We want to develop a business mobile app that would integrate with our existing software products. This new app would target only our existing customers as the back-end is needed for it to work. It’s totally irrelevant to offer it to the world on a market.
- Is the Android Market the only technical and legal way to sell an Android App?
- Can we legally and technically buy tablets, include our app and resell them as value-added devices to our customers?
Thanks
Google is not Apple. No you do not need to distribute your application on the Android Market. You can distribute it however you want. You can sell or give it away free from a website if you want or as another obviously biased user mentioned, use a third party market.
You should be able to buy and add software to a tablet for resale but this may vary based on the manufacturer. Some will not want their reputations marred by bloat-ware (not saying that’s what you’re offering) while others won’t mind what you do as long as you’re moving their hardware. You can even build your own version of Android from the Android Source if you wanted to. Probably more work than you need/want to do.
If you are offering a service you charge for then you could just distribute the application for free through any of the markets you please. Make sure you communicate very clearly that it is a paid service in the description though to help avoid negative comments.
Note: I’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. When it comes to any legal issue, you should always consult a legal professional.