Google launches support for paid Android apps

Google announced Friday that developers will soon be able to sell applications through the Android Market, and developers will receive 70 percent of the revenue from app sales—the rest will go to the carriers.

The Android Market is the primary distribution channel for Android applications. It is tightly integrated with the platform and provides users with an easy way to obtain new software over the air. Google publicly opened the Android Market when the G1 handset was released last year, but it initially carried a limited assortment of applications and offered no way for developers to sell their wares. Everything in the Market is currently a free download, but this hasn't stopped apps from appearing at a respectable pace.

The new support for priced applications opens the door to commercial software vendors who want to sell programs to Android users, and this could help to expand the availability of third-party software for Google's nascent Linux-based mobile platform. According to Google's Eric Chu, who posted the announcement in the official Android Developers blog, payment processing will be handled by Google Checkout. Developers will be able to set prices ranging from $0.99 to $200.

Priced software will be available to users in the United States and the UK next week, and the feature will be rolled out incrementally to other regions. Several other countries, including Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, and Spain will all have the feature by the end of Q1.

The success of Apple's iPhone App Store has unambiguously demonstrated the value of providing a user-friendly distribution channel for third-party software on mobile platforms. Virtually every major mobile platform vendor is now adopting the strategy and preparing to offer similar services. Palm launched its Software Store in December, Microsoft's SkyCenter will go live later this year, RIM is preparing to launch a Blackberry Application Center in the near future, and Nokia's new application store is expected to arrive next week in time for the Mobile World Congress.

Google's platform is beginning to gain ground on Internet tablets and other consumer electronic devices. A strong infusion of new, high-quality applications could make those products more appealing to consumers and help accelerate Android adoption.