14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based Microsoft silently opened the gates of its Windows Marketplace for Mobile for application developers about two weeks ago, and now it has made the official announcement on the Windows Mobile Team blog, though still stating that developers who lived outside of US or UK could not access it just yet.
As many of you might already know, at the time the company also made available a list of applications that were prohibited from the Marketplace, and, though some of the rules created quite a stir then, they seem to be determined by certain facts. Frank Prengel says on his blog that these restrictions should be quite clear, while also adding that they might be shaped up to state even clearer what they are all about.
According to him, the rules are meant “to make sure Windows Mobile users have a smooth and reliable user experience with Marketplace, with as little confusion or issues about the shopping experience as possible (1, 2, 3, 9), to play by the rules of the mobile operators (4, 5), to protect the functionality of the user’s phone (7, 8), for security reasons (10), to protect against overly aggressive or annoying advertising (6), and to protect the user’s privacy (11, 12).”
In related news, we learn that some members of the Windows Mobile team gathered after the first day of Microsoft's Tech-Ed conference in Los Angeles, which kicked off on May 11, and talked about the development of applications for the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, while also saying a few things about the upcoming Windows Mobile 6.5.
Most of the things they discussed are already known, yet there are several tidbits of info that are worth mentioning, such as the fact that widgets for the operating system will be available only via the Marketplace, due to the fact that they need certification from Microsoft to work on the mobile phones. At the same time, they also stated that all widgets that are submitted on the portal will be seen as applications, which means that they will be part of the five apps included in the $99 yearly fee.
Another fact about the certification with the Marketplace that needs to be mentioned is that this is intended to ensure mobile phone users that the applications submitted to the portal won't brick their handsets. When launched, the Marketplace will become available in 55 nations, 29 of which will have both for-pay stores and free applications. As for Windows Mobile 6.5, it seems that there have been some features that the team didn't have time to include in the operating system, though they wanted to.
That doesn't mean that the platform will have fewer features than expected, but that there are some that could have been included with it but weren't. Among the things that Windows Mobile 6.5 won't have we can count integration with Silverlight, which should arrive along with the next-generation Windows Mobile 7 platform. Those who would like to find out more details should take a look at the video of the meeting, which is available here.