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I was amazed to read the policies of the next gen windows phone marketplace.
http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...spx?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Especially the line:
"No limit to the number of paid apps submitted 5 free apps per registration, $19.99 each after that" .
And seeing that the only way to officially install apps on your wp7 phone is thru the marketplace, it will actually cost developpers money to provide them for free.
I assume microsoft really wants that 30% they get on paid apps. All i can say that this will discourage developers to create free apps and will encourage hackers to "jail break" wp7.
five apps per reg ... cmon only companies like resco or spb have more apps than that running at the same time ....
whats worse is this one :
Code:
Annual registration fee of $99
ull need to hand the suckers $100 for posting ONE free app
I suppose that'll keep only the serious developers in; hence improving overall apps quality. But seriously, the $99 annual fee is uncalled for.
An inclusion of an incentive of a waiver of this fee for achieving a sales target would be more effective for smaller players, and probably benefit Microsoft at the same time.
Probably to keep a lid on the number of free, junk apps. Makes the stores pretty hard to browse.
I wonder if an application with a 100% unlimited full trial mode counts as a "free" or a "paid" app. That would just be a good way to post donation-based apps...
I don't think that the 5 free app limit includes ad-supported apps.
vangrieg said:
I wonder if an application with a 100% unlimited full trial mode counts as a "free" or a "paid" app. That would just be a good way to post donation-based apps...
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All apps will have a trail mode already built in and won't be considered a free app.
you can see the Android App Market. All free apps.
Kloc said:
All apps will have a trail mode already built in and won't be considered a free app.
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Trial mode is optional. But anyway, here you go - if you have a hundred apps you want to distribute for free all you need to do is set up an optional price.
I'd imagine there'll be a (time?) limit to the trails.
It depends on the developer, MS don't dictate how and when the trial should expire or how it would limit functionality. So the point is - you can make an application that is fully functional in trial mode and doesn't have a time limit, yet has a price, which becomes optional. Kind of like a donation.
Good job vangrieg . Of course just to make sure they don't kill your app I would add something stupid that only the paid app gets. And/or you could just say that you'll give premium support to paid users.
Also, the beta program will almost certainly morph into an enterprise delivery program. The beta is timebombed but they haven't said how long that will be or how many users you can give the beta to.
greed
All this says is greed having all the apps only from one marketplace. The quality wont be better because your forced into buying from one store. Windows Phone7 will be hacked the moment it comes out.
zarpy said:
All this says is greed having all the apps only from one marketplace. The quality wont be better because your forced into buying from one store. Windows Phone7 will be hacked the moment it comes out.
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They $99 a year maybe greed but the centralized app store is not. The average user doesn't want to have to look on the internet at multiple sites to find an app and hell most of them probably don't know you can do that. By having a centralized store you make it easier for the consumer to find what they need and by doing that you make it easier for the developers applications to be found as well. It's a win win without the application fee but for people like me with dreamspark I won't have to worrie about that
The $99 also keeps people from submitting crap apps and clogging up the works. I think it's as much about that as it is about the money. MS will be making most of it's money off their 30% cut and that's why they're only allowing 5 free apps.
enadiz said:
I suppose that'll keep only the serious developers in; hence improving overall apps quality. But seriously, the $99 annual fee is uncalled for.
An inclusion of an incentive of a waiver of this fee for achieving a sales target would be more effective for smaller players, and probably benefit Microsoft at the same time.
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Just because the app costs money doesn't mean it will be anything but a quick and easy attempt to take your money. Many of the best apps are free because the developers actually care about what the community wants.
Many websites are free and provide mobile apps for better access. I don't think they will bother if they have to pay.
best games are free
The best games made are free like xtracts and IBCM. Alot of paid games are crappy only a few good ones like assasins creed 3D,prince of persia,marbelz blast,and tetris.
The inability to develop free apps is what will drive me away from Windows Mobile over to Android. And it'll be a move I won't be happy to make.
This isn't really about free or paid, it's about how MS are making money.
The whole Marketplace system is so Microsoft can make money, and with paid applications they take 30%, so make a profit. With free applications, they still have to certify them, process them, and host them, but they make no money on that, so they have to cover costs.
Microsoft have said that advertising etc is fine within free apps, so you can still make money out of free applications should you desire it.
Yes, and also you can still submit five free applications, which is more than an average developer has.
Sometimes a church will have a car free car wash and accept donations, but whith some of these apps on the market , the "donation" is required before you can download the app.
Why do they use these misleading terms. Is it because they don't have a biz tax id? Just curious.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
potna said:
Sometimes a church will have a car free car wash and accept donations, but whith some of these apps on the market , the "donation" is required before you can download the app.
Why do they use these misleading terms. Is it because they don't have a biz tax id? Just curious.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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You work for the IRS?
