The average G1 smartphone owner has downloaded more than 40 applications and about 80 percent of G1 users surf the mobile web each day, according to T-Mobile USA CTO Cole Brodman. Speaking at the recent Dow Jones Wireless Innovations conference in Redwood City, Calif., Brodman said there are now about 2,300 applications available for download in Android Market, the virtual storefront launched in conjunction with the G1, the first commercial handset based on Google's Android mobile OS--Brodman adds about a third of those are now premium applications. With the number of Android apps continuing to grow, Brodman contends the store requires improved search and customization filters to create a more efficient consumer browsing experience. "Users have a hard time searching through that long tail," Brodman said.
At present, Android applications are ranked based on user ratings, and subscribers may scroll through choices based on popularity or recent additions. But Brodman wants to see mechanisms that automatically match users with their interests, citing user-generated content aggregator YouTube as an example of a site that offers strong contextual relevancy to users. In addition, he said he hopes to see the app store concept extended to feature phones, but acknowledged the number of available applications would be somewhat limited.
Brodman declined to offer details on future Android software updates. Asked whether the next iteration of Android might feature video recording or an alternate keyboard, he responded "[Google is] working on a number of innovations. Some of the ones you mentioned are certainly some of the ones that are being worked on."
For more on the Brodman remarks:
- read this PC World article
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