Microsoft courts startups to build the next big Windows Mobile app
Microsoft isn't sitting back and waiting for apps to populate its Windows Mobile Marketplace. The company also is actively recruiting new and existing startups to write for its platform.
This week, Microsoft's Win Mobile developer team is hosting its first Microsoft Mobile Incubation Week. On Friday, selected participants will have a chance to show off their apps and get them certified for Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
From an initial applicant pool of 50, Microsoft has narrowed Its WinMobile Incubation Idol competition to six finalists, according to Business Development Manager Brian Hoskins. According to Hoskins' blog post, the finalists writing apps for Windows Mobile 6.1 and/or 6.5 include:
- Networks in Motion – Plans to build a mobile app that offers turn-by-turn directions and hyper-local search
- DJ Nitrogen – building an application to facilitate the legal sharing of user-generated content, such as ringtones and music mash-ups
- VoiceMuffler – App will enable real-time, two-way speech-to-speech translation designed for foreign military personnel and civilian travelers
- Motolingo – Telematics solution that will monitor car diagnostics and report mobile phone behavior in the car
- VisTracks – Plans to build an enterprise app for real-time product location and tracking company shipments
- BrightKite – Extending their current location-based social networking tool to Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile 6.5 is expected to be released to manufacturing any time now, with the 6.5 release of Microsoft's mobile OS appearing on new phones starting around September 2009. The new Windows Mobile Marketplace also is slated to go live this fall.
Microsoft has a way to go to catch up to Apple, which is approaching 1 billion iPhone app downloads. Who will write the Windows-Mobile equivalent to the most successful iPhone apps, which include iBeer, Virtual Zippo Lighter and iFart?