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Print 20 comment(s) - last by damianrobertjo.. on Oct 6 at 3:13 AM

The Windows Live Marketplace is currently active for Windows Mobile 6.5 phones.  (Source: Engadget)
New marketplace attempts to increase WinMo's competitiveness with the iPhone

While the iPhone certainly has driven the smartphone craze to new heights, currently it arguably retains only one crucial advantage over its rivals.  That advantage is its App Store.  While rivals such as Palm and Google have launched their own markets, they lack the number of applications and developers that are on the iPhone.

Now Microsoft is looking to become the latest to try to challenge Apple's App Store dominance.  Microsoft just rolled out Windows Live Marketplace, a new app store which is available on phones running on its Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.  The store appears to have launched a day early on some phones, but few are complaining.

The marketplace reportedly has 40 currently available applications (iTunes App Store currently has around 75,000).  You can access the store using your current Windows Live ID and pay for apps via credit card.

Some of the currently available applications include Street Fighter II, Facebook, a Netflix manager, Pac-Man, Mastersoft Money V6, and a WorldTime clock application.

More applications are likely on the way for tomorrow's official launch.  EA reportedly has signed a contract with Microsoft to provide some games for the store, including a mobile version of Sim City.

The Windows Live Marketplace was first noted on the new AT&T Pure, which users began picking up this weekend.


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Determining factors
By Bateluer on 10/5/2009 1:23:09 PM , Rating: 4
1) How friendly are the terms of the Windows Marketplace to developers?

2) What does the SDK cost and on what platforms does it run?

3) How many applications require monthly subscriptions, how many are 1 time fees, and how many are free?

Address these three items in terms favorable to developers and the end user, and this will easily outstrip Apple's App Store.




RE: Determining factors
By omnicronx on 10/5/2009 2:12:27 PM , Rating: 3
1) 70/30.. sames a iphone
2) its .net based.. probably only windows.
3. 99$ per year to list apps in the store, $99 per app.
Though for the first year, devs can submit 5 apps for free.

Killswitch similar to Google/Apple.


RE: Determining factors
By omnicronx on 10/5/2009 6:19:32 PM , Rating: 2
CRAP selection right now though.. How Palm has a better selection upon release with an entirely new platform is beyond me.. REALLY hope this is just a roll-out phase with a lot more to come.


RE: Determining factors
By sprockkets on 10/5/2009 5:19:13 PM , Rating: 2
A nice tibit missing in the article is the fact that the Windows store is going to have the SAME restrictions as the Apple App Store.

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache%3Ap7pNSB_CyU8J...

I viewed it last week, apparently Microsoft pulled it off the server - how convenient.

Oh, and btw, Microsoft charges $99 for each app submission, and if they reject it, you are required to cough up another $99 to resubmit. The first 5 are free till the end of 2009

http://developer.windowsphone.com/Help.aspx?id=364...

As to why Microsoft is implementing Apple's policies is quite stupid, but there it is.


Zune HD
By inighthawki on 10/5/2009 1:52:46 PM , Rating: 3
This gets me to thinking that if winmo 6.5 can have a full marketplace with that many apps, whats stopping the zune hd, which is simply a modified version of winmo 6.5, from having an equivilent apps store. I know right now MS said they have no plans for one but to put it simply, couldn't a true apps store/marketplace be implemented with a simple firmware update and a few developers?




RE: Zune HD
By sprockkets on 10/5/2009 10:16:07 PM , Rating: 2
Good question, but remember, this is Microsoft here. This is the same company that killed PlaysForSure on the Zune just to make it more Apple like.

Here they have two different devices running the same OS (as far as we know), and they won't meld them together? They probably have to wait for their own Windows branded phone to do so, because again, both the Zune and WinMob6.5 have completely different interfaces (until ver 7 comes out there will be no capacitive screen support or accelerometer support. Then again, that means perhaps either the phone version isn't ready. Otherwise, why wait till next year to debut support for stuff the Zune already has?)


Wow, that Intel ad
By Totally on 10/5/2009 1:19:29 PM , Rating: 2
Just made me realize that adblock isn't installed. Keeps popping open like an overstuffed briefcase even while my pointer is parked off browser and I'm using the spacebar to scroll.




Verizon Imagio
By Mitch101 on 10/5/2009 1:23:05 PM , Rating: 2
AT&T is good where I live and drive but its something that keeps a lot of people I know from getting an iPhone.

