It may not be as popular, or as profitable - but Google's fledgling Android Market is quietly becoming an irresistible alternative to developers keen to navigate around the strict measures set out by Apple's terms and conditions at the iPhone App store.
Case in point: Apple recently rejected a C64 emulator that bore twelve months of blood, sweat and tears for its developer Manomio. As outlined by the App store terms and conditions, section 3.3.2 requires that:
"An Application may not itself install or launch other executable code by any means, including without limitation through the use of a plug-in architecture, calling other frameworks, other APIs or otherwise...."
Unfortunately for emulators, which require users to download ROMs (games) for the application, it's rather difficult to get around the use of executable code, which is precisely the mechanism for launching a game ROM.
So, if you're still waiting to play Maniac Mansion or Space Taxi with the whimsy of 1985 again, you may have to wait a little longer. Unless you have an Android mobile that is. We did a quick search for emulators in the Android Market and found numerous (and mostly free) examples of emulation apps available, including a rather interesting C64 app alterative.
And while the Android version isn't as pretty or as slick as the iPhone offering, it does present a viable alternative for C64 handset gaming. The fact that it exists should be considered a small victory for handset gaming.
The Android C64 app has already been downloaded over 10 000 times, although when we tested it, it was found to be a purely experimental. It bears little resemblance to the graphically rich C64 emulator by Apple iPhone app designer manomio.
And you'll still need to locate and download the appropriate ROMs to make it all work too.
C64, Sega Genesis, Gameboy and Super Nintendo
But the C64 isn't alone. App emulators for Sega Genesis, Gameboy and Super Nintendo are also available. Most are free and are providing developers with an avenue for creative freedom when it comes to providing Android-powered handsets with applications that people want; not necessarily what a board allows.
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| Retro battle: this C64 emulator was banned by the Apple app store. Image source: Manomio |
Interestingly enough, Apple doesn't seem to have problems with emulated games based on classic arcade and console ports.
An emulated version of Golden Axe and Sonic the hedgehog can be found on the Apple App store, but its believed that emulated games are ok, because they use a considerable amount of revamped code, meaning that potential copyright issues retaining to the emulation might be easier to get around.
C64 developer manomio writes on his website that he is "eager to get it in your (our) hands; however, Apple's approval team has unfortunately rejected our submission. As we know, there are already many titles that are very similar in nature to C64, so we´re working hard to convince Apple to reconsider".
Android vs Apple apps: the rules
If anything, this demonstrates the power of the Android Market as a credible 'open' app store alternative to Apple's iPhone App Store.
The Android Market has no real vetting process outside of its Terms and Service agreement, so developers are free to upload their wares without going through a decision making board that encumbers much of the app development work for the iPhone.
Google spokesperson Lucinda Barlow told us that "It's about providing openness. It's the best way we think we can provide great choice to developers and users alike."
Barlow said Google gives the user community the ability to "...flag and rate them (apps). When developers upload something, they have those terms and service available to them."
Meanwhile, it's not just the iPhone App application process that has developers seeing red, it's also the way Apple applies the rules. While one app is deemed unfit, another gets let through.
In the past, various iPhone apps have been banned for what is regarded by App store management as offensive or risqué content. iPhone apps are often strictly monitored for their content and title.
For example, Jon Atherton's wobble app was banned last year for its depiction of an animated breast jiggling. Its banning caused a minor furore among iPhone users, with some calling Apple's vetting process 'puritanical'.
In contrast, a popular Android app, 'Dildroid', allows enterprising users to turn their phone into a vibrator (even though the terms and service at Google do not allow sexually explicity material). It's the type of app that probably wouldn't make the cut on the iPhone.
Will Apple ultimately reconsider? Perhaps Android's future popularity may hold the key. Google Android market is only in its infancy, but as its database of apps grows, along with Android users worldwide, then perhaps Apple may decide to relax their rules.