The Kill Switch In Windows Marketplace For MobileThe Kill Switch In Windows Marketplace For Mobile

Windows Marketplace for Mobile is the new application store for Windows Mobile devices that should launch on October 6 with Windows Mobile 6.5. Like other application stores, users will be able to go online, right from their device, and buy any number of applications for their device. If, for some reason though, Microsoft decides a particular app should be removed, the store will have the ability to remove it from users devices as well.Ars Technica has an article that clarifies under what circumstances Microsoft may push the kill switch for a given app. Just because an application is removed from the marketplace doesn't mean it will be removed from user's devices. In most cases, the user would retain the app, but should they buy a new device or hard reset an existing device, they wouldn't be able to reload that app from the marketplace.

There are times though when the kill switch would be used. If an application is discovered to be malicious after having been approved, it would be removed. There could also be a case where an app was approved but had unintended effects on the device. I would think their first course of action would be to contact the author and get it updated, but it may be the case that the problem caused is dire enough to require them to remove now and fix later.

Whatever the cause is that requires the use of the kill switch, Microsoft would refund the purchase price to the user.

We'll have to see how judiciously Microsoft uses this feature. It should be a rare thing indeed for it to be pulled. In most cases, apps that exhibit either scenario above should be screened out at the approval process before it gets on anyone's device, but something will invariably slip through. I just hope that when MS does use the switch, they are open and forthcoming about the reason rather than letting rumors and suspicion mount. The last thing Microsoft needs is the type of publicity that surrounded Amazon when it remove "Animal Farm" and "1984" from user's Kindles.