[KidCaboose]

So, this past week, Handster Inc. must have published close to 200 titles in the games section. So many that most of them, I imagine, have gone unnoticed, burying other non-handster titles, and themselves. There have been so many, so fast, that even doing a search on Handster in App World doesn't produce anything useful, regardless the filter you use.

I figured, maybe, we could point out a few that weren't complete App World pollution.

I've so far found one sudoku game that might be okay. It's simply called Sudoku. Anyone else notice anything in the diarrhetic downpour?

[rupam95]

Yea. Handster is spamming App World with useless android ports, surprised how RIM allows this to happen. I guess it's all about quantity for RIM.

[Shao128]

Yea. Handster is spamming App World with useless android ports, surprised how RIM allows this to happen. I guess it's all about quantity for RIM.

Handster has an agreement with RIM to do this....

Handster Android App Market to begin submitting Android apps to BlackBerry App World on behalf of developers! | CrackBerry.com

[pacoman03]

I don't think that Handster actually produces any apps for the PB. They simply convert existing android apps produced by others and submit them to app world. I also believe that they got in a bit of hot water previously for submitting converted android apps without the permission of the copyright holders.

[Ishaq786]

All Handster Inc apps are .

[BB_Bmore]

While most are garbage, not all are. I have a few handster published games that are good time wasters Imo. To each their own

[kill_9]

Handster has an agreement with RIM to do this....

Handster Android App Market to begin submitting Android apps to BlackBerry App World on behalf of developers! | CrackBerry.com

"Agreements" with third-parties should never be allowed to protect the application developer and to prevent such abuses as the appSPAM coming from Handster.

[Shao128]

"Agreements" with third-parties should never be allowed to protect the application developer and to prevent such abuses as the appSPAM coming from Handster.

What I was getting at is RIM wants those apps. I think it's a terrible idea, but RIM wants to pad their application count.

[Duskao]

Heh. People complain that there isn't enough apps on the playbook, so they are pulling an apple/android. Filling it up with crap lol. Sure they both have stupid amounts of apps, but the vast majority are complete crap. We have a few decent android ported apps but most aren't very good. But I suppose lots of people want to see that there are lots of apps when buying a new device, so it's not all a bad thing? I am quite sure that some people are still going to say "it doesn't have netflix or skype", but if it were the other way and we did have them then android and apple would still say "we have thousands of apps" lol. At least there is some good to come out of it, it would be nice if they released the apps over time instead of dropping giant loads at a time so the majority of it just goes unnoticed. Rant over.

[KidCaboose]

While most are garbage, not all are. I have a few handster published games that are good time wasters Imo. To each their own

Feel like listing them, that was the point of this thread, to help us sort through the mountain of trash. Heck, I've even found some doubled up apps, already released games rereleased by Handster. These are two potentials I've found now:

1. Sudoku by Digeebird
2. Maujong by (this is an actual version of the real mah jonng game, not the typical solitaire version)

[Cynycl]

The new app Music Downloader seems ok other than you can't set the download folder. What concerns me is the need to give permission to device identifying information to make this app work. I posted a review noting this concern and only giving three stars as a result. Review was removed almost immediately, along with other negative reviews and the star rating reset to perfect. What a scam Handster is. Must have a whack of peeps deleting bad reviews on their apps. I will not pay for an app published by these scammers. RIM needs to put a leash on these folks.

Another app to delete, and possibly a security wipe to cleanse my device of Handster

[samab]

"Agreements" with third-parties should never be allowed to protect the application developer and to prevent such abuses as the appSPAM coming from Handster.

There is no need for protection --- the original application developer signed away those rights to Handster.

Handster --- is owned by the Opera browser company --- very legit company who has been operating for a long time.

The way it works is:

(1) app developers published their apps in multiple app stores
(2) app developers didn't bother to read the terms and conditions in these app store agreements
(3) app developers published their apps with Handster which gives Handster to redistribute these apps elsewhere
(4) Handster is a white label app store (i.e. unlike Verizon with their technical expertise to start and maintain their own app store, many overseas carriers especially in Eastern Europe don't --- so they get a white label app store from Handster and slap their own carrier logo on it)
(5) so anyone publishes their apps with Handster gets access to some random Russian wireless carrier
(6) Handster gets a cut of your revenue for their service to redistribute your app to some random Russian wireless carrier

That's how Handster works for the last 8 years --- long before the iphone was even born. This is how Western European Symbian app developers sold their apps in Russia.

Nothing to do with the evilness of Opera/Handster or RIM --- it has to do with clueless app developers not knowing what these terms and conditions are.

[LimeTripBlog]

I don't understand why RIM wants to fill the app world with junk [handster], there's hardly any app that is worth downloading. RIM should focus on quality and not numbers.

[andrewmcwhirter]

I just downloaded "Canada Quiz" by Handster and I think it's a pretty good app. Simple, and the questions can be quite challenging.

