The Phones Show 91 (App Stores)

[gosekinz]

As someone working for an Apple Developer I can say the most frustrating thing about Apple's model is Apple itself. They truly stymie innovation. Another frustration is you spend months developing an application - thats several tens of thousands of dollars of effort - even if you manage to recoup your investment much more time is spent on support, since you have a larger install base.

What we tend to do now is bundle support with PRO versions and offer just a manual to the Lite versions.

[namtastic]

I really don't understand how Ovi gets 8 points for allowing you to re-download apps IN THEORY. You shouldn't award points to someone for what they *should* be doing but aren't.

This "theory" clearly factored into your score for Ovi's Application Updates (6 points), since there are NO mechanisms for this as is, you say this yourself -- and again, you can't re-download the app through the store if you read about an update in a blog or from a friend. In my book that's a big fat "0 points."

[stevelitchfield]

Yes you can. Nokia enabled re-downloads a week or two ago. It's worked for several apps that I've bought.

[MrJONKS]

funnt those films about n97, it seems like no body of producers has it, well the winner will see that it has poor keybord, poor gps, poor widget main screen, almost no free ram memory, it is very disapointing phone, im not sure that new FW will make it better.

[misterleoni]

Hi Steve - I really think the Ovi Store is a terrible implementation of an applications market, and given that you are not averse to pulling up manufacturers on their deficiencies I am disappointed in you that you forgive it so: it does make me believe that you are slightly too kind to Nokia. The Ovi store is illogically constructed, littered with paid ringtones and wallpapers and low-key, overpriced apps. For such a respectable name Nokia have disappointed here for me.

[stevelitchfield]

Well, I did give it by far the lowest score..... 8-) But there's no point in laying into Ovi TOO hard - it's a service, not a device, and is changing week by week, whereas my video is now fixed in time!!!!

[bob91011]

Hi there you forgot the Blackberry App World...

[stevelitchfield]

See my comment above....

[arjunmenon]

Good show Steve!!! Yes, Nokia E75 is good.... I think you would soon feel the same about the Hero. You rejected it in your last show, but let me tell you, its a great phone (especially after this new firmware update)

[stevelitchfield]

Oh, I agree it's the best Android phone around, if anyone buys one then they're not going to be too disappointed. I'm just not sure it can compete with the Nokia E71, Apple iPhone 3GS and the like - will the Hero make my next top 5? Still mulling that one over.

[jo3mck]

hey steve, how do i update my 5800? you probably have got this question a lot but i have no idea how to do it.

thanks. :)

[stevelitchfield]

*#0000# on the dialler screen and then 'check for updates'

[filthyj24]

i wish i could wave a wand and give my e71 a touchscreen and make it run web os

[urlovekrish]

The ovi store...its really premature...It worked only once on my nokia 5800 and after that it never works again

I try to install thousand time it installed perfectly but hate to tell you when I try to run it says"application intilization failed"...

I have to admire Stev Jobs and guys for Apple Store..they deserve the credit

[urlovekrish]

Yup there you go....Now we are discussing something..."LITCHFIELD L100"

That's what I am always saying my wife about my desire...to make a perfect geek device

That can satisfied any geek on the planet...btw what's would be the idealistic specs I can expect from LITCHFIELD L100 lol)-:

[urlovekrish]

well love the E75 but with all respects of the features i hate the 240*320 small display as a power user geek have atlest 480*320 for multimedia and other stuff

[stevelitchfield]

Absolutely. Every single device has its drawbacks sadly. Which is why I should launch the LITCHFIELD L100, with all the best bits of all devices! 8-)

[badopinion]

I liked the second video!

[stevelitchfield]

To be fair, there were about 6 videos which were good/funny enough to be shortlisted, but I only had room for 3 in the show itself....

[urlovekrish]

Hey Steve, love d show as usual and i knew it u gonna pick that video as winner and the moment i show that video i gave up from participating as i have not got that much time to editing and all the stuff

[stevelitchfield]

Yes, SenorQuijote had polish, humour, music, info, the whole package. The no. 3 video might have pipped him if the production quality had been consistently better though....

[jonedk]

Fair comment Steve - but I'll accept 3rd :) Congrats to SenorQuijote!

[browncash]

no blackberry world?

[stevelitchfield]

Well, yes, I guess Blackberry should have been in there, but BBs tend to mainly get bought by companies for their staff (at least here in the UK) and there's very little interest in adding much software. Might be a USA-focussed ecosystem?

