By: Iltifat Husain, Felasfa Wodajo MD

About a month ago we penned an open letter to Google titled “Dear Google: please make a medical category for apps in the Android Marketplace”. It appears Google could have been listening and is answering the call. We have reliable sources telling us that Google is set to launch a medical category in the Android Marketplace this week — possibly even tomorrow.

Health care professionals and students will no longer have to parse through hundreds and thousands of apps in the health and fitness section to find relevant applications. Needless to say, this is a long time coming, and will be met by those in the medical world with thunderous applaud.

Maybe even more importantly — it could be a sign to users and developers that Google is serious about Android being a legitimate platform for medical professionals to use in the clinic and educational setting.

We are also told Google is asking developers to send larger screen shots of their applications for the Android Marketplace, leading the speculation that Google is going to put the Android Marketplace online. Currently the Marketplace is only searchable via an Android device.