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Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace's imminent demise

Andrew Munchbach — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:56:00 EST

It truly is the end of an era. In just under two weeks, Microsoft will follow through with its plan to shutter the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace for good. In a cautionary email, Redmond asked that those still using a WM device "install any available updates in advance of the [...] shut-down," scheduled for May 17th. Not all hope is lost for the antiquated mobile operating system, though, as the announcement reminds technology holdouts that application updates can be acquired directly from developers (good luck with that). If you're out on the town this evening having a few drinks with friends, remember to pour one out for Windows Mobile, a true OG smartphone operating system.

Microsoft reminds users of Windows Mobile Marketplace's imminent demise originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 May 2012 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft putting Windows Mobile 6.x market out to pasture

Terrence O'Brien — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:15:00 EST

Are you still out there rockin' a Windows Mobile device? And, yes, notice we did not say "Windows Phone." Well, we've got some bad news (besides the fact that your handset is seriously obsolete) -- the Windows Marketplace for Mobile is getting ready to ride off into the sunset. In May of last year Microsoft stopped accepting new app submissions, now the store is being scheduled for complete shutdown on May 9th of 2012. After that day you might still be able to score some software straight from the devs or via third-party markets, but you'll no longer be able browse or download from the official outlet. If you're interested in a bit more info, we've embedded the entire notice after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Microsoft putting Windows Mobile 6.x market out to pasture originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Mar 2012 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marketplace for Windows Mobile website closing shop on July 15th, My Phone following suit

Zachary Lutz — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:56:00 EST

For most phone enthusiasts, hearing that Windows Mobile 6 is winding up operations is much like receiving news that your neighbor is moving -- when all along you'd thought the house was empty. And so it's with some remorse that we announce the Windows Marketplace for Mobile website will cease operations on July 15th -- the very day it will stop accepting app submissions from developers. Those hesitant to go Metro are given a reprieve, however, as the storefront will survive on your mobile device -- ready and willing to accept your impulse purchases.

In related sadness, the My Phone sync service will meet a similar fate on August 7th, giving you until that date to migrate to SkyDrive. If you're forgetful, Microsoft plans to automatically save your contacts, calendars, text messages and photos to its Live service -- but it's on you to transition your video, music and documents. We know everybody makes the switch at their own pace, but once you're ready to part with that iPaq perhaps it will find a happy future on the streets of Hong Kong. For the complete communique from Microsoft itself, just follow the break.

[Thanks, all]

Continue reading Marketplace for Windows Mobile website closing shop on July 15th, My Phone following suit

Marketplace for Windows Mobile website closing shop on July 15th, My Phone following suit originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC Hub update helps save us from our Windows Phone 7 phones

Thomas Ricker — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:28:00 EST

Remember the Windows Phone 7 ads, the ones that promised to "save us from our phones" by giving us more "glance and go" information? For the most part, these phones haven't delivered on that promise due to the relative dearth of apps taking advantage of Microsoft's live tile concept. That changes a bit today thanks to an update to the HTC Hub app that ships with every Windows Phone 7 device manufactured by HTC. Now, instead of a generic double-wide icon, the HTC Hub presents you with the current weather condition and temperature and the forecasted highs and lows. As such, you'll never have to click through and be subjected to HTC's overwrought animations that feel so out of place on Microsoft's more demure user interface. More please.

HTC Hub update helps save us from our Windows Phone 7 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 07:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Search App bungs Bing on Windows Phone 7 Marketplace

Thomas Ricker — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:57:00 EST

Bing not meeting your needs? Don't fret, Google just pushed its Google Search app for Windows Phone 7 live in Marketplace. A move the mirrors the Bing app availability on the Android Market. The Google Search app utilizes your location to provide local search results and features suggestions as your type and a search history to quickly repeat any previous queries. While there's no way to reassign Google Search to the dedicated search "button" on WP7 devices, you could always pin the app to the Start screen. Unfortunately, we're still not seeing it populated in the UK Marketplace (search for "Google Search") but that should be remedied anytime now.

