Looks like we’ll soon be seeing a Verizon app store that allows developers to distribute free apps. This is great news for all enV Touch owners, and means we should soon be seeing all sorts of apps, games, and other software for the phone.
Many thanks to zpack8 on the envtouch.org forums for sharing the news.
From the Washinton Post:
Today, at Verizon’s developer applications conference in San Jose, Calif., the company said it is tweaking its agreement with Qualcomm to allow for new features on Brew phones, like a recommendation engine that will help users find favorite apps. It is also adjusting the financial arrangement with developers to allow developers to distribute free apps through the storefront without being charged a bundled to do so.
ad_iconBy adding free applications, conceivably users will be encouraged to browse the store more often, increasing overall downloads to the platform. Ryan Hughes, Verizon’s VP of business development, told mocoNews today that “We struck an agreement in which Verizon and Qualcomm removed all the fees from developer to Qualcomm. Hypothetically, if a company like Facebook, which is not interested in charging for an app, will now be able to build a Brew app and not have it cost them money.” Before, users would potentially have to pay pennies per month for each user. Hughes: “It was a reverse incentive. The more successful the more it cost.”
