Windows Marketplace for Mobile arrives for all 6.x users

The Windows Marketplace for Mobile is now available for devices running Windows Mobile 6.0 and Windows Mobile 6.1, in addition to Windows Mobile 6.5<BR><BR><a href='http://meincmagazine.com/microsoft/news/2009/11/windows-marketplace-for-mobile-arrives-for-all-6x-users.ars'>Read the whole story</a>

 

[OrangeCream]

Title says it all.<BR><BR>All sixty some users of WinMo now have access to the marketplace!

 

[Slimy]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>Title says it all.<BR><BR>All sixty some users of WinMo now have access to the marketplace! </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Microsoft says it's at 30 million. Do with that number what you will.

 

[bedward]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Slimy:<BR>Microsoft says it's at 30 million. Do with that number what you will. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I chuckled with that number. Not quite a LOL, but more than my usual blank stare and drooling.<BR><BR>What would actually be interesting is to know the number of these devices that are hooked up to cellular networks. Telcos would be able to provide much better market share numbers for smart phones than we've ever had for computers, thanks to monthly subscriptions. Is there any chance we'd ever be able to get a glance at that data, I wonder.

 

[OrangeCream]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by bedward:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Slimy:<BR>Microsoft says it's at 30 million. Do with that number what you will. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I chuckled with that number. Not quite a LOL, but more than my usual blank stare and drooling.<BR><BR>What would actually be interesting is to know the number of these devices that are hooked up to cellular networks. Telcos would be able to provide much better market share numbers for smart phones than we've ever had for computers, thanks to monthly subscriptions. Is there any chance we'd ever be able to get a glance at that data, I wonder. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Admob suggests that only 3 million of those units are actually actively using the internet.

 

[MarkKB]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>Admob suggests that only 3 million of those units are actually actively using the internet. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Admob also suggests you not confuse their stats with the actual sum of such devices:<BR><BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">From "Placing AdMob Metrics in Context":<BR><BR>The report is based on the ad requests we receive from our network of more than 15,000 mobile Web sites and iPhone and Android applications. The data contained in the report is a <B>measure of mobile data usage and does not represent the traditional view of market share based on the number of handsets sold. Our network site composition, product offerings, and business operations all influence the results.</B> We have always been open about our methodology and are as transparent as possible in the report to give readers the information they need to accurately interpret our statistics. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Internet metrics based on ad networks are better for extrapolating percentage points and establishing trends, not looking at absolute numbers, and it would seem AdMob agrees.

 

[KeyboardCat]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MarkKB:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>Admob suggests that only 3 million of those units are actually actively using the internet. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Admob also suggests you not confuse their stats with the actual sum of such devices </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>I believe the point that OrangeCream was trying to make is that, in order to use the MarketPlace, you need to go online. And if only 3m people are going online, then that number is likely to be closer to the customer-base for the store than the 30m total install base.<BR><BR>Of course, the store could increase the 'going online' figure, but to grow the figure by 1000% is a big leap of faith.<BR><BR>Only once Microsoft publish initial app sales figures will we know the true impact of their marketplace.

 

[Amyd]

But the point is that AdMob is quite dubious as a measure of how many people are going online. Their ads are served through various mobile websites and iPhone / Android applications (and I assume Java apps, altough I am not sure), which may not be a representative sample of what people actually browse worldwide from their mobile phones. <BR><BR>Not that NetApplications is necessarily much better, but their OS "market"-share lists Windows Mobile at 0,04%, while Android and Blackberry are behind at 0,02% (altough some of their hits are certainly counted through Java ME, I suppose mostly for RIM?). Whereas the AdMob numbers place both Android and Blackberry OS far, far ahead of Microsoft. <BR><BR>Also, the AdMob numbers of course favour devices with heavy Internet traffic because they report requests and percentage of requests, not unique hits. It is certainly not a given that buying apps is directly proportional with how often a user goes online. Theoretically, in order to buy those apps, it would suffice that the user goes online at all, even once, which is what NetApplications measures, but AdMob doesn't (or at least doesn't report).

 

[Martouf]

I like the Marketplace. It is really easy to use and they have a ton of stuff on it already.<BR><BR>Home Screen Customizer = win!

 

[Eraserhead]

Even so 30 million is lower than the iPhone platform has sold and [url=http://www.ciozone.com/index.php/Mobile-and-Wireless/RIM-Named-Fastest-Growing.html]RIM has 29 million subscribers.<BR><BR>So that means WinMob is at best in 4th place at the moment.

 

[OrangeCream]

I was being generous, too.<BR><BR>Admob as a metric is perfectly useful. While the mapping isn't 100% accurate, it does tell us that less WinMo users hit the internet, and therefore data, than any other device right now.<BR><BR>They could have 6m to 2m active users, but the point is that there is about an order of magnitude less WinMo online than the iPhone, and half as much as Android or Pre, and those have well defined numbers since they are so well tracked.