Google Search App bungs Bing on Windows Phone 7 Marketplace originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 04:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First batch of Windows Phone 7 applications may include Yelp and YouTube

Sean Hollister — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:53:00 EST

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 was missing a critical feature -- web video -- when we previewed it late last month, but it appears the platform may have at least a YouTube solution before all is said and done. A former Microsoft program manager with access to the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace tweeted the above picture earlier this week, which shows that there are at least placeholders for a variety of games and productivity tools as well as Yelp and YouTube -- the latter of which is listed as a "Music Hub Add-On." We tried to access the catalog ourselves from our test units and didn't see any new apps or updates, but it's possible this particular branch is restricted to Microsoft partner developers for the time being; we'd hate to think Microsoft was actively blocking our Keyboard Cat fix.

First batch of Windows Phone 7 applications may include Yelp and YouTube originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Marketplace tweaked, installs to storage cards now possible (Android, take note)

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:02:00 EST

Microsoft has released an updated version of its Marketplace for Mobile application for WinMo 6.0 and up recently that makes a few key changes -- nothing that's going to shake you to your very core the same way that Windows Phone 7 Series did last week, certainly, but there's some good stuff in here nonetheless. Most importantly, Marketplace will now allow for app installs straight to memory cards, a critical capability for devices that don't have gobs of storage built in (and something that Android tragically still lacks -- for the moment, anyhow). We've also got deep links to app product pages, user-selectable regional stores, Russian support, and the list goes on, so it seems like a must-have upgrade for anyone on a 6.x device. Just don't break the bank going on a wild, Red Bull-fueled app buying rampage now, alright?

[Thanks, Stair]

Windows Marketplace tweaked, installs to storage cards now possible (Android, take note) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Marketplace's newest anti-piracy measures already thwarted

Ross Miller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:21:00 EST

Yar, that was fast. Less than a day after Microsoft updated its Windows Marketplace for Mobile with new advanced anti-piracy measure, some apt xda-developers community member has managed to crack the new code -- in under two hours, according to Chainfire's posting. The hack itself won't be posted, but we're sure other astute programmers, many of more nefarious intention, will be able to have their way with it just as easy. Sad for developers who've been wanting something more secure -- better luck next update.

[Via WMPoweruser]

Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Windows Marketplace's newest anti-piracy measures already thwarted originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Marketplace for Mobile updates tackle piracy, adds online store for non-mobile browsers

Ross Miller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:10:00 EST

Windows Mobile 6.5 users rejoice, you now have a better marketplace experience your way. Microsoft's added a couple updates to its mobile app store. On the developers' side of things there's a new portal for submission, and "more advanced anti-piracy protection" -- no clue if it solves those DRM issues we heard about before, but sounds at least like a step in the right direction. For the consumers, there's now an online store that you can use from your certainly superior desktop / laptop browser. In the vein of Xbox Live Marketplace's online portal at Xbox.com, purchased apps from the browser will be sent to the connected phone next time you open up the Windows Marketplace client... what's that? You want support for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1? Microsoft reassures us it's coming later this month, so hang tight, okay?

[Via Mobile Tech World]

Read - Announcing new features...
Read - Windows Marketplace for Mobile

Filed under: Handsets, Software, Windows Mobile

Windows Marketplace for Mobile updates tackle piracy, adds online store for non-mobile browsers originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab'

Paul Miller — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST

It's another Microsoft video, another few minutes of hilarious, unintentional pain. This time Microsoft is tackling the topic of apps, riffing on the abundance of gimmick apps for the iPhone. Unfortunately for Microsoft, we'd think the last thing it would want to do is draw comparisons between Apple's App Store and the company's freshly minted Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Video is after the break.

