GetJar, a large cross-platform mobile application store, has today launched a new service called the “App Download Page.” Designed for companies distributing mobile applications, this page is essentially a mobile-ready web page which automatically detects the make and model of a website visitor’s mobile phone in order to identify the correct version of the mobile app they had wanted to download. This makes mobile downloads much easier on consumers who no longer have to try and remember their phone’s model number when looking through a download list – the identification is automatic. All the user has to do is click a link.
Eliminating Mobile App Download Confusion
One of the main problems in the mobile industry today is fragmentation. There are thousands of different handsets out there and multiple mobile platforms to code for, too. Sometimes, mobile applications for the same platform – like the Blackberry, for instance – don’t even work on all Blackberry devices, only on certain ones. That makes it challenging for both the developers who have to write the various versions of their mobile apps and for the mobile users who want to install applications on their phones.
In many cases, consumers don’t even know the model number of their phone – they may know the brand, but only because it’s etched into the top of their handset. So when they happen across a mobile application on the mobile web, they’re stumped as to whether their device is supported.
With GetJar’s new service, that confusion could be a thing of the past. By automatically identifying a consumer’s handset, the mobile App Download Page can point the end user to the correct download automatically. And if their phone isn’t supported, the page can redirect the user to another mobile webpage of the application developer’s choosing.
Developers who sign up with GetJar can manage all their mobile applications from the Developer Site, where they can also track download and performance analytics, sign up to advertise on GetJar sites and partner networks, and integrate in-app ads within their mobile software.
Future Plans
Facebook was one of the first companies to use the new service and photo-sharing website Photobucket will roll out their GetJar integration later this fall.
Next year, GetJar will also launch a new version of their mobile application store which is currently available only as a traditional website and a mobile-ready WAP site. The future version, which will feature some 50,000+ mobile apps from GetJar’s catalog, will more closely mimic the iTunes App Store mobile experience as it will be accessed via an icon placed on mobile phones’ homescreens. The company is currently working on establishing partnerships with mobile carriers in order to prepare for the store’s launch.
