Popular Android emulator developer “yongzh” has had all of his apps yanked from Android Market without warning, he told users today, signaling that Google’s recent bans (started last month at the behest of Sega) are all but over.
The culled few include user favourites like Nesoid, Snesoid, Gensoid, Ataroid and Gameboid, just to name a few. This would appear to be the quiet, unceremonious end to sanctioned emulator sales in the Android Market. [Android Market via Engadget]
Ollie
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:10 AMUnfortunately I get the feeling the apparently ‘open’ Android market is going to be squeezed more and more as the months go on.
Anything popular always seems to eventually get slaughtered in the legal system of its more edgy & illegal content.
Steve
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 1:26 PMThe Android Market was never open, nor did it ever advertise itself to be. Market =/= Android OS.
The Market is, and always has been a place for purchase of apps. It’s enforced precisely because money and developer livelihoods are at stake. The official Android Market is not the only source for apps (don’t even need to jailbreak either), but it is one where Google exerts some control to protect its 3rd party devs.
The Android CODE is as open as ever, but if you want to use the official market, you play by Google’s rules, which means you can’t release apps that infringe on IPs.
I find it funny that people will somehow spin this in a way so that Google’s somehow in the wrong. Like as if ‘open’ was a blanket statement that allowed critics to call hypocrisy with a smile on their face.
Peter
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:20 AMThe emulators themselves weren’t bad, unless they had bios copied from the consoles themselves. I’d be more concerned about the rom download apps
Joel Eade
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:29 AMSo long Yongzh. I’m sure you’ll pop up somewhere else :)
Harvz
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:34 AMthe market was never open? But the OS is and thats why you can go somewhere else and download it
Harvz
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:34 AMnot sure why i put a ? in there
Aaron
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:45 AMget ‘em before they’re gone: https://slideme.org/user/yongzh
ozoneocean
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 11:00 AMYeah, the great thing about Android is that the market isn’t the only place you can get apps from. :)
-And you don’t need to root or unlock the phones to get them elsewhere.
Tim
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 11:36 AMYep, as stated above… total non-issue from my perspective. Anyone who wants an emulator can find them outside of the market.
Even Angry Birds was originally released externally, and then later introduced into the normal Android Market.
It’s a 100% viable option. Just less exposure.
Rick
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 3:32 PMThe guy’s apps were removed because he’s ripping off other dev’s work and passing it off as his own, without giving credit, AND charging for it when the source apps were free. He deserved to have his dev access revoked.
Peter
Monday, May 30, 2011 at 8:47 PMThe real loser in all this culling is the Pokédroid app which The Pokémon Company has very recently set their lawyers on, and it displays the same stuff available for free on Bulbapedia and Serebii.net. I get that the sprites are copyright, but it was invaluable for the geeks who have a DS and a droid. Fuck the useless guides.