vPlayer

I've recently been using the wonderful 'File Expert' app on my Desire, to drag videos straight off the home network and onto my phone. This is great for the tube into work, as while everyone else is standing around looking like they'd punch a lost dog for looking sad, I'm stood there guffawing at Family Guy (which by the way, is the perfect time length for a trip to work, and always lifts the spirits). This week though, the trial version of vPlayer, which I've been using to view said videos ran out, leaving me all at sea. For the full version the makers wanted HK$23 - or £1.82 in Sterling. Now there are other apps out there that I am sure fulfill the same function - my housemate uses Rockplayer, but I've found vPlayer to be a great little app, that is lightweight and plays almost anything you can throw at it. I had no real qualms about shelling out the price of a Sainsburys Tuna Sandwich and a packet of quavers for the app.

My thinking behind this was fourfold.

1. As above, its a great app that just works.

2. Regular updates mean that I'm buying into something that will be updated as new formats arrive etc etc

3. I'll be able to use it on my tablet when Honeycomb finally arrives

4. It'll be ad free.

Unfortunately not all of the above assumptions turned out to be true.

My biggest complaint is that it is simply not ad free. Is it wrong to assume that it would be? Its generally accepted that if you pay for media, whether it be, music (spotify premium), DVDs or games that what you are buying is not also ad supported. I may as well have just downloaded another app that does the same job, and also has ads all over the place. This is a perfect example of how to get things wrong on the Android app market. Some developers have already voiced their concerns about Androids users willingness to pay for things. Its a very delicately balanced situation, and making them pay for an ad supported product does not seem like the way to convince them that your Hong Kong dollars are being well spent.

Regular updates are another thing. Am I right to assume that I am entitled to free updates? This is more of a grey area. I am buying an app based on what it can do, right now, and yes, today it does play video's on my Desire running Android 2.2. But what happens when I inevitable upgrade (every 18 months or so)? Will the app then work on my Nexus S running 2.3 or even, my Honeycomb tablet. Many people may end up owning both a tablet and a phone. Will I end up having to buy a separate video playing app for that? Its an interesting question, given the divergent nature of the Android OS. You are buying apps for your account, they have no resale value whatsoever, so you had better make sure you want something when you buy it. If a developer decides that he has got better things to do than update his app, thats it, for your next phone, you'll have to buy another app that does exactly the same thing as the one you currently own, but is compatible with your new, slightly tweaked OS. I must however, put my hands up and say that I don't know what the solution is here. All I know is that I don't want to have to buy multiple apps that do the same thing for every new phone or tablet I buy.