Apart from the gigantic screens and powerful multi-core processors, the most important thing that makes smartphones truly smart is its ability to download and run thousands of apps from its application repository.
For Android, you get a dedicated application store from Google dubbed as ‘Google Play’ to fulfill your app requirements. But if you don’t like Google’s offering and the way it operates then there is MoboMarket Lite which is a worthy alternative to the Play Store.
It can also become an instant hit on some low end phones or tablets from Indian and Chinese manufacturers that does not have access to the popular digital media hub from Google because unlike Android, Google Play is not open-source.
In order to be able to run it, the device must meet Google’s numerous compatibility requirements. Thus, on such incompatible devices, MoboMarket Lite can easily become their only portal to the plethora of apps that can make their device awesome.
Interface
The interface of the MoboMarket Lite is quite simple and easy to use. It takes design cues from the previous incarnation of the Google Play when it was called the Android Market. The apps are divided into different sections such as Featured, Must Have, Hot, etc. which can be accessed by swiping left or right on your screen.
The contents are displayed in a list view along with its rating (shown in stars) and size on the basis of their popularity. You can also narrow down your search by choosing a particular genre from the ‘Categories’ section.
Whenever you click on an application, it displays the details of the particular app with numerous screenshots, number of downloads, description from the developer and user reviews, much like the Google Play.
At the bottom of the screen, you will find numerous tabs which further enhances the searching process. Games and apps are placed on their respective tabs and if you know the name of the app you want to download then you can simply click on the search button and type the keyword.
Under the ‘General’ tab, you can get bunch of different information such as your storage space info, list of updatable apps, and a download manager to take control of the download process.
Features
One of the most highlighting feature of the MoboMarket Lite is its ability to push the contents that are related to your search history and the types of apps installed on our device. This is quite helpful because it mostly displays the relevant apps of your liking.
Applications can also be downloaded without requiring a Google account or any other account for that matter. It also allows you to download multiple apps simultaneously and provides the luxury to pause and resume downloads, a feature that is very well absent from the Play Store.
The MoboMarket Lite is also useful for installing apps that are removed from the Play Store. For example, ‘Flappy Bird’, a hit side-scrolling bird game that was removed from the Google Play and the Apple App Store by the developer himself is still available on the MoboMarket Lite.
Drawbacks
The MoboMarket Lite provides some neat features but is far from being perfect. For starters, the number of available apps is very limited in comparison to the Google Play. While the Play Store has more than a million unique apps to offer as well as songs and movies, this third-party app store only contain popular titles from the Play Store.
Some devices can also experience stability and performance issues. Force close occurs frequently and the app gets struck on the loading screen. But developers are working relentlessly to tackle this through frequent updates and bug fixes.
Conclusion
Even though there are numerous drawbacks, the MoboMarket Lite can stand on its own whether as an alternative or an independent marketplace. However, it was never developed with the intention of replacing the Google Play Store whose features and app count is simply unmatchable for the MoboMarket Lite.
Primarily an alternative, devices without access to the Play Store can benefit from MoboMarket Lite’s offering. So, if you want to give it a try for whatever reason then you can get it from the Google Play Store free of cost and is compatible with Android version 1.6 and higher. You can also download the APK file and sideload it to your Android device.
Article by Vishal
Vishal Gaikar is a professional blogger from Pune, India. If you like this post, you can follow him on Twitter.
