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Verizon Drafts Developers Into Mobile Software War on Apple

wired.com — In what appears to be a last-minute effort to play catch-up, Microsoft and Verizon have put out a call for developers to code for their mobile platforms.

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 15, 2009

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  • eavesdrop, on 07/15/2009, -3/+20who the ***** would develop for Verizon? If you think Apple's application Nazism is bad.......
  • WitnessX, on 07/15/2009, -0/+15It's about time they got off their duffs. The App Store was a hit in it's first month, and they're only responding now? What happened - did these guys forget to hit the Send button for the memo to fight back? In the end, I'm just glad that the competition is going to heat up. Corporate Competition = Consumer Win.
  • Richandler, on 07/15/2009, -2/+16The fact that they don't have something as simple as a facebook app for most of their phones is a disgrace. Most apps not being free is another problem. As much as I hate AT&T I'm very tempted to switch simply because my voyager has next to nothing to offer in comparison to the iPhone.
  • CB810, on 07/14/2009, -2/+16I want more apps for my Storm!
  • cubicledrone, on 07/15/2009, -6/+19Memorandum to Verizon and Microsoft:

    Money talks. ***** walks.

    Have a nice day.

    Sincerely,
    The Experienced Programmers You Fired
  • B1665r, on 07/15/2009, -2/+13I don't think anyone realized that $2 fart apps would become the huge market that it has. Considering the way Apple absolutely resisted the app store at first, I don't think even Apple realized how popular,

    // brings up iTunes to see...

    "The Moron Test" which is currently the #1 paid app, would be...

    I think Microsoft and Verizon made the mistake of thinking people would want useful software...

  • serif69, on 07/15/2009, -3/+13Wow, Godwin's Law was especially swift in this thread.
  • serif69, on 07/15/2009, -3/+12Either you forgot the /s or you need a role model.
  • ohplease, on 07/15/2009, -4/+13Hey Microsoft, remember when you told developers that XNA was coming to Windows Mobile, and then at the last minute you pulled out and decided to port it to the ***** ZUNE? Up til now you've treated Windows Mobile developers to no support, buggy implementations of everything (OpenGL for starters) and a deluge of false promises. No one wants to develop for Windows Mobile and you made damn sure of that.
  • Spure, on 07/14/2009, -0/+8need apps for the env touch please
  • killdashnine, on 07/15/2009, -0/+7The best wireless network in the US is one thing; not being able to us a goddamned iPhone on it is another.
  • serif69, on 07/15/2009, -1/+8I own an iPhone, and I can state very surely that AT&T is the worst part of owning an iPhone. Their customer service is pretty horrendous, and though I haven't experienced any dropped calls in 2 years, I know people who experience them multiple times a day. Also, their 3G coverage is spotty at best. I can stand still and watch the phone lose the 3G connection and switch to Edge, with supposedly full service. The only reason I'm with them is because of the iPhone. If there were a scrupulous way to switch carriers with the iPhone, I'd do it in a second.
  • daschupa, on 07/15/2009, -0/+7Between this and Verizon now wanting to use their own unified app store on all Verizon phones, it is looking more and more like that whole Verizon iphone is off the table.
  • s10stealth, on 07/15/2009, -0/+6Hey Verizon...

    UNLOCK THE DAMN GPS!!!
  • B1665r, on 07/15/2009, -0/+5Go to the Apple store and try out the web browser on the iPhone, and you will see why the app store has been a success.

    I think apple actually made a mistake here. I wish they would let us default to a mobile browser user agent, because the iPhone is simply too slow to deal with modern web pages.
  • faintember, on 07/15/2009, -0/+5Which is sad considering I would love to see an iPhone on Verizon. My NE2 is currently available and of all the Verizon phones only 1-2 are even moderately appealing.

    Verizon; great network, ***** phones.
  • eShinn, on 07/15/2009, -1/+5Steve Balmer also gave Windows a positive review.
  • WrldsWrstDigger, on 07/15/2009, -0/+4if you have web access on your smart phone, why do you need a facebook app?
  • inactive, on 07/15/2009, -1/+4I just imagine them standing slack-jawed, watching a ticker of iPhone sales spinning wildly, someone occasionally blubbering "B-b-b-b-b-but Steve Ballmer told us no one would buy the iPhone!"
  • acknotSW, on 07/15/2009, -1/+4I agree 100%.

    I've writen a few apps for a windows mobile and a few for blackberries, I'll take javaME any day of the week.
  • Drizzit, on 07/15/2009, -0/+3Perhaps if they did not tie their cart up to brew and charge developers 40k up front to even get a development platform.
  • plainOldFool, on 07/15/2009, -1/+4You can get a facebook app for Blackberries. There is no need to switch carriers if that is the biggest thing you are looking for.
  • 4NDr01D, on 07/15/2009, -0/+3iPhone app store is on a ton of networks internationally

    but yeah, you forgot about them...
  • mleaman, on 07/15/2009, -5/+8Selling my Verizon stock now.
  • Charlotte_Web, on 07/15/2009, -0/+3You may be regretting that by this time next year. AT&T's exclusive contract with Apple is rumored to run out next year, and Apple has been hiring engineers familiar with Verizon's data network.
  • CSFFlame, on 07/15/2009, -4/+6Anyone who wanted to go against apple would develop for android.

    Trust Microsoft? I think not.
  • Linua, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2without push it's meh
  • JJP0223, on 07/15/2009, -1/+3"but the more hardcore folks tend to go with Windows Mobile for it's flexibility, and hackability."

