Windows Phone 7 Marketplace and incentives for developers

Earlier this week we talked about Windows Phone 7, and the latest toolkit that Microsoft have released to developers looking to build applications for the device.

Now, more information has emerged regarding the Windows Phone Marketplace, developer policies, and programmes Microsoft is putting in place to help get Windows Phone Marketplace in contention with Apple’s App Store and the Android Market.

Regarding the Marketplace, developers will be able to release 5 free applications and unlimited paid applications. If the developer wants to release more free apps, it is charged to the developer at $19.99 per application.

Not only will developers be able to apply for free tools and test handsets, but senior Microsoft director Todd Brix said that “funds for software development and marketing” would be made available, as well as limited “revenue guarantees” if applications failed to live up to expected sales figures.

Microsoft are also taking steps to ensure that the quality of applications in the Marketplace remains high. Apple have been under considerable and consistent fire for many months regarding its App Store approval policies, which many claim are biased, unfair and damaging to companies looking to produce applications for the platform without any guarantees that it will be made available to users. A spokesperson for Microsoft said that they are aiming to “be transparent” regarding their policies and guidelines, and there is a document available on the Windows Phone 7 developer site which clearly states what’s what.

We will see at the end of the year what success Microsoft has had in trying to bring high-quality content to its platform. Until then, developers looking to get on board with Windows Phone 7 have a great set of incentives, which in many ways provide a lot of added value on top of what you may have come to expect from other platforms.

You might also like...

Comments

Contribute

Why not write for us? Or you could submit an event or a user group in your area. Alternatively just tell us what you think!

Our tools

We've got automatic conversion tools to convert C# to VB.NET, VB.NET to C#. Also you can compress javascript and compress css and generate sql connection strings.

“Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” - Martin Fowler