Performance Issues the Fault of the Open Android Store?
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With reports being released indicating that as many as 70% of the Android devices being returned can be attributed to applications negatively impacting their performance, the question appears obvious as to whether the open nature of the Android Store is to blame.
In a discussion with Sanjay Jha, the CEO of Motorola Mobility, the question was posed regarding his thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses surrounding the submission of Android apps. While there are definite advantages, such as faster to-market innovation by participating developers, the disadvantages appear to be quite directly performance based.
Jha indicates that apps that are submitted are not tested for power consumption or CPU use. And while Google does remove apps that are determined to be malicious, they do not have any process in place for reviewing efficiency or performance.
Jha also described Motorola’s use of the Motoblur application as a possible source of improvement for this problem. Designed to be a social-networking hub on Motorola devices, Motoblur provides data on app functions. Evolution of this software could further identify problem areas with apps and allow users to decide whether the risks and detriments are more beneficial than not.
While commercialism in general has been something Android has openly campaigned against, this may be an area where individual brands may soar –with vendors having the potential to offer their own unique diagnostic utilities.
By contrast, Apple has much stricter controls over how apps are submitted to the App Store and approved for use on their devices. This, combined with a much smaller array of hardware configurations to consider for compatibility may make their platform more stable as a whole but is it at the cost of innovation?
[via PCWorld]