 

[Amyd]

It is absolutely not useful, because it is painfuly obvious that AdMob simply doesn't track Windows Mobile well. Be it out of say an US-centricity or as a result of their distribution method for their ads, fact is they are simply not representing the installed user base of WM users going online. <BR><BR>The only thing that the AdMob numbers <I>might</I> indicate - provided they are actually tracking WM users in a statistically significant way - is that Windows Mobile users spend a smaller percentage of the time online and/or browse fewer websites compared to other platforms. But, until somebody shows a strong correlation between Internet browsing habits and app purchases, that in itself means nothing: to buy apps you only need to be able to go online at all, it matters not if you do it twice a month or twice a minute.<BR><BR>Or, to put it another way: not even AdMob claims to tell us how many Windows Mobile users are online, only what percentage of the requests they receive come from Windows Mobile users.

 

[studentx]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Slimy:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>Title says it all.<BR><BR>All sixty some users of WinMo now have access to the marketplace! </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Microsoft says it's at 30 million. Do with that number what you will. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Microsoft says a lot of things. The bottom-line is that they are becoming increasing irrelevant in the smartphone market and this won't slow the bleeding. They've failed.

 

[w77jdp]

There's already at least two fart apps.<BR><BR>So continues the decline of Western Civilization.

 

[max4677]

I recently got a used Treo 700wx as a temporary phone until our contract renews. It is has no data plan, and when she gets her new phone I will likely only use it for WiFi access when I get around to finding a decent (cheap) SDIO Wifi card for it.<BR><BR>It's not bad, but the interface (winMo 6.0) is not exactly easy since it looks like Windows, but doesn't work like Windows in many cases. I just wish I could find an actual manual for how to do things in WinMo 6.

 

[rickhan]

Just tried it using my Fuze (WinMo 6.1).<BR>Very easy to use; purchased and downloaded quickly.<BR>This will be a big asset to WinMo users.<BR>Too bad it took so long to arrive--needed a marketplace like this years ago!

 

[rickhan]

Don't count Microsoft out yet. They are frequently slow to catch on, but when they do, it's good.<BR>They spend billions on long term research, not related directly to any application.<BR>They need to take more direct control of the OS, not let phone OEMs and phone companies dictate features and do the coding --that really sucks.<BR><BR>So far, for my Fuze (WinMo 6.1), Spb Shell 3.5 is by far the best touch screen interface, blows away TouchFlo..<BR><BR>HTC and AT&T don't have a clue on how to write software for Windows. Microsoft needs to control that. The power management is particularly screwed up. It doesn't know if its a phone or a computer, and chooses behaviour that is bad for both.<BR><BR>Marketplace is a good start for a WinMo resurgence.

 

[wanorris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by KeyboardCat:<BR>I believe the point that OrangeCream was trying to make is that, in order to use the MarketPlace, you need to go online. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>False.<BR><BR>If you had read the whole article, you would have found a link you can use on your computer to go to the marketplace on your PC. You can download apps to your computer and install over ActiveSync if you want.<BR><BR>Having said that, I expect there <I>is</I> a correlation between how often people go online and how many apps they're likely to buy. And the fact that it's common for WinMo apps to be $20-30 absolutely keeps the number of copies sold lower than they would be on other platforms.<BR><BR>But I like the fact that there seem to be quite a few inexpensive (as well as free) apps on Marketplace. Some of the old standbys are still expensive, but then again, how many iPhone apps have been in continuous development for 5-10 years and have the feature list to match?<BR><BR>WinMo actually has a terrific selection of useful software, and if it takes a new store to convince people of this, then cool. Hopefully, this will drive more traffic to the good apps and talented developers, and encourage them to build even better stuff.<BR><BR>Edited for clarity.

 

[huxley]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wanorris:<BR><BR>Some of the old standbys are still expensive, but then again, how many iPhone apps have been in continuous development for 5-10 years and have the feature list to match? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Microsoft redesigns the iPod packaging<BR><BR>Sorry to be the one to tell you, but what you're standing on isn't a lawn, it's a patch of dirt and the damned teenagers aren't interested.

 

[wanorris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by huxley:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wanorris:<BR><BR>Some of the old standbys are still expensive, but then again, how many iPhone apps have been in continuous development for 5-10 years and have the feature list to match? </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Microsoft redesigns the iPod packaging<BR><BR>Sorry to be the one to tell you, but what you're standing on isn't a lawn, it's a patch of dirt and the damned teenagers aren't interested. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>All I know is that I can do things with my Touch Pro 2 that iPhone users can't do with theirs, and those things are important to me. Among other things, I have a programmer's editor and a Python interpreter on my phone. I won't be trying to write code on a soft keyboard, and I don't have to worry about jailbreaking my phone just to be able to write and run my own code on it. The Droid is the only non-WinMo phone out there so far that has me kind of curious about all these hot new phone platforms.<BR><BR>If teenagers are more interested in having 10,000 websites ported to run as "apps" on their phone, good for them. I want a computer that fits in my hand, and the iPhone doesn't get it done for me.

