The Android Developer Challenge has ended, and there’s no doubt that it worked out well for developers – ten teams each received $275,000 awards and another ten got $100,000 apiece. Things seem to be headed in the right direction for Android users, too.
Forget about tossing sheep or infecting your friends. Almost every money-earning app is more useful than that, with even the less goal-oriented ones demonstrating more sophistication. TuneWiki and Rayfarla focus on music, for example, but incorporate all sorts of unique elements like synchronized lyrics and virtual musical instruments.
A list of the other top earners starts with cab4me, which is supposed to simplify the process of finding a taxi. CompareEverywhere and GoCart are shopping aids, while Ecorio tracks users’ carbon footprints. Life360 seems designed to spread important bulletins throughout a physical community.
Then there’s Locale, which “changes your phone’s settings based on conditions, such as location,” according to an official write-up. No more switching from a ringtone to vibrate and back several times a day, in other words, as you head to the office, go out for lunch, return to work, and then head home again in the evening.
The final few $275,000 apps include PicSay, which introduces an image editor, Softrace, a workout tool, and Wertago, which should help users find friends and parties while they’re out on the town.
It’s an interesting bunch of apps, to be sure. Many onlookers are interested enough to have committed to getting an HTC Dream and trying several of them.