I know with a few apps you can get them free either in the forums or from the person's webside. They usually just ask if you like their app you can make a donation by going to the market
Sent from my Evo while i should be working
Most of them have a free version and a donate version. Usually the free versions have ads and the donate versions don't, or the donate versions have some additional features. I don't see anything wrong with this at all.
Most ROM developers ask for donations, but you can still get their ROMs for free. I don't see anything wrong with this either.
tgruendler said:
You work for the IRS?
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I doubt he works for the IRS, but I think that does bring up an important issue. Anyone that is taking donations would be wise to keep track of how much money they are making from donations, and should be reporting it as income when they file their taxes. They could find themselves in trouble with the IRS if they don't report it. It would be pretty easy for the IRS to find this income since it's all done with Paypal or other electronic payment methods. Not to mention it's just the right thing to do. As a fellow taxpayer, I wouldn't be too happy if developers weren't paying their fair share of taxes on this income.
kd0axs said:
Most of them have a free version and a donate version. Usually the free versions have ads and the donate versions don't, or the donate versions have some additional features. I don't see anything wrong with this at all.
Most ROM developers ask for donations, but you can still get their ROMs for free. I don't see anything wrong with this either.
I doubt he works for the IRS, but I think that does bring up an important issue. Anyone that is taking donations would be wise to keep track of how much money they are making from donations, and should be reporting it as income when they file their taxes. They could find themselves in trouble with the IRS if they don't report it. It would be pretty easy for the IRS to find this income since it's all done with Paypal or other electronic payment methods. Not to mention it's just the right thing to do. As a fellow taxpayer, I wouldn't be too happy if developers weren't paying their fair share of taxes on this income.
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I doubt the vast majority of people who receive donations actually report them lol
I was just curious. I am a small business owner and I have learned the hard way that when you put something together and present it to the public you need to be very precise with your wording.
The word donation to me means: when our local vfw has a donations based .....say ...breakfast, you can pay nothing, or as much as you want.
But if they require a donation, is it really a donation? Or has it become commercialized when the donation is required. It sounds more like a trade, your money for my stuff and this is taxable.
I really don't care, but I guess my mind just picks things apart until everyone wants to kick my ass, lol. But I bet this terminology doesn't last long, atleast not in the given context.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
It's all about terminology, and while to some extent it doesn't matter, to another extent it still does. I think if a donation is required to unlock any functionality, then it's not really a donation. *Asking* for a donation doesn't make it a commercial app though. It's a question of whether it's required to use it. Basically if you're giving it away for free, and saying "hey, if you want to support what I do, throw me a few bucks," that's a donation.
There's nothing wrong with asking to be paid for your work. There's also nothing wrong with demanding to be paid for your work. No dev needs to apologize for choosing to make their app -- or some functionality within it -- available at a price, and they shouldn't try to make it sound better by calling it a donation.
I don't think calling it a donation affects IRS rules at all. No matter what you call it, you're supposed to report it. I'm not judging you if you don't. But developers are no charity, and calling it a donation doesn't make it exempt. Hell, even drug dealers are supposed to report their income on Form 1040, line 21, or schedule C. (I am not making that up.)
The presumption is those that are asking for donations are doing so simply to bring a ROM and/or app to market. Those app and ROM developers can incur significant costs in doing so, but typically the primary focus is the development process and open source community-not financial gain.
The developers that are asking for donations spend a significant amount of effort on products that we use here within XDA and the Market.
I do not see our appreciation in the various forums here as commensurate to their efforts: In my opinion, donations from time to time are a more proper gesture.
I have a little bit of legal experience in this area. For a donation to be, legally, a donation, it must be made with no material benefit expected in return.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I'm very curious: how much donations are developers getting from their ROM's? Is it very lucrative?
Are there any academic studies/publications in this regard?
Anyways, I just got the $50 Google Play credit courtesy of Samsung. I refuse to pay $18 for Smurf 2 movie. I would rather find a way to forward the credit to hard working developers on XDA. Any suggestion on how to go about doing so?
knite75 said:
I'm very curious: how much donations are developers getting from their ROM's? Is it very lucrative?
Are there any academic studies/publications in this regard?
Anyways, I just got the $50 Google Play credit courtesy of Samsung. I refuse to pay $18 for Smurf 2 movie. I would rather find a way to forward the credit to hard working developers on XDA. Any suggestion on how to go about doing so?
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The only way to use the credit is for something in the Google Play Store and Devices are not included in that list.
I don't know of any ROM's which are distributed via Google Play though.
There are developers who have created tools that are though, Developers of SuperSU, SuperUser, Titainium Backup to name a few. Most of them root required.
Oh, if you have not used the redeem code, you could forward that on to someone else and they could then use it. But after it is redeemed, I don't think you can transfer any of it.
