- Developers who have gotten on early are saying that MS don't give them the liveid of buyers so they can't send keys out themselves to buyers (if they used product key protection).
- MS preferred method to protect the software, deleting the CAB file of an app after install has already been cracked and is so easy to bypass it is silly.
- It is region based but worse than DVD or Blueray. You are automatically set to your own region as a buyer and as a seller you have to submit seperately to each region (each submission is charged seperate to the yearly fee).
- Seperate regions just for english so far include US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore and Ireland.
- Support for developers is so slow it is just sad.
- I have seen a number of reports of apps (including some well known software) being rejected with the reason response being left blank, each one comes off the 5 submissions allowed for the original US$99 fee (each submission after that is US$99).
Very little seems to be happening on the MSDN forum so maybe as this becomes more public someone at MS will wake up.. It just seems to me reading all the problems other people are having and the things I have experienced that they are charging us a 12 month subscription to sign up to a store that is well and truely still in a beta state even now..
Unfortunately, 6.5 is the worst thing that could have happened to my company. Our IT group was finally pressured into testing iPhones in the corporate work environment, but they insisted on purchasing phones with 6.5 at the same time to do a current comparison.
With the reviews so far, I'm afraid iPhone is going to kill the HTC phones and I'm going to be surrounded by iPhones newbies who will ask me to help them when they screw up the outlook sync "because they only know how to connect it to their Macs at home..."
- Developers who have gotten on early are saying that MS don't give them the liveid of buyers so they can't send keys out themselves to buyers (if they used product key protection).
- MS preferred method to protect the software, deleting the CAB file of an app after install has already been cracked and is so easy to bypass it is silly.
- It is region based but worse than DVD or Blueray. You are automatically set to your own region as a buyer and as a seller you have to submit seperately to each region (each submission is charged seperate to the yearly fee).
- Seperate regions just for english so far include US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore and Ireland.
- Support for developers is so slow it is just sad.
- I have seen a number of reports of apps (including some well known software) being rejected with the reason response being left blank, each one comes off the 5 submissions allowed for the original US$99 fee (each submission after that is US$99).
Very little seems to be happening on the MSDN forum so maybe as this becomes more public someone at MS will wake up.. It just seems to me reading all the problems other people are having and the things I have experienced that they are charging us a 12 month subscription to sign up to a store that is well and truely still in a beta state even now..
As a WM software developer I am beyond disappointed in the MarketPlace. I was really hoping MS would of taken some of the queues from AppStore on this one. I think NO one would have cared if they copied their exact program. It works let’s be honest, minor tweaks maybe. Our company has already decided that we will not be selling any of our software on the Market Place. The restrictions are way too ridiculous and like 'jeisner' said the support response has not only been slow but in some cases none existent. I didn't even know about the Region aspect of it until 'jeisner' posted that, told the boss and he said "Now its offical. We are not going to use the Market Place." He's not a happy camper right now. Personally there are several programs that I have written that I want to give away for FREE but I won’t if I have to pay $99 to be able to do it. Updates are KEY and if you have to pay to put your update on the site too, than I am just going to keep posting them on my own website and hope people come across them.
I've used several ROM's cooked up by the great Chefs over at XDA. Yes there are bugs and yes they do fix them. And what do you know there is a great HELP community there too. Microsoft you should not only look at XDA for Help but you should embrace the community that is keeping your product alive. I could name 5 Chefs on XDA that you should bring on board that would change the WM stigma. I don’t like kicking people out on the street but this has been going on far too long. Time to clean house at the Mobile OS Team. Just my opinion…
As a user, I'm not the slightest bit interested in Marketplace. I don't want to buy my software in a manner that gives the seller the ability to change my device without my permission. The current system is fine. I buy a product and you send me a product key. I save the installation file and key and can always reinstall the product after a hard reset or on my next device. Even if you go out of business, I have the software I paid for.
Under this new system, you want to delete the .cab after the install? No thanks. A couple of software companies are having a legal battle and you're going to just come in and uninstall my software? No thanks.
