app store

Windows Phone 7 Market Place Idea

July 14, 2010 | By WenWP

This last week I have been thinking of how MS will implement their marketplace on their main hub, and here is the way I would do it. If I worked with MS on ideas or design I would recommend them to make a simple tile that links to the marketplace application, and here is what I would make that tile do.

Look Nice, and has some function behind it.
Make it so when an app I have installed is updated. A guy wearing a marketplace shirt pops up and has a thought bobble saying “Updates Available” or something in that nature.
Have a line of app icons that are always moving, and the apps displayed are either new or recommended applications.
Make it so when you hold it and shake it, the tile can update with a new line of applications or a better function.

That is all I would love to have on the hub, and if that is possible, it would rock.

Do you guys have a new found love for Windows Phone 7 after Windows Phone live was announced yesterday? I know I do.

8

Average iPhone app only earns $2 per day (or why the app store is a fools errand)

June 23, 2010 | By Surur

Tomi T Ahonen, mobile market guru, has published a lengthy and detailed analysis of the iPhone app store economics, and it certainly does not look good.
Noting Apple’s large number announcements of $1.43 billion in revenue and 5 billion in downloads make the market sound very lucrative, he argues the truth is that starting to write an iPhone app may be the most stupid thing a developer or company can do.

It would be pretty difficult to distil his argument into a paragraph, but I shall make a short attempt. The truth is that while more than 75% of applications in the app store are for a fee, with the average price around $3.83, more than 80% of those 5 billion apps downloaded were in fact of the free variety. Also while the average asking price of paid applications were $3.83, even then the cheaper applications sold more, making the average selling price only around $1.85.

While some developers do make it rich on the app store, due to the long tail phenomena the majority of the $1 billion ( what’s left over after Apple takes its share) will go to a few odd developers, and more than half will only earn around $682 per year per app. With iPhone apps on average costing $15 000 or more to build, this means the vast majority of developers will never make back their investment.

Ahonen calls the App store a bubble, just like the dot com bubble of 2000, which will see many foolish developers and companies separated from their money. He also calls companies which only cater for the small iPhone demographic (only a few percent of mobile phone users) idiots for not looking after the majority of their customers. He gives the example of the Hilton hotel only allowing iPhone users to book room service meals via an app on their phone, while ignoring and offending the 97% of their customers who they could easily have served similarly with a mobile website.

Calling iPhone devotees blinded by large numbers, he notes even the most successful iPhone game (Angry birds which sold 4 million) pales into insignificance compared to mobile games like Tetris which easily sold into the 100 millions.

He said:

Suspending all market realism, believing that magical billion download numbers of free content somehow have created an alternate economy where normal rules do not apply. No. If you do advertising, then you measure it by advertising metrics and apply that business logic. Then you value a wider reaching (multi-media interactive platform) ahead of the narrow reaching one of similar performance.

The analysis is pretty long but fascinating, and reading it should temper any developers with App Store “Get Rich” schemes.

Read the full post here.

15

Pocket Gamer : “The new religion is cross platform”

February 12, 2010 | By Surur

In an editorial at PocketGamer, Jon Jordan describes a growing new phenomena – iPhone developers no longer relying on the consumers finding their applications via the overcrowded app store, but starting their own application discovery websites.

The power of the App Store charts are well known, with many developers living or unfortunately dying by their position there, and most consumers looking no further than the first page of results.

NimbleBit, who runs such an application discovery website, notes “If you look at the App Store charts, you’re only looking at a tiny fraction of the total apps on the store. Many the apps will start to slide back down after a few weeks, and even more after a few months. Over the lifetime of the App Store, many apps that have been well received by shoppers are now buried in the charts."

Jordan points out that the App Store has become exactly what the mobile operator deck became in the world of Java and Brew games; static and controlled by big publishers and big licences.

The response: Every developer who doesn’t have access to big licences or isn’t in bed with Apple is looking to give away its ad-supported content for free to get consumer eyeballs, and are doing this by joining application portals outside the app store.

There the resultant increased freedom from the App store charts tyranny has also reminded developers that there is a world outside the app store which they have not been participating in. As these websites draw visitors looking for games and applications from all over the internet who often do not have iPhones, developers have responded to the demand by taking their applications cross platform.

According to Jordan, Windows Mobile is set to be one of the platforms to benefit from the new platform and app store agnostic religion.