At the moment I’m finishing my first set of Zooper widgets with clock elements and weather forecast elements. I'd like to deploy them thru the Play store and so I have to choose to make them free or paid. I'd like to continue making widgets for Zooper and it would be great if I can earn some money with it...
So, are there some written or unwritten guidelines when to publish for free or when to publish a paid extension?
hasselaar_nl said:
At the moment I’m finishing my first set of Zooper widgets with clock elements and weather forecast elements. I'd like to deploy them thru the Play store and so I have to choose to make them free or paid. I'd like to continue making widgets for Zooper and it would be great if I can earn some money with it...
So, are there some written or unwritten guidelines when to publish for free or when to publish a paid extension?
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This thread should bring you up to speed on the process: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594973
Why all free?
kwerdenker said:
This thread should bring you up to speed on the process: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2594973
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Thanks Kwerdenker. I already did some testing using the guide from the Zooper website, and I had success but unpublished the app (It was only for testing and finding out the process).
I see that you have all your widgets (which are very nice!) free online. What's your reason to post them free?
hasselaar_nl said:
Thanks Kwerdenker. I already did some testing using the guide from the Zooper website, and I had success but unpublished the app (It was only for testing and finding out the process).
I see that you have all your widgets (which are very nice!) free online. What's your reason to post them free?
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The main three reasons:
1) I do this as a hobby. I have fun doing it and will do it, even if no one pays me.
2) If you are selling stuff on the Play Store, you are responsible for paying the appropriate taxes. You also have to deal with tax laws in each country you sell your app/widget in. For the amount of money I could make of this after Play Store cut and taxes, the additional workload is just too high.
3) I have a good paying job and thus I'm not dependent on additional funds.
I give most of mine away because of the encryption bug for jelly bean. I sell a few. Been working hard on trying to smash that bug. Bunch of us Zooper devs have. I make enough usually to pay my $55 a month aio/straight talk bill. Really I do it for fun. I work full time and i use it as an excuse to play on my phone. (I'm almost 40!)
Google plus has a ton of Zooper discussion and communities. Come check us out. http://plus.google.com/+MatthewScott
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
kwerdenker said:
The main three reasons:
1) I do this as a hobby. I have fun doing it and will do it, even if no one pays me.
2) If you are selling stuff on the Play Store, you are responsible for paying the appropriate taxes. You also have to deal with tax laws in each country you sell your app/widget in. For the amount of money I could make of this after Play Store cut and taxes, the additional workload is just too high.
3) I have a good paying job and thus I'm not dependent on additional funds.
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Thanks for your explanation. I’ve read some about the tax issues and that is indeed a good reason not to sell Too bad Google does not handle these taxes their selves and is every small developer by law obligated to know the law in every country he sells.
scottx . said:
I give most of mine away because of the encryption bug for jelly bean. I sell a few. Been working hard on trying to smash that bug. Bunch of us Zooper devs have. I make enough usually to pay my $55 a month aio/straight talk bill. Really I do it for fun. I work full time and i use it as an excuse to play on my phone. (I'm almost 40!)
Google plus has a ton of Zooper discussion and communities. Come check us out. http://plus.google.com/+MatthewScott
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
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Hey Scott, I already saw your widgets/site/G+-page which were a reason for me to open this topic. Because you have some nice work :good: in the store I was wondering why most of the widgets are for free. Thanks for your reply!
hasselaar_nl said:
Hey Scott, I already saw your widgets/site/G+-page which were a reason for me to open this topic. Because you have some nice work :good: in the store I was wondering why most of the widgets are for free. Thanks for your reply!
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Thanks man! Always love getting compliments.
If I can help you with anything send me a message on Hangouts.
edit: The taxes don't bother me at all. Google takes 30% off the top which is what does bother me. But without Google where would we be? Surely wouldn't have Android.
Today, Samsung announced a new Kindle for Samsung app through their Samsung Apps Store. Rather than trying to rewrite their blog post (http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/?p=35871), i'll just copy from their summary:
- Samsung and Amazon agreed to launch ‘Kindle for Samsung’, a custom-built eBook service offering millions of best-selling books, newspapers and magazines on readers’ mobile devices including over 500,000 exclusive titles.
- Samsung and Amazon will also launch Samsung Book Deals, a service providing 12 free eBooks a year to all Kindle for Samsung Galaxy smartphone and tablet users. (Basically, they let you choose one of four books to get for free every month).
I already installed the app. It looks better than the official Kindle app in my opinion. And the first 4 free books to choose from are already up.
The fort
http://goo.gl/MrL8QI
Elizabeth Street
http://goo.gl/yQobiM
Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End
http://goo.gl/1DitEI
Bone River
http://goo.gl/3Axwjz
I think i'm gonna go with Apocalypse Z.
