@ChessMaster

I once wrote a Windows Mobile app in C#. However, it was a specialized application for a single client rather than general-purpose mass market software. Windows Mobile is still a small market though - although that might change going into the future. Until that happens, I am rather disinclined to invest in it.

On a different note, I have mulled over a couple of ideas on how Kenyan app developers can make money in the absence of accessible app payment mechanisms. One rather interesting way would be to adopt the so called Pay What You Want (PWYW) pricing system.

In PWYW, you let people download your app for free but ask them to pay you, by any method of their choice, whatever amount of money they think your application is worth. That amount includes KES 0.00. If your application is sufficiently useful, you might get a couple of people sending you some cash for it. However, some may say that knowing Kenyans, this is a rather far-fetched strategy.

You could enhance this strategy by adding a charity rider to the proposition. Say you promise that 30% of the money raised from the app goes to support some worthy cause of your choice. If you wisely choose the cause, get the right NGOs to support and you have a killer app, you might be able to generate sufficient publicity to attract the numbers you need to make some decent cash out of your creation. That and the fact that it is such an elegantly win-win situation. Just thinking...

PWYW cannot work in kenya we are too addicted to freebies. ubuntu has tried it and clearly you can see the value, I mean it's ubuntu!!! I still download for free so do a lot of people.

The charity angle, loving it but I think having a minimum starting price would work better since most people would still get it for free irrespective of the cause.

Ditto. Take for instance music copyrights. Kenyans had to be hustled to pay, a couple of arrests and threats etc.

It is for this same reason that I think starting price won't work. They might opt to ignore the app if it's priced, the charity part not-withstanding. What you need is a share-ware. An app that offers the basics but if one wants the extras, they cough up something small. Meaning someone will have tried and tested the app and liked it, to want to cough up cash. You'll have to come up with something impressive.

2nd, interesting how people see challenges while others see opportunities. That there is no pay system should excite you alot (please send some cash my way because of this pointer ) Mpesa is revolutionizing the world, its roots are in Kenya. Come up with something that exploits it and we'll (you and I ) be rich