Today was a good day! Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace staff worked faster than the expected 3-5 business days and approved my application in under 24 hours. Here's the direct link for Zune.
UPDATE: If you're interested in more details, hit up this page to see what it looks like.
The Publishing Experience
Thanks to PCHenry (blog), I overcame a few problems in the publishing process, and found a few more rough edges that I'm sure the Marketplace folks will smooth over in due time.
Kudos to Microsoft for being up-front with their requirements and policies. I never expected to get my app approved the first time through. I was all geared up to have to spend at least a few hours adjusting code, architecture, and/or app submission details. I was relieved to find out that wasn't necessary.
The Marketplace Experience
There are a few people (myself included) that aren't 100% happy with the Marketplace experience from the "consumer's" point of view.
It's particularly unclear what lands an application in the "top" list. My gut tells me that this must be a calculation based on of number of downloads and ratings - and since there aren't very many consumers out there yet, it looks haphazard at the moment.
There are also strong concerns about how easy it is to locate applications within the Marketplace. Apparently the keywords we associate with an application don't cause it to be located. (UPDATE - this is now fixed, searches in the Marketplace do hit keywords!)
It's also impossible to know if an application has a "trial" option until you drill right down to the details of the app. Many developers - including myself - would like to see either a separate category for "trial" applications, or at least some kind of indicator when you're browsing thumbnails of applications.
What's Next?
I'll be directly alerting my MVP lead that my app made it into the marketplace. I'm hoping that a few Windows Phone MVPs and/or developers in the BC area will take the time to install and try out my app. If they do, I know I'll get valuable feedback - and more than likely some good coding suggestions!
Apart from that, I'll have to wait like everyone else for November 8th - I've got my Samsung Focus pre-ordered... and I'll probably ask that my office ship it overnight to my Seattle hotel where I'll be at the PASS Summit. Could you wait another week?
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