Friday, September 16, 2011

Software : Exclusive: Google: Web apps are not a path to paywalls

Software : Exclusive: Google: Web apps are not a path to paywalls

Exclusive: Google: Web apps are not a path to paywalls

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Exclusive: Google: Web apps are not a path to paywalls

Google's senior product manager for the Chrome Web Store has told TechRadar that he does not believe that web apps will become an excuse for companies to put free web content behind a paywall.

Rahul Roy-Chowdhury insisted that Google's purpose is not to dictate business models, but that the web should not be penalised in terms of asking for payment for functionality.

When TechRadar asked if Roy-Chowdhury felt that an increasingly successful web app world could see people move previously cost-free web content behind an app pay-wall he answered in the negative.

"I don't think so," he said. "I don't see our role as being an arbiter of other people's business models.

Dealer's choice

"We want the web to keep very open, but we want the developers to figure out and find the optimum model, whether that is a free trial with a paid upgrade, in-app payments or whether people are fine with paying up front," he added

"I think it needs to be a level playing field. If you go for a paid app model and it delivers successfully on other platforms then it should be possible to use [the same model] on the web.

"The web should not be at a disadvantage."

Blurring lines

Given the changing role of the browser and the power that HTML5 will bring to websites, Chowdhury is aware that the line between web app and website is blurring.

"I think it's a case of knowing it when you see it," he stated.

"I would say that at the moment it is a fully featured application that keeps people immersed in a task.

"I would say that offline access is a key attribute and one of the tests I use personally is to see if the application can be launched in full screen."

Exclusive: Google: Offline support making apps better online

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Exclusive: Google: Offline support making apps better online

Introducing offline capability is improving Google applications' online functionality, according to Chrome Web Store senior product manager Rahul Roy-Chowdhury.

One of the key complaints about the Chrome OS has been that usage of the cloud-centric operating system is hamstrung when an internet connection is missing.

Therefore, apps that can be used even when offline are key additions for Chrome, and Roy-Chowdhury told TechRadar that the process of adding this kind of functionality is also having a positive affect on the applications overall.

Better overall

"Interestingly, although offline is very nice in and of itself – in that it allows use when not connected, having offline support is making apps better overall," said Chowdhury.

"By following the dev best practices for adding offline functionality the chances are that the apps are going to be better online as well."

The arrival of an offline Gmail app at the end of August is just the start for Google, with the US company keen to make the disconnected feel a little more like they can still function.

Exclusive: Google: Windows 8 App Store not competition for Chrome Web Store

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Exclusive: Google: Windows 8 App Store not competition for Chrome Web Store

Google's Rahul Roy-Chowdhury has told TechRadar that he does not believe Windows 8's app store will be competition for the Chrome Web Store.

Roy-Chowdhury, speaking to TechRadar at the launch of local Chrome Web Stores for the UK and 23 other countries, had seen the integrated store within Windows 8, but was not worrying unduly.

"I've seen what's available but I don't see it as a rival or something to compare [the Chrome Web Store] with," he said.

Another channel

"With the Chrome Web Store we are not trying to be exclusive, but with apps like the BBC Good Food offering we're just keen for people to discover it," added Roy-Chowdhury

"The web store is just one distribution channel that people can access and the goal is not to lock things down to one distribution channel."

Chrome web store in action

Another thing that is designed to be simplified but not locked down in Chrome's Web Store is the payment system.

Roy-Chowdhury insists that making using Google Checkout simpler within the store is not designed to lock devs into that particular payment mechanism, but merely to give them an elegant solution.

"The way I see the payment issue is that we want to make it easy for users with Google Checkout," he added. "But we are adding that as a benefit and not a requirement.

"Developers can use their own payment system or an integrated checkout system and we would like people to choose which provides the better experience."

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