Windows Phone Has A Nasty Porn Addiction

Matt is currently working as a writer for TechCrunch. Matt Burns is a family man first and attempts to be a writer second. Born and raised in the heart of the automotive world, only cars eclipse his love of gadgets. He previously wrote for Engadget and EngadgetHD before moving into the party house that is TechCrunch. He learned the retail... ? Learn More

Windows Phone has a widely known downside: It lacks 3rd party apps. Sure, the major ones are there in Facebook, Twitter, Angry Birds and even Spotify, Rdio and Reddit browsers. But besides apps from big-name developers, the rest of the apps are ironically reminiscent of Windows 95-era shareware. And then there?s the smut.

The lack of high quality apps has seemingly made more room for dirty apps. The categories in Windows Phone?s Marketplace are filled with them. These dirty apps are the top hits in Entertainment, Music + Video, Lifestyle, and Health + Fitness. Microsoft should be embarrassed. This isn?t about sheltering youngsters from boobs ? rather, Microsoft has failed to give developers freedom and a chance to succeed while at the same time keeping potentially offensive material from sitting so close to the surface.

This has long been a problem with Windows Phone. It?s a byproduct of lack of quality apps. Android had a good deal of explicit material in the beginning as well. Google effectively countered the lewd material with a smarter storefront. For better or worse, sexually explicit material has always been absent from Apple?s App Store. But Windows Phone doesn?t have the luxury of massive demand. Microsoft?s mobile platform needs all the apps it can get including the dirty ones.

Nokia attempts to side-step Windows Phone?s Marketplace entirely with a home page tile called App Highlights that?s a fine collection of Windows Phone apps minus any of the off-color apps. It?s actually a better curated list of top apps than Microsoft?s and shows there are actually quality apps available for these phones.

Keep the porn. I?m not attempting to persuade Microsoft to take Apple?s PG-rated stance. As far as I can tell there?s no way to filter the raunchy material from the platforms. Windows Phone is being marketed as a low-cost smartphone, perfect for the younger crowd and first time smartphone owners. I for one would pause recommending the hot Lumia 900 along with other Windows Phones for younger kids because of the amount of sleazy apps.

However, porn has a place in a mobile platform. If there?s a market for T&A apps (there is), then it would behoove Microsoft and developers to include them. After all, as the age-old saying states, sex sells. But don?t let them sit on top. Make 14- and 40-year old boys at least work a bit to find the steamy material.

Windows Phone 7 is the successor of the Windows Mobile 6.5 mobile operating system in development by Microsoft, scheduled for release by October 2010. Microsoft?s goal is to create a compelling and predictable user experience by redesigning the user interface, disallowing partners to modify or replace it, integrating the operating system with other services, and strictly controlling the hardware it runs on.

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