In-depth interview by Silcon.fr to Emanuele Bolognesi, Head of AppsFuel
During the dotJS conference, held in Paris last November 30th, Emanuele Bolognesi, Head of AppsFuel, gave an interview to French technology blog Silicon.fr. It was a good opportunity to introduce AppsFuel to the French audience and give a detailed overview about HTML5, mobile apps and our mobile carrier billing strategy. You can find the full interview here. And if you are not familiar with French, read below a summary in English.
1. What motivated the creation of Appsfuel? Can you describe the main features of the portal and what are its key points compared to the other marketplaces of mobile applications, for the developers and for the editors/operators?
"AppsFuel is not a portal: it is a store for open, mobile web apps.
Our experience with HTML5 web apps has been very successful so far. We have been able to create a profitable business based on a different paradigm where carriers play a relevant role and developers could monetize their work more easily. That's why we had the idea to open this ecosystem to other developers. Our mission is to allow developers to distribute and monetize mobile web apps.
The first difference between AppsFuel and other stores is that we are fully dedicated to "pure" web apps and mobile sites. We are not targeting hybrid applications, but web products, specifically developed with HTML5 and JavaScript. The idea is to allow smartphone users to enjoy apps regardless of their device, OS and versions updates.
The second differentiator point is our focus on monetization: creating a profitable ecosystem is our priority, that's why we provide developers with a payment system based on carrier billing, which is the best payment flow available on mobile, with a revenue share aligned with native stores (if not better)."
2. Have large web agencies or application studios (for games or other applications) already signed to distribute their applications on Appsfuel?
"It is important to mention that the most successful web apps globally are not games but the Financial Times, Tripadvisor, Slideshare ones so AppsFuel is currently attracting news sites as an example. AppsFuel is running a competition with Appcircus for web apps and we are registering interest for the categories such as news, catalogs, and lifestyle. We decided not to approach big publishers or studios during our beta phase but we know some of them are watching carefully at what we are doing with AppsFuel."
3. Do you think that the webapps, thanks to the HTML5, will finally outplace the native applications? If so, when?
"We think the whole discussion about HTML5 vs Native is a mistake. HTML5 is not about replacing native applications; it's about creating awesome products using web technologies. Native software will continue to run on our computers and smartphones. HTML5 developers should not try to replicate something that already exists, they should try to create something different, and possibly better. AppsFuel wants to become "the Redbull option in the Coke vs Pepsi battle" in the apple/android stores battle."
4. You are a subsidiary of NTT Docomo. Can we expect to see Appsfuel compatible with Tizen (ex LiMo)?
"Yes, we are already working on a version of AppsFuel specifically optimized for Tizen. The plan is to be fully compatible and optimized with all smartphone platforms."