 

[OrangeCream]

@wanorris: You're one of a small number of computer users. As I estimated, you're probably one of 2-3m people.<BR><BR>Most people would rather have a usable web browser out of the box. I'm one of 40-50m people.

 

[wanorris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>@wanorris: You're one of a small number of computer users. As I estimated, you're probably one of 2-3m people.<BR><BR>Most people would rather have a usable web browser out of the box. I'm one of 40-50m people. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Well, Opera is the default browser on my phone out of the box, and it's just dandy. <I>Microsoft</I> may not have delivered a particularly usable product out of the box, but HTC has done a <I>great</I> job. That's probably why most WinMo phones come in HTC boxes nowadays.<BR><BR>And yeah, people who care about the same things I do are a small segment compared to the mass market. I'm well aware of that. But the received wisdom of the market seems to be that it's impossible to buy a Windows Mobile phone that's useful for anything that an iPhone can't do better, and that WinMo phones all belong in a museum -- and that's simply false.

 

[OrangeCream]

I do hear great things about HTC; that HTC makes a good phone despite Windows Mobile.

 

[Nom]

<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<br>Admob suggests that only 3 million of those units are actually actively using the internet. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Eh ?<br>AdMob track "ad requests we receive from our network of more than 15,000 mobile Web sites and iPhone and Android applications" - people running Windows Mobile are using Opera to visit <b>desktop websites.</b><br>AdMob are utterly irrelevent.<br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<br>Admob as a metric is perfectly useful. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>No.<br>By their own admission, they <b>don't track the desktop browsing experience that Windows Mobile users see with Opera</b>.<br>They aren't useful in any way.<br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<br>Most people would rather have a usable web browser out of the box. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Yeah right, that's why people are quite happy to use Internet Explorer on their computers... -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif --<br><br>Windows Mobile users use Opera, for obvious reasons. They're more than happy to install it, just as with their desktop PCs.

 

[OrangeCream]

That's interesting. So there is nearly as many shipped copies of Opera Mobile as there are Safari Mobile.<BR><BR>I don't know, yet, how to determine Opera Mobile's market share however if it doesn't report itself appropriately.

 

[wanorris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by OrangeCream:<BR>I do hear great things about HTC; that HTC makes a good phone despite Windows Mobile. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>True in a lot of ways. The thing is that there are a lot of good things at the core of Windows Mobile (along with some problems, admittedly), but it's buried under an obsolete user experience that 6.5 didn't really solve. So it isn't so much that HTC is putting lipstick on a pig, it's more like one of those teen movies where they give the outcast girl a makeover and suddenly everyone realizes that she had attractive qualities all along, but nobody could see them.<BR><BR>Even with HTC's overlay, there are still issues that crop up such as memory management. If you want a zero-maintenance phone, WinMo still isn't the answer -- and zero maintenance isn't exactly a bizarre request for a phone. But most HTC phones do pretty well out of the box, and even better if you grab a utility or two from Handango (hopefully the good ones will all be on Marketplace soon as well).<BR><BR>Anyone who can maintain their own computer can probably handle a phone like mine without much trouble, if they like the form factor and overall design. My wife had exactly zero interest in having a phone like my last WinMo phone (a Samsung i760), but her reaction this go around has been very positive, and she's actually kind of intrigued at the idea.

 

[temp444]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wanorris:<BR><BR>My wife had exactly zero interest in having a phone like my last WinMo phone (a Samsung i760), but her reaction this go around has been very positive, and she's actually kind of intrigued at the idea. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Your wife secretly has an iPhone and is just trying to be nice to you! Doesn't want to hurt your delicate WinMo ego!!!

 

[wanorris]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by temp444:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wanorris:<BR><BR>My wife had exactly zero interest in having a phone like my last WinMo phone (a Samsung i760), but her reaction this go around has been very positive, and she's actually kind of intrigued at the idea. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Your wife secretly has an iPhone and is just trying to be nice to you! Doesn't want to hurt your delicate WinMo ego!!! </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>LOL! Actually, up until now, she's always stuck with a basic flip phone, and has talked about maybe getting a separate device that can do MP3s, games, things like that (i.e. an iPod Touch or something similar). She's always wanted her phone to just be a phone.<BR><BR>It's possible she might have liked the iPhone, but there's about a zero percent chance of her switching from Verizon to AT&T to get one.