I have held off writing about publishing on Ovi because I have been waiting for the dust to settle. There has been much confusion and uncertainty of costs, developers being rejected and even a petition against the need for Java verified.

It seems this is the situation…

• Java ME content will currently need to be Java Verified (but Nokia might be considering alternatives)
• Symbian S60 applications have to be Symbian Signed (Express Signed is ok)
• Web runtime content is free to put on the application store

The first two imply the need for a publisher id (costs between $150 and $200) and to apply for a publisher Id you need to be a company.

In addition, Java Verified costs between $100 to $150 per test. However, as Java is so fragmented (LWUIT might help), it can involve shipping lots of versions of the application and hence lots of tests. For Symbian, the cost is $20 via Express Signed and over $100 depending on the test house chosen for Certified Signed. However, people don’t seem to realise that for both Java Verified and Symbian Signed, the time (and hence ‘resource’ cost) of making sure your application is compliant will be many times more than the publisher id and signing fees.

Here are my current thoughts…

• Understanding the whole process is too difficult for someone who is just investigating what’s possible. They will probably just give up.
• Publishing a Java Application on Ovi isn’t financially viable unless you are a large brand.
• Web runtime (WRT) apps are just as likely to misbehave as Java ME or Symbian applications. In fact, some might say WRT might attract less experienced developers and hence applications that are more likely to misbehave.
• Given that most (and some of the best and most innovative) applications on the iTunes Store and Android market are created by hobbyists who aren’t companies, I think Nokia has killed the potential of the Ovi store before it has even gone live.

Ironically, it says "It’s easy to publish to Ovi" on the main Ovi publishing page. Turns out it’s anything but easy.

Update 3 June 2009: Due to the huge number of complaints, Nokia have dropped the requirement for Java Verified. However, Java applications still need to be signed (Verisign or Thawte) implying you need to be a company rather than an individual.

Related Articles:

• Nokia Content Discovery
• Widgets, Mobile Web 2.0 and Javascript

This entry was posted on Friday, May 1st, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under Symbian, Series 60, Payment, Mobile. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.