Motorola working on dedicated Android store

Although the current Android Market has had its critics over the past few months - thanks largely to its limited app descriptions, small number of screenshots and often counter-intuitive layout - it does its job pretty well.

However, Motorola obviously isn’t in agreement as it’s been revealed that the company is working on its own dedicated app store called SHOP4APPS.

The site is clearly still being worked on, but it was publically accessible until a few days ago. Website Android & Me discovered the web address and managed to potter around for a bit before Motorola slammed the door shut.

Basically the new store offers the same apps as the Android Market but is viewable via the internet. You can even purchase apps using your computer and then download them at a later date on your phone.

However, many of the other features - such as automatic notifications when new app versions are available, the ability to view downloaded programs and the option to transfer purchased apps to a new handset - are all currently available on the standard Android Market, which begs the question: why bother?

However, with news that the Android Market is fragmenting, Motorola’s move is less surprising and being able to control the look and functionality of the store will undoubtedly assist handset manufacturers when they’re trying to convince punters to splash their hard-earned cash on expensive phones - such as the Motorola Droid/Milestone, for example.

Whether or not this disjointed approach is going to help or harm the Android platform is up for debate, though.