[Via TUAW]

Continue reading Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab'

Filed under: Windows Mobile

Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab'

Paul Miller — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST

Continue reading Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab'

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft makes a funny with Marketplace 'apps lab' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dev finds Windows Marketplace DRM severely lacking, easily circumventable

Darren Murph — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST

Microsoft's Windows Phones just left the chute a few days ago, and already it seems that ye old DRM is getting talked about -- and not in a good way. According to one Chainfire over at XDA-Developers, the so-called "copy protection" involved in keeping applications in place rather than strewn across a neighborhood of handsets is a pitiful joke, requiring just five minutes of tinkering to save the CAB files that the Marketplace app downloads to a separate folder. In other words, that relocated CAB file could be distributed to all of your friends, turning a single purchase into freeware for as many people as you know (or don't know, even). So, Marketplace devs -- does that make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, or what?

[Thanks, GreeKNastY]

Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Dev finds Windows Marketplace DRM severely lacking, easily circumventable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dev finds Windows Marketplace DRM severely lacking, easily circumventable

Darren Murph — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Dev finds Windows Marketplace DRM severely lacking, easily circumventable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marketplace is live on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones

Thomas Ricker — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:51:00 EST

Did you pick up an AT&T Pure over the weekend? Yeah, then you might want to spin up Windows Marketplace on your new Windows Mobile 6.5 handset. It's live and dancing right now a full day before any of this was supposed to launch -- not that we're complaining.

[Thanks, Paul]

Filed under: Software, Windows Mobile

Marketplace is live on Windows Mobile 6.5 phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon to its smartphones: thou shalt have no other app store before mine

Ross Miller — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:23:00 EST

Verizon's getting very keen on entering the app store industry, but not without some rough decrees to its smartphone partners. According to GigaOm, VP Partner Management Ryan Hughes said in an interview Friday that its shop will house content from all the major platforms under one roof, with purchases being billed through the customer's Verizon account and not requiring a separate signup / credit card entry. Convenient for consumers, and devs are also being promised a more streamlined approval process and a "competitive" revenue-sharing program, but here's where things take a turn for the worse: according to Hughes, non-VZW app stores like BlackBerry App World or Windows Mobile Marketplace won't be bundled with the smartphones out of the box, meaning consumers will have to take the initiative to download those portals for themselves. An incredibly jerk move, and an extra burden on developers who'll be having to submit two approval applications if they want inclusion on Verizon's own store. Of course, that large subscriber base is the reason it can get away with it, but let's hope we hear some better justifications other than "because we can" when the full details are rolled out at the Verizon Developer Community Conference on July 28th.

Filed under: Handsets, Verizon Wireless, Windows Mobile, Android, BlackBerry OS

Verizon to its smartphones: thou shalt have no other app store before mine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon to its smartphones: thou shalt have no other app store before mine

Ross Miller — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:23:00 EST

Verizon's getting very keen on entering the app store industry, but not without some rough decrees to its smartphone partners. According to GigaOm, VP Partner Management Ryan Hughes said in an interview Friday that its VZW-branded shop will house content from all the major platforms under one roof, with purchases being billed through the customer's Verizon account and not requiring a separate signup / credit card entry. Convenient for consumers, and devs are also being promised a more streamlined approval process and a "competitive" revenue-sharing program, but here's where things take a turn for the worse: according to Hughes, non-VZW app stores like BlackBerry App World or Windows Mobile Marketplace won't be bundled with the smartphones out of the box, meaning consumers will have to take the initiative to download those portals for themselves. An incredibly jerk move, and an extra burden on developers who'll be having to submit two approval applications if they want inclusion on Verizon's own store. Of course, that large subscriber base is the reason it can get away with it, but let's hope we hear some better justifications other than "because we can" when the full details are rolled out at the Verizon Developer Community Conference on July 28th.

Filed under: Cellphones

Verizon to its smartphones: thou shalt have no other app store before mine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft announces Windows Marketplace and My Phone for Windows Mobile

Nilay Patel — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:05:00 EST

No big surprise here -- Microsoft just announced Windows Marketplace, a unified storefront for the over 20,000 Windows Mobile applications. As rumored, that means you'll be able to get apps directly from your phone, and Microsoft has also promised new and better tools for developers in the future. Also confirmed: My Phone, which will let you sync your phone to the cloud with access from the web. Sadly, we'll have to wait for all this stuff -- it's coming with Windows Mobile 6.5 which isn't due until later this year. We'll let you know more as soon as we find out, keep it locked!

