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Google's Android Web Market review

By Joni Blecher Follow me on Twitter | Monday, February 07, 2011 (permalink)
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Last week, Google unveiled its new web store for the Android Market. It sounded interesting and what's more, the company didn't just "announce" it to the public, it was also immediately available. That's something that doesn't happen too often at product related press conferences. We spent the past couple of days taking it for a test spin and overall, we're happy to report it's a solid experience. Here's an overview:

Easy Access: Using the Android Market is easy and if you have a g-mail account you don't have to do anything except sign-into your Google account. If you're already signed into another Google property (Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, etc.) then you will likely already be signed into the Google Android Market on the web - even if it's you're first time visit.

Clean User Interface (UI): If you like the UI of the Android Market, you'll love the design of the web store. It's essentially the same only the store takes full advantage of the larger display so you can see more offerings easier. Once you click into an app, we particularly like the snapshot stats of the app. Of course, you can always share the app details via twitter. Another nice detail is it informs you whether or not you installed the app. If the app is installed and you have multiple Android-powered devices you can install it on more devices by hitting the Installed button and you will be prompted with an option to install it on other Android devices.

Smart Account and Device Management: We all want apps, but you probably don't want those apps to remain trapped on one device. Say, you upgrade to a new Android device - repopulating the device with your favorite apps isn't easy. That's perhaps one of the smartest things about the new Google Android Web store. Under account management you can find all the applications you've purchased or downloaded. Click on that app and you can see which device currently has the app installed and even an option for installing it to another Android device. If you choose to install the app on another device it's done automatically over-the-air. In the Account Management section you can also name your devices - a plus.

Easy payment method: One of the nicest features is how easy it is to enter information to purchase applications. Not everyone feels comfortable entering pay pal or credit card information on a cell phone and perhaps that has prevented them from purchasing an app. Now you can enter that information online at the Android Market Web store and buy apps online and send them to a specific Android device. You can also use that same credit card or pay pal info to purchase an app from your Android cell phone. Once you've entered the info in one place it's available for your use in multiple store fronts. Since you can easily install a purchased app on multiple devices spending a few dollars on an app should be an easier decision.