Windows Phone Thoughts: Going From Trial To Full: What's the Best Method?

Last week, I touched upon a topic that unraveled into a great discussion regarding the woes of developers and customers alike, when a middleman is involved. Though it's often debatable, software piracy is sometimes regarded as an unfortunate result of high costs (and others will justifiably argue that high costs are a result of software piracy, too). Seen as both a burden and a blessing, the various methods that developers take to get the full product to the legitimate end-user can vary from a simple, full version download or a 5-digit serial number, to a complicated, Internet-enabled, ActiveSync-connected desktop, coupled with multiple, lengthy registration keys full of dashes, case-sensitive alphanumeric characters and symbols that could literally make a rocket scientist's head spin. And, if you switch between multiple devices often like I used to, the process even becomes more tedious.



In the end, what method works best for you? As a customer, have you completely avoided a product simply because of its registration method? Do you feel as if you're not even trusted as a paying customer? As a developer, do you think a stronger (or near-surefire) registration method could result in lower costs due to more purchases and legitimate usage? Do you think your customers would go for it? Your thoughts, please.