Given the ignorant lazy bum I am, until a couple of days ago I was unaware of this magical place called “Google Solutions Marketplace”. According to Google:
Basically it is a boon for both, google product users who depend on various search, enterprise, search and apps related Google offerings, and developers who develop products and services based upon these. Google Solutions Marketplace acts as a bridge between the two to offer a one stop shop where you can buy (or even get for free, in many cases) the brilliant ideas that have been developed by many individuals and companies based on google’s services.
Some benefits for users:
A comprehensive listing of great solutions for individual as well business needs based on google products.
All products go through an approval process by Google to ensure a certain standard of quality and basic checks to prevent frauds
A user based review system to put the good and the bad ones apart
Very basic to advanced apps available for free as well as paid ones.
Paid ones may also have option to use google checkout for payment
Some benefits for developers:
No need to create and maintain a website for their products
Good exposure to a wide audience without spending a dime. yes, all listings are free, even for paid apps.
Payments can be taken through Google Checkout or your own payment gateway
Certainly a good initiative by Google. Some of the good apps I found are (all free ones, since I’m a cheapskate :D ): Google Short Links, Gmail Backup, Google Email Uploader, LuckyCal, etc.
Let me know if you find this marketplace to your liking and also tell me of any exciting apps/services that you find while you are there.