Apptism: an Alternative to Apple's iPhone Apps Store

[nodramachicks]

All it takes to set of a storm of controversy on the Web is for is one really good iPhone application to be declined by Apple; everyone buzzes about why Apple is accepting certain iPhone apps and not others. If you want to expand your iPhone horizons beyond the App Store or just want a different way to browse available applications, take a look at Apptism, a new site that aggregates iPhone apps from around the Web and allows you to purchase and download them directly.

The App Store is a great source for finding new tools and applications for your iPhone or iPod touch, but it's not the end-all listing of iPhone applications on the Web. A number of developers who have made excellent and functional applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch have been told that Apple won't allow their app on the official Apple store for one reason or another. In some cases it's because the app duplicates the functionality of an existing application; in other cases, the rationale is less specific.

In any case, iPhone and iPod touch owners looking for those apps have to get them from the developer directly, or the developer has to invest in Apple's "Ad-Hoc" distribution method. If you just want quality apps for your device and can't find what you need on the app store, try Apptism. The bulk of the store's applications are hosted at the app store, but the service is looking for developers with their own apps to highlight and feature.

But Apptism is more than just a clearinghouse for applications. The service lists detailed information about each app along with reviews and news about the app elsewhere on the Web; it even allows Apptism members to post their own reviews and comments about the app. The most popular free and paid applications are featured at the top of the page and in the sidebar. The service is tracking almost 3,700 iPhone applications, and if you're looking for something specific, you can browse by category or keyword search at the top of the page.

Accounts at Apptism are free, and once you're signed up you can comment, rate, and review applications on the site. You don't need an account to download the free apps, and most of the paid apps will take you back to the Apple app store to pay for them before you can download them.

Story:

[Chefanim]

I browsed through the first 5 or so pages there, and it seems its not only a place for apps that werent approved, but for just others to find an extra source of advertisement. All the apps I saw on those first few pages were things that I either had, or have seen on iTunes. So its seems like a good idea, but it would be nice to see a section for only apps that didnt meet Apple's approval.

IMO:
The best unnaproved 3rd party apps will be available on Cydia, For example, Swirlly MMS, its a great program, and I paid the developer my $8, and couldnt be happier with it.
Of course, Having Cydia requires that you jailbreak, which seems to scare a lot of people I know.