Concurrent WITH THE launch of the G 1 Android-based mobile phone, Google launched Android Market. Conceptually, the one-two combo of Gland Market takes aim at Apple's iPhone operating system and its App Store.

The Android Gl is arriving in India courtesy HTC. Although at the time of writing this article, there was nothing mentioned on the HTC website, sites like Univercell.in have already listed the price as around. HTC is expected to enter in.to a tie-up with a mobile operator to distribute the G1. And speculation is that the operator in question is AirteI as HTC already distributes .some of their phones exclusively to Airtel subscribers. According to a report HTC is hoping to sell 600,000mobile devices in India in 2009, but that remains to be seen. The concept of applications for mobile devices is not a new one.

Palm built an early following thanks in part to the large selection of programs available for its handheld platform; applications are available for BlackBerry, Symbian 60, and Windows Mobile, too. But several points separate Android Market and Apple's App Store from the earlier attempts at mobile software.

By having a central reposi¬tory for applications, consumers can more easily locate the ones they seek. (Handango.com, a platformagnostic site-one that sold lots of Palm apps-says it too will sell Android programs.) And with mobile broadband and operating systems that support over-the-air installations (recall that Palm rarely allowed apps to be installed directly), users can add software anytime, from anywhere.

Android Market goes further than Apple's App Store, though (and further than Research in Motion's recently announced BlackBerry Application Center, expected to launch this year). Whereas all iPhone programs must go through Apple before they can be posted to the App Store, Market will operate on a completely open model. "It's called Market, not a store, so developers can reach consumers directly, with no middleman," Android cofounder and Google group manager for mobile platforms
Rich Miner explains.

"Developers have to fill out a form and apply, and that will vet that it's a person" posting the application, he adds. Beyond that, "no permission is needed from a carrier or from Google to sell [or offer] an application." Applications How Market Works On the Gl, users simply have to go to the Market shopping-bag icon, and enter the Android Market.

Thumbnails for featured apps line the top of the Market. Users can search by name or find content by subject, either Applications or Games. Applications are subdivided further by category: commu¬nication, entertainment, finance, multimedia, produc¬tivity, shopping, and the like. Games are divided up into arcade, brain and puzzle, cards and casino, and casual subsets. All applications that are downloaded will appear in the My Downloads tab-a "digital locker" that is tied to your Gmail account, and that lets you uninstall or reinstall programs as needed.

When you download an app, Android provides detailed information on what services that software will tap into. Google's Miner says that this is one way that consumers can stay informed and vigilant for any malevolent applications. "In Android, if an app were to try and do something other than what it says, it will be obvious," says Miner. "We have a stronger security model than you have on a typical PC or smart phone; it's harder for an app to be malicious in the first case," he says.

Miner expects the commu¬nity and technical experts to filter and police applications, too. As on the Apple App Store, the Market has a rating and user¬review system. "Apps that seem to be suspicious don't get downloaded by lots of people. And we will pull apps if people report they're harmful." Google's terms of service include a kill switch, which allows it to remove an app from Android phones if a developer violates the terms of service.