marketplace

Microsoft announced this morning a handful of tweaks and changes to its Windows Phone Marketplace, many of which promise to make it easier for developers to publish in the now five-month-old digital storefront. The company also provided a look into the purchasing behavior of users, saying that nearly 1 in 10 downloads of a trial for an app or a game results in a sale.

One of the biggest changes centers around application distribution and publishing. Microsoft announced plans to launch a new Global Publisher Program, aimed at helping developers get their games in more markets.

"This program will … Read more

Google has an event slated for February 2 to show off its Android 3.0 operating system for tablets, code-named Honeycomb. Well, in advance of that preview an industrious Android enthusiast, who goes by the handle deeper-blue on the xdadevelopers' forum, has hacked the Nook Color to run a preview version of Honeycomb and has posted a video on YouTube.

A custom version of Android firmware is already available for the Nook Color that essentially allows you to turn it into a full-fledged Android tablet (naturally, Barnes & Noble doesn't authorize you "root" your Nook but plenty … Read more

There's some good news for developers who have not yet gotten paid for their app sales as part of the new Windows Phone Marketplace: payday is coming a little sooner than the company had first announced.

Instead of getting that money sometime in February, Microsoft has moved up its first round of developer payouts to the fourth week of January. Thus far, developers have been unable to cash in on software that has been on sale since late October, while Microsoft has worked to get its payment system up and running.

After this first round of payments is out, … Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Google announces the Chrome Web Store with apps for the Web and gives an in-depth look at the forthcoming Chrome Operating System

Google also shows off a new Android tablet running the newest version of Android called Gingerbread

The next version of Internet Explorer 9 will let you specify which Web sites are not allowed to track you

Sprint is considering selling off Nextel to save $11 billion

A new virus is spreading over Twitter through URL shorteners

Bejeweled 3 is out

Attention all history buffs. The History Channel, which is now simply called "History," has made its entry into the Windows Phone marketplace with History Here, a location-based app that combines GPS with historical content to a "mobile guidebook."

If you've got a new Windows Phone 7 phone, the app costs $2.99 and currently has information on more than 7,000 locations nationwide, but according to the folks at AETN Digital, which made the app, thousands more historical points of interest will be added in the coming months.

As you might expect from an app … Read more

We've shown you the Windows Phone 7 hardware, but now it's time to look at some of the software behind Microsoft's launch of its new, bolder, braver operating system for mobile phones. (We list apps after the jump.)

Why are these apps significant? Two reasons. The first is that Microsoft has wiped the slate clean with Windows Phone 7, adding hardware and software specifications that require application developers to start from scratch. Without any backward compatibility for Windows Mobile 6.5 apps, the new WP7 Marketplace will need to fill up with apps in order to compete--and fast. A slim and saggy App Catalog is one factor that contributed to the rapid decline of Palm's WebOS phones.

The second reason we're keeping our eye on third-party apps is because Microsoft's Zune-like interface is brand new for mobile, and how each developer programs its apps within the design framework will have an effect on usability--and ultimately on how well users connect to their Windows Phone 7 smartphone.

Earlier today we gave you an exclusive peek at eBay, IMDb, and Fandango for Windows Phone 7. Last week, we checked out three music apps, as well as Twitter and other third-party projects.

We'll refresh the list of what we know is on its way, and we'll keep updating this article throughout the day as more news comes in. Feel free to e-mail me with additional tips, and add your thoughts to the comments below.… Read more

President of eBay Marketplaces Lorrie Norrington is leaving the company for "personal reasons," eBay announced yesterday. The company said it will look externally for a replacement, but in the interim, the Marketplaces management team will report directly to eBay CEO John Donahoe.

Since July 2008, Norrington has been in charge of eBay Marketplaces, the global division that manages eBay's auction site and other e-commerce sites. Prior to that role, she was responsible for Marketplaces' North American unit after serving as president of eBay International. She joined the company in June 2005 as CEO of Shopping.com, which … Read more

Microsoft has just delivered on Monday an answer for software developers wondering when they'll be able to start creating apps for the Windows Phone 7 platform. The company is planning to release its Windows Phone Developer Tools on September 16, giving program authors at least a couple months to code before the "holiday release" of Windows Phone 7 handsets.

In the meantime, developers looking to have their apps and games ready for the Windows Phone Marketplace launch can get a head start by registering for the Marketplace and using the beta toolkit (direct download link) before recompiling … Read more

Oracle taking on the 'open' in Android, the G1's soon-to-be sibling, and Honeycomb. You read that right. Plus we discuss the somewhat confusing world of personal and corporate Gmail co-existing on your Android phone. Today's special guest, Senior Writer for HowStuffWorks.com, Jon Strickland!