Developers dish the dirt on Mobile Marketplace

MICROSOFT'S MOBILE MARKETPLACE opened its doors to developers on Monday and some very worrying cracks in the system are already showing.

Users are complaining loudly about problems with credit card transactions, an overcomplicated registration process, the lack of promised free-of-charge services for students, inconsistencies in copy protection policies, and overblown charges for certification testing. Added to all of this, Microsoft has been accused of deleting unflattering forum threads without explanation.

Credit card chaos
A number of potential developers have reported that credit card transactions are being bounced without explanation: "I tried to register but was unable to complete the signup process. After filliing out my credit card info I just got a standard error page," one such user told us. "I tried with another credit card and then I got an error message with the code 40000, and thereafter I was redirected to the same standard error page."

The problem seems to be more prevalent for anyone attempting to register from outside the US but not exclusively. Microsoft has suggested that the problem may be caused by inconsistencies between details in the Marketplace sign-up forms and existing billing relationships with the company, including Xbox Live accounts.

Student freebies refused
Developers who are enrolled in the Microsoft Dreamspark program were promised a free ride with Marketplace registration, but it seems that the system has not been set up to properly allow eligible students to complete the registration process without payment, as one disgruntled forum poster explains: "As I try to register, all goes well until I am asked to pay the registration fee, something I am not required to pay, as Microsoft says, but there is no way to let the system know that I am a student and skip the page."

Security cop-out
Many developers have expressed concerns about security issues surrounding uploaded apps, particularly whether Microsoft will be adding an additional layer of DRM to code which makes it onto the store. But the Redmond company is being unbelievably vague about its plans, expecting developers to offer up the fruits of their labours with no guarantee that apps will not be cracked within days, and offered free of charge to anyone with P2P access or a Usenet account.

Microsoft spokesvole Inigo Lopez said, "Security is an important aspect and we want developer to focus their time on developing great applications as opposed to implementing security measures. More details on how Windows Marketplace will ensure applications are not illegally copied will be shared in the coming months." Very reassuring.

Hidden charges
Part of the registration system includes a laughably archaic identity verification process which involves sending copies of identification documents verified by a public notary to Redmond. Microsoft reckons that US developers will be able to secure the services of a suitable 'Notary' for around $10, but anyone living outside the US could be in for a shock.

In the UK, a Notary Public is "a specialist lawyer whose main business is to verify the proper execution of English documentation going abroad and, where necessary to issue an appropriate Certificate. That certificate or in some cases the original document itself will be signed by the Notary and he will also attach his Notarial Seal of Office, which is personal to him and totally unique."

Most Public Notaries are also solicitors and will charge accordingly. Most British lawyers wouldn't give you the time of day for a tenner.

You want how much?
Microsoft has made it clear that desperately wants to outdo its three main app store rivals and has humbly admitted that it is incredibly late jumping on this particular bandwagon. But, as usual, the software behemoth is arrogantly refusing to learn lessons from the likes of Blackberry, Nokia and Apple's startlingly successful App Store when it comes to charging developers.

All three of the big names in mobile application delivery charge a small fee for software developer kits (SDK), in most cases around $100, but offer free registration of applications.

Microsoft, in its all-powerful wisdom, has decided to levy an extraordinary $99 fee for each and every application, regardless of whether the code passes the company's 'rigorous' testing and selection process or not. Unbelievably, this charge will even be imposed on those offering free applications to Windows Mobile users. Which will, of course, mean there will be no free apps, other than those used to flog beer, overpriced German cars and movie tickets by huge corporations.

Microsoft documentation states that, "We will run a rigorous certification process to ensure an optimal end user experience, and that the device and network resources are not used in a malicious way. This certification process bears a significant cost. We believe that $99 is an acceptable cost of doing business, in order to gain access to millions of customers interested in purchasing applications. "

And it gets worse. If you do decide to cough up the $99 to have your work scrutinised, and it fails any of Microsoft's lengthy list of criteria (see below), you will have to pay again if you want to have it reconsidered for inclusion once you have fixed the flaws.

Microsoft spokesvole Inigo Lopez said, "We want to make sure that we have a strict and fair certification process, to ensure the quality of apps that will be available to end users. We believe that the opportunity to target a potential market of over 30 million WM phones out there is larger than the submission cost. As always we will keep working closely with developers and users, and making adjustments in the future as needed."

As one developer puts it, "Blackberry does testing for free, Apple does testing for free too, as do Nokia and Android. All of these companies have fewer staff than Microsoft and are able to cope. Microsoft, a giant with 90,000 employees, cannot do the testing in house and needs an outside company to do it for them? Why is this?"

Clearly the money men at Microsoft have never even consider the fact that the enormous amount of free content available on Apple's App Store is a loss leader. People wander into the store to pick up a few freebies and, more often than not, will wander out with a basketful of paid-for stuff they never knew they needed.

All in all not a great start. We reckon it will be a cold day in Hell before Microsoft surpasses Apple in the online content delivery stakes. Let's see how long it takes Ballmers boys to sell a billion applications. (It took Apple nine months!)

And finally
Below is the much abridged list of criteria for submissions. The full list is a 28 page PDF. µ

The Five Mobile Marketplace Commandments
1. Applications shalt be reliable
2. Applications shalt be free of malicious software
3. Applications shalt not modify settings
4. Applications shalt not interfere with the phone
5. Applications shalt manage memory effectively