Look out App Store: Android Market accepting paid apps

While it's not exactly fair to compare the brand, spankin' new Android Market to the 20,000-strong  App Store, I can't help it. Apple has set a high bar, and that's what I'm used to.

Probably the biggest reason for the dearth of quality apps on the 'Market was the lack of a payment infrastructure, meaning that all Android apps submitted to the Market were freely downloadable - until today.

Engadget reports that Google is now accepting paid applications in the U.S. Android Market for the first time. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, and Spain are said to be getting paid apps later in the quarter. Google Checkout is the only form of payment accepted (not PayPal as was rumored) and developers are being encourage to sign up for accounts on the developer site.

You can expect to be able to buy applications on the G1 as early as mid-week next week.

I wonder how many of the thousands of iPhone developers will start porting their apps to Android now that there's a financial incentive? My guess: lots.