Android App Market Gets Down to Business
Google's Android App Market will begin selling applications in early 2009,
. Drashkov and other developers have been receiving e-mail from Google alerting them of upcoming plans for the Android Mobile OS and the system's App Market. In a blog post, Drashkov says that the paid Market will first hit the U.S. and the U.K with roll-outs to Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Italy, and Spain shortly thereafter. Not all of these countries have an Android-based phone available to them yet, and Google also has to set up payment systems for many of these countries. Unlike Apple's iTunes Store, Google does not have the ability to collect money from retail sales across the globe.
The move comes as no surprise and ends a trial period for the App Market
Google had
that it would allow paid applications in early 2009 with 70 percent of market revenue going straight to developers. However, unlike Apple (which also feeds 70 percent of App Store revenue to developers) Google will not take a cut with the remaining 30 percent covering "carriers and billing settlement fees."
