Nokia Giving Developers Incentives for Developing WP7 Apps

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Nokia is getting ready with its planned launch of Windows Phone 7 smartphones. But given a small app ecosystem, the company is encouraging developers to build apps for the platform, giving monetary compensation and other concessions.

A smartphone platform is only as strong as its application ecosystem, as proven by Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Without a significant number of applications, users are likely to shy away from these platforms. Nokia has made a big gamble by leaving its established Symbian ecosystem in favor of Windows Phone 7, but with the impending launch of Nokia’s WP7 phones, they will need to bolster support for the Windows Marketplace to gain traction.

Nokia is reportedly wooing developers into developing apps for Windows Phone 7, and is giving incentives, including a promise to pre-install apps on Nokia smartphones, marketing of their products, and even funding for app development. Nokia is historically known to work closely with app developers, particularly when Symbian was at the top of the smartphone game.

Nokia isn’t disclosing exactly what concessions or compensations the company is offering developers. However, these are said to include coding assistance and marketing. Microsoft reportedly offered cash in 2010 for developers to port their apps to WP7, although some say their efforts were in vain, because the platform was not doing too well in terms of market share.

But with Nokia bankrolling efforts to expand and improve the WP7 app ecosystem, Microsoft might have just found the right partner, given that most other OEM partners are developing for multiple ecosystems (such as HTC and Samsung). Nokia CEO Stephen Elop himself said last June that the company will “need the Windows Phone ecosystem to grow overall,” hence this thrust to encourage developers to support WP7.

Nokia is reportedly going to launch its Searay and Sabre Windows Phone 7.5 Mango smartphones before end of the year. By simultaneously pump-priming the Windows Phone 7 ecosystem, they might have just found the right strategy to ensure that their new smartphones get enough ecosystem support in time for launch.