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View Full Version : APRIL FOOLS: Marketplace for Mobile Snags Some Big Names


Jeff Campbell
04-01-2009, 01:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-lines-up-big-names-for-its-windows-mobile-app-store-2009-3' target='_blank'>http://www.businessinsider.com/micr...pp-store-2009-3</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Microsoft (MSFT) is talking up its App Store "Marketplace For Mobile" at the CTIA mobile powwow in Vegas today, and has announced some very big names will be writing apps for Windows Mobile phones."</em></p><p><em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1238556859.usr105634.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></em></p><p>Microsoft has lined up some big names for partners in the "Marketplace for Mobile" store for mobile apps, and I for one am very excited! Sling Media, CNBC, AccuWeather.com, Zagat Survey and Netflix are among the 27 companies that have partnered up with Microsoft to be a part of the planned Windows Mobile app store. This is a great start to a store that hopes to tap into the mobile app market, perhaps slowing down the growth of that other store. You know the one.&nbsp;</p><p><em></em></p>

emuelle1
04-01-2009, 04:59 PM
Those are all companies that are well known for delivering a smooth and superior experience on Windows Mobile devices. I can't wait. I think I'm going to scratch my plans to get an iPhone on my next upgrade and get another Windows Mobile phone. Yeah, April Fools.

I expect the Windows Mobile App Store to be a nightmare. For one thing, Windows Mobile has always been an open platform, so I never really saw the point to an app store on it. I get the feeling that, like their search and advertising misadventures, they just saw that Apple is making lots of money on the iPhone app store, and hope they can duplicate that success. Unfortunately, I have no expectation that they'll focus on the user experience to the degree that Apple has. I expect the Windows Mobile app store to be about as superior as the Live.com search engine is to Google. That is, I still us Google because Live search is useless.

marvi1
04-01-2009, 07:56 PM
Has anyone EVER taken a picture of Ballmer that has not resulted in laughter or fear?:confused::D

emuelle1
04-01-2009, 08:13 PM
I actually fell for this one. Doh! Of course, it's actually believable. It's just like Microsoft to announce that a bunch of companies that know nothing about mobile devices are going to be partners with Microsoft in a mobile device campaign.

Phillip Dyson
04-01-2009, 09:46 PM
I guess what confused me was the fact that Netflix has already partnered with them for a mobile app. And SlingMedia already has one too. so maybe is is true.

Jason Dunn
04-01-2009, 11:52 PM
I guess what confused me was the fact that Netflix has already partnered with them for a mobile app. And SlingMedia already has one too. so maybe is is true.

This is true. The "joke" is Jeff's sarcasm about it, so it's not your typical completely-made-up April Fools stuff that we'd normally do. I apologize for the confusion.

Jason Dunn
04-01-2009, 11:53 PM
I actually fell for this one. Doh! Of course, it's actually believable. It's just like Microsoft to announce that a bunch of companies that know nothing about mobile devices are going to be partners with Microsoft in a mobile device campaign.

The news is real. And all the companies announced pretty much already have Windows Mobile software available, or experience creating it, so saying they "know nothing about mobile devices" isn't very accurate.

Jeff Campbell
04-02-2009, 03:45 AM
Yes, the story is true. The sarcasm, well, that was true also, the joke being that the site was changing to windows site. :)

Re: Ballmer and being scary, in a previous life I was a limo driver and one of our gigs was his wedding in Portland. He scared me then too! Well, that is sarcasm too, he tipped well and was nice to us providing us food and drinks while we waited in the sun for the festivities to end :D