After being removed from the App Store last fall for violating Apple’s rules, the app discovery service returns. The most notable difference from the old app is a switch from a Popular list of apps to a new Stream list. Read more »
With over 800,000 apps in the iOS App Store to sift through, Apple isn’t helping by cracking down on some of the better apps for discovery. Here are some tips to find stuff you might like. Read more »
Looking for more information on other apps for your phone, or looking for more visual content in your Twitter feed? Twitter’s new updates to how third-party developers can create tweets has you potentially covered on both fronts. Read more »
Mobile app discovery service Appsfire is hoping its update to 4.0 will create the ultimate app discovery engine for users. It combines Appsfire’s previous discovery app with its Appsfire Deals app, which displayed apps that were free or on sale. Read more »
Apple’s iOS App Store has introduced a significant rule change: no more apps that promote third-party apps that look too much like Apple’s own App Store. But Apple may not be targeting quality app recommendation services as much as cheap knock-offs and pay-per-install marketing campaigns. Read more »
Most developers underestimate how hard it is to be successful in Apple’s App Store. And even if Apple improves things, it’s not going to be enough. Ouriel Ohayon, cofounder of Appsfire, looks at why this problem is so hard to solve. Read more »
Even with a glut of app discovery services and search engines available and improved features coming in Apple’s App Store, there are still more and more startups looking to solve the app recommendation problem. We take a look at new entrants: Xyologic, AppHero and AppAide. Read more »
At WWDC in June, Apple only briefly mentioned the iOS App Store would be getting a makeover. But the lack of emphasis on the details at the time doesn’t accurately reflect how important those changes are going to be for both developers and users. Read more »
The Berlin startup, which has been quietly developing its technology duirng a bootstrapped first couple of years, has gone into closed beta while revealing funding from VCs and SoundCloud and GameForge co-founders Read more »
Verizon continued its push into carrier apps on Friday, announcing it will distribute Extent’s GameTanium subscription mobile gaming service. For $6 a month, Android smartphone and tablet users can play more than 100 games such as Fruit Ninja and World of Goo on an unlimited basis. Read more »
In the version of iOS 6 set to arrive this fall, Apple has redesigned its App Store app. Apple bought discovery service Chomp in February for a reported $50 million, but it’s not clear yet how much improved search and discovery is in the new app. Read more »
Appsfire is introducing App Scores, a new way of pinning an iPhone app’s worth to a simple number. The automated system works takes into account dozens of signals and comes up with a number from 1-100 that should help inform people’s download decisions Read more »
Zedge, a popular personalization app that offers ringtones and wallpapers, is looking to use all the data it has on user tastes to help recommend free Android gaming apps via a new Mobile Games Channel on its Zedge app. Read more »
The market for app discovery has gotten increasingly crowded with all kinds of competitors and yet, the rush to solve the problem continues. The latest example is App-o-Day, a new free app of the day service from former Outfit7 CEO Andrej Nabergoj. Read more »
Though the App Store is still ahead of rival Android Market in discovery features, Apple clearly sees a need to ramp up and improve the way it helps consumers pick through its growing collection of apps. That’s what’s behind the acquisition of app discovery engine Chomp. Read more »
Independent mobile app store GetJar is looking to virtual currency to get users to come and keep downloading and interacting at GetJar’s app marketplace. The company today is introducing GetJar Gold virtual currency which will be awarded to users for downloading Android apps. Read more »
Appstores.com is launching an app distribution network that allows web publishers to curate their own app galleries, highlighting relevant apps for their audience. Appstores.com is also releasing a mobile ad unit that allows web publishers to inserts ads for apps that are tailored to its users. Read more »
Siri isn’t available to developers, and there’s no guarantee it will be. But it hasn’t stopped developers from tapping its power. Appsfire, an app discovery service, has created a little hack that allows iPhone 4S users to find apps with their voice. Read more »
Last quarter’s big headline in social media and real-time technologies came from Google, which launched Google+, its first social tech product that seems legit. In the third quarter, things were back to normal. Google+ is still growing, but Facebook’s platform update dominated the news. And as Google+ passed 25 million users and won some raves from the digerati, its competition with Facebook intensified. Additional companies mentioned in this report include Zynga, Salesforce, BranchOut and Foursquare. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Quixey, an app search engine with initial seed funding from Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, has just announced $3.8 million in new funding. The company is trying to capitalize on the boom in apps, which is opening up opportunities not just for developers but app discovery services. Read more »
Apple is in the process of rolling out new App Store category pages that more closely resemble the main App Store Featured front page. The new pages are live now for some categories, specifically Education and Games, in both the iTunes- and iPad-based App Stores. Read more »
App ratings have always been a key tool for mobile developers to get their apps noticed. But with the increasing competition in app marketplaces as well as the decline of some distribution tools, there seems to be renewed focus on app reviews and ratings. Read more »
Is anyone else a little tired of being pushed towards certain content because of mined personal information? It’s kind of like having that friend who resembles you a little too closely; eventually they become tiresome. Here’s how we might try doing recommendations differently. Read more »
How do you find new apps to download for your devices? A recent rash of app discovery tools available for iOS devices (including one out of left field from Yahoo) definitely identifies a problem, but I’m not sure it provides any real lasting solutions. Read more »
Yahoo is entering the crowded mobile app discovery market with a web service and software for iOS and Android. The software looks nice, but even with an app recommendation engine, it isn’t offering much that others don’t already provide. Is Yahoo simply trying to stay relevant? Read more »
Appsfire and others have helped tackle the issue of app discovery by bringing new social and sharing tools to bear on the task. Now, Zwapp, a new start-up is trying to go one step further by building essentially a social network around app discovery. Read more »
Quixey, a new start-up backed by Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors, is looking to make the app discovery process easier by allowing users to say what they’re looking to do and then using that info to generate app recommendations for multiple platforms. Read more »
Mobile apps, across all platforms, are already approaching the millions. So once you create a great app and figure out how to monetize it, how do get your app noticed and downloaded? These three services offer smart solutions to the app discovery problem. Read more »
