These extra limited-use apps are piling up

Amazon launched its DRM-free music store and all you need is a lightweight downloader application.

This application is a small trade-off, but is an annoyance nonetheless. ZDNet user Tripell sums it up in a Talkback:

A separate downloader does sound stupid, any number of ways to save it to the local computer.

Others have questioned why Amazon has a downloader app, but at least the e-commerce giant isn't alone. Turns out these extra applications (which happen to ride shotgun with digital media) are starting to add up --and I'm getting sick of them.

To wit:

• To watch a full episode at ABC.com you need to download a player and restart. This wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have a handful of players already installed. Do I really need one more?
• CBS.com requires me to download a Real Player plug-in to view an episode.
• And when NBC launches its full ad-supported episodes it too will have a player.

Wasn't the Flash player supposed to take care of these little headaches? Apparently not when everyone is trying to reinvent the wheel. Bottom line: A little more focus on the user experience and a little less attention to requiring various apps would be a boon to customers.