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 »
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 »
New data from app analytics firm Localytics suggests the best way to make in-app purchase pay is to build loyalty and engagement, which can result in more revenue overall than a quick sell. Localytics found that loyal users generate 25 percent more in-app purchases. Read more »
As the year winds down, here’s a look back at the biggest, most significant things that happened in the apps we use on our smartphones and tablets this year, as well as the most important themes to watch out for come 2012. Read more »
Microsoft added fuel to speculations about its consumer-business prowess on Tuesday with the preview of its forthcoming Windows Store that will accompany Windows 8, but there’s a more fundamental issue facing Microsoft than whether consumers will buy Windows 8 devices. Will it have developers? Read more »
IOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 have collectively hit 991,524 apps available in their stores with the big million unit milestone set to be reached in the next day, said an analytics firm. It’s a reminder of just how big this modern app market is. Read more »
Skype is helping introduce its third-party apps to consumers with a new app directory that lets people browse and access apps that are built on Skype’s API. The directory features dozens of free and paid apps that are available on both Windows and Mac. Read more »
The non-iPad tablet market is relatively young, but the iPad is still running away with the lion’s share of the tablet market. Aside from the iPad, consumers and enterprises can choose from tablets running on Android, BlackBerry and webOS. But are they buying? Here are a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Android Market is paced by a number of very prolific app makers and it also sees more updates per app than the App Store, according to app ratings analytics and discovery firm Mobilewalla. The company found that Android users are also focused more on popular apps. Read more »
As a free app in Amazon’s Appstore, Shifty Jelly’s Pocket Caster Android app, benefitted hugely from the exposure. Sales jumped from 20 per day to 101,491 sales on the day Amazon offered it at no charge. But there’s one problem: The company didn’t make a dime. Read more »
Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 sales may be lagging, but the company is making sure it continues to develop the app ecosystem, which can help boost sales. Apps are now supported in more countries and developers have new Marketplace tools in preparation for the next software update. 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 »
GetJar has beat out budding rival Amazon in snagging the Android exclusive on Cut the Rope, a previous iOS game with Angry Birds–like appeal. The game illustrates the growing competition between the 2 third-party Android app stores as they compete for developers and consumers. Read more »
The new trend in cloud computing appears to be app-store-like marketplaces where software vendors and infrastructure experts can share their operational know-how. Cloud-computing management platform RightScale became the latest to hop on the trend today with its MultiCloud Marketplace. Read more »
With Apple App Store hitting the half billion mark and Android Market poised to overtake it later this year, it’s a busy time to be in the app discovery business. Appsfire, a France-based startup is reaping the benefits, scoring $3.6 million in Series A funding. Read more »
Amazon unveiled its Mac Download Store today: a web-based competitor for the Mac App Store. The store provides direct downloads of Mac software directly from your browser, and ships with some marquee titles that aren’t yet available in Apple’s own marketplace. Read more »
Miso began offering developers the ability to build on its existing code base with an open API a few months ago. After a few months of making the API available, it launched a new app store to highlight apps built by third-party developers. Read more »
The Infuse 4G with its huge, vivid touchscreen and fast radio was introduced by AT&T this week, but some many opt for a faster, dual-core device. The immersive Google Earth app travels to Honeycomb tablets and Amazon looks to soon have a tablet of its own. Read more »
Amazon is the most noteworthy of a small army of new app distributors that are hoping to compete with Google’s Android Market. Here are a few other companies that should consider joining the field and capitalizing on Android’s runaway success. Read more »
Amazon is giving Verizon Android customers $25 worth of app credits in its new app store. The deal signals how serious Amazon is taking its app store and how the company is filling out an ecosystem that could become the basis for a tablet platform. Read more »
Appia, a white-label mobile application marketplace, announced $10 million in funding from Venrock today, brining total funding to $28.5 million. Casting a wider net with an app store builder may be the better play as opposed to raising millions for a single application. Read more »
Opera Software isn’t sweating the recent ban of its browser in the GetJar app store, because the effort is just one part of a larger plan by Opera to become a major distribution point for native and web apps around the world. Read more »
With all the growing competition in the market for app stores, it’s inevitable that this jockeying is leading to some competitive measures. The latest sign of that is GetJar’s move to ban Opera Mini after Opera announced it was launching its own app market. Read more »
