There’s been a flurry of activity coming out of the mobile industry lately first with the much fan-fared launch of Apple’s iPhone 3G and app store. Both RIM and Google are making headlines this week with two big announcements.
First, Research In Motion (RIM) announced that they’ll be launching a BlackBerry Application Storefront and BlackBerry Application Center in March 2009. Developers will be able to start submitting their applications in December 2008 for inclusion in the storefront. Developers will retain 80% of the revenue generated from their application sales. RIM is currently working with its carriers to help foster the growth of after-market application downloads. RIM is negotiating with Paypal to implement their online payment service so consumers can pay directly from their Blackberry smartphone devices.
Second, Google is set to release its T-Mobile G1 nationwide Wednesday. Consumers can finally get a glimpse of the Android applications marketplace to see what’s available for download. Google pulled down many of the 50+ apps that were there prior to the launch and is now down to 12. However, a Google spokesperson explained this was necessary for quality assurance and that the apps will be up in time for the nationwide release. The Android open-source code is ready for developers to start building their apps and making them available for download for all G1 mobile users to enjoy.
Here’s a video from Dave Bort and Dan Bornstein explaining the Open Source Project and what’s available to developers using Android.
