Will the carrier app store win with consumers?

Yesterday FierceMobileContent guest columnist Andy Seybold [1] wrote about how difficult and confusing it is for consumers to figure out what application to buy in an app store, particularly if there are several applications that provide the same basic function. How does a consumer know which mapping service works the best?  

Seybold suggested app developers allow customers to download a pilot version to their desktop to test it  before they purchase it. That probably is a good idea for some--particularly heavy users who download a lot of apps or enterprise users who are looking for a specific app to help them do their job. However, I doubt I would take the time to trial a poker game or a mapping service on my PC, even if it was possible. Instead, I would probably just download the free app vs. the paid app and hope the one I download does what I want it to.  

This dilemma isn't new. In fact, this same situation existed in the early days of mobile content. I remember numerous "puzzle" games that competed for placement on the carrier top deck. And I remember lots of discussions with carrier mobile content executives about how their teams were working to narrow the selection down for the consumer and only provide the top puzzle games that met their criteria. In fact, that was one of the benefits of the carrier top deck--it helped consumers by narrowing down the field of options for them. Of course, many developers and publishers didn't like the fact that the carrier wielded that power, but in many ways it made the selection easier for the consumer.

I'm wondering if the rumored carrier app stores (and I do believe we will see carrier's launch app stores in the near future) will provide the same advantage to the consumer. Carriers could differentiate their app stores by narrowing the field of apps to those that they have tested and certified. That might help novice consumers who want a decent app without spending time testing and researching it themselves. And carriers do have a big marketing advantage--consumers are familiar with the carrier brand much more than they are with Android Marketplace or Ovi or some of other other app stores that don't have recognizable names. In this increasingly fragmented world of app stores, I think consumers will gravitate toward familiar brands. What do you think? -Sue [2]