To capitalize in the surge of interest in mobile applications, Sprint Nextel said Friday it would be delivering devices that run Qualcomm's Brew Mobile Platform.

Brew is a mobile operating system that can support smartphones, feature phones, and entry-level devices. It enables developers to create games, applications, ringtones, and other mobile content for a variety of handsets.

The third-largest carrier will likely rely on Brew for its mid-tier devices, as its smartphone lineup is filled with operating systems like BlackBerry, webOS, and Android. Sprint isn't the only one looking at Qualcomm's OS, as HTC plans to have a high-end Brew handset, and Cox will be using the platform for mobile content when it launches its wireless services.

"Sprint is committed to delivering the most compelling technology to our customers, through a variety of operating systems, and we now have the ability to uniquely integrate compelling features and services deep in the hardware with Brew MP," said Brian Finnerty, Sprint's director of device development, in a statement. "By supporting both high-performance mobile Java and native applications on Brew MP, we can offer more advanced devices to an even broader set of Sprint customers."

The move shows the growing importance of apps in the mobile space. While programs have been available for smartphones for years from places like Handango, the space really took off with the introduction of the App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The virtual store has been a major driver of iPhone sales, and users have downloaded more than 1.8 billion apps in a little more than a year.

This success has had a ripple effect on the industry, and companies like Research In Motion, Microsoft, Nokia, and Google have launched their own ways to download apps over the air. Wireless carriers are also looking to extend this functionality to feature phones and mass-market devices in order to make the handsets more attractive.

Mobile applications can boost a workforce's productivity, but can bring up multiple questions about security. InformationWeek analyzed how to get a handle on locking down data when it's on the move, and the report can be downloaded here (registration required).