While both the App Store and Android Market have led to revolutionary changes in how software is sold, it's surprising how unusable both app marketplaces really are for simple browsing.

In many cases, if a user doesn't know the exact name of a certain app, finding it in either Apple's or Google's app stores is a frustrating task, especially for apps by smaller developers without the revenue to “earn” featured placement in either marketplace.

Considering Amazon's position as the internet's top retailer, it's obvious that deep categorization assists their customers in easily finding whatever product they are searching for. Rich meta-data is essential in providing this experience, and its implementation would go a long way in improving both the App Store and Android Market.

Browsing with the Android Market Mobile App

The Android Market app on the Samsung Galaxy Tab is generally more usable than its handset counterparts, mostly because of the larger screen size. Within any high level category, the top free apps, paid apps, and most recent Market arrivals are separated. This is similar to Apple's App Store.

However, both companies provide no indication of what “top” really means.

Once within a category, the user simply scrolls and scrolls through apps with no apparent rhyme, reason, or sort order. If someone wanted to find a virtual piano app under “Music and Audio”, it requires browsing through an endless number of MP3 players, ringtones, and radio apps, with the occasional appearance of an instrument app.

Simply placing a collection of sub-categories underneath “Music and Audio” goes a long way to improve this browsing experience for Android Market users. A quick visit to Amazon.com reveals that extra level of categorization. Music recording software remains separate from MP3 players.

The App Store is no Better for Browsing

The browsing experience at the App Store is hardly better than the Android Market. Once again, the music category is a jumbled mess, with virtual radio apps, virtual instrument apps, and other music-related utilities appearing one after the other. The only delineation is the same paid, free, and latest sections that Google probably copied from Apple for their app marketplace.

Gaming is probably the app category most needing of additional categorization. The App Store seems to have better top level categories compared to the Android Market, but suffers from apps appearing in more than one category. Currently, NBA Elite 11 tops the Simulation list in the App Store, three slots above Nachos Maker!

Once again, Amazon blows away both Apple and Google in this regard. For instance, on Amazon.com it's possible to browse through all the basketball games available for the PS3. There's no reason for Apple and Google not to provide that similar level of usability to the customer. All it takes is quality meta-data and the extra effort to present that information to the user in an easy to use manner.

Searching Both App Marketplaces

In most cases, the app market customer is forced to use search to create a manageable list of apps for browsing purposes. In this area, the Android Market provides a better mobile experience than the App Store simply by displaying the total number of search results.

The Android Market app automatically loads additional results as the user scrolls through the list. On the other hand, App Store users are forced to “Show 25 More” without any indication of the total size of the result set. If a user looks at a specific app, they are forced back to the top of the app list after returning – a stunning lapse in usability by Apple. In both cases, there's no indication of the sort criteria, nor an option to sort by rating. Once again, following Amazon's robust sort features would be an improvement for Apple and Google.

Despite the revolution ushered in by the App Store and largely followed by Google's Android Market, both app markets need to provide a better customer experience. Thankfully for Apple and Google, Amazon.com's use of meta-data, categorization, and sorting features is an obvious solution easily implemented by the two mobile computing giants.