3banana (
http://snaptic.com/) is a free note-taking application for Google Android that lets you jot notes, store images, or take a picture with your camera and store all of the results in a searchable, virtual notepad. The company behind 3banana sent out a press release today saying that the software has been installed nearly 2-million times, which is a pretty big deal considering the Android platform hasn’t been around all that long.
But here’s the thing. 2 million people didn’t necessarily go to the Android Market and decide to download 3banana on their own. Instead, software makers Snaptic have taken advantage of Android’s “Intent” technology which lets software makers build apps that work with other apps. In other words, if you download the BBC News app, FreeDictionary.org app, or another app that works with 3banana, you’ll be able to save notes to your 3banana notepad — assuming you have it installed. And the first time you tap and hold on an item to save it to your notepad, the BBC News, FreeDictionary, or other app will prompt you to download and install 3banana.
Still, this is one of the things that sets Android apart from the iPhone, and it’s one of the reasons why Adobe is working hard to get Flash onto Android devices — because third party developers will be able to incorporate Flash and Adobe AIR into their own apps.
