Verizon Wireless will launch a carrier-branded mobile application store for developers based on Java ME at some point later this year, a Verizon spokesman has confirmed.

The carrier is giving developers proprietary information to nurture app development, and is "hosting an apps developer conference July 28 in Silicon Valley to this end," a Verizon Wireless spokesman told Internetnews.com.

Verizon (NYSE: VZ) CEO Lowell McAdam said yesterday at the JavaOne conference that the company will support Java, a significant change of course in strategy for a carrier that has long supported Qualcomm's (NASDAQ: QCOM) BREW technology for application development and distribution.

The app store will initially focus on smartphones, but could eventually extend to most of the the carrier's wireless subscriber base, the spokesman said.

While Verizon said it plans to publish specifications for the store in late July, the company declined to comment on business models, revenue sharing or a more precise launch date.

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