Big players queue up to sell mobile applications

With the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, it appears that everyone wants to get into the business of selling software.  This was no doubt at least partly inspired by the tremendous success of Apple's AppStore, which showed the world just how lucrative selling mobile software and content can be.

At the forefront of the app-movement would be the likes of handset giants Nokia and Microsoft. Indeed, Nokia just announced its jump into the application store game earlier this week. Beginning in May, it will be peddling applications and multimedia content out of its Ovi Store; meanwhile Microsoft's own Windows Marketplace is expected to launch towards the end of this year. Not to be outdone, RIM has said it will open its BlackBerry Application Store just next month, while Google's Android Market has already gone live.

With the value of the mobile content market pegged at $67 billion this year, it is easy to see why everyone wants in on the game. Even phone makers who traditionally focus on hardware and Telcos--think Korea phone maker LG Electronics, and France Telecom's Orange--have announced similar plans.

Of course, whether these new players are able to rival the experience of Apple's AppStore remains to be seen. Applications written for non-iPhone platforms may or may not do as well.

To read more on the article:
- check out this article from BBC News
- check out this article from InformationWeek

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