AppNation 2011: Android devs need to use all available markets says Google mobile director Jason Spero

Kicking off day two of the AppNation conference was a 'fireside chat' between AppNation's founder Drew Ianni and Jason Spero, Google's director of mobile.

Asked a question from the floor about the quality of the Android Market, Spero - who doesn't work specifically on Android but covers Google's mobile strategy, and previously worked at AdMob - said, "We encourage developers to take advantage of all available market places."

"You need to find the channels that give you access to where your consumers are.
"Android Market has made enormous strides; it's getting better and better. You're going to continue to hear more about it but your decision is where are the users that you want to engage?"

More generally, he discussed the broader areas of mobile Google is looking at.

"We're looking to provide the tools to decrease the friction to get your business mobilised," Spero said.

"So far, we've seen first generation tools. We want people to be able to monitor their businesses beyond advertising. Advertising is just one of the available business streams."

A key part of this will be better integrating search - an obvious Google advantage - and building out much better analytics.

Spero also pointed to the potential for better using the hardware now available in smartphones such as cameras and user location - the caveat being privacy; currently a massive issue in the US following the iPhone tracking controversy.

"We take privacy very seriously and make sure we stop well before the line," Spero explained.

"But there is a lot of location metadata that could improve my experience as a consumer. I think we should be using that."