Google’s new Listen app draws fire from developers
The number of Google apps released onto the market grew to a sizeable 9 yesterday with the 
launch of an amazing new "Listen” application.
The launch of the app drew criticism from developers on the Google Groups discussion board, sparking a fairly heated debate. The root of the conflict falls as to whether Google should be encouraging developers to build applications and with other hand be developing applications that will compete with those same developers. Some called for Google to release a list of applications that they were actively working on periodically so developers won’t waste their meagre time and resources on an app for Google to release something that will make it obsolete.
My view on this is that Google releasing a new polished application is 100% good for the Android
platform and good for the market ecosystem. If developers feel aggrieved that their applications are being competed against, then they should use this as an opportunity to improve their applications and to start talking more about their apps on blog sites (like this one). If Google doesn’t release a competing application then someone else will, especially if there are improvements to be made. Remember just because Google produces something doesn’t necessarily mean that its by default going to be perfect- just look at how Youtube beat out Google Video.
In contrast, Apple arrogantly tells developers that they cannot release something that duplicate features that come with the iPhone however Android actively encourages developers to compete and improve on the default apps. ( check out handcent sms or chompsms from the market for great examples). The release of an application like Listen should spark some good improvements and I am looking forward to seeing what innovations Android developers will come up with in response.
About the Listen podcast application
This is Google’s second foray into the world of audio searching (after the amazing Google Audio Indexing) and it doesn’t disappoint. Its slick, very quick and allows Android users to directly search for and listen to their favourite podcasts. 
The directory seems to be pretty up to date as I was able to find latest episodes of my regular podcast subscriptions like Cnet UK Podcast and Androidguys Podcast however there were some clear omissions like the T3 Podcast. In terms of technology, they seem to have the buffering and playback working flawlessly as I was able to listen to a full 45 minute show without and blips or pauses.
I was also surprised how well it handled mid-podcast calls. If the phone rings during a podcast there is a automatic pause whilst the phone rings and once the call is completed the podcast continues without any buffering from the exact place it paused.
This is a great effort from Google, however I would love a directory or a most downloaded list to help me find and discover new content more easily.
Overall a great application to add to the ecosystem and something I can definitely show off as a killer app for Android.
For more information visit the Listen Google Apps site or download Listen from the Android Market
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It’s nice but it’s got quite a few failings, the search for starters (it didn’t find many of my standard podcasts) and the fact that you can’t add your own feeds directly. There’s a bunch of other features missing that other apps have. For a starting podcast listener it might be fine but for people that have been listening to podcasts for some time it’s too weak. Want a really killer podcast-listening app? Try DoggCatcher (I’m not affiliated with them except for being a satisfied customer – so much that I enrolled in their beta testing program)