Windows Phone Web Marketplace goes live

By Tom Warren, on 27th Sep 11 8:25 am with 28 Comments

Microsoft’s Windows Phone Web Marketplace went live on Tuesday.

The web Marketplace is now available to Windows Phone 7 users to discover and purchase applications from within a browser. Windows Phone users will be able to purchase applications and have them charged against the credit card already linked to their Windows Live ID. The Web Marketplace will send an over-the-air SMS or email to Windows Phone devices with a link to the purchased application to make it easy for end users to retrieve their purchases.

Microsoft previously unveiled the Web Marketplace earlier this year. The company is expected to open up various slots for marketing purposes with Windows Phone developers. WPCentral notes that the redesigned web portal can be accessed in Germany or the U.S. and it appears Microsoft is still readying parts of the Marketplace.

Microsoft’s Bing visual search is expected to be updated too. Consumers will be linked straight to the web marketplace on their PC from Bing. Microsoft has also added social buttons to each application listing, making it easier for consumers to share the applications they enjoy.

The Windows Phone Web Marketplace is available immediately at windowsphone.com.

Windows Phone Web Marketplace

  • GP007

    Nice, now to get my mango update and then migrate my Live ID over to Greece so I can actually use my credit card and buy apps/games.

    • http://www.facebook.com/grzegorz.strzalkowski Grzegorz Strzałkowski

      You can even now. Check is performed only on the first transaction. So you have to find a friend in UK or Germany, tell him to register his CC on your account. Now you should perform single transaction (buy cheap app). Now wait 4 days, do not buy anything more (it’s your friend’s CC!). Add your CC, remove your friends CC. It works.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Pedro-Roque/100000194503830 Pedro Roque

    Cool!
    Now, what about Zune Pass for everyone?

  • http://twitter.com/IRB IRB

    Works great, very slick :)

  • Guest

    The site looks great sure the only problem I see here is
    billing. You can’t change the country of your account. I hope Microsoft knows
    that some people change their country from time to time?

    • http://twitter.com/arnehelseth Arne Helseth

      No, Microsoft doesn’t know this. Just look at Xbox Live (which, really, is the same as whatever account you use for the AppStore or Zune), they don’t let you change your locale here either, and haven’t done so since the service was launched many years ago.

      Their official stance is that you have to create a new LiveID for whatever country you currently reside in – which is why I’ve got three (or is it four?) Xbox live accounts all with their own gamerscore, MS Point balance and purchase history :(

  • http://onemessagepage.com MarecOne

    it’s about time. Now all major phones have marketplace.

    • http://twitter.com/mdtauk martin anderson

      I wasn’t aware I could browse the iTunes or Apple App Store online instead of using the iTunes crapware

    • Entegy

      You sort of can, but any time you want more details, it kicks you into iTunes.

  • Anonymous

    I feel like the marketplace should be part of http://www.store.microsoft.com

    and I feel like My Phone should be a part of Hotmail/Skydrive (I know you can link from there but I just feel like it shouldn’t navigate you away)

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KTAHVKS2RNDWTQPHQEJALLRNEQ Adam Paris

      Of course not! MS should keep it in just one place.

    • Anonymous

      marketplace should also have zune content.  It should be the one stop shop

    • Anonymous

      My hope is that when Windows 8 is released the “Windows Store” will be one store for all 3 major MS platforms: Windows, Windows Phone, and Xbox.

      I will be able to sort by platform/device type (PC, Phone, Xbox). I will be able to purchase a game for my console and have it download automatically next time I turn on my Xbox 360. I will be able to purchase Windows Phone apps. I will be able to search for and purchase Xbox music, videos, and games.

