CTIA: Microsoft readies Windows Marketplace for Mobile

LAS VEGAS – Building on Microsoft’s Mobile World Congress announcement of its own application store, made alongside a number of app store launches, the software company is now providing more details about Windows Marketplace for Mobile in conjunction with CTIA. Microsoft announced today it has gained support for its application storefront, including a slew of planned applications and additional functionality for Windows Mobile 6.5, also unveiled at MWC.

Microsoft’s initial app developers will include iPhone-favorites Accuweather, Pandora, Hands-On Mobile and Electronic Arts Mobile, among an announced list of 20 spanning social networking, gaming, media, utility and personal productivity companies. Marketplace for Mobile is slated to open later in the year to supplement the 20,000 apps Microsoft already offers through its distribution partners. Launching the storefront was a necessary move for the software maker as it faced increasing competition from similar stores from Apple, Google, handset OEMs and potentially even carriers.

With the onslaught of mobile app store launches has come companies offering carriers the ability to get into the market themselves. Several carriers overseas, including Australia’s 3 and the UK’s O2, have taken this route, but it has yet to catch on in the US, where partner options abound. Microsoft is granting operators that partner with it access to a branded section of the catalog where they can market their own and apps and services to their customer base, hoping this compromise will sway them.

Microsoft hasn’t announced any carrier relationships yet, but senior product manager Inigo Lopez said it might in the future. "For now, we believe this Marketplace is a great option for Windows Mobile," he said. "Operators should be excited that phones will come with this and it will give their users a great experience and keep them more engaged with their devices."

Microsoft differentiates its storefront by the choice of global devices – including more than 140 in a variety of form factors and on an established WinMo platform, according to Lopez. Most developers are already familiar with the development tools, having used the same set on Windows on the PC or server.

Like Apple, Microsoft is offering its developers a 70% cut of the sales revenue of their apps. Unlike Apple, however, the company is emphasizing transparency throughout the certification process and guidance and support throughout development. Developers will receive detailed feedback during and after the app certification process on the Windows Marketplace for Mobile developer portal. The goal is to let them spend less time navigating the approval process and more time developing, Lopez said.