Google G1 Downloads

The HTC G1 manual clearly states how to download new applications using the icon on the phone that directs users to the Android Market. The big question is how will users be able to download apps directly from third party developers without going through the Android Market.

Since the inception of Android we have been told that the open source nature of the platform encourages third party development. While this is true, it seems that developers who plan to allow downloading of their applications directly from a website (other than the Android Market or T-Mobile) may not be able to do so right away.

Developers testing the SDK 1.0 r1 were surprised to find that they could not install applications files through the emulator browser. An error message that read "Install blocked. For security, your phone is set to block installation of applications not sourced in Android Market" greeted the unsuspecting Super Geeks.

Brian Swetland, a Staff Software Engineer at Google, Inc summarize the situation in a post to a Google Android chat board

"- The T-Mobile G1 device can install apps from the web or via USB with the appropriate settings enabled

- The 1.0r1 SDK lacks the ability to install apps from the web due to

an oversight that will be corrected in a later version"

The current version of the Software Development Kit lacks a settings panel which enables downloads from 'unknown sources'. What this means for the end user is that initially, all applications will have to be downloaded from the Android Market or possibly a T-Mobile site.

This is just a small bump in the road on a launch that has been pretty much flawless up to this point. We sure hope that the good folks at Google realize how excited and eager developers are to freely develop applications that will enhance the Android experience. One thing that all of us Android fans can be grateful for, is the fact that we  do have an actual device that will be hitting the market on schedule.

Decco

FreeHTC.com