App stores, as we all know by now, are the big thing at the minute, with the Apple one doing well, the Android Marketplace doing well, and the Windows Marketplace on the way. On-device app stores have brought them out into the public eye more, but mobile apps have been around for years. I remember installing stuff on my Symbian-powered P800 in 2003.
Symbian’s the key in that last sentence, because according to The Register, there’s a new app catalogue thingy on its way: Symbian Horizon. Only it does things a bit differently to other app stores, ‘cos it’s aiming a lot bigger.
The whole point about Symbian in its future incarnations through the Symbian Foundation, is the level of flexibility it can have in various devices. So, anyone coding an app for Symbian would need to fit different criteria for different devices, and get approval from loads of different end-user app stores. Compare that to the Apple version, where they always know what device it’s going on, and who to go through to get approval.
Symbian Horizon aims to simplify that whole process for developers, because it’s not dealing with end users. What it actually is is an app warehouse. Think of them more as being a wholesaler rather than a retailer. So, you code an app for Symbian Horizon, they approve it, and then the app stores who get their software from Horizon pick and choose what they want to carry on their own shelves.
Advantage for coders? One place to go for approval, but distribution to a lot more devices. Advantage for customers? A simplified process means more apps being made (theoretically), a higher chance of any given app being available for your Symbian phone.
So, imagine it, you’ve got two devices, one of ‘em might be a future incarnation of the Nokia N97, while the other might be a future version of the Sony Ericsson Satio. They both run Symbian, but they have their own app stores (eg/ Ovi, for the Nokia). But they both have the app you want, because they both get their stuff from Symbian Horizon, and despite the differences in phones, and whatever customisation each manufacturer does, both apps work perfectly, as Horizon’s already made sure they do.
It’s an interesting take on app stores, and I’m intrigued how this one’s going to pan out…
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