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not only Handango rips off developers

Forum PDA : Windows Mobile - not only Handango rips off developers

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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer,microsoft.public.smartphone,microsoft.public.smartphone.developer (More info?)

read more here:

http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/3801.html

:-(

--
http://www.msmobiles.com - NOBODY ELSE gives you the WHOLE story.

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Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer,microsoft.public.smartphone,microsoft.public.smartphone.developer (More info?)

Geeze Louise -- if you don't like the deal, don't use them. Sell your
products from your own web page. Or Ebay. Or better yet, create a site
to compete with Handango and Motricity and everybody else, that gives a
fair shake to developers and a better deal to the customers, and wipe
those greedy scoundrels off the face of the cyberverse.

Greed is everywhere, it's the result of a 10000-year-old experiment
gone horribly wrong. Read Daniel Quinn's books, and let's start a new
ball rolling, this one doesn't have much more momentum.

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer,microsoft.public.smartphone,microsoft.public.smartphone.developer (More info?)

It's a free market economy and the web is open to anyone anywhere in the
world. Set up your own shop and compete with them if you can. I'll bet you
can't. In case you hadn't noticed, mobile application sales is a pretty
small market and the cost of marketing and advertising to get customers to
the "door" is pretty steep. 35-40% distributor fees is not unusual at all in
any business really.

--
Steve Maillet
EmbeddedFusion
www.EmbeddedFusion.com
smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

Hello!
You wrote on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 11:02:17 -0400:

SMe> It's a free market economy and the web is open to anyone anywhere in
SMe> the world. Set up your own shop and compete with them if you can. I'll
SMe> bet you can't. In case you hadn't noticed, mobile application sales is
SMe> a pretty small market and the cost of marketing and advertising to get
SMe> customers to the "door" is pretty steep. 35-40% distributor fees is
SMe> not unusual at all in any business really.

This is not so. What we have in case of Motricity or Handango?
We have a regular shareware archive (with some PDA specifics and quite
inflexible service for publishers/vendors). There are plenty of such
archives on the market. Nearly 700 today.
We have an order processing service with quite inflexible terms (ShareIt or
other Digital River services are way better than Handango or PocketGear) and
extremely high rate (ShareIt charges 5% and RegSoft charges 10%). What
Handango and Motricity sites really have is some popularity, i.e. market
share. They to have almost the monopolistic position on the market, this is
no doubt. However, I don't think this will last for long time - right now we
have about 50% sales from sources, other than these two services and the
number tends to grow.

With best regards,
Eugene Mayevski

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"What Handango and Motricity sites really have is some popularity, i.e.
market share."
And how do you think they got that? I'll tell you how: Marketing and
advertising - and it ain't cheap. Again if you think there is better - use
it or build your own to compete. That's the nature of a free market.

There is no monopoly here. Just because one company is a market leader does
not make it a monopoly. A monopoly is when a company has total control of a
market and no-one else can enter it. The only way that can exist is when it
is granted and enforced by a government. (I.e. in most areas: Electrical
service, cable service, phone service, etc......) Even in those areas some
companies have found ways to take market share from the ACTUAL monopolies.
(Cell phones or VOIP, instead of local land lines etc..)

--
Steve Maillet
EmbeddedFusion
www.EmbeddedFusion.com
smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"Eugene Mayevski" <mayevski@eldos.com> wrote in message
news:%233RLgoZTFHA.2392@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
| Hello!
| You wrote on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 11:02:17 -0400:
|
| SMe> It's a free market economy and the web is open to anyone
anywhere in
| SMe> the world. Set up your own shop and compete with them if you
can. I'll
| SMe> bet you can't. In case you hadn't noticed, mobile application
sales is
| SMe> a pretty small market and the cost of marketing and advertising
to get
| SMe> customers to the "door" is pretty steep. 35-40% distributor
fees is
| SMe> not unusual at all in any business really.
|
| This is not so. What we have in case of Motricity or Handango?

2 companies make a monopoly? Strange concept.

The fact is they are the most popular, and they are not the only
companies that can offer that service- you can set one up if you want.
They are not monopolies.
The writer may decide to choose only one company to handle the
registrations- but that is choice, not a monopoly.

In the past I have registered directly with some authors/writers- it
has always cost me the same amount as a customer. It means the author
*may* get more money- but credit card payments are not really a
facility available to all writers because of the costs in setting up
etc. - and the credit card companies can take a large slice of that fee
before it reaches the writer, especially those with small accounts- 5%
is not uncommon (a friend has a shop so has told me some of the costs-
he won't take Amex as they wanted more than any of the others). Those
banks take a commission off everyone

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

Hello!
You wrote on Sat, 30 Apr 2005 14:21:28 -0400:

SMe> There is no monopoly here. Just because one company is a market leader
SMe> does not make it a monopoly. A monopoly is when a company has total
SMe> control of a market and no-one else can enter it.

Wrong. Monopoly is when the company has a significant share on some market.
The exact number is defined by national legislation and is different in
different countries (disclaimer - I *am* a lawyer and I know this
legislation). Ok, I would say that two companies create an olygopoly, but
from users' point of view it's the same.

SMe> The only way that can exist is when it is granted and enforced by a
SMe> government. (I.e. in most areas: Electrical service, cable service,
SMe> phone service, etc......)

This is only one type of monopolies, "nature monopolies", which are
monopolies by their nature. They are specifically defined because they need
constant state regulation and state management. And regular monopolies that
gained the significant share on the market because of their activity, are
regulated in a different way (see antitrust laws of your country).

Eugene Mayevski

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"Wrong. Monopoly is when the company has a significant share on some
market."
Aside from the fact that this is nonsense that is not true it's beside the
point.

