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Like most major carrier software initiatives, Vodafone's cloud/applications platform, 360, has so far been long on vision and short on commercial impact. Unveiled last year, 360 is not just an update for the Vodafone Live! apps portal, but the vehicle for Voda's vision of a mobile web services experience that is driven and branded by the carrier, not any vendor. Initially it was based on devices running the LiMO operating system, which Vodafone supports because it can be heavily operator driven. But now 360 is looking for wider presence across many smartphone platforms, starting with Android.

The cellco has announced its '360 Shop for Android', and is likely to follow with similar initiatives for Symbian. It has even said, in the past, that it would like to layer 360 onto the iPhone, though this might run into major disputes with Apple, which has so far resisted operator attempts to put their own user experiences or app stores on its handset (the source of its stalemate with China Mobile).

From this summer, the 360 store will carry Android apps as well as those created for Vodafone's preferred, operator controlled platforms - notably LiMO, WAC and JIL. A key strategic aim of 360 is to support the cellco's own implementation of these key cross-operator initiatives - the Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) and Joint Innovation Lab (JIL), both promising a shared apps and widgets platform for all participating carriers to use, creating a massive target base for developers that spans featurephones as well as high end handsets.

But Vodafone needs to stamp its mark on those platforms that are under the control of its suppliers too, especially one with the current growth momentum of Android. By inviting Android developers into the 360 ecosystem with the lure of a new distribution channel for their apps, Vodafone will hope they will also be tempted to create JIL versions too, strengthening the cellco ecosystem. The first Android handsets to come preloaded with the 360 system and store will be the HTC Wildfire and Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro - both midrange models that emphasize another key aim of 360, to provide a carrier branded experience for the mass market, rather than going head-to-head at the high end.

Vodafone says the 360 store has various advantages over vanilla Android Market or Apple App Store, notably better visibility for products (though that may be mainly because its shopfront has far fewer apps, 8,500 versus 50,000 for Android Market). The carrier also promises programmers clearer pricing and billing structures, carrier billing, and a "transparent" review process that falls halfway between the restrictions of Apple and the free-for-all (with quality and security implications) of review-free Android.

"Developers want to know that their app will be seen by consumers, and the 360 Shop on Android has been designed to maximize opportunities for content promotion," said Lee Epting, director of content services at Vodafone Group, in a statement.

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