Who knows – one day we may go back to going to a website and downloading an app from there directly, like the good old days …

Samsung App store expands to more countries

January 23, 2010 | By Surur

Samsung Apps store has now expanded from UK to many more countries.

Now Germany, Singapore, Brazil and China , France and Italy will be able to get access to games and applications like Guitar Hero from Mobile Bus, Need for Speed from Electronic Arts, Spiderman from Gameloft and other big names, all localized to their language.

From mid-February, the Samsung Store will come preinstalled on devices sold in Germany and Singapore. To add the store to a current device visit samsungmobile.com and download the client there.

Samsung brings desktop-based sync software, app store to Windows Mobile

December 16, 2009 | By Surur

I have always felt Samsung has taken the smartphone battle a bit more seriously than even Microsoft, as can been in their serious commitment to developers, their various music and video stores, and of course their App store.

Samsung has now created a desktop client for their mobile phones that aims to take over where Windows Mobile Device Centre left off, providing photo, music and video synching, and also calendar and contacts. Best of all however is their desktop application store, which seems much fuller than the Windows Mobile Marketplace at the moment and provides a great user experience.

The video above from 1800pocketpc.com shows the application in action. The software only works with Samsung devices unfortunately, and the application store is only available in select markets, but if Samsung continues down this route they can guarantee keeping their Windows Mobile handsets competitive in this very crowded market, at least until Microsoft gets their thing together.

The download is available at Samsungapps.com here

iPhone developer – "I’m not sure if you still want to be in the App Store."

November 28, 2009 | By Surur

Dutch developer Vincent Verweij from Makayama, speaking at the iCE Amsterdam conference, has joined others in expressing reservations about the iPhone AppStore.

“I’m not sure if you still want to be in the App Store." he said.

His company develops mobile application, including for the Appstore, and his biggest success has been the Television app, which aggregates 72 international TV broadcast and spent two and half months in the highest position in the App Store.

Vincent complained that of the intense competition in the app store, with applications being widely copied and then sold for cheaper by hobbyists who code in the evening.

“Shortly after the release of the App Store was it possible for a voice control application to sell for 10 euros. A month later there was a competitor with a similar application for 99 cents, the month after there was a free app. You can not compete with free," says Verweij.

Additionally the influx of big brands like EA and others has meant smaller developers are less likely to get the attention they need to sell apps.

The answer, Vincent felt, was to turn to other application stores.

"We try now to (sell) applications in other stores. For example in the Nokia Ovi Store also Windows Marketplace. The sale of applications that he has this app stores are a lot of draws,” says Verweij.

An additional advantage is that there are not many developers focussing on these alternatives to the App Store.

Verweij has great expectations of the forthcoming Windows Mobile 7.

Co-founder of Twitter and iPhone developer Dom Sagolla added "Apple’s market share is so large that they can only lose."

Source: Webwereld.nl via Allaboutphones.nl

19

Samsung serious about its app store? You bet! Free Omnia 2’s for all developers

October 28, 2009 | By Surur

Windows Mobile developers in UK better hurry and get in on this amazing deal.

For today (WED 28 OCT 2009) only Samsung is offering a FREE Samsung Omnia 2 (amazing device with 3.7 inch AMOLED WVGA screen and 800 Mhz processor) for any developer willing to port their app to their device and application store.

To claim the prize you need to be able to attend the UK Developer Day where the devices will be available to collect on the evening.

The developer day is:

Samsung Application Store UK Developer Day
Monday 02 November 2009, 6pm to 10pm
Bonetti Suite, Chelsea FC, Fulham Road, Chelsea. SW6 1HS

There will be a champagne reception, followed by a series of short informal presentations. The event is free and offered on the understanding that you wish to accept a free Omnia II device. To accept this device you must agree to port your Windows Mobile app by Thursday 10 December 2009 and distribute it on Samsung Application Store.

There are a limited number of seats available for this event, so unfortunately they won’t be able to accept all developers. Instead Samsung will be choosing developers based on their responses to their online registration form (it does not seem to ask any particularly unsafe information).

Selected developers will receive an invitation by Thursday 29 October 2009. Any questions regarding this offer will be answered at this e-mail address: [email protected]

Via the Samsung Mobile Innovator blog.

3

Amazon’s One-Click to power Handmark’s app stores

October 5, 2009 | By Surur

I was quite surprised this morning when, on trying the Windows Mobile app store, the software already knew my credit card number. This is because it ties into the Windows Live ecosystem.

