Apple's iPhone and Google's G1 Android are grabbing headlines -- and dollars -- with their mobile application stores, which sell a variety of bells and whistles, from the essential to the frivolous. But the majority of wireless users in the U.S. still don't use smart phones, so how do mobile carriers get these profit-generating widgets onto their customers' handsets?

In response to that question, AT&T and Adobe are taking two very different approaches to cashing in on the mobile widget trend.

AT&T is looking to standardize all of its mobile devices on one operating system in order to develop an application market, according to The New York Times' Bits blog. This will let developers create low-end applications that don't need to run on operating systems like Android, Microsoft or Mac OS X.

Adobe, meanwhile, is moving forward with its Air product, which is designed to run the same application on different types of phones, essentially letting customers buy applications from the store of their choosing.

So far, Verizon, Nokia and Motorola are helping define the Air standards, but Adobe hasn't found a manufacturer to commit to using the software yet. Therefore, the company is employing a creative business model: For wireless carriers that agree to run Air, Adobe will eliminate the royalties for using the software.