Android Market Experiences Problems in Lead-Up to 2.3

In the lead-up to the release of Android 2.3, a number of users of Google’s mobile OS are experiencing a major issue that prevents them from installing or uninstalling applications from the Android market on their handsets, EWeek reports.
More than 200 people have posted to a thread on Google’s Android support forum, citing the problem on a range of Android-powered devices. Nexus One user “joakimcb” explains the problem: 

Cant download a single app on market. Same problem every time. I click Install, accept the permissions, it says ” Starting download”, then “Downloading” and appears in the notification bar, then get stucked and says download unsuccessful. All this within 10 seconds after pressing “install”. Clearing cache or uninstalling market updates doesnt help.

A Google representative commented on Oct. 25, saying the issue was being investigated, but didn’t provide any additional information. Many users have left their own work-arounds for the issue, like the following from DineshMBG: 

Close all your open application
Click on Application -> Settings -> Application -> Manage Applications
Click on menu and select Filter -> All
Now look for Checkin Service -> Clear data -> OK
Now look for Download Manager -> Clear data -> OK
Now look for Google Talk Service -> Clear data -> OK
Now look for Market -> Clear cache -> OK

close all apps and start market
download & enjoy.

But the affected Android users are becoming visibly impatient, posting links to stories about Google ignoring the problem.
Perhaps Google is rolling out a fix for the problem in Android 2.3 “Gingerbread,” expected to launch on select devices within a matter of days. Still, Android updates are heavily dependent on carrier and manufacturer timelines, and some devices will never see the update. Even if a fix was included in the update, the span of the problem over a number of various devices would call for a more sweeping fix.