[cjterminator]

I found these good ones from Handster: Track My Train, Plumber Pro, Quick Shop Pro, myExpensePro, MoneyFlow Expense Manager.

[jwn66]

I have no problem with them doing what they're doing. I just don't even download them anymore, they require too many permissions, sometimes even have to resign into appworld in the middle of a download or install, wth up with that... I'd use them if they didn't feel like a trap...

[Zildjian71]

If it says Handster I move on and don't download. In the beginning most Handster apps were just phone apps anyway. I can't imagine a decent Android crap app looking good on a BB10 phone. What a wreck that will be!

[Smiley88]

I hope Handster will NEVER come to BB10. All their android ports are crap. If they do come to BB10 it will ruin the BB10 experience.
Also there are so much illegal content and copyright with Handster apps. RIM doesn't care. They just want to fill up Appworld like a garbage dump.

[SifJar]

I hope Handster will NEVER come to BB10. All their android ports are crap. If they do come to BB10 it will ruin the BB10 experience.
Also there are so much illegal content and copyright with Handster apps. RIM doesn't care. They just want to fill up Appworld like a garbage dump.

It's already there, as I understand it everything currently in App World will be available on BB10 devices. Also, while many of the apps Handster upload are indeed copyrighted, the rights holders have given permission to Handster to distribute them, so nothing illegal it going on by uploading the apps. Some of the apps functionality may be illegal or whatever (I think I read about a music downloader or something? sounds dodgy), but their presence is not.

They are indeed mostly crap though, and it is a shame RIM made an agreement with them to do this. It makes the recently added pages in the App World useless, I can never find any decent stuff there.

[Smiley88]

It's already there, as I understand it everything currently in App World will be available on BB10 devices. Also, while many of the apps Handster upload are indeed copyrighted, the rights holders have given permission to Handster to distribute them, so nothing illegal it going on by uploading the apps. Some of the apps functionality may be illegal or whatever (I think I read about a music downloader or something? sounds dodgy), but their presence is not.

They are indeed mostly crap though, and it is a shame RIM made an agreement with them to do this. It makes the recently added pages in the App World useless, I can never find any decent stuff there.

Illegal and copyright I meant if you look at some of the handster apps you will see apps like the Simpsons, Disney characters and other comic logos everywhere. You WILL never see this on BB Java apps because RIM reviewers will deny them because the developer needs proof that they can use content legally.

[BerryClever]

It's already there, as I understand it everything currently in App World will be available on BB10 devices. Also, while many of the apps Handster upload are indeed copyrighted, the rights holders have given permission to Handster to distribute them, so nothing illegal it going on by uploading the apps. Some of the apps functionality may be illegal or whatever (I think I read about a music downloader or something? sounds dodgy), but their presence is not.

They are indeed mostly crap though, and it is a shame RIM made an agreement with them to do this. It makes the recently added pages in the App World useless, I can never find any decent stuff there.

From what I read, there are some big name apps coming to BB10. If those apps- along with BB10 popularity- can boost native apps enough, then I hope that RIM will just shove all the Handster/Android ports into a category by itself and excludes it from recent apps (along with those ebooks).

Allowing for Android was a double edge sword, but unfortunately it was a necessity. People wanted quantity, but with quantity comes with lots and lots of crapps.

[SifJar]

Illegal and copyright I meant if you look at some of the handster apps you will see apps like the Simpsons, Disney characters and other comic logos everywhere. You WILL never see this on BB Java apps because RIM reviewers will deny them because the developer needs proof that they can use content legally.

As far as RIM is concerned, I believe that responsibility falls to Handster. RIM have made some sort of agreement with Handster, so I believe that Handster is responsible for checking these apps more so than RIM.

From what I read, there are some big name apps coming to BB10. If those apps- along with BB10 popularity- can boost native apps enough, then I hope that RIM will just shove all the Handster/Android ports into a category by itself and excludes it from recent apps (along with those ebooks).

Allowing for Android was a double edge sword, but unfortunately it was a necessity. People wanted quantity, but with quantity comes with lots and lots of crapps.

There are dozens of fantastic apps in the App World that are converted Android apps. If they were in a separate category, hundreds of users would ignore them due to stupid, pointless bias. I think it is perfectly acceptable to integrate them within regular App World categories (although not the eBooks, as you also mentioned). My only objection is that there are hundreds of pathetic apps coming from Handster. I have no problem with other Android apps, but Handster are saturating the new arrivals lists etc., and that's not fair on other devs.

[Serdic]

Star Colonies might be worth a shot, not much in the free-version but it's better than an achievements list.

[kill_9]

What I was getting at is RIM wants those apps. I think it's a terrible idea, but RIM wants to pad their application count.

Sorry, I misunderstood your intended message. I apologise for my faulty brain; old age is a penalty with no escape.