The Android Market has been blocked in China, due to government restrictions. This is the second time it has happened in the companies history, before in 2009. Android users in China now have the option to only use local app stores, not the official channel.

This will help the illegal market to thrive, as many forums are hosting hacked version applications, and we will see more malicious code circulating on phones due to this.

Right now it isn't sure if the block is temporary, but everyone is currently receiving a ‘connection expired' alert when trying to connect. Even Gmail is currently blocked by the Great Firewall. In China Android phones sold through official channels are never equipped with Google's Android Market. China Mobile or China Unicom Market is a more ‘normal' option.

This comes at a bad time for Google, as the countries search engine rival ‘Baidu' is gaining traction with plans to launch an operating system of their own called ‘Quishi'.

Kitguru says: Android market to be ‘unlocked' soon?

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