Customers can now access Google's Android app store from any internet browser, whereas before they could only access it through Android mobile devices.

The new Android Market Web Store not only allows users to search out and purchase mobile apps through a browser, but also links them to their google account-- installing them automatically on their Android devices. The store also allows developers to offer app upgrades to premium, paid versions.

Analysts say this move potentially makes Android platform more attractive for developers. The platform was previously focused on free apps, resulting in its not getting the best quality apps. Developers can now also buy Google ads linking directly to an app's purchase page.

Some commentors also predict this is but a first step towards Google unifying access to all its apps in one place, especially since it follows the recent Chrome app store launch. Android's tablet-specific version, 3.0 (aka Honeycomb) is also coming out in the near future (first off in Motorola's Xoom tablet), and one can imagine Gogle wanting to really take on Apple and its iDevice ecosystem.

Go Google Market Web Store

"It's not the race to get the most apps, it's a race to get the right apps," says Samsung– and they are absolutely correct.

But how do you get the right apps? You throw money at it....

Thus, the Samsung $500,000 Free the TV Developer Challenge.

Olivier Manuel, Director of Content at Samsung, said the company hit 1 million downloads of Samsung TV apps—an industry first–more than a month ago.

Now their Free the TV Developer Challenge in USA has picked 13 winners...

The winning app, walking away with $200,000, is WeDraw, a social game for home, a sort of digital Pictionary.

Gym Box (home workout app) took second place, Armchair Astronaut (hi-def space exploration) was 3rd, and New Mote (social TV listings) won readers' choice.

The most interesting fact is there seemed to be only 56 applications. Thirteen out of 56 won...doesn't seem like bad odds for developers out there.

AND NOW FOR EUROPE...public voting has just started for the 500,000 euro Samsung SmartTV Challenge in Europe

(A quick aside on TVs as a few interesting numbers came out of the Samsung press conference at CES: With 3DTV sales of about 1 million units, Samsung says 3DTV surpasses first-year sales of DVD, HDTV, and Blu-ray. That sounds like a success, despite the controversy. Samsung expects 3DTV sales to grow to 6 million units in 2011 (not just Samsung, of course). But Smart TV will be the larger game with sales expected to be 9 million.)

It took the Mac App Store less than one day to hit 1 million downloads.

Evernote, for example, saw 90,000 client downloads between the store launch and midnight Jan. 7th. CEO Phil Libin was quoted by GigaOM as saying: “...We initially thought that since so much of our user base was coming from mobile, that was the key distribution platform. But maybe it isn’t mobile that’s important, maybe it’s the well-designed app store.”

The Mac App Store, according to a number of industry analysts, may become the default way to download software onto the Mac. That level of disruption would change the way all software is delivered to PCs.

Just like the App Store Beat iTunes to 10 Billion Downloads by 6 Years, we may find Mac App Store to be a surprisingly richer development than we ever expected.

In our sister publication for consumer electronics, On CE, I predicted last year that 3D TV would be less significant than Connected TV. This year's CES certainly had enough of both. Yet, in 2011, it seems clearer than Connected TV will be the bigger play. And apps will be the driving force...

That reminded me of a conversation I had at Berlin IFA. The earliest adopter in Europe of Android TV is an interesting company in Sweden called People of Lava. I spoke to Christian Svantesson, owner and Johan Lantz, Business Developer about the challenges of launching Connected TV.

People of Lava make Scandinavian-designed HD LED TV with an Android engine. Like the big TV makers, Samsung or Sony, this Swedish company discovered it had to be in the app business to be in the Connected TV business. They were so early on the Connected TV curve, People of Lava felt compelled to create a few apps just to be to explain and sell their TVs.

"Our intention is not to be app developers, rather aggregators, supporters and advocates of TV apps," says Johan Lantz. "... the amount of apps we will develop ourselves will be limited. We are first and foremost TV manufacturers. Consequently, we will focus our in-house development on apps with a high degree of uniqueness, which of course can be charged for. We might also to a certain extent focus app development on ‘holes’ in the market place, thus acting pathfinders for other developers."

I believe as Connected TV rolls out (of course, not without the traditional problem of lack of cooperation with Hollywood, cable TV companies etc) that Android will inspire more new brands to enter the TV market. Yes, Google TV got off to a bad start as many companies seek to discourage Google as a disruptor in their industry.

I can hear your scepticism bouncing off the screen you are reading this on: "How can anyone expect to crack the entry into the TV business?" you ask. Fair enough question...

If you had asked that in mobile phones, you might have bet against HTC. If you had asked that, you may have been against a new portable PC form factor like iPAD.

In TV, we can actually point to a few examples. In USA, the brand Vizio has now ranked No. 1 in more than several quarters of TV sales– and ranks consistently among the top brands like Sony, Samsung and Sharp.

In Belgium, the young brand Q-Media has last year cracked the GfK list of best-selling TVs.

All across Europe, new companies are gearing up with Android TV. Last year Netherland's MediaLine won the Best Product Award at RetailVision Europe.

Logitech will be back with Google TV. And rumours still think Apple will make its move in TV.

App developers who look to Connected TV to bring growth similar to mobile apps, should be aware of this wave of new niche and challenger brands of TV. These TV makers will be better partners than big brands and your apps may be featured instead of buried in a pack. Like People of Lava, like Samsung and other big brands, every Connected TV maker will find a need to either aggregate or cooperate with an app aggregator to properly enter the market in Europe.

It's not your father's TV set any more. And it probably won't be the brands your father appreciated. The disruption is just beginning...