Microsoft opens app store to more phones
When Microsoft launched its mobile app store last month, Windows Marketplace for Mobile was only available for Windows phones running operating system 6.5. Although highly anticipated among users, the execution of the app store nevertheless put Microsoft on wobbly competitive footing. Here was Microsoft, a year and a half behind Apple on producing an app store, and the company had already dropped a boulder on its big toe by limiting the storefront to its brand-new operating system, which a bulk of its users didn't have.
Thankfully, Redmond seems to have recovered, and on Monday, Microsoft opened up its Marketplace app to more Windows phones. If yours runs version 6.0 or 6.1 of the operating system, you can now download the free Marketplace application by sending yourself a link from Microsoft's Web site.
Microsoft boasts approving more than 800 applications for Windows Marketplace for Mobile as of November 16, a little over a month after launching the digital storefront. But the figure pales in comparison to Apple's announcement of its 100,000 app milestone just two weeks before. Microsoft's has some serious work to do if it wants to attract more developers and attempt to reach Apple's benchmark. Making the Marketplace available to more users is a necessary first step.
Jessica Dolcourt reviews the latest and greatest smartphone apps, in addition to a healthy dose of Windows software. E-mail Jessica and follow her on Twitter. 
Microsoft works in our best interests.. Google and Apple are decidely evil.
RIMM goes for ~$62/share right now - I doubt Microsoft could afford the dough necessary for a hostile takeover, and RIM's board would likely give Ballmer a big, fat middle finger if they were approached with a friendly offer.
Also, if Microsoft began to "charge through the nose", they'd find themselves up against so many workarounds that they'd never be able to keep up with them all. ;)
LOL! Sounds like *someone* doesn't know the history of Microsoft's business practices very well...
Better late than never I suppose...
Steve Ballmer now when he hears the world, "iPhone"; But what about...winmo?... We are cool too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSAXEVXvNz8
SO while microsoft has their own store, some developers don't want to pay the price of admission, and unlike Apple, people are able to download apps freely without going through a store...
I also like going to sites like freewarepocketpc.net and freewareppc.com, which has TONS of free Windows Mobile applications..
Any who thats my two cents...
I will say that many WinMo phones are less refined than most, but I like HTC interfaces and my daughter at 10 did not need any direction from me to run apps, make calls, change my background, change my ringer,...
Anyway, Apple does have a great standard and a refined product, but it does not meet my needs and even if it did AT&T in my area stinks.
My 2 cents...
- by steveliv November 17, 2009 7:17 AM PST
- the deal killer here for me is that you can't install marketplace apps to a storage card or onboard flash. they have to be installed into system memory until it is full .. until they change this i won't be using marketplace
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