He’s not revealing the method for ethical reasons, but anybody wanna fill us in on how these shenanigans work, so hopefully it’ll get fixed so developers don’t get screwed? [XDA via Engadget]

In yet another one of our new mobile app roundups, we’ve taken a reckless swan dive into the vast, burbling ocean of Windows Mobile software. Mozilla’s Fennec browser goes for a test run, VLC gets a remote, and more.

Remember how the Windows Mobile App Marketplace was going to let you share apps with up to five phones at no additional cost? Well, Microsoft has a very liberal definition of the word “sharing.”

Turns out it’s just a feature to let you transfer apps to a new phone when you replace your last. That’s a nice little feature, don’t get us wrong, but it’s definitely not the same thing as allowing customers to share apps with friends and family. To quoth Microsoft:

As outlined in the terms of use for Windows Marketplace for Mobile, this ability is limited to phones owned by the person who purchased the application. Application sharing is not permitted. We believe people will find a high value in mobile applications they purchase through the Windows Marketplace, and we will also be offering a refund policy that will make it easier to shop for applications with confidence.

This is quite a bit of backpedaling from the original statement, in which Microsoft senior planner Daniel Bouie said, “We feel comfortable that using our LiveID system to help connect products to five devices is a great balance of the needs of both developers and end users.” Sucks for us, but Microsoft has to avoid pissing off developers to get their Marketplace going. [Boy Genius Report]

Not much has been left to mystery with Microsoft’s Windows Mobile app store—we even know what it’ll look like. Now it has officially opened its doors to developers, and published all the rules.

Microsoft seeded most of the important stuff in advance, and at first glance these new materials don’t contain many surprises. A majority of the official submission guidelines is devoted to making sure Marketplace apps aren’t a pain in the ass: apps can’t make random calls; data requests must be user-approved; uninstallation must be clean and complete; etc. The rules are practical, like the twelve we’ve already seen, and the document softly implies that Microsoft intends to be a little more lenient than Apple. We’ll see!

As far a the developer agreement goes, the $US99 annual fee and 70% dev commission still stand, while return and tax details have been laid out in full. Developers are paid when they hit $US200 in commissions, which, like most of the others store policies, is somewhere around industry standard.

Sadly, the document doesn’t say when the marketplace will open, which is the only part of this whole saga that anyone cares about anymore. Don’t overestimate your hype, guys. [the unwired via Engadget]

The list is below, but the major ones are these: no VoIP that goes over the provider’s network (Wi-Fi is OK), no apps that make you download more than 10MB over the air (not Wi-Fi), apps that use/promote other marketplaces other than the official Windows Mobile ones, apps that make you pay money outside of the marketplace (which bypasses Microsoft’s cut of the profits), and apps that publish your location without permission.

They’re all pretty reasonable expectations, but not being able to have VoIP over the carrier’s network is a step down from what it is now, where you can download VoIP apps and talk as much as you want. Looks like Skype isn’t going to be distributed through Microsoft’s Marketplace then, or at least just locked down if it is? [PC World via Fierce VoIP via Tech Digest]

The 70% dev cut is simple enough and has worked well for other stores, but the $99 fee is a slight divergence from the norm. Under this subscription plan, developers can submit up to five apps a year, with an additional $99 fee for every app above that limit. That sounds a little lame, but if you’re the kind of person (or outfit, rather) that markets more than five apps a year, a hundred bucks probably won’t sting too much, and the fee might even serve as a nice little cr-app filter. There are a few other details, like a fee waiver for student developers, but most of this doesn’t really matter much to consumers, and won’t surprise developers.

