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The Windows Mobile is over a decade old as a platform for apps. The Blackberry also allows 3rd party apps. As a platform, there's nothing new here with the iP

by aneesh 18y ago

The Windows Mobile is over a decade old as a platform for apps. The Blackberry also allows 3rd party apps. As a platform, there's nothing new here with the iPhone except lots of hype and a slick UI.

mrtron 18y ago
I suppose that selling your app through iTunes is the first example of one of these providers creating a distribution and sales network for your 3rd party apps though. But winmobile and blackberry platforms have been in existence for years and years.
- Tichy 18y ago
  There are lots and lots of platforms for buying mobile applications. Not sure if there is one explicitly BY Blackberry, but still.
  - yawn 18y ago
    The problem is mindshare. No one knows what they are. I remember a site called "handango" (I just checked and they are still there) that handled this, but most people have no idea of where to go for their content. Apple's answer is iTunes: a familiar interface for anyone that owns an iPod.
    - Tichy 18y ago
      In Germany everybody knows Jamba, but everybody hates them. Also, every network operator has tried to create their own platform (O2, T-Mobile, e-plus, Vodafone) - not so different from Apple after all? But nobody trusts the network operators (rightfully so), and awareness for mobile applications was not very big. I guess iPhone has an advantage because apps are a key marketing ingredient.
riahi 18y ago
The comparison between the iPhone UI and Windows Mobile UI is the crux of the matter. With a device that you use dozens of times a day, every single day, the UI better be damn good. As of now, the UI on mobile devices has not been good. I've had a Dell Axim x51v running Windows Mobile 5 and 6, and let me tell you, this pda would crash at least once a day due to memory leaks or other gibberish. I shudder to think what the phone versions of Windows Mobile are like, since just the PDA was so unstable. This also reminds me of the people trying to rid Verizon phones from their horrific UI and replace it with the UI that originally comes on the phones. Just because VZW-UI and Motorola-UI phones are equally functional, does not mean the UI does not matter.

by aneesh 18y ago

The Windows Mobile is over a decade old as a platform for apps. The Blackberry also allows 3rd party apps. As a platform, there's nothing new here with the iPhone except lots of hype and a slick UI.

mrtron 18y ago

I suppose that selling your app through iTunes is the first example of one of these providers creating a distribution and sales network for your 3rd party apps though. But winmobile and blackberry platforms have been in existence for years and years.

Tichy 18y ago
There are lots and lots of platforms for buying mobile applications. Not sure if there is one explicitly BY Blackberry, but still.
- yawn 18y ago
  The problem is mindshare. No one knows what they are. I remember a site called "handango" (I just checked and they are still there) that handled this, but most people have no idea of where to go for their content. Apple's answer is iTunes: a familiar interface for anyone that owns an iPod.
  - Tichy 18y ago
    In Germany everybody knows Jamba, but everybody hates them. Also, every network operator has tried to create their own platform (O2, T-Mobile, e-plus, Vodafone) - not so different from Apple after all? But nobody trusts the network operators (rightfully so), and awareness for mobile applications was not very big. I guess iPhone has an advantage because apps are a key marketing ingredient.

riahi 18y ago

The comparison between the iPhone UI and Windows Mobile UI is the crux of the matter. With a device that you use dozens of times a day, every single day, the UI better be damn good. As of now, the UI on mobile devices has not been good. I've had a Dell Axim x51v running Windows Mobile 5 and 6, and let me tell you, this pda would crash at least once a day due to memory leaks or other gibberish. I shudder to think what the phone versions of Windows Mobile are like, since just the PDA was so unstable. This also reminds me of the people trying to rid Verizon phones from their horrific UI and replace it with the UI that originally comes on the phones. Just because VZW-UI and Motorola-UI phones are equally functional, does not mean the UI does not matter.