Early Developers Giving Google’s Android Mobile Platform Mixed Reviews

Dec 19, 2007 at 10:13am ET by Greg Sterling

Dow Jones reports (shorter Wall Street Journal version here) that some software developers are experiencing considerable frustration writing for Google’s much-touted Android mobile platform.

“Functionality is not there, is poorly documented or just doesn’t work. It’s clearly not ready for prime time,” said one of the developers quoted in the story, which acknowledges that early bugs and problems are not uncommon with new software platforms. But Google and its partners need to ensure that developers can work with Android.

To that end, Google has established a $10 million prize fund to encourage developers to write apps for the new platform. Having a rich library of applications is one of the keys to success for Android.

A first-person account of developing Android apps can be found on Ars Technica. And there’s related discussion at Techmeme.

Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor at Search Engine Land, and writes a personal blog Screenwerk, examining the broader world of media and advertising. He also posts at a Local Mobile Search, which is focused on the mobile Internet.

See more articles by Greg Sterling >

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