Microsoft: Calling All Mobile Application Developers

Microsoft is looking to woo developers to build applications for its recently announced application store, the Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which will be available on devices running the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system.

Microsoft's Windows Marketplace, part of Microsoft's recent mobile blitzkrieg, is looking to capitalize on the mobile application store craze started in earnest last year with the Apple AppStore for the iPhone. This week, it was estimated that the AppStore could be a $1 billion business by the end of the year and that it currently offers more than 25,000 mobile applications. Users have downloaded 500 million applications from the AppStore since it launched last July. Apple's AppStore was also recently ranked the best mobile application store in a report by research firm Global Intelligence Alliance Group. According to the report, AppStore is "miles ahead" of the competition.

Along with Microsoft, other mobile heavyweights such as Google Android, Nokia and Palm have followed suit, launching application stores of their own. And this month, BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) Ltd. plans to launch its own application store, BlackBerry App World.

According to Microsoft, the software giant will give developers 70 percent of the sales revenue of the applications they create for the Windows Marketplace. Microsoft also promised developers transparency throughout the certification process and guidance and support from the start of application development to the final sale.

"Microsoft's decades-long relationship with developers has led to some of the most exciting innovations the industry has seen," Andy Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft's Mobile Communications Business, said in a statement. "We'll continue our successful collaboration with developers through Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which will provide a broad reach to customers. With the new Windows Marketplace for Mobile and our great development tools, Windows phones represent an incredible opportunity for developers everywhere."

Microsoft said developers will be able to set their own prices for applications or opt to offer their apps for free. An annual registration fee of $99 lets developers submit up to five applications, while each additional submission within the year will cost $99. For student developers, Microsoft will waive the fee if they enroll in the Microsoft DreamSpark program.

Microsoft added that applications will be put through a rigorous certification and testing process before releasing the applications to market. However, developers will be able to see detailed feedback during and after the certification process through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile developer portal. Microsoft said that visibility will help developers devote more time to writing innovative applications and less time navigating the approval process.

Microsoft said developer registration will start in the spring and developers can start submitting applications sometime in the summer.

Microsoft is also trying to make it easy for developers to build applications for Windows Mobile, offering them familiar tools and technologies to create apps, including the Windows Mobile 6 SDK, .Net Compact Framework 3.5, Win32, Active Template Library and Microsoft Foundation Classes, Visual C#, Visual Basic .Net, ASP.Net and asynchronous JavaScript and XML. Microsoft has made a developer's toolkit available for download for developers to start building applications.

Microsoft said there already are 20,000 applications available that are compatible with Windows Mobile.