The phone makers are happily creating app stores to supply their customers with 99¢ utilities. They are setting up huge infrastructures and developer programs to court both users and developers alike. The reason: they know that your investment in these 99¢ gems will insure your loyalty to their platform long after their 2-year contract has expired. What you end up with is a platform lock that is every bit the barrier as the Windows/Macintosh switching cost.