The Android fine print: kill switch and other tidbits

An uproar erupted when iPhone users discovered a so-called remote kill switch on their phones -- will it spur the same reaction in users of the G1, the first Android phone?

In the Android Market terms of service, Google expressly says that it might remotely remove an application from user phones. "Google may discover a product that violates the developer distribution agreement ... in such an instance, Google retains the right to remotely remove those applications from your device at its sole discretion," the terms, linked to from the phone, read.

That item is one of a few hints of things to come in the "About phone" section of the device, which also alludes to some hitherto unknown people and companies that were instrumental in developing the software.

The G1, the first phone to run the Android software developed by Google, goes on sale Oct. 22, and many people are getting their first in-depth look at it because T-Mobile has loaned the devices to reporters. The Android Market is the online store accessible from the phone where users can download applications.

Android users might be more receptive to Google's remote kill switch than iPhone users were to Apple's for a couple of reasons. First, Google is being upfront about it. Apple didn't confirm the capability for the iPhone until days after a developer discovered it.

In addition, Google says that if it does remotely remove an application, it will try to get users their money back, a question that iPhone users have wondered about in the case of an iPhone application recall. Google said that it will make "reasonable efforts to recover the purchase price of the product ... from the original developer on your behalf." If Google fails to get the full amount back, it will divide what it gets among affected users.

Google may have more need to use a kill switch than Apple. That's because Apple vets applications before putting them into its Apps Store. Anything goes in Google's Android Market, opening the chances of malicious or otherwise unwanted applications appearing in the market.

The Android Market business and program policies also include an item that says users can return any application for a full refund within 24 hours of the time of purchase. In the absence of a trial version of applications, this offer will let users return an application that might not deliver exactly what they expected.

Android Market users can also reinstall as many times as they wish an application that they buy, another useful feature in case a phone fails.

For now, all applications in the market are free because Google hasn't yet set up the mechanisms to allow developers to offer them for purchase.

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