Ars is taking nominations for Best New Mac OS X App, Best Mac OS X User Experience, Most Innovative Mac OS X App, Best Mac OS X App for Education, and Best Student-created Mac OS X App. The nominations will be narrowed down to the top five, of which the staff at Ars will choose the winners in each category.

Ars will also be giving a special “Readers Choice” award, selected by the number of votes each of the top 10 nominations receives. All winners will be announced in June during the WWDC.

Even though Apple sometimes leaves developers out in the cold, the great Mac community steps in to fill the gaps. Leaving the Mac OS X Apps out of this years WWDC shows Apple’s focus, but I expect the awards to be back next year to coincide with the release of OS X 10.7. Apple might be all about the mobile devices right now, but we know that the Mac is not going anywhere, and it’s good that we can take the time to recognize the developers who work so hard to bring us the best applications on any platform.

iPhone news and review site 148apps.com has announced the launch of Best App Ever, a new site which allows you to nominate your favorite apps and games in any one of thirty categories.

• Most Innovative App – The most innovative app on the iPhone OS platform
• Most Useful App – The app you just can’t live without
• Best Free or Ad Supported App – The best free or ad-supported application – must currently be free in the US App Store
• Best 99 Cent App – The ‘I can’t believe this only cost $.99′ app – must currently cost $0.99 in the US App Store
• Best iPhone WOW App – The app makes your friends jealous (and want to buy an iPhone)
• Best Productivity Enhancer – The app that helps you get it done in half the time
• Best Productivity Killer – The app that prevents you from getting it done
• Best Feel Like A Local App – The app that helps the traveler find the local hot spots
• Best Outdoor Use App – The app that enhances travel, outdoor exploration or transit use
• Best Musical Instrument App – The app that turns the iPhone into a musical instrument, and you into a rock star
• Best Social Networking App – The app that keeps you connected on the road
• Best Photography App – The app that turns iPhone photography into masterpieces
• Best Kid Distraction App – The app that keeps your kids happy (for a minute)
• Most Creative Use of iPhone Hardware – The app that does things with the iPhone hardware that the Apple would never have dreamed of
• Best Use of Location Services – The app that uses the core location services in new and innovative ways
• Most Original User Interface – The app that redefines interface design
• Best User Interface – The app with the best user interface in an application or game
• Most Innovative Game – The game that has shown the greatest innovation on the platform
• Best Original Game – The best game that is original on the iPhone platform
• Best Game Port – The best game adapted from another platform or system
• Best Casual Game – The game that is easy to pick up and play while you wait for your coffee to brew
• Best Long-Play Game – The game that sucks you and won’t let you go until your battery dies
• Best Free or Ad Supported Game – The best free or ad-supported game – must currently be free in the US App Store
• Best 99 Cent Game – The ‘I can’t believe this only cost $.99′ app – must currently cost $0.99 in the US App Store
• Best Game Graphics – The game with the killer graphics
• Best Game Controls – The game with the best use of the iPhone hardware for a game controller
• Best Arcade Game – The game that rocks the arcade or action genre
• Best Puzzle Game – The game that makes puzzles exciting again
• Best Traditional Game – The game that celebrates tradition — card, board, casino, etc.
• Best Racing Game – The game that gets your adrenaline pumping
• Best Kids Game – The game or educational app you want your kid to play
• Best Strategy Game – The game that keeps you one step ahead
• Best Word Game – The game that lets you exercise your vocabulary

You can submit your nominations at the Best App Ever main site by clicking on the category and entering the information for the application. On December 31 the nominees for all categories will be posted and polls will open. The winners will be announced on January 7, 2009 at Macworld Expo.

This is a great opportunity to give your favorite iPhone developers a chance at some additional recognition for a job well done.

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Note that the survey measures the satisfaction of business customers specifically, which is good use for Cupertino’s efforts to make inroads in the Enterprise market. Results drawn from the 1,388 person respondent pool were gathered over two months, between August and September 2008. Devices were scored out of 1,000 total possible points, using criteria like ease of use, operating system, design, features, and battery.

The iPhone scored an impressive 778, besting RIM’s 703 and Samsung’s 701. Apple’s success is due largely to their strong perfomance in ease of operation, design, and feature set, all categories which are heavily weighted in the marking scheme established by J.D. Power. The only category the iPhone scored poorly in was battery aspects, where it was tied for the lowest score. It should be noted however that only BlackBerry and Samsung scored higher, of the six manufacturers used in the survey.

To explain the results in terms of the many problems reported by iPhone users, the study highlights the susceptibility of all smartphones to error. In fact, it found that 1 in 4 users on average experience software-related issues with their devices, across all brands. It’s likely that iPhone users are just a more vocal market segment regarding errors, since the device has only recently been released, and the Apple community is generally quick to point out and commiserate regarding troubling issues.

The study also sought to find out how customers made their smartphone purchasing decisions. Most important to users were internet capability, email integration, overall design, Bluetooth capability, and keyboard style (QWERTY vs. non-QWERTY).

The survey provides valuable insight into what smartphone customers are looking for, and acts as a guide as to what Apple needs to work on to stay on top. J.D. Power awards are often used by companies in marketing, and considering the category, Apple will likely be using this to woo more enterprise customers away from RIM.

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Mobile Q4: All Eyes Were on Android, 4G and the Rising Tablet Tide
• Report: A Mobile Video Market Overview
• In Q3, the Tablet and 4G Were the Big Stories