While Apple and Android get most of the attention in the mobile application space, GetJar has quietly carved out a nice niche for itself targeting the millions of feature phones out there. The company introduced Wednesday a mobile app conversion tool that should make it easier for devs to test and track their programs.
Although feature phones have been its bread and butter, the independent app store provides free apps for a wide variety of devices including Android, BlackBerry, Java, Symbian and Windows Mobile. Of course, hitting all these platforms can be a nightmare, which is where GetJar’s new tool comes into play.
“With GetJar conversion tracking, developers will know where their apps run, and where they don’t,” said Chris Dury, VP at GetJar, in a prepared statement. “This conversion data will allow developers to improve their apps, increase conversion, and gain an advantage over the competition, by increasing users, not just downloads.”
So, it’s a nice little move by GetJar to empower its community but there are still challenges facing the second-biggest app store in the world. I don’t care what tools you use, a write-once-run-anywhere program is not going to have the polish as a native app built specifically for a platform. Having a wider potential audience is always a good thing, though, and if GetJar can continue to ink deals with carriers, it should remain in a good position.