Hasta La Gadget!

With the App Store, App Catalog, App World, Ovi Store, and all shades of third-party mobile software stores out in the wild, Microsoft’s undoubtedly looking at Windows Marketplace as being one of the more important features it’s bringing to the table in the fanfare surrounding WinMo 6.5. Differentiating features that Redmond can pimp against the competition — all of which sound like identical concepts from a quick glance on paper — could be a key offensive weapon in keeping 6.5 playing with the big boys long enough to get WinMo 7 out of the door, but one thing we now know won’t be a part of that is a useful app sharing concept. As it was originally understood, the idea was that the Windows Marketplace would allow you to share purchased apps with up to a total of five devices, meaning friends, family, and coworkers could exchange wares. Seems like a good idea to casually spread the word about great software, but Microsoft’s now followed up to clarify: turns out you’ll only be able to share the app with five of your own phones, the idea being that you’ll be able to easily transfer software licenses when you upgrade to new hardware. To verify the link, you’ll need to use the same Windows Live ID on all devices — so unless you plan on sharing your htc_blue_angel_4_lyfe@hotmail.com with everyone you know, you’re out of luck.

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Microsoft wants you to share WinMo apps with yourself; others, not so much originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 May 2009 12:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, we know you. You devoured all 50+ pages of licensing agreements and developer regulations that Microsoft posted on its Marketplace for Mobile developer page yesterday, and now you’re just itching for more. How about 45 minutes and 45 seconds of hot roundtable, Windows Mobile 6.5 developer action from TechEd 2009? Jorge Peraza and John Bruno from MS talk up widgets, which will be simple little gadgets that run within the UI, yet will still be treated like full apps from a developer perspective, meaning they’ll be signed, secured, and only be able to be submitted by certified developers (those who have paid their $99 fee). Also discussed is the reasoning behind 6.5’s less than groundbreaking UI, which comes down to deadlines. Eight or nine months were all the team had to write the OS; not nearly enough time for a complete presentation overhaul — or for any Silverlight integration for that matter. Coming in version 7.0? Wouldn’t surprise us. Full vid after the break.

Continue reading More Windows Mobile 6.5 app information from Microsoft’s TechEd 2009

Filed under: Cellphones

More Windows Mobile 6.5 app information from Microsoft’s TechEd 2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 May 2009 07:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Up until now, Microsoft has taken a rather laissez faire attitude toward application development — anyone with a copy of Visual Studio and half an ounce of coding know-how could whip up and share whatever little programs they want. That won’t be the case inside Windows Marketplace for Mobile, Microsoft’s answer to the App Store, and the company is now listing a number of guidelines that devs must follow for the fruits of their labor to be included. Top on the prohibited list? Apps that themselves sell other apps. Second rule of the Marketplace? No apps that link to apps that sell other apps. Also banned is VoIP over cellular networks, apps that run non-managed code (i.e. don’t stay inside the sandbox MS has set up), anything that distributes a user’s information, and downloads that are bigger than 10MB. Not mentioned? Anything to do with naughty content, meaning purveyors of explicit executables might not have to make concessions. Full list of 12 commandments after the break.

Update: In case you didn’t figure it out for yourself, Arnoud from Tweakers.net wrote in with confirmation that the no-VOIP rule is in place at the request of the providers.

[Warning: PDF read link]

Continue reading The first rule of Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you don’t subvert Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Filed under: Cellphones

The first rule of Windows Marketplace for Mobile is that you don’t subvert Windows Marketplace for Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 May 2009 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, we’re certain Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace for Mobile will be a rousing success, with loads of developers set to announce apps this week at CTIA and interesting features like full-refund returns and apps certified to run on specific devices. And we’d be totally excited to point out that this teaser video shows off the interface in action, including a charmingly illiterate app review and carrier-specific stores. But honestly, here’s a better question: if Microsoft is really serious about how cool is it is to be not-cool-enough, is a totally mediocre teaser with a relentlessly corporate electrorock soundtrack and hyperactive informercial narration really the best way to sell this thing? Discuss. Video after the break.

[Via 1800PocketPC; thanks Saijo]

Continue reading Windows Marketplace for Mobile, now in super-cheesy video form

Filed under: Cellphones

Windows Marketplace for Mobile, now in super-cheesy video form originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has begun laying out plans for its version of the App Store — dubbed the Windows Marketplace — with some familiar numbers, and a few unfamiliar tweaks. According to Ina Fried, the company will charge developers an annual fee of $99 to become part of the ecosystem, and an additional $99 for every app they submit (though throughout 2009, they’ll have a chance to submit five apps at no cost). A rep from the big M states that the fee is “an acceptable cost of doing business for [software developers] looking to get in front of millions of customers,” and justifies the charge on the grounds that Microsoft will “run a rigorous certification process to ensure that the end user’s experience is optimal, and that the device and network resources aren’t used in a malicious way.”

Additionally, the company maintains that the process will offer “complete transparency throughout the application submission process,” which indicates the folks in Redmond wouldn’t mind courting devs who’ve been burned by Apple’s opaque, confusing, and sometimes unfair system of approval. Besides the flat rates, Microsoft will take 30 percent of earnings from sales just as Apple and Google do — the lone standout being RIM, who’s generously offering 80 percent to devs (though hasn’t exactly been blowing doors off hinges with its movement on fostering development). Microsoft’s Marketplace will debut with the launch of Windows Mobile 6.5 in Q4 2009, though developers can apparently register come Spring, and start submitting this Summer.

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft unveils Windows Marketplace fees, splits, hopes, and dreams originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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