Comments on: Verizon Mandates Their Own App Stores on Future Devices

In the finest playground tradition, a constant in any mobile-oriented forum is chatter about the best and worst wireless providers. The latest bit of news out of the Verizon camp will certainly fan the flames of debate and add to the already heated Sprint vs. Verizon rivalry.

GigaOm are reporting that Verizon Wireless is going to soon mandate handset manufacturers to install the new Verizon multi-platform application store on every device. In fact, such a portal will override the various app stores existing and forthcoming from most of Verizon's handset partners; chiefly, Microsoft, RIM, and Palm. Additional details and speculation is available from Engadget.

Read the Full Article Text Here

Article Comments

(11 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

pmjoe @ 7/17/2009 11:02:07 AM #

Well, this clearly puts the wireless providers at odds with the phone makers. The real losers being app developers and the general public.

Given that Congress is already examining their anti-competitive behavior, I'm going to write some letters to put fuel on the fire.

I am technically a registered iPhone developer and was considering signing up for the Pre. At this point, I'm just going to switch to standard web technology and JavaScript, and hope that more open approaches like Android pick up steam.

Developers need to step up to the plate and say NO to single distribution sources of their apps. Unfortunately, these days $$$$ beats out principle and someone will always step up to make a fast buck.

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

rmhurdman @ 7/17/2009 12:05:38 PM #

I disagree that developers lose out. I don't care who sells my (hypothetical) apps, as long as they are paid for. If I can get greater visibility and distribution through a single provider, that's great.

At the same time, this seems like a really stupid move for Verizon. First, as you said, it pits the carrier AGAINST the phone maker. Did Verizon say they wanted to carry the iPhone? This ensures that they never will. Second, it mixes apps from various platforms together into what will likely be a big, unwieldy mess. That doesn't bode well for increased visibility or distribution (pov of developer) or ease of us (pov of consumer).

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

LiveFaith @ 7/17/2009 12:28:56 PM #

Excuse my negativity here, but I absolutely cannot stand Verizon. This is yet another slap in the face for the advancement of technology. VZW seems to represent the cutting edge of everything bad about the carrier situation in the USA. I still remember the BT DUN issue on the Treo 650.
No relief seems to be in sight, so the sooner they begin to die the better imo. Is there not some enterprising group with funding that could actually look at this carrier tyranny and give customers what they want. Is this to novel an idea?

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

pmjoe @ 7/17/2009 1:06:43 PM #

rmhurdman wrote:
I disagree that developers lose out. I don't care who sells my (hypothetical) apps, as long as they are paid for. If I can get greater visibility and distribution through a single provider, that's great.

That may be fine (to some) when they want a 10% cut. Wait until your single provider says, now they want to raise their cut to 20%, 25%, 50% of the selling price. This is a particularly bad investment in the case of the iPhone or Pre where you're signing onto essentially a one-off development environment.

I do not want to waste my time/energy learning platform-specific development skills where the return on value is totally at the whim of the phone manufacturer. It should be my choice where my apps are sold.

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

twrock @ 7/17/2009 7:12:52 PM #

So one of the "orifices" just tightened up a little more. You people in the USA really are getting jerked around. But still, plenty of the blame goes to the average US consumer who can't figure out when they are being taken through the wringer and joyfully goes along for the ride.

Example. Some bright person posted an article on an Android site I visit complaining that the latest Android device costs more than the latest iPhone because the sticker price was $199 for the Android phone and "only" $99 for the iPhone. Absolutely no consideration of the clearly more expensive two year contract you were required to accept to "buy" that iPhone entered into the comparison. The average consumer really is ignorant.

Still, seems like a silly time for VZW to make this move when "someone" is already looking their way. Confidence or arrogance?

Hey Palm! Where's my PDA with Wifi and phone capabilities?

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

LiveFaith @ 7/17/2009 8:17:02 PM #

**But still, plenty of the blame goes to the average US consumer who can't figure out when they are being taken through the wringer and joyfully goes along for the ride.

You are exactly correct here. This is what I wonder. The "fields are white to harvest" for anyone willing to break this ridiculous carrier scam of locking people into contracts by subsidizing phones. Yet, the gigantic hurdle to instant success is the ignorance that you speak of among the sheep who think that "free phones" really are free.

I would venture to say that the average consumer does not even understand what a subsidized phone is. Therefore to say "buy your own $399 iPhone and get cheap network pricing and carrier freedom would sound like a ripoff to most Americans. Who would want that when I can get my iPhone for only $99. Ugggh.
Pat Horne

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

Winterbay @ 7/18/2009 5:32:48 AM #

*Yet, the gigantic hurdle to instant success is the ignorance that you speak of among the sheep who think that "free phones" really are free.*

Which is, at least I think so, why commercials here (Sweden) now have to state the total minimum cost that you need to pay during your contract including the price of the phone. This leads to easier comparisons even though additional cost for phone calls and so on are not included.

RE: let the wars begin. I'm writing my Congressmen

LiveFaith @ 7/18/2009 10:18:51 PM #

Stupid stupid stupid stupid

hgoldner @ 7/17/2009 7:23:46 PM #

If Verizon Sync, VZW's iteration of active sync for the Palm 755p and other garnet phones is any indication, their 'store' will be a piece of garbage.

I'm hoping this is just a 'trial balloon' to see how much outrage they draw. They're not code jockeys. Everything they put out is crap.

They should stick to the network and selling other people's hardware.

RE: Stupid stupid stupid stupid

hkklife @ 7/17/2009 9:19:38 PM #

Harold, are you still using your VZW 755p? I'm still hanging in there with mine...ditto your comments about the utter garbage most of VZW's software solutions are. From their Palm OS sync/e-mail garbage to their connection manager software for their EVDO datacards, whoever they farm their software development out to consistently produces junk. Still, they've got the best network most everywhere I've ever been.
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->?

RE: Stupid stupid stupid stupid

LiveFaith @ 7/18/2009 6:57:47 PM #

Looking for another revenue stream, just like our out of control government. Yet, they are going to try to get it in an area where their expertise is non-existant. BTW, ATT(cng) has exactly the same track record of producing pathetic bloatware for their phones. It's horrible, but I imagine some folks pay the residuals for the services b/c they are non-tekkie.
Pat Horne