There are very few die-hard fans of the Apple App Store approval process, but darn it if it just didn't prove itself useful. Over a the Android Store, where there is very little in the sense of approval process or quality control, malware was introduced, and it went tearing through several hundred T-Mobile handsets, wrecking havoc in its wake.

The application in question is called MemoryUp Personal, and has been downloaded approximately 50,000 times. When this little gem of an application is installed, it ravages your data, deleting it and erasing microSD cards in the phone. Most users of this app are reporting that their phones were corrupted and memory cards wiped, an then the G1 was left bricked. It is a nasty situation all around.

Now, even if the application is not intentional Malware, it is destroying handsets. If the Android Storefront had an approval and evaluation process like the Apple iTunes App Store, this would have been avoided. At the same time, how many other Android apps, many of which are great, would not have been approved. This is the old Liberty vs. Safety argument. Are draconian approval processes worth the safety, or does the freedom of choice trump safety?

via Geek.com