Now Verizon’s Imagio comes out tomorrow. I might actually be excited about a phone.




By honestIT on 10/5/2009 1:39:15 PM , Rating: 2
Good luck




Well... this is crap..
By omnicronx on 10/5/2009 6:16:36 PM , Rating: 2
Not impressed with the selection =P.. I really hope this is just to get things running as I am not impressed with the apps so far. Not one app on there that i have not seen before, and way too many apps over 20 dollars. Heck they are charging 54.99 for mobile office!




use mobile site version instead?
By timjones17 on 10/5/2009 11:45:05 PM , Rating: 2
I got my Omnia a couple of weeks ago and trying out different apps. I installed the Facebook app but ended up getting rid of it because I like the mobile version through Opera and Skyfire instead. So far, I have, as apps: Google Maps, MS My Phone, Qik, QuickGPS, amAze GPS. Twitter, the mobile site version I prefer (but then I seldom tweet that I tweet through the site even when I'm on a full machine). Anyone else tried the app version but rather use the mobile site version instead?




How Impressive
By Tony Swash on 10/5/09, Rating: -1
RE: How Impressive
By Kefner on 10/5/2009 1:26:43 PM , Rating: 4
I'll stick with my WinMo phone thanks. Plenty of free apps and paid apps out there that don't have to be approved by Lord Jobs before I can use it. I can decide whether something is good for me or not, don't need apple doing that for me. Marketplace is just one of many places to get apps! Not tied to just one store, or jailbreaking to use apps I want.


RE: How Impressive
By Bateluer on 10/5/2009 1:34:16 PM , Rating: 2
I'm looking into getting a WinMo phone in the near future, what other sources of applications can you recommend?


RE: How Impressive
By jimbojimbo on 10/5/2009 2:29:00 PM , Rating: 2
Google.

I love the WinMo platform most because they have a full client version of VNC with encryption support, not that VNCLite crap. There's also a version of KeePass that works perfectly with your current key files.

Many open source projects have a WinMo version of their app since if they supply it there anybody can download and install it if they want. With Apple's app store though it would be too much of a hassle AND they'd have to pay to be able to upload an app and then wait for approval.

I think if MS scoured the internet for apps already made for the WinMo and just included them into their store their numbers will surpass Apple's app store. I'm sure there's plenty of legal matters involved though.


RE: How Impressive
By davepermen on 10/5/2009 4:24:16 PM , Rating: 2
i got tons of information from http://www.1800pocketpc.com

tons of free and payed apps and other news listed there. i for myself use fim for facebook (a facebook app with the integrated chat, lovin it), and spb mobile shell, which looks and feels awesome, making it nearly on par in usability and prettiness with the google phones or palms (but still looking at the pre.. waiting for it to get released here in switzerland). the iphone, i don't see it as a competition actually. i have msn and fim all day long in the background, and some other apps depending on the use case, too. multitasking is great, while it can slow down the phone, it rocks.

some other apps i use from there, one at least, is the flashlight-led as a torch light.


RE: How Impressive
By smegz on 10/5/09, Rating: 0
RE: How Impressive
By damianrobertjones on 10/6/2009 3:13:01 AM , Rating: 2
Umm... as above, you can get VNC and if you look hard enough you can get the remote desktop app. Plus, what's wrong with Opera Mobile?

P.s. I'm using a Lite rom on my Samsung i900 and it's... fast, stable, has RDC and Opera Mobile.


RE: How Impressive
By KTLA on 10/5/2009 3:21:17 PM , Rating: 1
You are aware that this is just the LATEST app store for WinMo, don't you? We've been buying apps from WinMo app stores since before the iPhone first hit the drawing board.

I'm curious how many apps are out on ALL of the WinMo app stores combined.


RE: How Impressive
By melgross on 10/5/2009 5:43:55 PM , Rating: 2
About 25 thousand active apps.

But many of them don't work with all phones, or all versions of the OS.

Its hard to say how many will work with 6.5, and it's hard to say how many written specifically for 6.5 will work with earlier hardware and OS versions.


"If you look at the last five years, if you look at what major innovations have occurred in computing technology, every single one of them came from AMD. Not a single innovation came from Intel." -- AMD CEO Hector Ruiz in 2007











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