Battling for smartphone developers' hearts and minds

The battle for the hearts and minds of smartphone developers is on.

Earlier Wednesday, Google unveiled its Android Market which will allow anyone buying T-Mobile's G1 to download apps for the smartphone. Here's what Google had to say:

"If you're a developer, you will be able to register and upload your applications starting next Monday, 2008-10-27, when we've wrapped up a few final details. In order to make sure that each developer is authenticated and responsible for their apps, you will need to register and pay a one time $25 application fee. Once registered, your apps can be made available to users without further validation or approval."

Starting in early Q1, developers will also be able to distribute paid apps in addition to free apps. Developers will get 70% of the revenue from each purchase; the remaining amount goes to carriers and billing settlement fees--Google does not take a percentage. We believe this revenue model creates a fair and positive experience for users, developers, and carriers.

The timing obviously was coincidental but it follows by just a day Apple's earnings report where we learned that the company shipped 6.9 million iPhones in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Research In Motion announced that its long-delayed Blackberry, the Bold 9000, will go on sale early next month.

Each company will win fans who become enamored of this or that feature. But the fanboys, whose tether with reality got cut long ago, matter less than the developers.

Competing head to head, Apple, Google, and RIM will present themselves as the developer's best friend. Whoever makes good on that promise will score big. The iPhone is out ahead of the pack but nothing's set in concrete. In fact, Apple has had, at best, an uneven relationship with iPhone developers, and each side still is not sure whether it can trust the other.

As my colleague Stephen Shankland notes, the iPhone is about as locked down as possible.

"The App Store, while thriving, is a walled garden compared to the user-ranked, self-governing free-for-all that Google aspires to build with its Android Market download site. Google launched its Android software developer kit before launching Android to encourage people to write applications for the phones, whereas Apple only released its SDK much later and, only recently, partly lifted a nondisclosure agreement that muzzled developers from so much as sharing programming tips. And perhaps most clearly, the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1 built by HTC, comes with a USB debugging mode to let programmers peer into its inner workings."

If RIM and Google roll out the welcome mat, a lot of third-party developers will take notice. For more about this as well as an initial appraisal of the G1, I spoke with CNET Reviews' Kent German earlier Wednesday on the Daily Debrief.

[gwilo]

It seems that every article on ?SmartPhone? names the same parties Apple, RIM and Android.

They all seem to forget Symbain.

The OS is used in over 115 models of phone on the market or coming to the market from eight different manufactures like SonyEricsson, Samsung, FOMA, Panasonic, LG, Lenovo and Nokia.

[m00se7]

Symbian news should be coming soon. They are going to be releasing a new, free licensing model in the first half of 09.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20081022/bs_nf/62574;_ylt=AnT4DVMdzSLR.hqo21vvxgGor7oF

[groovyd007]

If they really want to impress people some open source hacker should make it so that you can download software from Apple's AppStore to use on the G1...

[arpotu]

Haha - that *would* be cool. I'm sure somebody is working on it. After all, you can develop whatever apps you need since the Android OS is now fully open :)

[mobilemavy]

Nobody is stupid enough to sign up for T Mobile.

[98clru]

I've had tmobile for 4 years. After cingular took over att wireless I was experiencing lots of dropped calls or calls so bad I couldn't wait for them to drop. Switched to tmobile call quality is much better, almost never a drop with a good signal. I had 4 different types of phones (samsung, LG and nokia) on the family plan and the same problems on all 4 so it wasn't the phone. I'm paying less than I did with att with a corporate discount and it is rare I travel anywhere I can't get a signal that others with different carriers have a signal. Plus with UMA for $10/month my entire family gets unlimited calling and a great signal anywhere one can access wifi or a tmobile hotspot or att wifi at starbucks. I guess I'm too stupid to know better...

[AnthonyNYC]

I too switched to T-Mobile years go when I couldn't get good cell service in my building and wanted to use cell as primary phone. T-Mobile gives me 4 bars even in basement laundry area, so it's been great ever since.
I would have switched to iphone but love my plan, 3000 anytime local minutes for $49, NY,NJ and CT (tri-state area).
Since i only talk locally this is perfect for me. At&T's closest plan to my minutes with iphone would have been $129 a month, I am glad I stuck it out with T-Mobile, now it only costs me $25 more for data plan! Excellent Pricing plan for G1.