Download a free open-source e-book reader and you get a million more of these than Amazon is giving you, and without the con. I didn't check your complete list but the one you chose is definately free:
*Mod Edit: No Piracy On XDA*
Frank
With android, almost everything is free and I love freebies! I'll go first with Apocalypse Z too.
Frank Westlake said:
Download a free open-source e-book reader and you get a million more of these than Amazon is giving you, and without the con. I didn't check your complete list but the one you chose is definately free:
Frank
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What con are you talking about? Samsung is offering books for free. Books that you would otherwise need to pay for.
And contrary to what you posted, the Apocalypse Z book is not free. I went to the link you suggested. Doesn't look legit or legal. I searched for some other books that I know are not free (The Goldfinch, Hunger Games, LOTR). Guess what? They all came up as 'free' with a 'download now' button next to them. But not before the download link took me to two (yes, two) other sites (usearchmedia(.)com and mediasuns(.)com). And of course, there was the obligatory disclaimer at the bottom of the ebook-share site:
"DISCLAIMER: None of the files shown here are actually hosted or transmitted by this server. The links are provided solely by this sites users. The administrator of this site cannot be held responsible for what its users post, or any other actions of its users. You may not use this site to distribute or download any material when you do not have the legal rights to do so. It is your own responsibility to adhere to these terms."
Why would you criticize Samsung for providing free LEGAL books, call it a con, and then point users to some crap illegal file-sharing site?
Lorettaa said:
With android, almost everything is free and I love freebies! I'll go first with Apocalypse Z too.
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Yes, there's a lot of free stuff for Android. Still, I like where Samsung is going. They are really pushing hard to separate themselves from Google, Amazon, and all the other manufacturers. If that means giving me free stuff, like Milk and Kindle for Amazon, then i'm all for it.
deleted. I failed reading comprehension. ?
At least we get what we pay for. They should give more to their loyal customers.
Great step
Great step taken by 2 Giant. I love it. Thanks for this great step.
toastido said:
deleted. I failed reading comprehension.
LOL! Same here. Im sure you're a busy person.
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Frank Westlake said:
Download a free open-source e-book reader and you get a million more of these than Amazon is giving you, and without the con. I didn't check your complete list but the one you chose is definately free:
*Mod Edit: No Piracy On XDA*
Frank
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In this case I was conned, but more often than not it is the reverse. Many times I see these online book publishers selling public domain work which I have downloaded freely from Project Gutenberg. So in general I am right, I just chose a bad example. I download books only from Project Gutenberg but in an attempt to demonstrate my point here I just made a quick Internet search on the one title.
My recommendation is still to download a free e-book reader and to freely down free public domain books.
Frank
You have your point man, and we respect it. Actually I never spent $ on e-books, reading should be free.
Lorettaa said:
You have your point man, and we respect it. Actually I never spent $ on e-books, reading should be free.
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Reading is free. It's the books that sometimes cost money.
Not all of the books I want to read are public domain. I don't mind paying for decent books. I'm not going to spend $20 on an ebook, but I don't mind spending a few dollars. I bought Hugh Howey's 'Silo' series for like $3 and it was worth every penny. On the other hand, I went out and bought 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' for $12 because all my friends swore by it, but I couldn't get past the first 50 pages. Just not my writing/reading style. Wish I could return it. lol
80% of my ebooks and audiobooks I get from the library anyway. I just finished the Dune audiobook last week, and now am reading the Dune Messiah ebook. I got both from the library via Overdrive.
I must say reading books should be free. Thanks for correcting it. I can see you're a bookworm and this freebies are for readers like you. Enjoy the freebies
Lorettaa said:
I must say reading books should be free. Thanks for correcting it. I can see you're a bookworm and this freebies are for readers like you. Enjoy the freebies
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Shame on people charging money for spending their time writing books. Taking is free so phones should be free too?!? Dumb.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
You have your point, and I was wrong, but that was not I'm trying to say. Sorry about that.
Bataga said:
Shame on people charging money for spending their time writing books. Taking is free so phones should be free too?!? Dumb.
Sent from my SM-N900T using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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I see you're from Lilburn. I was in Atlanta for a conference and decided to drive to Lilburn to visit some family. Nice drive, nice town (or city). I didn't get lost once, which made me very proud considering I am from NYC and don't drive that often.
Anywho...
Lorettaa said:
You have your point, and I was wrong, but that was not I'm trying to say. Sorry about that.
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I know what you were trying to say. I seek out freebies every chance I can get too. I hardly ever turn down a free book, even if it's something I don't think i'll read. I got two free Audible audiobook credits that I am trying to decide what to use on (I was originally going to go with LOTR, but I only have two credits and don't want to have to pay for the third book.) I recently got 'Heart of Darkness' and 'A Princess of Mars' cause they were free on Amazon (along with the Audible audiobook free as well).
I live by two rules. Never look a gift horse in the mouth. And never turn down a free book.