But Microsoft couldn’t resist getting a little political here, going out of their way to promise “transparency throughout the certification process”—a not-so-subtle dig at Apple’s restrictive and sometimes mysterious vetting process. It’s a nice promise, but the Windows Mobile app store is inherently different in this regard already. It may have rules, but developers can still distribute their apps elsewhere, and any user is free to install them. In other words, unlike in the iTunes App Store, a rejected app isn’t necessary a dead app. Full press release is below. [Microsoft]

Microsoft Unveils Its Developer Strategy for the Next Generation of Windows® Phones

Familiar tools, large worldwide customer base and transparent policies allow mobile developers to innovate and generate new revenue opportunities with Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

REDMOND, Wash. – March 11, 2009 – Microsoft Corp. today announced new details about how developers can build and sell applications for Windows® phones through Windows Marketplace for Mobile, the recently announced application marketplace available with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. In its commitment to helping developers create new and exciting applications, Microsoft will provide developers with 70 percent of the revenue generated from sales of their application sales from Windows Marketplace for Mobile, transparency throughout the certification process, and guidance and support from the stage of development to the final sale to the consumer. To get the tools to begin developing for Windows® phones, go to http://developer.windowsmobile.com.

“We are empowering the thousands of existing Windows Mobile independent software vendors and prospective developers to grow their business by connecting them to the millions of global Windows® phone customers around the world,” said Andy Lees, senior vice president of the Mobile Communications Business at Microsoft. “Our announcement today demonstrates Microsoft’s unwavering commitment to providing developers with the latest tools and technologies to develop compelling applications, as well as the appropriate distribution channels to generate revenue.”

Developers who sell applications through Windows Marketplace for Mobile will receive 70 percent of the sale of each application. In addition, they will have the ability to set the price for their applications in each market, maximizing their revenues based on targeted pricing strategies. Developers can also choose to distribute their application at no cost. Up to five application submissions to the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is included in the introductory annual registration of $99 (U.S.). Each additional submission within the annual period will have a cost of $99 (U.S.). The registration fee will be waived for student developers who want to reach Windows® phones customers, through enrollment in the DreamSpark program. Finally, developers will also be eligible for marketing and sales support from the Mobility Solutions Partner Program, allowing developers to focus on their core competency of developing innovative applications.

With Windows Marketplace for Mobile available in 29 countries, developers will be able to tap into a broad international customer base. At the same time, Microsoft will continue working with developers to ensure that their applications run optimally on Windows® phones by running a rigorous certification and testing process before applications go to market. Developers will be able to see detailed feedback during and after the certification process of their application on the Windows Marketplace for Mobile developer portal. Ultimately this enables developers to devote more time to writing innovative applications, and less time trying to navigate the approval process. Developers will have access to all details once the registration doors open in the spring, and will be able to start submitting their applications later this summer.

Developers can utilise familiar tools and technologies to build unique experiences for the Windows Mobile platform through Windows Marketplace for Mobile, including the Windows Mobile 6 SDK, .NET Compact Framework 3.5.

With more than 20,000 applications already in market, Windows Mobile is among the most popular platforms for developers. Windows Mobile 6.5, the next generation of the Windows Mobile operating system, will allow developers to build innovative mobile applications without having to learn new skills or programming languages, by leveraging familiar desktop and server development tools such as Win32, Active Template Library and Microsoft Foundation Classes (Visual C++), Visual C#, Visual Basic .NET, ASP.NET and asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX).

Now, the Dev Phone 1 will be able to access the Paid apps in the store, although according to Developer Advocate Dan Morrill, people with this kind of G1s won’t be able to install copy-protected apps. The update fixes the alarm clock, Gmail, pop3 email accounts, mail notifications, and maps, as well as adding support for search by voice. [Phandroid]

Network World says ‘I Am Richer’ is essentially identical to the iPhone app, except it has a blue diamond, and, somewhat ironically, only costs 1/5 the price as its counterpart. So, who’s gonna buy? [Network World]

Other policies include:

•The Market will allow unlimited reinstalls of purchased apps.
•Upgrades must come directly from the developer.
•Sexually explicit material is banned from the Android Market.
•Billing disputes must be held with the developer or your credit card company.

Much of that information was to be expected, but an app return policy is a really big deal. I can’t tell you how much I would love to shove Sim City on the iPhone back in EA’s face right now. It’s been out for months and they still haven’t fixed a bug that causes it to crash on launch for some users. I can only hope that Apple will eventually follow Google’s lead on this one. [Android via IntoMobile]