Based on the performance of iPhone apps, it's highly likely that we'll see more applications aiming for the lower end of that pricing spectrum than the upper end. But it will be interesting to see if any developers choose to charge a premium price - which isn't nearly as ridiculous as the App Store's $999.99 threshold - for their development efforts. Thankfully, according to the Market, "Once you've set a price for an application, you may choose to change it at any time."

The option of listing priced applications is currently only available to developers in the US and the UK. However, developers from Germany, Austria, Netherlands, France, and Spain are slated to be allowed access to sell applications before April 2009. The Android Market hints at additional countries being added before the end of Q1, as well.

In related news, Australia developers just gained the opportunity to upload free applications. Singapore developers will soon have similar options.

For more information on uploading priced apps or purchasing them, visit Android Market support.

One of eBay's first partners to release a Selling Manager application - and a good example of the possibilities this platform provides - is UPS. Their WorldShip shipping software will be integrated directly within the eBay Selling Manager so sellers can manage shipments without having to leave eBay to do so. Other applications available at launch time include those from ecommerce developers Terapeak, HostedSupport, ahTEXT.com and Cloud Conversion.

Ebay's developer community, which includes some 87,000 members who have created over 13,500 applications, have been itching for a way to get better access to the 270,000 subscribers of eBay's Selling Manager service, an extra and formerly paid-access only area of eBay which many small-to-medium business sellers use. Now they can.

Why formerly paid? It seems that eBay wants to encourage sellers to check out these new offerings available within Selling Manager, so they're making the service free of charge. This is a win-win for all. Developers get greater access to sellers and sellers get access to better tools from the developers. 

The new Applications platform was built using theOpenSocial gadgets specification. Developers join the beta and begin developing their own apps by visiting http://developer.ebay.com/products/selling-manager-applications.

When adding the gadgets to iGoogle or Gmail, you won't have to enter in your Zoho account information in order to access your Zoho data. That's thanks to the oAuth support built in. In order to add a custom gadget to Gmail, you must first turn on a particular setting in labs which allows for this (Enable "Add any gadget by URL" in Labs).

Note: To learn more about custom Gmail gadgets, go here.

In social networks like Facebook and Orkut, the gadgets function more like applications. Once you click the link on the Gadgets page to add them to your profile, you'll be taken to a page where you'll need to enter in your account information before they will appear in your Applications list.

Finally, for OpenSocial compatible networks and applications, a link to an XML file is provided and for anywhere else you need a gadget, there's a generic embed code that can be used.

For anyone thinking of making the switch from Google Docs or Gmail over to the Zoho Suite, gadgets like these can make the transition easier as you'll be able to keep up with what's new even when you're still in your Google applications. And for those of us who spend entirely too much time in social networks, having these gadgets on hand means we won't miss out on the important information that matters most.

"You can build desktop applications with Windows Presentation Foundation, build web-only applications with ASP.NET AJAX and now the hybrid Rich Internet Applications with Silverlight."

The enhancements announced today for Silverlight include integration with .NET and support for dynamic languages - including Python and Ruby. Microsoft also announced new tool support for building Silverlight applications, with Expression Studio and the next edition of Visual Studio, code-named "Orcas".

Tell us what you think of the new-look Silverlight in this week's poll, below.

With 552 applications available at launch, Apple's push to get developers excited about developing for the phone has clearly paid off.

Some of the most interesting applications for the phone are the location-aware apps like Loopt. While there have always been location-aware applications for other phones with GPS capabilities, the iPhone might just give them the much needed push to finally become mainstream.

Other interesting - and free - applications include Newsgator's NetNewsWire, a native Facebook application, Twitterific (both in a free and premium version), a native AIM application, as well as a large number of games. As for paid applications, there is a surprisingly large number of dictionaries and phrase books available, as well as guidebooks from Frommer's and various maps and schedules for local transit systems.

Also available is Apple's much rumored Remote Application that allows you to control the music on your desktop from an iPhone or iPod touch, as long as you are on the same Wi-Fi network.

Missing from the line-up so far are any voip or video applications. There is also no native FriendFeed application available, yet.

Swimming with the Stream

There has, however, been a clear shift in the types of applications that are becoming more popular right now. The new emphasis on the stream is driving users to apps that are able to leverage the feed, while those apps that haven't adapted to this new reality yet will find it increasingly hard to get any kind of critical mass on the service.

