Linked by David Adams on Thu 30th Sep 2010 20:37 UTC, submitted by fran
Pirating Android apps is a long-standing problem. But it seems to be getting worse, even as Google begins to respond much more aggressively. The dilemma: protecting developers' investments, and revenue stream, while keeping an open platform.
Thread beginning with comment 443339
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
RE: The other side of the coin
by vodoomoth on Fri 1st Oct 2010 15:00
in reply to "The other side of the coin"
Member since:2010-03-30
RE[2]: The other side of the coin
by WorknMan on Fri 1st Oct 2010 20:31
in reply to "RE: The other side of the coin"
Member since:2005-11-13
Ditto here. That's so lame. I can understand people not being able to afford the likes of Photoshop or AutoCAD but a $1.99 app?
Yeah, kinda lays waste to the myth that people would stop pirating if stuff was affordable. I mean, how much more affordable can you get than < $5 Android apps?
Also, from the article:
“Over the course of 90 days, the app was installed a total of 8,659 times. Of those installations only 2,831 were legitimate purchases, representing an overall piracy rate of over 67%. For my app, the largest contributor to piracy, by far, is the United States providing 4,054 or about 70% of all pirated installations of Screebl Pro.” The company concluded that of the nearly 6,000 pirated downloads, only 14% were from countries lacking access to the Android Market.
And no more of this 'the people who are pirating Android apps are in countries where the marketplace isn't available' bullshit either.
RE[2]: The other side of the coin
by Stratoukos on Fri 1st Oct 2010 21:25
in reply to "RE: The other side of the coin"
Member since:2009-02-11
I think that pirating a $.99 app on a mobile device (iOS and Android) is more about the hassle than the actual price. Buying an app on an 'App Store' requires you to have an account with a credit card. I know plenty of people who own iPhones and iPod touches and haven't bothered to setup their account with their credit card. And there are also plenty of people without a credit card, especially in the 15-25 demographic.
RE[2]: The other side of the coin
by JAlexoid on Sat 2nd Oct 2010 18:29
in reply to "RE: The other side of the coin"
Member since:2009-05-19
Ditto here. That's so lame. I can understand people not being able to afford the likes of Photoshop or AutoCAD but a $1.99 app?
What about, when you don't have an option to buy? Like it's with most countries these days...
Android Market's paid apps are not available everywhere....
Granted, that is not a reason to pirate. But even as an Android developer, I can understand the frustration for people that are urged to buy a "pro" version and can't because Market is not accessible in their countries...
Edited 2010-10-02 18:30 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/15/13 22:44 UTC
Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about why OSNews was no longer OSNews: the alternative operating system scene had died, and OSNews, too, had to go with the times and move towards reporting on a new wave of operating systems - mobile, and all the repercussions that the explosion of smartphones and tablets have caused. Still, I was wondering something today: why aren't we seeing alternative operating systems on mobile?More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2009-03-06
One of the most idiotic things about Google's licensing is that everything is tied to your Gmail account. I switched Gmail accounts after getting an Android phone recently, when the account I was using started getting too much email traffic. Guess what -- none of my licenses worked after that.
Most of the vendors were willing to relicense me, but it was still a PitA.
However, I also can't believe people even bother to pirate these apps. I don't think I've paid over $5 US for one.