AppBrain, one of the more forward thinking apps for maintaining and installing Android applications pushed out their V5 update today, giving their users new functionalities to play with.  A quote from their blog post about the release:

This major update offers a details page for every app. It loads very quickly after tapping an app within AppBrain, and allows you to view all interesting information before deciding to go to the market to download an app. It not only shows the familiar thumbs-up thumbs-down reviews from the website (and allows you to post your own!), but also has a tab with the related apps of an app as shown in the two screenshots on the side. Very useful if you’re shopping around for an app and want to know what other similar apps are out there!

The new app page also allows you to really easily share apps with friends directly from your phone. The share button lets you share the app you’re viewing through any sharing app that’s installed on your phone, for instance Facebook or Gmail.

What is interesting about this release is that AppBrain has also included their Fast Web Installer inside the app, instead of a separate install. Which is a smart move! However, this functionality is already broken because Google released an update to the Android Market which causes problems with this feature.  AppBrain announced this on their blog as well, saying that they are aware of the issue, and while the Fast Web Installer is probably already irrelevant, they have created a “Fast Sync Widget” that will allow syncing right from your desktop.

Check out the update in the Android Market, if we hear anything further on the Fast Web Installer front, we will update.