i can imagine it takes time to build something like this, but there are a lot of people building cool stuff without the money (open source is all about it).
In my opinion there is no reason why they couldn't start with a first beta for android (payed app) and interrate from there.
If more people like it, they'll buy it.
Kickstarter/etc. is just marketing, i hate the development of this "strategy" for software.
Again, building software takes time and money. Much of open source has been "subsidized" by people either working on getting a degree, or by their employer when they build and release something that solves a problem for the company.
Kickstarters and other similar crowdfunding platforms are a great way to gauge interest in a concept before starting to build it. If thousands of people are willing to pay for it before it exists, then even more are likely to pay for the finished application.
It takes time to make software. Backing gives you the money to dedicate time.