Ben
22nd August 2011, 01:13 PM
Vodafone will be the first operator in Europe to add the cost of apps to the phone bill, signing up with Google Marketplace to offer the service in the UK and Germany.
Vodafone customers with Android handsets will be able to have the cost of applications added to their bill, or deducted from their prepaid balance, with the intention of selling stuff to those without credit cards as well as increasing the barriers to entry for Marketplace competitors.
Continues: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/22/android_operator_billing/
There you have it. This is an interesting advance, because Google have gone where Apple can't follow. To use the airline phrase, 'Google appreciates that you have a choice of app stores' and so is willing to concede ownership of billing in order to make things even simpler for the end user. It also has the weight, of course, to make this happen, where smaller app stores will likely be left out in the cold to manage payments on their own.
Makes sense, doesn't it? Buying your phone, airtime, and apps all on the same bill? Could this be a silver bullet for apps on Android?
Vodafone customers with Android handsets will be able to have the cost of applications added to their bill, or deducted from their prepaid balance, with the intention of selling stuff to those without credit cards as well as increasing the barriers to entry for Marketplace competitors.
Continues: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/08/22/android_operator_billing/
There you have it. This is an interesting advance, because Google have gone where Apple can't follow. To use the airline phrase, 'Google appreciates that you have a choice of app stores' and so is willing to concede ownership of billing in order to make things even simpler for the end user. It also has the weight, of course, to make this happen, where smaller app stores will likely be left out in the cold to manage payments on their own.
Makes sense, doesn't it? Buying your phone, airtime, and apps all on the same bill? Could this be a silver bullet for apps on Android?