Google Refreshes Android Market Website – It Inexplicably Still Lacks Search

We’re not 100% sure when it popped up first, but Google has seemingly updated the Android Market website. Don’t pee your pants just yet – they’ve apparently merely shuffled some things around along with other layout changes. Still no search, still no way to download apps OTA, still no statistics of any kind.

On the bright side, the interface is more straightforward than it used to be. You can see a screenshot of the ‘old’ UI in this post, in which Jason Kincaid rightly calls for an Android Market desktop client – as you can tell the new website makes it a tad easier to browse different categories for both free and paid apps.

Google being Google, I’m really surprised the new website still lacks search functionality.

I mean, it’s fine that you can look up apps from your Android phone, but what if you don’t happen to have it on you? There’s no way to check if there’s a Skype or Facebook client for Android by browsing the Market website, unless you happen to stumble upon them in the listings of featured, top free or top paid apps.

Granted, they are clear about the Android Market website serving as a showcase of apps only right at the top of the new website, but that doesn’t explain why they choose not to make it more useful.

Good thing there are sites like Cyrket and AndroLib (update: and AppBrain) to do what Google apparently can’t or won’t: make a decent website for people who’d like to peruse the Android marketplace.

Read more: http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/17/android-market-website/#ixzz0oF7NvhA6