On the other hand, as Zac points out, getting some of this functionality into applications now would definitely help putting some pressure on Apple to release this functionality quickly. After all, there are a good number of applications that just aren't very useful without being able to copy and paste (blog clients, text editors, email clients, etc.).

Zac also notes that he doesn't think that Apple is trying to squash OpenClip on purpose, but it does seem as if Apple is creating a bit of a moving target for developers. Given Apple's penchant for secrecy, every developer who is trying to write an application that gets relatively deep into the OS has to fear that Apple might just close off some necessary functionality without warning.

Sharing Flash Apps on Mobile Devices

On the mobile side, Adobe and Gigya will give users the ability to share content on a wide variety of phones, including Windows Mobile and Symbian phones. Users who want to install a sharable application on their mobile phones will simply receive an SMS message with a link to the application. The service will automatically detect the type of device and deliver the right version to the user. Developers can also give their users the ability to share iPhone versions of their applications - though obviously those have to be native iPhone applications, as the iPhone doesn't support Flash.

Developers will be able to track the success of their applications through and Adobe AIR app that will allow them to measure distribution and customer usage. In partnership with Gigya, Adobe will also give developers the ability to assure installs through paid promotions and to monetize apps through cross-promotions.

Coming Soon: Easier Integration with Social Networks

Adobe also announced that it will launch another Flash Platform Service later this year that will allow developers to easily connect Flash applications written on top of Adobe's platforms with a number of social networks such as MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter. Developers won't have to worry about the idiosyncrasies of a service's API, but will be able to write their applications on top of Adobe's social platform instead.

We did notice some inconsistencies with the new layout in the developer sandbox version. For example, at least one app had a box appearing on the left side bar on all profile pages, with no clear indication of how to add and remove applications from that area -- or how many would be allowed that special treatment. We also thought it strange that to post to the wall, users are asked to use a box on the Feeds tab, while there is no way to post from the actual Wall page. That said, this is a beta sandbox page, and Facebook informed developers that, "some features are not necessarily enabled and others are still in flux."

When we introduced the new tabbed profiles in February, we theorized that the limited space for applications was an attempt to encourage developers to create more useful apps. Facebook said then that applications that "don't provide value and meaning for users" would face "challenges" under the new profile layout.

Now that the new profiles are (almost) live, what do you think? Do tabs make sense? On one hand you have extra clicks to get to certain profile information, and profiles are even less able to be customized by the user now. But on the other, there is a lot less garbage in the way of applications that users are forced to wade through to find the information they want -- profiles are now undeniably cleaner. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The launch partners for the Android platform include AccuWeather, TapJoy, and Jirbo. According to AdMob, the new advertising units will also be able to use Android's GPS to deliver location based advertising.

What About Google?

Google has shown relatively little interest in doing advertising for mobile applications so far. It will be interesting to see if the advertising giant is going to hand this market over to other providers, or if Google will release its own solution in the near future. So far, Google only lets advertisers target AdWord ads on mobile sites for the iPhone and G1, but doesn't provide a solution for mobile apps yet.

AdMob will allocate ad impressions based on the quantity and quality of the inventory that each member contributes.

Given that developers have relatively few outlets to promote their applications outside of Apple's App Store, this looks like a good way for developers to get the word about their applications out to users. Given that the ads appear in other apps, the targeted users are obviously already interested in downloading iPhone apps.

"The move to server-agnostic applications is still in its infancy but will soon have a major effect on enterprise computing. The legacy applications won't go away, even if the exciting stuff is being done on Internet-based apps, they said. But it won't stay that way. Today, 70 to 80 percent of corporate applications require Windows to run, but the Gartner analysts expect a tipping point in 2011, when the majority of these applications will be OS-agnostic, such as Web applications. "Sometime in the middle of the next decade, Windows will be playing a much less important role on the desktop," MacDonald said."
emphasis ours

This prediction ties in with the latest in Web Office thinking. I predicted in September 2005 that:

"...the time for the web-based office will come, mark my words. When broadband is ubiquitous, web functionality is richer, issues of security and reliability have been put to rest, and most importantly of all - when Corporates are ready to make the jump. It may be 5-10 years down the track, it may be longer."