      Apps should be bundled (more explanation will follow) as a way to encourage users to use multiple MS platforms. If a free app appears on all 3 platforms (such as Netflix) then there should be download buttons for each platform:

      “Download PC – Free”
      “Download PC, Phone, Xbox – Free”

      Or a game such as Fruit Ninja could have a few options:

      “Download Windows Phone – $2.99″
      “Download Xbox – $9.99″
      “Download Phone and Xbox – $10.99″

      The Xbox Hub would have a link back to the entertainment (Games, Music, Movies/TV) section of the “Windows Store” just as the “Music + Video” and “Games” hubs do now on Windows Phone.

      An online version of this store should exist as http://www.store.microsoft.com

      Hotmail/Skydrive should be the only destination for Windows Phone (My Phone) content. The site both services are on now is great, but the site is a place to learn about Windows Phone/advertise Windows Phone. It’s not a destination for my personal content. Persoal conent just feels out of place is what I am trying to express. Perhaps it is a good solution for non-Hotmail/non-Skydrive/non-Zune users (aka Mac/G-mail users). In that situation it still appears that the “home” page for said site is “Discover” Windows Phone. I would guess that if they are going to browse the online market or check out what is on their phone than they already have “Discovered” Windows Phone nor do they need to learn where to buy one.

      It’s the sum of the little details that matter most of all.

  • Morldmorld
    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KTAHVKS2RNDWTQPHQEJALLRNEQ Adam Paris

      Its nonsense. Please dont use false information just to attract people to your website. Its cheap.
      Btw you are whiny bitch.

  • Anonymous

    Does it send an email or do downloads start automagically on the devie, á la Android??

    • http://twitter.com/mdtauk martin anderson

      Download just worked for me… I guess it depends on the size of the app download.

  • Anonymous

    Looks good, but why does Angry Birds cost more ($2.99) in the MS marketplace than in iTunes (.99p)?

    • Bnlf

      Simple. Everyone already have angry birds in the iPhone so they have to decrease APP value in order to keep new ppl buying. Eventualy angry birds will be 0.99 at wp7 too.

    • Anonymous

      Actually, Angry Birds was launched at 0.99 in Dec 2009 and has remained there, except for 10 days in Feb 2010 when it went up to $2. The higher price in the MS Marketplace makes no sense.

    • Anonymous

      Actually it does make sense..  iphone market is exponentially larger than wp7 market so 99 cents times 10 million is a lot more money than 2.99 times 500,000.  Hopefully WP7 marketshare will increase.   It is a catch-22 though.. its hard to increase marketshare when costs are higher, but i guess MS bets people will want gamerscore and other functionality not offered on iphone to justify those prices.

    • Anonymous

      Bnlf thinks you have to keep prices low to keep people buying. I agree with him in that lower prices do attract more people. I don’t think that $2.99 will attract many people at all.

      Customers aren’t all that nice. If they know they can get it for .99 on another platform, they are hardly likely to shell out more on WP7. MS should make sure app pricing is similar, or maybe lower, especially this early in their run. If not, people will shy away from WP7, believing that WP7 apps cost more.

    • Tom Mathews

      The developer determines the prices. If they feel they can make a profit at
      $2.99, then more power to them! There has been great concern by the smaller
      companies that can’t break even on these lower pricing models… as someone
      that’s considered dabbling in the indie markets, selling a hundred copies for
      $.99 isn’t exactly compelling for a month of evening work.

  • Hasnain Raza

    Beautifully written Tom.

  • WPUSER

    The marketplace is going to open up several doors in the hearts of all Windows Phone developers and I’m sure Microsoft has a done great job this time.

  • MyNameHere

    Except if I click on “Top”, it sorts the apps in some other order, but it certainly doesn’t sort it by its rating. What is it sorting it by? Most downloaded? How do I sort it by rating?

  • Morldmorld
  • Anonymous

    Microsoft still does not think of its customers… This web option is nice, but useless. So is the normal Marketplace (for me). I am from Czech Republic, having Live ID with US region. And of course there is no way to change the region. Thanks to that I am unable to buy any paid app. But I can see them online. Yay, I feel so great…