The point is there are options for customers to buy products from other
places just as easily on the web and there are other places where developers
can sell their code. If you don't like the two more popular market leaders
buy somewhere else or make your own site. It's either ignorance or malice to
suggest that the leading companies are somehow "ripping-off" developers by
charging money for a service and profiting from it.

--
Steve Maillet
EmbeddedFusion
www.EmbeddedFusion.com
smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.pocketpc.developer,microsoft.public.smartphone,microsoft.public.smartphone.developer (More info?)

Evidently in his opinion Handango and others aren't allowed to make a
profit, pay their employees fair wages, give them benefits or improve their
services. There's a long track record of great companies that provide
useful products and services for free or nearly so...in bizarro world.

I agree. If it's so easy to market and sell at a lower cost than what they
provide, why doesn't everyone do it themselves? Why doesn't he start a
competing business and drive them into the ground?

-Chris

"Steve Maillet (eMVP)" <nospam1@EntelechyConsulting.com> wrote in message
news:u00RIWZTFHA.2812@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> It's a free market economy and the web is open to anyone anywhere in the
> world. Set up your own shop and compete with them if you can. I'll bet you
> can't. In case you hadn't noticed, mobile application sales is a pretty
> small market and the cost of marketing and advertising to get customers to
> the "door" is pretty steep. 35-40% distributor fees is not unusual at all
> in any business really.
>
> --
> Steve Maillet
> EmbeddedFusion
> www.EmbeddedFusion.com
> smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com
>
>

Reply to user

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"handango and motricity form oligopoly - a market condition in which they
agree secretly on rates and dominate whole market. THEY FIX PRICES."
That's a VERY strong allegation you are making there. I trust you are aware
of the legal terms Libel and Slander? If their lawyers get hold of that
claim you probably will be.

Again, if you think that their terms are not acceptable to you, you don't
have to use them. Create your own company and compete with them. If it's so
easy to maintain a living selling your software without them then stop
griping about it and do it. Then all the developer's would want to sell
through your company and the other companies would be irrelevant. The
challenge isn't to get the developers. The challenge is to get the
customers, and that takes a tremendous amount of work and expense.

--
Steve Maillet
EmbeddedFusion
www.EmbeddedFusion.com
smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"Steve Maillet (eMVP)" <nospam1@EntelechyConsulting.com> schrieb im
Newsbeitrag news:%230X3lRgTFHA.2096@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> "handango and motricity form oligopoly - a market condition in which they
> agree secretly on rates and dominate whole market. THEY FIX PRICES."
> That's a VERY strong allegation you are making there. I trust you are
> aware of the legal terms Libel and Slander? If their lawyers get hold of
> that claim you probably will be.

maybe "fixing prices" is a big exaggaration indeed, but the fact is that
history was:
1) handango increases commision and pays less to developers or screws
developers somehow
2) motricity increases commion or screws too
3) go to 1.

and the short time difference between 1) and 2) indicates that there is some
relation.

I am thinking about creation of mobile software shop for windows mobile that
would offer under URL software.msmobiles.com/shop a catalog of software with
upload possibility and with 100% going to developers edirectlyh to their
paypal accounts.... but I am yet thinking how feasible it is
(bussiness-wise, not technique-wise)

--
Mobile Phone Fan
from http://www.msmobiles.com - Nobody else gives you the whole story.

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc,microsoft.public.smartphone (More info?)

"but I am yet thinking how feasible it is (business-wise, not
technique-wise)"
And there in lies the greatest challenge. If all the incoming money goes to
the developers how do you get paid? How do you pay for the infrastructure
needed to host such a service, how do you pay for the advertising and
marketing to get customers to your site/store. That is the challenge of any
business. Can you do it for less commission than Handango or other popular
sites? Probably. Can you do it for 0% commission? Probably not.

The point is that it's not a "rip-off" nor "Screwing developers" for a
company to earn a profit and to determine the terms it wishes to do business
on to maintain that. If a developer or software buyer is not in agreement
with the terms there are alternatives. It would be foolish and self
destructive to continue to pay for a service they don't think is worth what
they pay for it.

--
Steve Maillet
EmbeddedFusion
www.EmbeddedFusion.com
smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com

Reply to Anonymous

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.pocketpc (More info?)

In message <#92eJmdTFHA.2392@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl>, "<ctacke/>"
<ctacke_AT_OpenNETCF_com> wrote:
>
> Evidently in his opinion Handango and others aren't allowed to make a
> profit, pay their employees fair wages, give them benefits or improve their
> services. There's a long track record of great companies that provide
> useful products and services for free or nearly so...in bizarro world.
>
> I agree. If it's so easy to market and sell at a lower cost than what they
> provide, why doesn't everyone do it themselves? Why doesn't he start a
> competing business and drive them into the ground?
>
> -Chris
>
>
> "Steve Maillet (eMVP)" <nospam1@EntelechyConsulting.com> wrote in message
> news:u00RIWZTFHA.2812@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> > It's a free market economy and the web is open to anyone anywhere in the
> > world. Set up your own shop and compete with them if you can. I'll bet
you
> > can't. In case you hadn't noticed, mobile application sales is a pretty
> > small market and the cost of marketing and advertising to get customers
to
> > the "door" is pretty steep. 35-40% distributor fees is not unusual at
all
> > in any business really.
> >
> > --
> > Steve Maillet
> > EmbeddedFusion
> > www.EmbeddedFusion.com
> > smaillet at EmbeddedFusion dot com
> >
> >
>

I'm a developer, and in my opinion Handango and PocketGear do charge an
excessive amount of commission fees for what they offer. However, I do agree
that if you don't like their policies, don’t use them. It is definately worth
your time to create your own web site and set up a payment processing system.

ppcinfo

Reply to Anonymous

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