Sony Ericsson has today opened its application submission site, http://submit.sonyericsson.com/, to all comers. The apps will be sold over the PlayNow arena, and the submission process is completely free. Initially only apps for Java and Symbian devices will be accepted, but there should be more OS support later in the year.
Sony Ericsson seems to be aiming particularly at smaller developers, or at developers in emerging markets. It claims there are no charges to submitting apps, and there are no annual fees for the service. Not only that, but 70% of the revenue from sales will go to the developer. The company specifically mentions India as a place where mobile app production is exploding, and is courting companies, bedroom developers and large companies to submit apps.
In addition to expanding the number of OS platforms by the end of the year, Sony Ericsson wants to increase the number of countries PlayNow is available in from 17 to over 20 countries.
From the release:
Christopher David, Head of Developer and Partner Engagement at Sony Ericsson: “There is huge consumer interest in applications that make communication a more personal and enhanced entertainment experience. We recognise that it needs to be simple and attractive for developers to reach those consumers and that there need to be established content channels through which to push creative applications. Our new application submission process addresses these needs, giving developers easy-to-use access to the Sony Ericsson PlayNow™ arena market place”
What we think?
It’s great that Sony Ericsson are making this process free for developers – it will certainly enourage more developers to get product on-line. The problem of making profit is still evident though. Even at 70% of the sales revenue, how many developers are going to get enough sales over PlayNow to make it worth their while? Maybe when more OS platforms come on line later, this will become a more valuable proposition.
This is also great news for GetJar, which is handling a huge amount of the app gruntwork for Sony Ericsson. SE even suggests that developers go to GetJar if their submission is refused on the PlayNow site!