[rando688]

I second that commotion...who the heck is gonna sign up for T Mobile...good grief.

[98clru]

Let's see, after the company that advertises more bars in more places took over att wireless my service severely degraded. Lot of dropped calls, or worse, calls so bad I couldn't wait for them to drop. Gave them 6 months to straighten the network out and it only got worse. I had a family plan with 5 phones all different, 3 diifferent nokias, an LG, and a samsung all had the same issue so it wasn't the phone. Switched to tmobile, have signal in all the same places I happen to be as good as the other carriers, call quality and stability is never a problem when signal is adequate (same unlocked nokia I had problems with cingular with 3 bars no problem with 1 bar on tmobile). I had a corporate discount with att and tmoble was still cheaper. With UMA anywhere there is wifi or a tmobile hotspot or a starbucks with att wifi I get a great signal with unlimited calling for $10/month for my entire family. You can keep your rollover minutes and huge prices (verizon) and lousy customer serice (sprint). My market (orlando) has now has 3g. I guess I'm stupid enough to sign up for tmobile and would do so again.

[layclerk]

I would, actually. I've been with T-Mobile for over 6½ years, which is practically an eternity in the mobile phone business.
I had Verizon, Cingular, and Sprint before that. I have never been happier than with T-Mobile. Why? Better phones, GSM coverage, worldwide presence (I travel to Europe several times a year on business and T-Mobile is one of the premier carriers over there), and I get excellent customer service. Never a dropped call, and best of all, reasonably priced voice and data plans. I can't wait to get my hands on the G1. 3G service is coming to my area next month, too.

[goodmanbrown]

Tmobile has the best on the phone customer service I've used. I've had the g1 for two days. I've been impressed by the speeds I'm getting over the network.

The phone's been better than I expected so far. . .impressive, but I'm looking forward to better apps and firmware.

[98clru]

Let's see, after the company that advertises more bars in more places took over att wireless my service severely degraded. Lot of dropped calls, or worse, calls so bad I couldn't wait for them to drop. Gave them 6 months to straighten the network out and it only got worse. I had a family plan with 5 phones all different, 3 diifferent nokias, an LG, and a samsung all had the same issue so it wasn't the phone. Switched to tmobile, have signal in all the same places I happen to be as good as the other carriers, call quality and stability is never a problem when signal is adequate (same unlocked nokia I had problems with cingular with 3 bars no problem with 1 bar on tmobile). I had a corporate discount with att and tmoble was still cheaper. With UMA anywhere there is wifi or a tmobile hotspot or a starbucks with att wifi I get a great signal with unlimited calling for $10/month for my entire family. You can keep your rollover minutes and huge prices (verizon) and lousy customer serice (sprint). My market (orlando) has now has 3g. I guess I'm stupid enough to sign up for tmobile and would do so again.

[mobilemavy]

u r a loser

[arpotu]

I agree, 98clru. I recently switch from Sprint to T-Mobile, and I'm continually impressed with how well they run their shop. Now that the G1 is available to T-Mobile, I can only see their user base expanding. T-Mobile might have been "hokey" 5 years ago, but they're becoming top-notch these days.

And for those folk who simply reply with "u r a loser" and such - you're probably not the ones paying the bills and looking for better service and features. I have to take your commentary with a grain of salt.

[bigmoneyreward]

Has anyone heard about the new combination cell phone and cigarette lighter? I'm tired of losing my lighter all the time, and I can always find my phone, even if I have to call the thing to find it in the couch.

[gwilo]

For more on Smart Phones read this about the battle of the OS
http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/10/22/nokia-goes-after-google-open-source-symbian

[inachu]

If you really want to win their hearts and minds then do the following:
A. Do not restrict them on development and deploymet of their applications.
If Microsoft did that then word perfect for windows would have never seen daylight.
B. Do not muffle online debates. Even bad news is good news!