That still doesn't explain why Android apps are overall not as good as compared to other platforms. The same common apps made by the same companies look very di

That still doesn't explain why Android apps are overall not as good as compared to other platforms. The same common apps made by the same companies look very different on iOS, Android and WP7. And frequently, they look the worst on Android. This partly could be because they may not invest as much on Android versions as on iOS or just make quick ports but the platform design tools and the expectations of potential customers also come into play. Since iOS and WP7 provide a built-in look and feel and UI philosopy, developers on a budget can still produce decent looking and behaving apps whereas in Android, it results in a functional but bare looking UI. Case in point, a summer intern at work was tasked with making a basic notes mobile app. He picked Android because that's the phone his dad had and because the company wasn't really interested in the app except as a learning experience for the intern so they weren't interested in buying Mac hardware and developer license(a point in Android's favor). The final app lacked sorely in both design and functionality (more because he wasn't really experienced in coding). I asked him during the demo if he could use some of the Android API transitions and animations between the screens to jazz it up quicky (those make a big difference when presenting to non-technical folks). The reply was that there were none(I am just reporting what he said, I haven't taken a look at the APIs). I do know that iOS and WP7 provide built-in animations and transitions. The point is that you have to go out of your way to make mediocre looking apps in iOS/WP7 and good looking apps in Android. Add to that the fact that Android didn't even have GPU acceleration for the UI till Honeycomb(a tablet only release). http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=6914 http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=6914 Some companies prefer to roll their own custom look and feel (like the web.) But there's nothing in iOS and WP7 which prevents you from doing exactly that if you so wish, you're not beholden to the UI philosophy of the OS and can possibly make any design that you can in Android.