T-Mobile To Open App Store For All of Their Phones

tsa brings news that T-Mobile will be developing their own application store to compete with Apple's popular distribution scheme. Their aim is to be capable of bringing new services to all of their customers. Excerpting: "Developers will submit their applications online; the revenue-share agreement will be based on how much the application uses the network; and the applications will be presented to the user in order of popularity, not according to T-Mobile's preferences. It's all pretty straightforward, but the more interesting aspect is that this will apply to all the carrier's platforms from upcoming Android to Java to Sidekick and Windows Mobile."

Comments

Nokia App Store?

[PolygamousRanchKid]

So I wonder what Nokia will have to offer in the way of an App Store in a couple of months when I plan to replace my N90 with an N96. Ideally, I'd like to be able to download stuff from http://maemo.org/, just like for my N800.

But, no, that would be dreaming.

They've been doing it for years

[Sir Holo]

Haven't the cell providers already been trying to sell extra apps for years? Mostly games. How many un-erase-able demos are on your cell phone?

Apple has opened the floodgates in yet another market. Delivering to customers what they actually want, instead of what some misguided "marketing" department would prefer to force down their throats.

Sounds like Nokia

[Ilgaz]

Nokia started a weird campaign promoting its "Download!" making even die-hard Symbian blogs mad. Why? Because it is not really timely co-ordinated campaign and we (Nokia users) still see 10-15 never updated, never changed stuff in "Download!" menu in our phones.

Check news about it: http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/7743_Secret_really_is_a_secret.php

Nokia sits there, look for some great open source/free applications shipped for Symbian, doesn't freely sign them or cover their signing costs, donate to authors, help them, at least put the s60.com apps to the menu.

All they do is some good graphics wallpaper and application. Yea, race with Apple this way... They don't even put "Opera" and "Fring" to "Internet" category, 2 apps which will never ship for Apple iPhone (with this SDK/EULA) for God's sake.

Re:Entry barrier for Windows Mobile vs. iPhone

[essinger]

Dude, it's even cheaper than the other reply says. If Microsft finds out you are a developer they will send you all the shit you need FOR FREE. They've given me three copies of Vista Ultimate, a copy of server 2008 enterprise, a couple copies of visual studio pro, a copy of the mobile development kit, and a couple copies of SQL server.

Re:Jobs has a different definition of "many" too

[onefriedrice]

Apple's store is irrelevant to T-Mobile's ambitions. Apple exists in its own little walled garden.

You are assuming that just because the two stores will operate separately without compatibility that there is no competition. This is obviously false. If Apple's App Store acts, in any capacity, as an agent to draw new customers to Apple/AT&T then there are that many fewer customers going with T-Mobile.

Because of this, T-Mobile's decision to develop an app store for phones on their network was very likely a direct result of Apple's App Store in order to stay competitive. On the other hand, the Nokia Download Store seems much less relevant since T-Mobile obviously found it lacking enough to create their own. So in what way is the App Store irrelevant to T-Mobile?