Android Market Gouged Of Apps, But Mobile MySpace Gets Added

Something's afoot with the Android Market, the place where Android users can go to find and buy software for their Android devices. Earlier today, the Android Market went from 50+ apps down to 13. Um, what happened, Google? Thankfully, MySpace has picked up the slack with a mobile version of itself.In the HTC G1 that I tested last week, the Android Market was a neat little place to visit from the handset. There were four or five dozen applications in there. The Android Market, which functions similarly to the iPhone Apps Store, allows you to read about, preview, and download applications for the G1. There were lots of little apps in there that I thought were cool. Now they are all gone. Well, most of them, anyway. There are but 13 left.

Rather than a sinister plot, it turns out that Google has updated the Market with new software. Any application that didn't meet the requirements of the new Android Market software won't be available until they are updated. This will happen over time. So relax, G1 users, you'll have plenty of applications to sort through when the device becomes officially available later this week.

Now, about Mobile Myspace. MySpace announced that its mobile application for Android is now live for those who already have an Android phone. The MySpace app includes cool features like instant photo upload from Android to a MySpace profile and the ability to check out tour schedules on band profiles. The MySpace app also is integrated with Shazam, allowing users to identify music and connect to the artist's MySpace page.

According to the folks from MySpace, "With the launch of our Android app we are continuing our strategy of finding devices that we believe will resonate with our core audience where we can develop a deeply integrated mobile experience and add cool, exclusive, new features. MySpace has developed applications for Android, Sidekick, iPhone, is currently developing an application for BlackBerry, and has more to come! According to ABI Research, 70% of people who use social networks on mobile have visited MySpace."

Users of the HTC G1, feel free to check out Mobile MySpace for Android, available in the Android Market. You can't miss it. It's practically the only app in there at the moment.