[AndreeaN97]

congratulation to the winner

[Tonisyy]

meh ofc the fancy one winns with iMovie maker and so forth :/

[awaken69]

yeah, how about apps in the ovi store are usually about 3x as expensive (for the same app or game!) as in the appstore?? nokia did a TERRIBLE job with the OVI store (as with almost any other sw and services). this simply can't be overstated. you really are becoming the perfect symbian and nokia apologist..

[stevelitchfield]

1) The prices of apps in the iPhone App Store are often quite artificial. Don't use these as the benchmark. I believe in rewarding developers of good apps, not forcing them to sell everything for a few cents/pence.

2) Yes, Nokia have done a lacklustre job in the past with Ovi Store, but it's improving rapidly. Have you tried it in the last few days? There's a reason I timed this app store roundup for this week, you know.

[weareborg]

Steve, re your app store artificial pricing point above, I have to disagree. The lower pricing of many of Apples app store apps is very attractive, especially for impulse buys, coupled with, most importantly, the volume sales. People are far more inclined to spend between 1 and 3 euro over something that's considerably more on another platform (that frankly in many cases doesn't look half as good).

The lower priced apps are selling in very large volumes offsetting their low price.

[stevelitchfield]

Oh, sure, from the consumer's point of view. But what about the tens of 1000s of disillusioned iPhone developers who haven't made a bean. As an ex-programmer myself, I'd much rather be selling apps at £6 each, say. Would make for a more consistent ecosystem in the long run.

[weareborg]

Well, the app market is totally consumer driven. These people are making money through volume. If its good it will sell.

That's what will increase sales for the eco system in the long run.

Everyone is getting 'some' sort of smartphone as an upgrade & more critically, are now aware of what these phones can do, what an "OS" is, what an "app" is, etc etc,..This realization by average joe (or josephine) will see app sales continue to rise, & w/ no disrespect, some people programme complete dross.

[weareborg]

Steve, I had replied to you above, but it must have gotten lost? Regardless, in due course a median price point will be reached. I'm a programmer myself + Symbian fan for 7+ years & a lot of the apps out there are total dross. The cream will rise to the top. The app store is consumer driven! But the current disparity between Apple & Nokia is staggering. EG - Adobe Reader LE 2,5, Symbian- $24, Good Reader, iPhone-79cents. Good Reader is light years ahead. I will buy from that dev again and again.

[stevelitchfield]

All good points. But the fact remains that a software ecosystem can survive better with 500 really good, higher priced apps than with 50,000 cheap apps , of which only (say) 1500 are any good. A discussion for another time?

[niveksivad]

Hi Steve

What a about a review or update for Windows Mobile Apps stores???

Love your work!

[stevelitchfield]

Well, yes, there is a WM store. Also a Palm Pre store. But in terms of actual numbers of people looking on them, they're an order of magnitude down. Still, maybe in a future show, when I look at the HTC Touch HD2 or Palm Pre?

[zeo99]

the apps in the ovi r over priced. the apps were listed in euros.

it's also hard to use.

apple app store still leads.

i bought the N97 but left it at home when I left to the UK for my studies. it was really disappointing apart from the keyboard.

iPhone can be pain in the ass at times, like transferring files to another phone or comp. but i still prefer it over the N97.

[dendrov]

lol "make a nokia fan boy's dream come true"

[joeratti]

down with apple and their over priced rubbish

[tehkseven]

Very good comparison Steve :).

Great points for pros and cons.

Although.. Personally.. I wouldn't have been as generous towards the Ovi Store ;).

[stevelitchfield]

I was a *little* generous to Ovi Store, in view of the fact that they've made big strides in the last week or so. These things are always changing and you have to look ahead a little sometimes.

[simysimy9]

I wish i had an e75, but the e71 was cheaper so i got that instead. It's too bad no carriers have good nokias in the U.S.

[pachinko1972]

Dam I wished that the n95 had a landscape keyboard from the beginning.

[pachinko1972]

Steve you made an error on the apple apps store payment. Not only does it take iTunes payment but also takes Paypal.

[stevelitchfield]

Ah - I genuinely didn't know that!! And I'm a big PayPal fan etc. Thanks for the correction.

[sub7q8]

the best show

[adtrea]

The Symbian theme at the beginning is really catchy. :)

Nice feature on App stores by the way, also everything you said about the E75 should (in theory, at least) apply to the E72 as well, correct?

P.S. Congratulations to SenorQuijote for winning the N97, his video was really funny.:P