I stand by that prediction today. In September 2006 Nicholas Carr had an even more specific prediction, saying that in "the early 2010s" we'll see "fully web-based suites".

2011 seems an optimistic prediction for web apps (and other OS-agnostic apps) to usurp Windows in the enterprise, but I'm certain it will be only 1-3 years after that before the cloud becomes the platform of choice for enterprise.

Pic: jurvetson

Last night, the Clever Hippo search engine, a Facebook application that helps search and rate other Facebook applications (see AltSearchEngine's coverage) soft-launched the new version of their vertical search engine at CleverHippo.org. The site has expanded beyond the friendly confines of Facebook, and now searches applications from a wide variety of web platforms. The site currenctly indexes apps for Facebook, OpenSocial, HTML (i.e., MySpace, Netvibes, iGoogle, etc.), iPhone, and Windows and OS X desktop. It looks like Clever Hippo currently indexes 31,166 applications.

Clever Hippo offers RSS feeds for any search result, which when ordered by recency would theoretically let you keep tabs on your competitors in the app market. The site has standard search features, such as or, not, and wildcards. It also has a way to boost certain keywords in searches -- i.e., so you can search for "video library" and cause the site to put more emphasis on video than library.

31,000 apps is a lot to sort through -- Facebook alone has over 6,000. With OpenSocial and the coming release of the full iPhone platform, that web app and widget ecosphere is likely to grow larger. Clever Hippo is positioning itself in a clever position (forgive me) to provide search for the growing and increasingly important web app vertical.

According to Best Buy chief marketing officer Barry Judge, the new applications, which also include several Facebook apps that will appear on the company's branded page, take advantage of the company's "Remix API," (application programming interface). This allows third-party developers to access Best Buy's inventory data, pricing, and product images for use in their web or mobile applications.

Next month, the first of several Google-created Best Buy applications will launch. The new app will allow consumers to do product searches and then will provide them with the location and directions to their nearest Best Buy store. It will even direct the user to the exact location of the product within the store itself. Phones sold in Best Buy will include the app pre-loaded onto the handsets prior to purchase. Also coming are applications designed specifically for Android, Google's mobile operating system, but there's no word yet as to what those apps will be. Best Buy currently carries two models of Android phones, the G1 and the myTouch 3G.

Other Plans: Websites, Gadget Deals, and Facebook Apps

In addition, the company is launching a dedicated website for Best Buy Mobile in October, is lining up exclusive deals to sell highly anticipated gadgets like Nokia's first netbook, the Booklet 3G, and is launching a series of Facebook applications.

The revamped Facebook page, which the company said will attract anywhere from 3 to 4 million fans, will offer several apps designed to help holiday shoppers find gifts. One, the "Hint Hacker," allows visitors to send gift hints to their family and friends about what products they're interested in. Another, called the "Holiday Morning Simulator," is a goofy Christmas card where Best Buy Blue Shirt employees sing holiday tunes, also addresses gift-purchasing questions. A third is a Facebook Secret Santa app. These, too, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Apple iPhone owners can choose to download approximately 65,000 services from the App Store, meanwhile Nokia's Ovi only offers 4,500 applications. According to the Financial Times, "While Apple has just one phone, Nokia is trying to put mobile applications on 75 of its handsets. It is a far more challenging task." Nevertheless, Nokia aims to level the playing field with web technologies.

One way the company is hoping to catch up to Apple across all its devices is by hosting competitions to encourage Flash Lite-based development. Most recently, Nokia announced the finalists in its "Calling All Innovators" global developer competition. Categories include web applications and runtime widgets, Adobe Flash Lite-based applications, emerging market services and location-aware services utilizing Ovi Maps. While each of the category winners will receive cash awards, the Flash Lite category winner will receive an additional prize of $10,000 from Nokia's Open Screen Project Fund. Nokia needs to fund efficient distribution across 75 devices and multiple platforms, and Adobe needs a mobile poster child to sing its deployment praises across mobile, desktop, and consumer electronics devices.

If Kallasvuo wants to increase Nokia's revenue, he needs mobile developers to choose to work on web based applications before building their services with the iPhone software development kit. From here, the application marketplace that offers the best revenue split and most downloads is certain to come out on top. While no individual Nokia handset will compete against Apple's iPhone or Research in Motion's Blackberry Curve, the number of devices sold might tempt developers to make the switch.