Verizon Wireless introducing VCast Apps store in Q4

SAN JOSE--Verizon Wireless officially announced the pending launch of its VCast Apps store at its first Verizon Developer Community event here. Scheduled to go live in the fourth quarter of 2009 across Research In Motion's BlackBerry smartphones, with additional operating systems and devices to follow, VCast Apps promises to complement application efforts from partners like RIM and Microsoft, not conflict with them, according to Verizon Wireless CMO John Stratton. "Those platforms are developed and those SDKs are established--we do not intend to create our own SDK and create further fragmentation," Stratton explained. "Instead, we want to complement and enhance those environments with tools that make it easier to consume applications."

What VCast Apps offers is scope and reach--Verizon Wireless said it will complement its existing on-device portal with a new online portal to better distribute and promote smartphone applications. Stratton notes that Verizon's corporate website is now the 26^th most visited U.S. web presence, with 60 million registered users, half of whom visit the site each month. "Tremendous visibility is already there," Stratton said.

VCast Apps also promises developers a set of open network APIs compatible with the underlying SDK for all supported operating systems, giving programmers access to a wealth of network-specific data. "We'll start with location and messaging APIs, but that's just the starting point," said Verizon Wireless senior vice president of product development Roger Guarani. "There are over 100 APIs on our roadmap."

Other key details of VCast Apps:

• Verizon Wireless will offer developers direct billing options. "Billing is the single highest barrier to consumption," Stratton said. "Our goal is to develop a one-click process for consumers to buy applications."
• Developers can establish their own app prices (including making their software available for free) and will earn 70 percent of VCast Apps revenues, to the applause of the audience. ("We were gonna do 68 percent, but we said no, we need 70 to get over," Stratton joked.)
• Verizon promised that applications will go from submission to launch within 14 business days.
• Verizon's will eliminate registration fees as well as charges for application testing and certification. ("That is our intent," Guarani stressed. "We will adjust our policies if we're testing the same app again and again.")

Guarani added that VCast Apps as well as the Verizon Developer Community effort as a whole are works in progress, and a host of details are still up in the air. He promised updates on merchandising and enterprise apps are pending. "We don't have all the answers today," Guarani said. "But this is just the beginning of our dialogue."