With Microsoft coming closer to launching its own mobile application store, you may be wondering how strict it will be vetting apps. The company released a few guidelines for what will be allowed in its store, and some of them may surprise you.Apple normally gets the heat for its app approval process because they've made some strange choices about what it will sell in the App Store. Microsoft outlined what type of apps are prohibited for its upcoming Windows Marketplace for Mobile, and most are reasonable except for how it handles VoIP.

1. Applications that are or distribute alternate marketplaces for content types (applications, games, themes etc.) that are sold or otherwise distributed through Windows® Marketplace for Mobile.

More Mobility Insights

White Papers

• How To Regain IT Control In An Increasingly Mobile World - by BlackBerry
• Red Alert: Why Tablet Security Matters - by BlackBerry

More >>

Reports

• Mobility’s Next Challenge: 8 Steps to a Secure Environment
• Time to Move: How to Ensure 'Mobility' Translates to 'Agility'

More >>

Webcasts

• Maximize ROI with Database Consolidation onto Private Clouds
• The ABC's of Cloud Computing in the Midmarket

More >>

2. Applications that link to, incent users to download, or otherwise promote alternate marketplaces for content types that are sold or otherwise distributed through Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

3. Applications that promote or link users to a Web site, or contain functionality within the application itself, which encourages or requires the user to purchase or pay to upgrade the application outside of Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

4. Applications that enable VoIP (Voice over IP) services over a mobile operator network.

5. Applications that sell, link to, or otherwise promote mobile voice plans.

6. Applications that display advertising that does not meet the Microsoft Advertising Creative Acceptance Policy Guide http://advertising.microsoft.com/creative-specs.

7. Applications that replace, remove or modify the default dialer, SMS, or MMS interface.

8. Applications that change the default browser, search client, or media player on the device.

9. Applications with an OTA (over the air) download >10 MB.

10. Applications that run code outside Microsoft runtimes (native, managed, and widgets)

11. Applications that publish a user's location information to any other person without first having received the user's express permission (opt-in) to do so, and that do not provide the user a means of opting out of having their location information published.

12. Applications that publish a user's data from their mobile device to any other person without first having received the user's express permission (opt-in) to do so, and that do not provide the user a means of opting out of having their data published. A "user's data" includes, without limit, contacts, photos, SMS or other text communication, browsing history, location information, and other data either stored on the mobile device or stored in the "cloud" but accessible from the mobile device

Most of these aren't too surprising, but it's interesting that they're not going to allow VoIP over carrier networks because Skype already works over 3G on Windows Mobile phones. I suppose it was one of the concessions Microsoft had to make in order to have carrier billing, and it's the right move to make from that perspective. But I think all these artificial limitations are eventually going to hurt the carriers, and I think there will be tremendous opportunity for the first mobile operator that gives more freedom to its unlimited data users. The unavoidable future carriers have to realize is that their growth will be high-volume, low-price mobile data access. This doesn't mean they have to cede all control and be a dumb pipe, but they should open up their networks more to become clever pipes.