Windows MarketPlace for Mobile: Will you shop there?

After much anticipation and amidst much fanfare, Microsoft unveiled its Windows MarketPlace for Mobile devices last Tuesday.  The Windows MarketPlace is now open for business for WM6.5 phones, with plans to make it accessible to WM6.0 and WM6.1 phones by the end of the year (NOTE: If you don’t want to wait, you can find a CAB file that can be installed to WM6.0 or WM6.1 phones at the XDA Developers forum).

Over the last year I’ve read numerous articles that discussed the Windows MarketPlace in regards to software developers, but I have not read any articles that discuss the MarketPlace in regards to end users like me!  To get a better understanding of the MarketPlace from an end user perspective I spent several hours reviewing the “MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement,” the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Customers” and the “Windows MarketPlace Frequently Asked Questions for Developers” documents that are located on Microsoft’s website.

How the MarketPlace works

According to the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement, “Applications made available through Windows Marketplace are licensed, not sold, to you.”  To license software through the MarketPlace, all you need is a Windows Live ID.  You can’t shop online from your computer just yet, but you can set up your billing preferences and view your purchase and billing history on the Windows MarketPlace website.  You can pay for software either with a credit card or by having charges applied to your mobile phone bill (if your mobile operator is set up to do this).  Online shopping from your computer will be offered sometime in the future.

Before you can license software you’ll be required to sign off on the Windows MarketPlace for Mobile Customer Service Agreement.

MarketPlace Mobile client

You can browse and purchase applications directly from your Windows phone through the Windows Mobile MarketPlace client.  After you open up the client, you will login to your Live ID.  Then you can browse available applications by selecting the “Showcase,” “Most popular,” or  “What’s new” options on the Home page.  Tapping the “View All” option (at the top right hand side of the screen) allows you to refine your search to paid, free, or the newest applications that have been added to the MarketPlace.

The mobile client also lets you browse by category, and you can manage applications you’ve licensed through the MarketPlace.

When you purchase a license to use an application, the application is downloaded and installed directly to your device from the MarketPlace.  If you remove an application or perform a hard reset, you can download and install the application again by opening the Marketplace client on your windows phone, and going to the My Applications page (see screenshot below on the right).

Tapping the Menu option on the lower right hand side of the screen allows you to return to the Home screen or to Search for specific applications.

The Marketplace Mobile client is touch friendly and easy to use. 

Licensing Applications

You can tap any application you see to learn more about it or to purchase and install it to your phone.  Applications are installed directly to the Windows phone’s main memory.

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Windows MarketPlace for Mobile does not issue or use activation codes (4).  Instead, applications are associated with your Windows Live ID account, are licensed to specific devices and can only be installed from the Windows MarketPlace.  You can install applications on up to five different devices at a time.  Activation and registration codes that have been purchased in other places are not supported in the Windows MarketPlace.

Trial Software, which are described as “limited functionality” versions of applications, will be available for free. (5)  This is different than most trial software that is downloaded from other places, where the software are fully functional versions that time out after some period of time.

Are the benefits compelling enough to get your business?

From an end-user perspective, the benefits of shopping at the MarketPlace include:

Convenience:  One-stop shopping for software from a Windows phone just doesn’t get any easier or faster than using the Mobile MarketPlace client. (well, it could be one-stop shopping once more developers get on board).

Secure Backup:  All applications that are purchased in the Marketplace are automatically backed up to your account and you can download and reinstall the software to your Windows phone, as needed. (6)

Microsoft certification:  All MarketPlace applications go through a rigorous certification process by Microsoft to ensure the best user experience on their Windows phones, and applications are backed by a simple return policy. (7)

Simple Refund Policy:  Credit card purchases come with a no-questions-asked refund policy as long as a refund is requested within 24 hours from time of purchase and you don’t ask for more than one refund a month. (8)

Will MarketPlace restrictions leave you cold?

I hold many personal reservations about my loss of control over applications that are purchased through the Marketplace.

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