Did you say you want a Windows Mobile Application Store ?

[Guest PPCInformer]

Looks like Microsoft wants to jump on the bandwagon of a Mobile application store. Well eventually they had to because iphone has one Android has made it clear with the idea of Android Market. Its going to be called SkyMarket , @ least for now. It might end up being called as Windows Mobile 7 Mobile Application Download Center... yeah I am still mad about Vista Mobile Device Center why change ActiveSync ? WHY ????

According to the ad posted Sunday on Computerjob.com, the Skymarket senior product manager will head a team that will "drive the launch of a v1 marketplace service for Windows Mobile." Microsoft is looking to roll out its own centralized marketplace as soon as 2009 with the release of Windows Mobile 7 as a couple of job postings indicate.

Source : news.cnet.com & istartedsomething.com

So will Skymarket stop you from visiting Handango or other similar sites ?

[Guest chucky.egg]

Depends what it's like.

Since their latest re-design Handango is harder to use than before IMO, so I don't often go there.

Added to that there isn't anything "new" coming out these days (unless you need dictionaries in 100 different languages). There's no innovation for general software it seems to me. Loads of duplication, but nothing new. Maybe that's because the market is already saturated.

iPhone apps are innovative, in the sense that the platform didn't have facility X before, but I haven't heard of anything great there either really.

But maybe it's just me. There are a handful of apps I use regularly (like SatNav, timers, games etc) but the "essential" functionality for me is built-in -- Exchange Activesync, calendar, email, tasks...

[Guest Monolithix]

It doesn't take another new app shop to give me reason not to buy from handango :D

[Guest paholman]

I wonder what commission they'll take.

With Apple, users can't get Apps from anywhere else, besides jailbreaking the phone and adding repositories to the installer, so the AppStore works.

With Windows Mobile, there's endless locations from where you can get Applications, and if the likes of Microsoft and Handango will be taking a huge chunk of the sales as commission, then IMHO I think it will put many developers off

[Guest nickcornaglia]

It doesn't take another new app shop to give me reason not to buy from handango :D

Took the exact words out of my mouth. I'm not personally complaining about how much money Handango charges to developers...but how awkward the whole site is these days. Pick your phone...Pick your carrier. Seems for a WM Software site...they don't always know which software will work with which phone. You could choose a Blackjack and be presented with 1000 apps then pick a MotoQ9h and be presented with 2000 apps....just as one example.

Having used the iTunes AppStore, I hope they take a lesson from them of what is good and what is bad.

1) Have SOME sort of screening process. There is soooooo much crap on the Apple app store, it's hard to weed through.

2) Allow the SAME features in the Desktop version of the store to be in the Mobile version of the store. And searchable in the same way...including by user rating and what is new.

3) Keep what you own on record for easy download to a new or replacement device. On desktop and Mobile.

4) Eliminate Desktop EXE installations. All applications should offer cab installations exclusively.

5) Include an automatic update notification an on the iPhone....letting you passively know when a downloaded application has been updated and available for re-download and installation.