Handmark customers will soon have the same experience, with buyers being able to sign in using their Amazon username and password, and from then on simply purchase items using Amazon’s One-Click system and the credit card they have on file with the company.

Handmark’s VP of Marketing, Evan Conway told mocoNews: “We have a variety of payment methods, but this is a big deal for both companies. It’s nice to be selected for Amazon’s first one [partnership].”

Conway said Amazon’s payment system will be integrated into all of Handmark’s 50-or-so mobile storefronts around the world, including stores on the Windows Mobile and BlackBerry platforms. “It will be out almost instantly,” he said. “This will bring in a whole group of folks who have their credit card on file with Amazon to have a seamless approach.”

ZuneHD Marketplace reviewed

September 16, 2009 | By Surur

Pocketnow has published this video review of the ZuneHD Marketplace and have come away pretty disappointed. Not only was the selection small and the software not the best in the world, but users are forced to watch an add before each application and even then the apps are slow loading.

Hopefully somewhere along the way Microsoft will realize the importance of having 3rd party applications on their new platform and work harder to improve the user experience.

In the mean time, if you are in fact only looking for a disconnected media player, Gizmodo has crowned it the best one yet in their comprehensive review. That’s of course as long as you don’t want or need an app store…

6

Samsung Windows Mobile application store goes live in Europe

September 14, 2009 | By Surur

Unfortunately not for all countries, but Samsung Omnia owners in UK, France and Italy can now download applications directly to their device after installing the Samsung Application store.

Currently with only 300 applications, the store is set to expand to 2000 by the end of the year, and to also cover the Omnia 2 and Omnia Pro, and also to expand to more than 30 countries including Germany and Spain.

The Samsung Application Store allow users to browse a variety of applications including games, references, social networking services, e-books and health-related tools (e.g pedometer, eyesight test, etc) that are easily downloaded with one click. Publishers like Gameloft, Electronic Arts, Handmark, TAITO, Paragon SW, Capcom, Com2us, Prompt, Pearson Longman, Bokan Tech and Diotek are among the providers of applications to the Samsung Application Store.

The Application Store is designed to automatically display the relevant application catalogue available for a user’s specific Samsung mobile phone model, and works over cellular networks and Wi-Fi.

“With the launch of the Application Store, Samsung will increase mobile phone sales and add value for its mobile customers through the availability of carefully selected applications,” said Hosoo Lee, Executive Vice President of Samsung’s Media Solution Centre. “The Application Store will expand the service channel, not only on handheld devices but also on PCs through the launch of new PC software. The software will allow customers to download applications and manage them on a PC to maximize service usability.”

Users can browse the website www.samsungapps.com for details, see featured applications and participate in online events or download the cab via this tinyurl directly from your mobile browser:tinyurl.com/omniastore

Via Engadget.com

0

LG to bring 2 smartphones to US, to come with 3 app stores

September 14, 2009 | By Surur

LG, set to be a strong partner for Windows Mobile, has told PCWorld they intend to bring 2 new Windows phones for "early adopter customers" to US and other markets.

The phones will come with LG’s own app store, set to be populated with up to 2,000 Windows Mobile applications by the end of the year. The Windows Mobile 6.5 phones will also come with Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and also likely have the carrier’s application store also.

One of the phones involved are likely the rumoured LG Monaco, leaving either the Omnia-like LG GM750 or the Blackjack like LG GM550 as the alternate candidates.

Samsung Application store add

September 13, 2009 | By Surur

Samsung’s pushing pretty hard to rival Apple, and one way is their application store, which launched recently. HDBlog has just tipped us off to this add by Samsung which is intended to make sure this feature will not be overlooked.

While the add features the Symbian Samsung i8910, the features and apps should be pretty similar for the Samsung Omnia 2. Hopefully Microsoft will be starting a similar push for Marketplace when it launches on the 6th October.

Via HDBlog.it

0

Samsung Application store demoed

September 5, 2009 | By Surur

Samsung has shown of its new application store at IFA in Germany. The store is set to live in England, France and Italy on the 14th September. According to Allaboutphones.nl the Windows Mobile store did not seem fully mature yet, but the display was still very high profile for Samsung, taking up nearly a quarter of their stand. The list of partners for their store was also apparently quite impressive, with games like Tetris,The Sims, Spiderman 3D Racing and Ferrari Racing shown off.

The store should roll out to thirty other countries a few months later.

See some videos taken at IFA below: