August will be an important month for Android.
(Credit: Google)Starting Saturday, August 1, we'll begin to see many new applications appearing on the Android Market. We reported several weeks ago on the second Google Android Developers Challenge (ADC2), and August 1 is the day submissions begin. The official launch of the MyTouch 3G on August 5 should also reveal some new apps.
To be eligible for ADC2 and a chance at the $2 million dollar prize, applications must be submitted during August. Because any app that was published to the Android Market prior to August 1 is ineligible for the contest, several developers have chosen to conduct private betas so they could get user feedback before the competition began.
I've been lucky enough to participate in several betas for some exciting new apps. Hollowire has been hard at work on Open Gesture and is planning a public release early next week. Its app provides gesture controls similar to what we have seen demonstrated with Donut.
ChickenBrick Studios is another developer planning to enter ADC2 with its new game code-named ProjectInf. It's a massive multiplayer game with social aspects that looks promising in its early stages.
Google has since posted new terms and conditions which clarify the voting process. On August 31, the submission period will end, and public voting begins. Google will release an application to the Market that allows users to randomly download, review, and score the the entries. Community members will judge the apps based on the following criteria.
- Originality of Concept Does the application introduce a great new idea; for example, a new angle on social applications?
- Effective Use of the Android Platform Does the application take advantage of Android's unique and compelling features, such as built-in location-based services, accelerometer, and always-on networking?
- Polish and Appeal Is the application easy to use and aesthetically appealing?
- Indispensability Is the application compelling and essential, such as a game the user just can't put down or a utility she can't live without?
When public voting is complete, a panel of judges selected by Google will rate the apps. The official rules have been tweaked so that the community judges make up 40 percent of the vote while the expert judges account for the remaining 60 percent.
In addition to new apps for ADC2, be on the lookout when the myTouch 3G hits store shelves. There's a host of new apps they are recommending with their official AppPack. Sherpa was one of those new apps that debuted early, but more are coming. Facebook has confirmed they are launching an Android app, and this might be the day when we finally see it.
GoCart/ShopSavvy was a winner of the first Android Developer Challenge.
(Credit: Taylor Wimberly)Starting in August, Google will open submissions for the second Android Developer Challenge (ADC2). With close to $2 million in prizes, expect to see some amazing entries.
The first Android Developer Challenge gave us many of the top applications available today. The 50 finalists included Locale, TuneWiki, PicSay, GoCart, Compare Everywhere, and more.
The challenge
For the second challenge, Google has changed the format of the contest. This time around, the Android community will play an important role in deciding the winners. Sometime in late August, a voting application published on the Android Market will allow users to sample the submissions for each category and vote for their favorites.
Instead of 50 finalists, there will now be 200 finalists divided into 10 categories. They'll be selected based on the score they receive from the community votes. The official contest categories include:
- Education/reference
- Games: casual/puzzle
- Games: arcade/action
- Social networking
- Lifestyle
- Productivity/tools
- Media
- Entertainment
- Travel
- Miscellaneous
Android 1.5 on Google's brand-new 'Ion.'
(Credit: CNET/Photo by Stephen Shankland)To encourage gifted developers to give iPhone programming a rest, most mobile platforms have built app stores that lure with the promise of a cash-positive distribution. But not Google. It baits with cash.
Sure, Google installs and sells Android applications through its on-board Market, but a mobile platform with such a slim slice of the pie needs an infusion of fresh and original apps if it's to stay in the bake sale. Google's answer: the second Android Developer Challenge, or ADC2, as it's nicknamed.
This time, submissions will vie for popularity and 'wow factor' on the Android 1.5 operating system known as Cupcake. Announced Wednesday at Google I/O, the company's second annual developer-focused conference held in San Francisco, ADC2 will award three top prizes to applications in ten categories. The categories include gaming, social networking, media, and productivity. Google will also award an additional purse to the top three programs that cross-cut all categories. That's $250,000 for the one lucky development team considered the best in show, with second and third places for the best all-around app bringing its developers $150,000 and $125,000, respectively. First place in each category receives a cool $100,000 to pocket.
The twist in this year's competition is one right out of "American Idol." Anyone with an Android 1.5 device will be able to download, test, and rate every application in two rounds of judging. How will Google keep this contest from becoming one big geeky popularity row? By limiting users' voice to 45 percent of the vote and weighing in the opinion of official Google-chosen judges at a slight 55 percent majority.
Don't expect to see the winners, or even the apps, very soon. Google specs six months from the time the challenge begins until its November completion. This is quite a change from just two weeks ago, when Forbes said its Google contacts pronounced Google's ADC2 competition "still on hold" in response to user complaints about the contest's delay.
Google hasn't confirmed hard dates yet, but according to the fuzzy timeline, judging for the first round will begin in late August, with the polls closing in mid October. In mid-November, final judging ends and 30 teams will walk away, their virtual pockets stuffed with very real dollar bills.
See Google's announcement for more details on awards, categories, and eligibility.
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