14 DAY TRIAL // Redmond-based software company Microsoft is adding the final touches to its Windows Marketplace for Mobile, in a rush to have it all in place for the October 6 launch of both the software portal and the latest flavor of its mobile operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5. The upcoming app store will be available for access only to the early adopters of handsets running under the new platform, which are called Windows phones, yet phones based on the older Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 iterations of the OS will also enjoy access to the Marketplace, only that it will come a little later for them.
“As we’ve been discussing since July, our plan is to deliver the full Marketplace experience in two phases. First, we’ll launch Windows Marketplace for Mobile with Windows phones on October 6th. We’ve also discussed following this launch with an update that will include support for Windows Mobile 6 and 6.1 by the end of the year. More specifically, we’re targeting November for phase two. In addition, this second phase will bring the PC based catalog and shopping experience, user generated app reviews, advanced key-based anti-piracy protection and other enhancements that expand your business opportunity and make it easier for a larger number of customers to find and buy your application,” Todd Brix states on the Windows Mobile Blog.
There are not too many things that should be added here and which might interest end users, since most of them have already been covered, including the presence of a kill switch with the app portal. However, there are some details that might interest developers, including a series of issues Microsoft believes that might slow down the submission process of applications to the storefront. The software giant plans on delivering “more open, transparent and rewarding processes for developers and ISVs,” who can participate in the Race to Market Challenge, and which should take note of the new issues Todd Brix brings to the table.
First of all, it seems that the submission process can be easily slowed down by the Marketplace catalog icons, which need to have strict dimensions, or by the screenshots with the apps, which are also confined to certain dimensions. The Windows Marketplace for Mobile technical forum now includes the new guidance on screen shots, and developers might want to take a look at it to learn what has changed. In addition, the Marketplace FAQ has been updated as well, and the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is set to see an update soon after the launch so as to offer ISVs the possibility to submit their apps to additional markets. The video below provides a few more details on what the submission process is all about.