When are consumers going to learn that, when you buy something that requires a company's intervention to use (e.g. DRM), you will eventually lose the product you bought. What are you going to do about your hundreds of dollars of WM software in two years when MS decides that this Marketplace idea isn't really working for them and shuts down the system? You're going to lose your money, that's what.
If I wanted a big corportation to have total control of my device, I'd get an iPhone.
RIM like blackberry? Again, it does what its supposed to. People I know use it because they need the communication it handles. Not because they love it. Like having a Nextel for the PTT.
I suppose your argument would be true if Blackberry's were only used by corporate types and constuction workers. There is nothing a blackberry can do that you can't find on other platforms. Actually I might even say every platform. Yet there are plenty of consumers that buy and use blackberry devices.
And Windows Mobile does do what its supposed to do. Very few people complain about its capablities. Just is interface.
I've heard many a popular site podcast (read: Engadget) complain about the antiquated apps and interface on blackberrys but they don't fail to list them in the mobile space while Windows mobile is hardly mentioned.
__________________ AT&T Samsung Jack
Black Zune 80
HTPC: SageTV Media Center
I buy a product and you send me a product key. I save the installation file and key and can always reinstall the product after a hard reset or on my next device. Even if you go out of business, I have the software I paid for.
Honestly, as a developer and along with almost all the developers I am talking to on the MSDN forums we wanted the same thing as you.. To me the situation is far worse with microsoft for us too than it is with my preferred store (mobihand)..
I love Mobihand. I use the version of it via the ThoughtsMedia sites and I enjoy that it keeps track of versions for me, tells me when a new version comes out, handles upgrade pricing, etc. I can choose to download the software again from the store if I want to, but I only do that when there's a version change. Another good thing is that they don't have the ability to connect to my device remotely and uninstall my software. It does everything I want in a store and nothing that I don't want.
The only thing worse than WinMo right now is Apple's offering. While I'm still quite happy with my Blackjack II the browsing experience on the iPhone has me wondering if it's time for some sort of a change for me. Blackberry nah. Android, seems promising but not yet there. Guess I'll stick with WinMo (or whatever I'm supposed to call it now) and hope that Microsoft can pull their collective head out of their arse.
Just curious if you're going to diversify Jason. Android Thoughts?
I'm sorry for you Jason. I remember you from your early days and even got to help you and some of the other VIPs out a few times when I worked in Windows Mobile support way back when. Everything turned ugly for Wndows Mobile/PocketPC/Windows Phone way back with ActiveSync 3.5 (or was it 4) when they pulled WiFi sync out. The product groups stopped listening to the VIP's and stopped listening to us in dev support and kept telling everybody it's all about he enterprise. If you ask me, the last "good" phone OS they built was the SmartPhone stuff because they actually got the experience pretty good for non-touch and non-stylus phones. Heck, even my friends that are still @ MS in the mobile world tell me it's regressed.
I left in early '05 and have not seen much progression since. I remember walking the halls and seeing some of the concept UI and how exciting it was to finally see worthy devices produced (the Typhon and some of the following devices had good form factors). I also remember telling every one, "oh, my phone has been able to do that" for years when people showed me their iphone or blackberry.... but each time I did, i started to feel more and more lame because it became an excuse. I had to install this obscure app to play videos. I could play music, but it took 10 buttons or taps to find a new song to play... on and on until I was an apologist and not an evangelist.
I moved to another platform a year ago, and feel like there is actual platform development and support. I'm excited about it again and know it can actually DO the lame things i tried to make Windows Mobile do.
My heart goes out to you Jason, but I think the days of yore are dead. Windows Mobile or Windows Phone is the new dead Palm. Windows Phone 7 _might_ be the shiznit, but I am not hopeful....
Sad thing is in my experience a lot of those enterprise clients are moving to iphone, all our managers are given iphones now.. We also have thousands of Motorola rugged PPC units in the hands of staff, now what happens with motorola dumping windows mobile?
WiMo lost it's Mojo
Linear Mode
