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My answer is simple. You bet—as long as you’re willing to look.
A month after its official launch and there’s now close to 4,000 apps in Marketplace, Microsoft’s app and entertainment store for the phone. That’s still a fraction of what Apple and Google stock. But it’s enough to give Windows Phone owners an early taste of the double-edged consequences of having a big app store: it takes more time and effort to unearth the gems.
These days I rarely browse Marketplace on my phone, or even using the companion Zune software on my PC. Instead, I rely on several browser-based alternatives. These services, most just weeks old, tap into Marketplace’s catalog and offer features and conveniences not found in Marketplace itself.
My favorite is Bing’s new Visual Search gallery for Windows Phone 7 apps. The gallery, available only in the U.S. and U.K., looks similar to ones Bing already has for iPhone and iPad apps. What I like about Bing is that it lets me skim though lots of apps quickly and gives me more options for slicing and dicing Microsoft’s fast-growing app catalog. I can search for specific apps, or sort by category, price, rating, or download volume. If I click an app, I get ratings info, descriptions, and screenshots of each app—plus a direct link to Zune Marketplace if I want it for my phone.
Besides Bing, there are also a few indie sites that have cropped up. Two worth checking out are AppsFuze and WP7Applist. Over time, I’m sure there’ll be others. One thing I like about AppsFuze and WP7Applist is that they show you price changes in near real-time. So if you’re always on the hunt for mark downs, these sites are for you.
The downside of the indie sites is that they’re not always reliable. They can go down unexpectedly and show app counts that don’t match up with one another. Still, if you’re just looking for new app ideas or bargains, they’re definitely worth a look.
Next time I’ll review some of the apps that I’ve found worth downloading for my phone. In the meantime, which Windows Phone apps are on your Start screen?
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