OpenAppMkt: A Free App Store with No Jailbreak Required

[Paul Daniel Ash]

As advocates for open mobile computing continue to press for the rights of iOS device owners to modify their own equipment, one project is doing a neat end-run around Apple. OpenAppMkt is a project that focuses on web apps, rather than code that requires the App Store - or a jailbreak - to install. In conjunction with new marketplaces like Rock Your Phone and Cydia, OpenAppMkt represents a vibrant new channel outside of Apple's control. And while Cupertino is still playing hardball about letting users install what they want on the iPhone, this is a valuable alternative for people who are afraid of breaking their warranties.

OpenAppMkt is a for-profit app store that's the brainchild of Bay Area developers Teck Chia, Flora Sun, and Tim Wuu. It's designed to parallel the App Store experience in many particulars, and as Xconomy's Wade Roush points out, is a bit of a back-to-the-future for the iPhone. Before the App Store launched in July 2008, the only way of adding functionality to the device was through web apps. Apple actually still maintains a directory of over 4,300 different web apps.

With Apple no longer able to assert that jailbreaking is illegal, there's likely to be more mainstream acceptance of app markets like Rock and Cydia. However, the warranty threat may dissuade a lot of people - particularly business users - from jailbreaking. One important role a channel like OpenAppMkt can play is to truly legitimize alternate ways of delivering content to iOS devices, and increase the pressure on Apple to do the right thing and open up.
OpenAppMkt can an be accessed from Mobile Safari, and conceivably most of the titles can be run on any mobile device. So their market could conceivably grow beyond the iPhone and include a range of smartphones.

I use BlackSwan's VoiceCentral Google Voice client (or did, before it broke under iOS 4), so there's a real niche for the added functionality that web apps can provide even alongside regular apps. Though I'm stoked to finally get MyWi running again - JailbreakMe w00t!

Source: Redmond Pie

[I Am Zak]

Got this the other day. Real good! Now that I have Cydia doubt I will need this. Well done comex!

[1PM@N!O]

doesn't seem to work on 4.0. crashes on loading screen...

but great concept.

[Joseph_Prophet]

nice! but its kinda slow =(

[QuinnNebula]

I'll try out....anything free is good to me

[timbo]

I have already posted an app!!

[santacruzlocal]

Have to give everything a try ... once

[mustard05]

Very Cool

[rhekt]

Meh.

[Trist06]

indeed it does seem slow

[BlackHoleSlam1994]

like 1PM@N!O said it just crashes on 4.0 :[

like 1PM@N!O said it just seems to crash on 4.0 :[

[guyverunit0]

another 4.0 user here, the thing crashes on open for me too. Is it only for 4.0.1 or is it a 3.x thing?

[BlackHoleSlam1994]

i am pretty sure it only works for 3.x fw

[southfrisco]

Works for me on iPhone 4, iOS 4.0.1, jailbreakme'd.

[BlackHoleSlam1994]

southfrisico i am on 4.0 it cood make a difference but i don't know

[mikerlx]

downloaded and opened then crashed so its not good for 4.0.1 and I got 5 GB of free space left.

[southfrisco]

Maybe try clearing cache, cookies, and history. Close Safari (also close it in the multitasking dock). Reopen Safari and try again. I don't think there were major Safari changes from 4.0 to 4.0.1 so I don't see why it wouldn't work for 4.0 users unless you guys have added certain jailbreak (Safari plugin) apps today that might be causing a conflict with the browser.

[rickwaldo]

Works for me too. On i4, ios 4.0.1

[Lolcats]

i like the direction this is taking. and it should work on every OS. it's just safari

[BlackHoleSlam1994]

nah cleared all cache history everything n it still crashes i did delete the safari off multitask bar n nothing