Windows Marketplace for Mobile Announced
The official name is Windows Marketplace for Mobile, rather than the codename SkyMarket as mentioned before in this blog. Unfortently it is only available for 6.5 initially i believe and not will be available to consumers in the second-half of 2009.. According to Mobile Services General Manager Bart Wojciehowski.
Windows market place rich and integrated place for searching, browsing and purchasing mobile applications from Windows® phones or from a PC. The new marketplace will be available with all Windows® phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5, which will allow consumers to easily find, install and experience applications that fit their needs and make the phone truly personal.
In the past, it has been challenging for developers to get their Windows Mobile applications into the hands of consumers. In addition to fragmentation in the distribution channels, there has been no definitive marketplace experience on the device for users to browse and acquire applications and/or content. This has prevented developers from achieving broad reach with their application offering, and inhibited the user’s ability to leverage the power of their Windows phone. Fortunately, Windows Marketplace for Mobile addresses these challenges while also including a number of key benefits for developers. Examples of some of these key benefits include:
- An easily discovered on-device application that is installed on every Windows Mobile 6.5 device, and includes prominent placement on the Start menu.
- Global marketplace distribution (30 countries) with flexible payment options for end users through both credit card and mobile operator payment methods.
- Single source developer-focused web site for sign-up, publishing, and management of applications in the marketplace.
- Transparent set of policies that clearly articulate the types of applications allowed in the store.
- Streamlined, yet flexible workflow for getting applications published to the marketplace.
- Leverage existing Microsoft developer tools, such as Visual Studio, for faster time to market.
Microsoft Currently has http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/catalog/cataloghome.aspx how this is going to change into a mobile app will be the most interesting thing for me. Also, there’s no indication how Microsoft will split the revenues between itself and the carrier and the developer.However, it’s promising to be robust from its initial launch since Windows Mobile already has around 20,000 applications available today. Users will be able to purchase applications by logging into their Windows Live account.
