update: TechMeme have picked this up.
T-Mobile are going to launch an application store according to Silicon Alley Insider's article, T-Mobile's Big Idea: An iPhone-Like App Store For Every Phone:
"Like all wireless carriers, T-Mobile needs its subscribers to start doing more with their phones than just making phone calls and sending text messages. So, perhaps inspired by the early success of Apple's iPhone App Store, it's reportedly making a smart decision: Opening up its phones to more mobile software, and making it easier to download apps." .
It'll be interesting to see how they organise the UI - the iPhone appstore arguably has a few iterations to go . The article goes on to describe the benefits to T-Mobile's customers:
"What does this mean? In theory, more apps and a better shopping experience. That's good news for consumers, and if it gets more people to buy apps and sign up for mobile Internet access plans, good news for T-Mobile, too.
This is a no-brainer for T-Mobile's smartphones, like the Sidekick series, its forthcoming phone running Google Android, and whatever Windows Mobile phones the carrier sells."
A few weeks ago I suggested we'll see other application stores after the iPhone launch; I expect there'll more of these. Being able to decouple a launch from an embed date and allow 'hits' a la the games industry are game changers.
