Overview Terms of Use Sample Catalog

Q: How do I get my app listed with Synclast?

It goes something like this: You submit your app to us using the registered developers section of the site. All we need is the JAR and JAD -- we don't need your source code cluttering up our hard drives, we'll take your word that you've got 31337 ski11z. We show you a license and revenue share agreement, you sign it electronically. We vet your app, certify it if necessary, and make sure you're not doing something we wouldn't want to associate ourselves with (relax, we're cool with most things that don't involve child pornography, illegal acts and/or Mariah Carey). Next we put the app in our catalog, and you let the money start rolling in. Easy, right?
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Q: How does my app get to the end user?

When the user completes the purchase process, we bill them and (in most cases) send them an SMS with a secure download link and instructions on how to easily launch the link in their WAP browser. This link takes them to a short WML or XHTML page (depending on device capabilities) that explains the download process and initiates an Over-The-Air download of your application, which is then installed on the handset.
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Q: How does the certification process work?

Synclast requires that applications sold in our catalog work as promised and do not unexpectedly crash or cause data loss. You may associate multiple handsets with a particular version of a JAR file, provided that each handset has been certified. Synclast will test your app on any of our supported handsets and certify it for a modest fee per handset (new users can get up to 5 certifications for free -- yeah, we're generous like that). Our test plan includes testing to ensure that the application can be downloaded and installed and provides a satisfactory user experience. In the short term, we will also accept certifications from any major handset provider or carrier network. In the long term we will honor all certifications obtained through partners of the recently announced J2ME Unified Testing Criteria.
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Q: Can I get updates and bug fixes to the users of my app?

Absolutely. This is part of a standard service Synclast provides. From the "My Applications" screen you'll be able to upload new versions of existing apps and specify parameters for checking for updates.
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Q: What makes your service better than the one that handset manufacturer X has?

Well, lots of things. First of all, the handset manufacturers want you to write apps for their platform and phones, not every platform. Nokia doesn't certify apps for Motorola phones, or vice versa. Second, the OEMs have a limited reach. Games and applications in the Synclast catalog are available over-the-air to just about anyone, anywhere, at no cost to you and with a rapid turnaround to get to market.
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Q: What makes your service better than the one that carrier network Y has?

There seems to be a pattern here. Look, do you want to have to talk to every carrier everywhere you want to sell your application? It's a scaleability problem. With Synclast, your apps can reach mobile networks everywhere, and you've only got one point of contact, us. And we're not schmucks.
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Q: Why is there no distribution to Nextel's subscribers?

Nextel has taken the position that they are the only ones who should be able to send content to their subscribers. By doing so, they have gone against the J2ME Over-The-Air Provisioning Specification -- a recommendation for MIDP 1.0 and a requirement of MIDP 2.0. The only way you can get your applications to Nextel subscribers is to register them with the iDEN Update service. If you want to do this, you'll need to contact Nextel separate from your account with Synclast. We encourage Nextel to open up their Java platform and comply with the OTA Provisioning spec. After all, they will continue to benefit by the increase in data subscriptions and data use from Java applications, regardless of where they are purchased from.
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Q: What about Verizon?

Verizon, along with several other U.S. carriers, has taken a similar approach and opted for the QualComm BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) platform. BREW is a C++ API, and all BREW applications flow through Verizon's "Get It Now" service offering. We hope to work with Verizon in the future as they move to a model where J2ME applications can run on top of the BREW runtime.
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Q: Can you get me a prototype of the latest handset for my testing?

Sorry, but no. If we could get one ourselves, we would share. It's true that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, but we don't actually have any magical powers, nor the ability to create matter out of pure energy. If we did, we would probably drink even more caffeine.
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