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 …

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Monday 22nd August 2011 09:59 GMT Sean O'Connor 1

Title

About time! Might finally become worthwhile writing games for Android!

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Monday 22nd August 2011 09:59 GMT Kristian Walsh

I must have been living in the future all these years...

... because I've only ever paid for apps using my mobile phone bill.

Nokia has offered this facility for over two years (and it now costs nothing extra to the dev), and users of Samsung's Bada phones can also pay by bill in some countries. Nokia's PR claims that operator billing increases developer sales by 3x overall, but this rises to over 5x in some markets, so even after adjusting those claims for inflation, it's definitely good news for devs as well as operators.

Considering that virtually every operator in Europe already offers this service to customers who own a Nokia phone, I can't help thinking that whatever "complexity" they're talking about was more likely to have been reluctance on Google's part to hand control to someone other than Google.

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Monday 22nd August 2011 10:22 GMT Steve Coburn

Foreign Exxhange Rates

I don't buy apps since I realised that my bank charged around £3 fees for a €1 purchase. I wonder how VF will get around this. Will they charge the exchange rate price or will they add fees on top?

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1. Monday 22nd August 2011 11:56 GMT Jedit
  
  Why would they need to charge fees per transaction?
  
  As you would know if you had read the article, Vodafone will add the app purchases to your monthly bill. Vodafone themselves will have a similar arrangement with Google.
  
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Monday 22nd August 2011 10:52 GMT Anonymous Coward

No App for that

I do not trust Vodafone or Goole to charge for Apps. I use an LG X2 with Cyanogen, download my apps to the SD card and install from there. I do not have a Google account configured on the phone as I don't need social media, gmail or any of that crap.

What I still get is email (2 pop) 2 exchange,

You Tube

Opera, Firefox and the Google Browser

Basically a good phone, with Camera and all the functions I need.

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1. Monday 22nd August 2011 11:12 GMT Andrew 66
  
  presumably then,
  
  you also live in an aluminium-foil lined house, and always use cash, don't have a bank account, and try to avoid paying for anything if at all possible
  
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  1. Monday 22nd August 2011 12:40 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    Assumptions Assumptions
    
    I do pay for software I use, Over one hundred pounds on ViewRanger software, you spent that much on Apps then?
    
    Yes I use cash where I can, and bank accounts when I have no other choice. I don’t use a Windows, or Mac computer to do online transactions.
    
    I am a software engineer, so I do not believe in pirating software. I just don’t believe in the app market for mobiles due to security concerns.
    
    I don’t like gmail because I don’t like people scanning the contents of my mail and targeting adds. At least GCHO don’t hit me with advertising.
    
    I don’t have foil yet but as soon as i get that cash together....
    
    Go on then, throw the freetard word at me.
    
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Monday 22nd August 2011 10:52 GMT Anonymous Coward

Will this do anything to stop pointless custom operator phone apps?

Hopefully making money from app sales will encourage mobile phone operators to stop investing in providing pointless poor quality custom apps for phones and just get on with the core function of providing mobile sales, phone masts and billing.

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Monday 22nd August 2011 11:56 GMT Anonymous Coward

Cool!

That means I can buy apps without asking my father for his credit card number then?

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Monday 22nd August 2011 11:56 GMT thirstylocket

Good move

Thats an impressive move, I'm sure that'll be like adding rocket fuel to the app store!

Be interesting to see what impact this has.

All those new paying customers, blimey! It'll be like the opening of Ikea in Dubai all over again!

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Monday 22nd August 2011 12:40 GMT thirstylocket

@No App for that

Yeah, great idea you skin flint!

What a great idea to not pay those indie developers. Pah, they deserve nothing for putting those hours in, in their spare time to try and start a software company or as a hobby.

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1. Monday 22nd August 2011 13:17 GMT Anonymous Coward
  
  Why pay for software I do not use
  
  You assume I want some useless farting application then or I’m ripping off so indy developer, not so. I just don’t install market apps on my phone, do you get it now?
  
  You can buy applications from Application writer, and use their enforcement method (ViewRanger has it’s own shop for instance) , you don’t have to by software via the App market DOH.
  
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Monday 22nd August 2011 12:50 GMT Robert Carnegie

O2 PAYG likewise, please.

However, I wonder if expressing one's own belief that the phone operator gets a cut of the actual money will discourage the parties from making a deal.

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Monday 22nd August 2011 13:51 GMT thirstylocket

@Why pay for software I do not use

No, where did I make the assumption that you want some useless farting app? I think you made that assumption, not me, Anonymous Coward.

Forget for a moment the big bad Apple, Google and Microsofts. These smartphones have created a new market place that did not exist before for the little people like me, which (so far) seems to be creating jobs - and you're circumventing the whole thing! real clever Anonymous Coward, real clever!

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