There has definitely been a lull in WP7 releases of late, undoubtedly due to developers holding off till they can ship Mango compatible versions. We’re likely to see a flood of updated and new apps hit the marketplace soon, until then I thought its worth highlighting which mainstream apps that are still unavailable for the Windows Phone platform.
These apps may be contributing factors to consumers purchasing devices running Android or iOS, ‘it’s all about the apps’ being a catch phrase that rings true with many. This list isn’t compiled to take a swipe at WP7, but rather highlight the partnerships (cheques) Microsoft need to write to get these apps on-board.
Words with Friends
The incredibly successful social scrabble is available on iOS and Android, but missing from WP7. Sure there’s an attempt to copy it with AlphaJax, but playing against your friends is a critical feature.
Google +
Like it or not, people like Google+. Sure WP7 may have social services integrated, but one not on that list is Google+. A dedicated app would check the box for those Google+ fans.
Banking apps
There has been half a dozen occasions over the past year where being able to transfer money between accounts has been a must. Unfortunately Commonwealth Bank and St.George are the only Aussie banks with apps for WP7.
TV Apps
Almost all free-to-air TV channels now have applications on other platforms. A prime example is ABC and its in-app News24 Live Stream.
Shopping
Coles and Woolworths both have apps to aid in shopping for groceries, while not the most exciting use of a mobile app, its one that’s used weekly.
Squarespace
Sure WordPress may be the dominant blogging platform, but there’s a pretty decent competitor rising to success. Squarespace blogs are easy to create and maintain.. unless your mobile and have a WP7. There’s a WordPress and Tumblr app, for that growing number of Squarespace users, there needs to be a dedicated app.
Consume
The unified account keeping application Consume is undoubtedly awesome. Supporting way more accounts than you can think of, sadly WP7 owners don’t get to use it.
The good news is this list is a lot shorter than it was 12, or even 6 months ago. There is good progress being made in the WP7 app marketplace (hey, they have Angry Birds now), but there’s still some key apps that need to be on the platform for it to be a viable option for some.