Opera Software is getting into the app game by launching the Mobile App Store, a web storefront where 100 million Opera browser users will be able to buy apps. The move highlights the growth of app stores, but also raises questions about how many can survive. Read more »
Mobile malware has become a very real threat thanks largely to Google’s lack of oversight in Android Market. The company’s refusal to play app cop will increasingly take a toll on its app distribution business — and maybe on Android as a whole. Read more »
Independent mobile app store GetJar announced it has grabbed $25 million in funding as it looks to become the premier open Android market. The funding highlights the excitement around app stores, which are looking to capitalize on estimated $15 billion in app revenue this year. Read more »
Now that RIM, Nokia and Microsoft have new smartphones to challenge Apple and Google, a question of platform investment comes into play. At what point do consumers feel they’ve spent too much on mobile apps for one device to keep them from switching operating systems? Read more »
A lack of easy discoverability plagues the mobile app world with each new title that comes to market. But operators who can help solve that problem have a chance to regain their relevance in the exploding space — if they keep in mind four useful tips. Read more »
Apple’s iOS platform has paid out more than a billion dollars to third-party developers through the iTunes App Store, but such success is yet to be found in Google’s Android Market. Developers tell Bloomberg they still have “high hopes” that Android revenues will come in time. Read more »
Research In Motion has purchased Cellmania to acquire mobile app store expertise for an undisclosed amount. This purchase follows the recent launch of an improved App World for BlackBerry devices and brings RIM a team experienced in app distribution, carrier billing and mobile storefronts. Read more »
PocketGear has raised $15 million in Series B funding, giving the “world’s largest open app store and content marketplace” more capital for expansion. In this age of platform-specific stores, the company may need it as consumers get locked in to apps for their specific devices. Read more »
Is there room in the world for an Apple-like mobile software store comprised of web apps? One person thinks so and just launched an iPhone app to gather up web-based applications, making it easier for both consumers and developers to find and sell Internet wares. Read more »
GetJar, a San Mateo, Calif.-based company, today announced it is delivering over 3 million downloads a day to more than 2,000 different phone models. Thanks to the wide range of supported devices, developers can use GetJar to target their software for specific models and geographic regions. Read more »
The growing anti-Apple alliance between Google and Adobe is likely to extend beyond mobile devices and apps, however. One collaboration that is surely in the works, even if its not ready to be announced this week, is the integration of Flash into Google’s new Smart TV ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A group of two dozen carriers and handset manufacturers are working to deliver a platform that would enable developers to write a single application and sell it through multiple carriers and storefronts. It’s a noble effort that is doomed to ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Practically anyone can create a Nokia smartphone application thanks to the new Ovi App Wizard. This is a step in the right direction for Nokia, but it’s not likely to raise the Ovi Store to parity with Apple’s or Google application stores. Read more »
Embedded app stores are finding their way onto connected HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players and set-top boxes, where streaming video apps are likely to predominate. With the number of connected devices expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, cable and satellite providers could again find ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Instead of the stark choice between putting up a paywall and suffering a loss of traffic on the one hand, or making content freely available in pursuit of traffic and suffering low CPMs on the other, Apple may finally offer publishers a realistic chance of generating ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Fox is releasing a so-called hypertrailer for its hit show Glee today that allows viewers to friend characters of the show on Facebook right within the video player while watching a preview for an upcoming episode. The key to this integration of additional web content within […] Read more »
The worldwide online market for digital goods will grow amid a state of continuous disruption across all forms of content markets. Fueled by an ever-growing user base, migration from physical formats to digital distribution, and a proliferation of new connected devices, the overall market for digital goods will grow to $36 billion by 2014, up from $16.7 billion in 2009. This report examines the state of paid content and the various monetization and payment models across each of the various digital goods markets. The report examines key players and market dynamics in the film and video, newspaper, online game, music and social networks space relative to their paid content strategies, and includes a revenue forecast of each of these segments relative to the overall paid content market. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
