects information about which apps users install and how those apps affect performance and battery life.
According to Motorola, about ten million users have Motoblur installed, and the company now says it has enough information to warn users if a particular app will affect the phone’s performance.
IDG News