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The buzz over the weekend seems to be that the Marketplace for Mobile is quite restrictive. Some are calling it much more restrictive than the iPhone Store, I sure hope so. I don’t want to see fart apps in this store, seriously. WM Experts found a hard list of what’ll get your app banned over the weekend. Here are the issue that concerned the author the most….

• No VOIP apps using a carrier’s data. (Will WiFi be OK?)
• No apps that replace or modify the default dialer, SMS or MMS apps.
• No apps with an OTA download of over 10MB. (Not sure if that’s the app itself, or downloading within the app for, say, a podcatcher or the dreaded torrent downloader.)
• No apps that change the default browser, search client, or media player on the device. (Does that mean no Opera or Skyfire, which let you choose to set them as the default browser? No Kinoma Play, Core Player or the like for multimedia?)

I am not at all concerned to be honest. Think about it. How long has PocketPC and Windows Mobile been around. These platforms are open and a simple cab file or desktop installer makes it quite simple to get applications on your device. Developers have been selling their apps with and without “stores” for years. Sure, it might hurt a developer not being able to have their app listed, but it’s not the end of the world. Nothing is preventing that developer from selling the app directly to the users. If the app is good enough, users will get it from their site rather than the store if it’s prohibited. I have not heard any rumors the Microsoft was going to close the doors on apps that are not purchased through this upcoming Marketplace.

What do you think? Too much concern too early?

Chris Leckness (3530 Posts) - Website | Twitter | Facebook

Chris Leckness is the Owner/Administrator of Mobilitysite. He is a Microsoft MVP, Mobile Devices and a member of the exclusive focus group, Mobius. Chris runs a Mobilitysite, GotZune, and a few other smaller sites and blogs. His personal blog is chris.leckness.com.