Paths crisscrossing on mobile playground

Two big mobile players made headlines in the past few days, but they seem to be headed in very different directions.
Apple once again displayed its marketing chops, grabbing headlines in both the mainstream media and the trade press as it showcased the latest version of the iPhone. The second generation of “the phone that has changed phones forever,” as Steve Jobs crowed, will offer several features the first-generation device lacked, including GPS, Bluetooth, and 3G functionality. Just as importantly, though, the handset will benefit from a host of new third-party applications thanks to the device’s software development kit and the iPhone App Store. Apple trotted out 11 software engineers who have built wares specifically for the iPhone, including representatives from Sega, eBay, Loopt, Associated Press and MLB.com.
“We’ve developed for nearly every mobile platform,” said Loopt’s Sam Altman. “We think this is a new era in mobile.”
It’s worth noting that Steve Jobs had to be dragged kicking and screaming to support third-party applications. But Apple’s progress with outside developers contrasts starkly with Verizon Wireless, which last week announced that it will shell out a cool $28 billion or so to pocket Alltel. As my boss Tracy Ford pointed out last week, Alltel managed to compete with the big boys in mobile largely by wooing developers and embracing innovative applications – which isn’t exactly Verizon’s strong suit.
The soon-to-be largest carrier in the nation claims to have found religion, of course, with its “Any Device, Any App” initiative. In March, the operator hosted an “Open Development Conference” in an apparent effort to help developers and hardware manufacturers build wares for its network.
But the event has been followed by an awkward silence. Verizon Wireless told developers it will take at least eight weeks to get their offerings to market – a four-week certification process must be followed by four weeks of testing for a “best practices” tag – but the event took place 12 weeks ago. So where is the third-party stuff? Where are the new application storefronts? Where’s the new hardware?
Twelve weeks isn’t a long time, of course, and Verizon Wireless may still make good on its vow to open its network to outsiders. Given the lack of news from developers looking to exploit Verizon’s alleged “openness,” though, it’s likely that the certification process is proving more difficult than expected. So while Verizon Wireless ascends to the No. 1 spot among U.S. carriers, developers appear to be flocking to the iPhone. And as mobile data finally begins to gain traction in the mainstream, users will continue to follow.