Continue reading Microsoft announces Windows Marketplace and My Phone for Windows Mobile

Filed under: Cellphones

Microsoft announces Windows Marketplace and My Phone for Windows Mobile originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:31:00 EST

We're just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable annoucements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather as Redmond attempts to win back the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of consumers infatuated with Android, WebOS, and whatever Apple's got cookin'. Like these supposed 6.5 screenshots above, this time showing what looks like a Marketplace store a la the Zune. We also have CNET reporting today that Microsoft quietly split its Zune team in two on January 22nd: software and services under Enrique Rodriguez, and hardware under Tom Gibbons who just happens to head-up hardware design at Microsoft's Windows Mobile unit. According Rodriguez, "Zune the service needs to transcend Zune the device" adding, "The goal is to make non-gaming entertainment a first-class citizen within Microsoft's business." That includes expanding the Zune service beyond the Zune and onto more devices than just Microsoft's. Or, "a little further out than just in Redmond," to quote Rodriguez directly. While he wouldn't say specifically when it was coming to Windows Mobile, he did say to expect products other than the Zune player to be using the Zune service sometime this year. Now, armed with those Zune-centric WinMo 6.5 screenshots and project Pink leaks, it's not too much a stretch to expect a Zune-like WinMo experience to be detailed in Barcelona. Besides, isn't it about time that Danger made good on that estimated $500 million acquisition?

Read -- CNET interview
Read -- Latest WinMo 6.5 screenshos

Filed under: Multimedia, Windows Mobile

Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot

Thomas Ricker — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:31:00 EST

We're just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable announcements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather as Redmond attempts to win back the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of consumers infatuated with Android, WebOS, and whatever Apple's got cookin'. Like these supposed 6.5 screenshots above, this time showing what looks like a Marketplace store a la the Zune. We also have CNET reporting today that Microsoft quietly split its Zune team in two on January 22nd: software and services under Enrique Rodriguez, and hardware under Tom Gibbons who just happens to heads-up hardware design at Microsoft's Windows Mobile unit. According to Rodriguez, "Zune the service needs to transcend Zune the device" adding, "The goal is to make non-gaming entertainment a first-class citizen within Microsoft's business." That includes expanding the Zune service beyond the Zune and onto more devices than just Microsoft's. Or, "a little further out than just in Redmond," to quote Rodriguez directly. While he wouldn't say specifically when it was coming to Windows Mobile, he did say to expect products other than the Zune player to be using the Zune service sometime this year. Now, armed with those Zune-centric WinMo 6.5 screenshots and project Pink leaks, it's not too much a stretch to expect a Zune-like WinMo experience to be detailed in Barcelona. Besides, isn't it about time that Danger made good on that estimated $500 million acquisition?

Read -- CNET interview
Read -- Latest WinMo 6.5 screenshots

Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

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Palm introduces Software Store for WinMo / Palm OS devices

Darren Murph — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:01:00 EST

Apple's doing it. RIM's doing it. Google's doing it. Heck, even Microsoft might be doing it. As the peer pressure mounts, Palm has finally decided to cave and introduce its very own applications market place, which is simply being christened Software Store. Oddly, it looks as if Palm farmed out the production of said store to one PocketGear, but we're assured that the app will hum along just fine on over 25 Windows Mobile / Palm OS-based Palm devices. Available for download as we speak, it offers up over 5,000 apps and games, 1,000 of which are completely free. Hmm, we wonder if Palm's keeping a Nova-compatible version in its back pocket?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Update: Palm pinged us to say that this is actually the very same software store that has been around, it's just a sweet looking veneer to make accessing it easier.

Filed under: Cellphones

Palm introduces Software Store for WinMo / Palm OS devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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