Rick's b.log - 2012/09/15
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Numpty error

Amazon's big FAIL

So when Amazon offered me its "App-Shop" app (interestingly, not on Google Play), I thought I'd give it a whirl.

It installed, it started. It asked for some potentially dodgy permissions (may be necessary to run an app store, could have been better explained), but these permissions were nothing compared to Google's own stuff. I gave it my credentials.

Only to be met with:

Well, my Kindle account was an international version stored at Amazon.com.

I tried, on a whim, transferring my account to Amazon.fr, and this is what worked. Of course, if Amazon had pointed this out in the first place...

So, I tried again and was connected.

To give a comparison on memory use:

So I look at some categories. I try Video.

After more than ten seconds, the app eventually reported:

Eventually I found an interesting looking application.

So I "purchased" it. There was no obvious "Install this" button until I went to the bottom of the information and then looked back to the top.

I would have seen the status of this item was "Purchase" and then "Download", but for some reason the app kept jumping to the bottom of the description.
Here's the purchase:

And then the download:

However...

Translation: QR Code Generator Pro was corrupted and cannot be installed.
Explanation? No.
Retry button? Apparently not.

However, it is listed on my Amazon account as a "purchase":

To be honest:

• I think this software is best classed as "beta quality". In numerous places, the text doesn't fit the icon (example: the "Continue" button when you need to provide your password to turn off in-app billing (it is on by default)).
• I'm not too fond of the black colour scheme. The application has big obvious buttons, but somehow it doesn't seem terribly welcoming.
• The app is overly large, its data consumption also.
• I will forgive it not having so many apps as this is something new and it will take time to get established; however what I cannot forgive so easily is how slow this product is. When I look at video players, MP3 players, TuxRider, and a plethora of things that run quite smoothly on a 1GHz model, I wonder what the hell takes so long for App-Shop.
• Please allow "Start at boot" to be an option the user can turn off. You know, there's so much unwanted crap that starts at boot (SonyEricsson - Facebook app? are you listening?) that I need to run a task killer a few minutes after the phone has booted to get rid of it all or I will suffer a degradation in available memory and battery life. Amazon might have a ton of reasons why it should auto-start. It should still be an option for the user (auto-start should always be a user option, for the phone takes long enough to get going as it is...).
• So I "purchased" an app that turned out to be a failed installation? And the failure to install was not reflected in the Amazon order history. I'm not terribly bothered as it was a zero-cost purchase, I would be somewhat more annoyed if it was a paid-for app.
• Which makes me ask - why are there no user friendly options? An explanation of what went wrong. Did my phone run out of space? Was the download messed up? Could it be retried?
  There ought to be a coherent explanation of what went wrong, and if applicable a "Retry" button so the user can take measures (delete unwanted apps, switch to WiFi instead of 3G, etc etc).
• Why is a "free" app considered a purchase? Does Amazon live for paperwork or something? ☺

I might return to Amazon's App-Shop in a while (like, a year) but for now I have uninstalled the application. Too big, too slow, and evidently too unreliable if my only app "purchase" fails.

Nefarious nudity?

But to consider legal action for these photos? I get that they will feel privacy was invaded and I get that she got caught out in the noddy, but really I think the best course of action would be for them to lick their wounds and be rather quiet about it.
For to continue, would... well... two words: Streisand Effect.

Your comments:

Rob, 16th September 2012, 00:27

I can't even load the amazon app store on my phone - I get a "corrupted app" type message every time when trying to install it! Sigh.. Shame, the free-app-of-the-day has thrown up some nice ones on the tablet.

Rob, 16th September 2012, 13:55

Hmm... do you know how many Rick Murrays turn up on facebook if you search for them? And none with that picture! :-)