    As an iPhone and Windows Mobile Developer, I would like to point out that you are 100% incorrect. Windows Mobile has Word and Excel, and that is their only real advantage. For actual useful apps, and for a cheaper (maybe free) price, the iPhone App store is brilliant. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but Windows Mobile is sub-par at best.
  • Hercules, on 07/15/2009, -1/+3The nice benefit is that any Windows Mobile phone, on any network, will be able to use the work of these developers. Windows Mobile goes across every network, iPhone doesn't have that advantage and I think that with the licensing Apple works out for themselves, Verizon and others are kind of pissed off with the rate of return and are putting their money with Microsoft instead, so they make out better in the long term.

    Win win for consumers though.
  • MScrip, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2>> "Not at all. Remember, even if Verizon were to sign a contract with Apple, they still have other smart phones that they have to sell apps for."

    I agree. Maybe someday AT&T will open their own app store for their AT&T exclusive non-Apple phones. Believe it or not... AT&T has dozens of phones... but we only ever hear about the iPhone. I'm sure AT&T will have an app store for all those other phones.

    Verizon can still have their app store for their exclusive phones, as well as allowing access to the Apple App Store for a future Verizon iPhone.
  • eShinn, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2...and that in one of those other nations it's T-Mobile that's working the iPhone gig.
  • B1665r, on 07/15/2009, -5/+7Dear Experienced Programmers,

    Currently the top free application for the Apple iPhone is an App called "Mirror Free", an app which simply changes the frame around the screen, then you look in the reflection of the shiny black screen to get your mirror effect.

    Considering the realities of this new software environment, we decided that experienced programmers were no longer needed.

    Good luck with that sophisticated software!

    Signed
    Verizon and Microsoft
  • 4NDr01D, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2***** QualCom !
  • AraleNorimaki, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2 that what palm said.
  • se7envii, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2seconded!
  • Charlotte_Web, on 07/15/2009, -1/+3If you think about it, this isn't about trying to overtake Apple... it's way, way too late for that.

    This is much more basic... it's about trying to adapt to the way that the market has COMPLETELY shifted beneath their feet because of Apple's entrance.
  • WitnessX, on 07/15/2009, -0/+2The iPhone is the driving force for AT&T customers alright. The phone is a fairly fun device for most people, but the more hardcore folks tend to go with Windows Mobile for it's flexibility, and hackability.

    Sign up with AT&T, and you'll soon see why people are moaning about the service: http://www.pcworld.com/zoom?id=167391&page=1&a ...

    At least you'll be using an iPhone I guess. Sidenote: Sprint SERO plan for $60 includes 500 minutes, Unlimited Internet/Text/Mobile2Mobile/Nights & Weekends @ 7PM, Free Roaming, and GPS (txt2speech) Nav. I don't work for them, I just want them to stay afloat. ;)
  • B1665r, on 07/15/2009, -3/+5Wow, you think you hate AT&T and you are not a customer yet? LOL, just wait until you are a customer and paying $100 a month for a phone that drops calls.
  • eShinn, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1@WinessX

    Noooo..... There was SO much frustration with building that ROKR phone. Believe it or not, a way-too-large-chunk of the time was spent arguing back and forth between carrier and Motorola as to who's logo would be prominently displayed where. The iPhone came around in a really quick birth. I think WIRED did an article on this (possibly where I got the info from?).
  • eShinn, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1Not to mention the un-asked question, "I bought these apps for my phone. Will I be able to install them on this phone if I buy it?"

    ...there. The question's been asked.
  • Elranzer, on 07/16/2009, -0/+1Yeah, let's not pretend that Windows Mobile is a well-developed standard with nearly 10 years of app development and 10's of 1000's of apps available, including a mobile version of Office.

    But yeah, those iFart apps on the iPhone, that's the true direction of mobile apps.
  • Jerk, on 07/15/2009, -1/+2That's been rumored since the initial iPhone release with nothing to back it up. Verizon has consistently ignored their user base. They have mediocre hardware that's usually 1 or more year behind other carriers and they have them so locked down, any useful features have been disabled or removed completely. They may have a great network, but their prices are high for everything else (plans/ringtones.)
  • MScrip, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1>> "I bought these apps for my phone. Will I be able to install them on this phone if I buy it?"

    Yeah... that's gonna be tricky. My roommate once worked as a Verizon Tech... and people were pissed that they couldn't transfer their photos from their old phone to their new phone.

    Apps will introduce a whole new level of pain from now on...
  • eShinn, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1...laughing all the way to the floor.
  • MScrip, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1I use the Facebook app for my Blackberry Curve 8330... mainly because it dumps any Facebook messages into my BB inbox. I never "use" the Facebook app for anything else.

    If I actually want to browse Facebook, I do it in Opera Mini.
  • MScrip, on 07/15/2009, -1/+2>> "It's about time they got off their duffs. The App Store was a hit in it's first month, and they're only responding now?"

    Apple has one phone, with one OS and one interface.

    Verizon has multiple phones, all running differently spec'd OSes (albeit with similar looking interfaces) with different screen sizes and controls.

    Phones like the new Verizon enV 3 and enV Touch will have apps made specifically for it... but do you think those same apps will work and look the same on an old flip phone?

    I applaud Verizon for getting into the app game. But it will be a real challenge to make a seamless experience with so many different phones and app developers. It will be an uphill battle... you will still have to buy a Verizon phone that is app capable... and even then, you still won't have as many apps available as other platforms.
  • WitnessX, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1I kinda thought Moto just got used on that venture.
  • Silentgeno, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1I don't quite get how this will work since atm they charge people a monthly subscription fee for their ***** apps. So does this mean we can expect an app store that will continue to charge folks a monthly fee for the apps they want or will we finally get to pay once and actually keep the applications we want.
  • Charlotte_Web, on 07/15/2009, -0/+1I don't talk a lot while driving, but I do stream a lot of internet audio.
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