Verizon seems to be launching their own app store, according to a press release intended for developers. On September 1st, Big Red began accepting submissions to their V CAST App Store, and although no formal announcement has been made regarding a release date, it may not be too far away.
According to the document, submission to the App Store will be free, although each application will have to undergo a more rigorous review process. In addition to this, Verizon will only take a 30% cut of sales, with the other 70% going to developers. The V CAST App Store will also feature carrier billing, forgoing the need for credit cards or PayPal payments.
The move comes after some strange decisions on the part of Verizon, including the selection of Bing as the default search engine on the Samsung Fascinate. Also, V CAST Apps will only be deployed on Android phones running 2.2. Granted, Android is an open platform, so there is nothing preventing Verizon from selling apps. Still, it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available, and continue after the break for the full presser:
Dear Developer,
Verizon Wireless has opened Android submissions for V CAST Apps! We are preparing to launch V CAST Apps across our industry-leading lineup of Android handsets, and we want to give you the opportunity to get in on the ground floor.
As you know, merchandising your Android app through other channels can be a challenge, this is how V CAST Apps can make a difference to you:
Why submit your Android applications to the V CAST App Store?
It’s Free – No Testing Fees
It’s Fast – Our Goal is to place your application in the App Store within 14 days of Submission
Abbreviated Click-Thru Agreement
Carrier Billing – Your applications are billed directly to the Customer’s Bill; No credit cards, PayPal, etc.
70/30 Revenue Share – 70% Developer / 30% Verizon
Hands-on, Experienced Content Programming Team – Get the visibility you deserve, not just a quality-crushing algorithm!
Content Programming and Store continuity across multiple platforms (BlackBerry & Android)
Integration with Network API’s! Messaging & aGPS
Detailed submission guides online and forums monitored by our support staff
Subscription Billing – Coming Soon!If you have not done so already, please go to http://developer.verizon.com/ today and register now in order to receive updates.
Once registered, you can start submitting your applications today!
We currently utilize a (2) step process for ingesting developer content:
Step #1 Application Concept Submission:
An application concept is simply a high-level description of your application so that Verizon may approve the content for sale within our catalog. Certain information, such as developer contact info and screenshots are for our review purposes only and will not be published to the end-user. You will have the opportunity, during the binary submission phase, to submit end-user screenshots, generic contact information and pricing. Application concepts must be approved before you can submit your binaries. Additionally, you will be notified at each step of the review process, giving you full visibility into our approval system. If you have already submitted a concept for the same application for BlackBerry, please resubmit another concept for Android to ensure expedient approval.
Click here for more information.
Step #2 Binary Submission:
Once an application concept has been moved to the “Approved” status, you can submit your binaries for your Android app. We perform basic testing at this time, and once approved we publish to our catalog.
Binary submission will open for Incredible, Droid 1 and Droid X on September 1st.
V CAST Apps will be deployed on Android OS 2.2 (FroYo) only for now, so please ensure your binaries are compatible. We will not be rolling V CAST Apps out to earlier versions of the Android OS. When additional OS’s are supported, you will have the option to submit by both device and OS, but for now 2.2 is the standard.
Questions:
If you have any questions, that have not been answered or published in our Dev. Center, please go to our forums http://developer.verizon.com/forum/forums/list.page. Our forums have 100′s of posts from developers that are actively monitored by our support staff.
As we are heads-down preparing for Android launch, we apologize if you have already received this or a similar communication. We look forward to your participation in the Verizon Developer Community!
All the best,
V CAST Apps Team
Verizon Wireless