iPHONE aren’t the only ones getting cool apps you know

There has been a lot of fuss surrounding the new Google Android devices, mostly because this was bound to bring more sweet apps to the new Android phones. Well, as we all know, Google is the embodyment of coolness, and as always, they deliver.

Motorola will be the next big shot to announce their Android phones, as the company plans to unveil this further today, at an event in San Francisco (stay tuned for further updates from there). Thing is, let’s face it: mobile applications for smartphones are today’s hottest. Just think about the fact that Apple’s App Store has had more than 1 billion (!) downloads in just a year of activity and add those who have… one way or another managed to get apps without downloading. It’s obvious that the market is hungry, and as I already said, Google delivers.

“Developing for the iPhone is a no-brainer,” said Noam Bardin, CEO of a mobile app company called Waze, which has developed navigation applications for the iPhone, Android, Symbian, and Windows Mobile platforms. “You get more bang for each line of code you write for the iPhone. But then the question becomes, which platform do you develop for next?”

Right now, it seems they’ve just moved in for the Android.

“What’s happening is Android is the third platform for people to think about,” said Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail, a free, visual voicemail service that is available for the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices. “The way we have done it is as YouMail has gotten a larger and larger audience, we’ve started to see 4 percent or 5 percent of our audience on Android. And we’ve built an Android app to satisfy those folks since it’s relatively easy to do.”

This comes after just earlier this week, Yahoo announced some other applications (including ones for Flickr) being released for iPhones and a handful of Blackberrys.

“We will make these applications available on Android devices and the Palm Pre later,” Sandeep Gupta, senior director of mobile applications at Yahoo said. “We’re not waiting until these devices have critical mass, but we do have to prioritize. And that means developing apps for devices with the most interactive mobile users first.”

Androids didn’t experience an explosive growth or over night successes, but their growth is steady and firm. In many ways, it has the potential to be an even better platform for developers than iPhone, as many have already been impressed by their approach to the market. Not only did they make the source code free for developers but they can also post their apps directly on the Android market. This means developers get updates and new version of their apps instantly, instead of having to wait for approval, which is the case with Apple. This has often been a subject of topic, with many complaining that the process is long and sometimes applications are rejected without any reason being given.

“The biggest challenge for a developer when it comes to Apple is getting their application certified,” Bardin said. “The whole process is a black box. You don’t know how long it will take or if your application will be approved.”

So it remains to be seen how the Google platform will develop, but I’d definitely put my money on it.