Android Market: Just in went out

Did you keep your old Android Market for the "Just in" tab? Then you might as well unfreeze the market updater, because the Just in tab doesn't work anymore.

It's not completely gone, but the stream of fresh apps has dried up. Now when you tap "Just in" in your old market you get a selection of apps from the "top new paid" and "top new free" pages of the new market.

This makes it harder to discover new apps that still have to gain enough momentum to make it to the top lists. On the other hand, it makes it harder for spammers to trick the system with fake updates. Of course it would be way better if Google would find another way to fight market spam, but then they'd have to moderate the market to some extent and that costs time and money.

There are a few alternatives for the Just in tab. You could look at the new entries in forums like i-Pmart, Mobilism, and Noeman, or check Android app blogs like androidcentral and MobileCruze, but this only gets you a very small selection of new apps and it can be difficult to tell legit apps and warez apart.

The closest thing to the dead Just in tab is the Latest Android apps page on AppBrain, but it's not even close to the Just in tab of the old Android Market.

The new market versions are like an overcrowded shopping mall for music, games, junk, and bloat. And oh yeah, they also have an app store thrown in. Before you throw out your old market, make a backup. You may want to go back, because versions up to v2.3.6 are clean and uncluttered.

• Old Android Market (v2.3.6) on xda
• Latest Android apps page on AppBrain