Before Android, Verizon's platforms on its phones are very limited as far as app development.  That's because Verizon was tighting its belts and not allowing third parties developers to enter its brew platform.  But that's all changing now, looks like Verizon has announced that it will launch Open Catalog program for Brew app developers.  Here's the press release about the announcement:

From the Uplinq 2010 Conference in San Diego, Verizon Wireless and Qualcomm Incorporated said today that Verizon Wireless will be the first to launch an Open Catalog program for Brew, giving developers enhanced opportunities to bring more applications to millions of Verizon Wireless customers.

Verizon Wireless worked together with Qualcomm on Open Catalog, which will help reduce developers' time to market while allowing them to market their applications directly to consumers. Verizon Wireless' Open Catalog will also create a more streamlined process where applications that meet certain guidelines will flow through the process and reach consumers more quickly.

"The world of applications is growing, and our goal is to help developers get their applications and other content to our customers as fast and as easily as possible, so everyone benefits," said Ryan Hughes, vice president of business development and partner management at Verizon Wireless. "Opening our catalog for Brew applications allows us to engage with many new developers and to address their needs to grow and expand their offers."

Open Catalog will be available for Verizon Wireless' wide variety of 3G Multimedia handsets and other Simple Feature phones that support the Brew platforms. There will be no device minimums, so developers only need to support those devices that make sense for their businesses, and other costs for validation, testing and authentication will be lower when associated with the Open Catalog.

"More than ever, Qualcomm is committed to fostering a strong and healthy ecosystem of mobile content, and we are able to facilitate this ecosystem by cultivating the mutually beneficial relationships between an operator and its developers at low operational costs with Open Catalog, which we feel is critical to creating the best possible end-user experiences," said Mitch Oliver, vice president of ecosystem development for Qualcomm. "Given our long history of success with Verizon Wireless, we are very pleased that they are creating this new opportunity for Brew developers with their Open Catalog program."

With Open Catalog, developers will gain more control of their content distribution and can still drive downloads through direct-to-consumer promotional campaigns such as SMS short codes. In addition, their content, regardless of whether it is free or paid, will be discoverable through search and on-deck browsing.

For more information about the Verizon Developer Community and the Open Catalog program, visit http://developer.verizon.com. For more information about Verizon Wireless, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

source: prnewswire