Mobile App Usage During the Super Bowl

While football fans looking to supplement their Super Bowl Sunday with mobile apps were amply served, quite a few of us were surprised by the news released by Flurry Analytics last week regarding mobile app usage and the Big Game.  The data hint at methods app developers will be able to exploit in the future to create products to supplement the viewing experience.  Just as importantly, the numbers show that even at a spry fifty-three years of age, when Madonna struts her stuff she’s still able to make us turn off our mobile phones and gawk.

Flurry’s analysis of app usage during the Super Bowl underlined the growing popularity of what are known as “second screen” apps.  We’re not talking about the millions of us who try to get that third star on Angry Birds while we’re waiting for the commercials to finish, but rather about apps that are specifically tailored to complement the television viewing experience.  Apps like GetGlue, for example, are designed to transform activities like watching television or reading a book into a social networking experience, but when it comes to mega-events like the Super Bowl, second-screen apps provide users with trivia, contests, and additional streaming to enrich the experience.  The wildly popular Shazam very profitably exploited second-screen functionality on Super Bowl Sunday and we expect that trend to continue.

While most of us were definitely using our mobile apps during the game, Flurry drew conclusions about those moments when we weren’t.  A report from 148Apps noted that the Flurry data are a “a goldmine for advertisers as it also breaks down which commercials drove the most users to waste time on their phones and which managed to hold viewer attention.”  And perhaps unsurprisingly, app usage diminished considerably during the last minutes of the fourth quarter, when many of us stopped to ask – aloud – how insulted the Giant’s defense must have felt when Manning tried not to score for fear that Brady and company might march eighty yards unmolested in the remaining minute.

And Madonna, of course…there’s now scientific proof that we’ll drop everything to watch Madonna.

Valentine’s Apps for Android Devices

If you’re reading this, there’s a decent chance you’ve forgotten that Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, but don’t fret, we’re here to help.

First, if you’re having trouble coming up with romantic ideas for that special someone, apps like Romantic Ideas can spice things up this Valentine’s Day.  Some of the ideas there are more traditional in tone, involving long-stemmed roses and walks along the beach, while others are more in tune with the modern, tech-savvy era (“buy the domain name of your partner’s name,” for example).  Along the same lines, 100 Ways to Say I Love You has quite a few creative and original ideas as well, and has been racking up the five-star ratings to show for it.

Of course, there are plenty of Android apps out there either to put you or keep you in the mood once the day rolls around.  As you might expect, there’s a host of Valentine’s Day wallpaper apps for your mobile device, as well as Valentine Radio, a web-based collection of forty different radio stations that play all the best love songs.

Now, Valentine’s Day can give you a great excuse to show your special someone how much you love them, but for others it can be the most depressing holiday of the year.  We’re talking about single people, of course (or at least single people who don’t want to be).  The good news is that it’s never been easier to get out there and meet people.  OKCupid has been bringing people together (for free) for a while now, but the beauty of that mobile app is that it makes excellent use of your device’s GPS functionality to provide local notifications and chat, and also to allow you to suggest venues and broadcast photos.  In other words, if love is waiting for you – quite literally around the corner – this app will help you find it.   There are plenty of other dating apps out there available for Android users, of course, so make sure you find the one that’s best for you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

How to Get Featured in the Android App Store

With over half a million apps in the Android app store, getting your app to stand out in the crowd can be a somewhat daunting task.  However, as the most recent Distimo report suggests, the rewards are very definitely worth it.  According to the report, apps in the Google Android app store that were “featured” benefitted from an 828% gain in ranking that continued even after the “featured” status was removed.

No, that’s not a typo, and developers are often blindsided by the spikes in their download traffic until they notice that their app was featured.  It seems like a formula for instant success; the problem, of course, is figuring out how to get featured in the first place.

There’s no magic formula that determines what gets featured and what does not, and the Distimo report remained tellingly silent on the subject.  That said, one thing we’re certain of is that there’s no substitute for developing a high-quality app.  (And if you’re considering developing a mobile app, we can help with that.)  Beyond that, as is the case with most products in environments as competitive as the mobile app market, what’s required is aggressive networking and just a dash of luck.

Last year an Android representative explained the process by which apps are chosen to be featured:  “A team of editors and category managers that proactively look at new apps being released on Android Market. If an app is determined to have high potential, it is thoroughly reviewed to make sure it meets the high bar for being featured.”  Discussions on Quora explain how developers might help that process along and recommend that developing a relationship with the app store’s management can go a long way to greasing the wheels.  It’s important not to be a pest, but otherwise there’s no downside to starting a conversation with app store managers about getting your app featured.  If nothing else, they may remember both your name and the name of your mobile app, and in this high-volume market that already puts you ahead of the curve.

What’s New in Smartphone Security

Conventional wisdom traditionally holds that Apple computers are more inherently secure than PCs and iPhones are more secure than their Android competitors.  In the smartphone world, this is generally credited to the tight controls Apple likes to keep on its products and devices, as opposed to the “Wild West” of open source software that accompanies Android devices.  Recent evidence suggests, however, that the habits of the smartphone user, rather than the device they’re using, is the most important factor when it comes to protecting both user and data.

It’s not that Apple’s iOS is impregnable to begin with, as security analyst Charlie Miller demonstrated in November of last year.  Miller created a stock-ticker app that was approved by Apple’s gatekeepers, in spite of the fact that it could access all sorts of data on the user’s iPhone and send it wherever the developer wanted.  Apple swiftly pulled the app, fixed the problem, and kicked Miller out of the iOS developer program, but his exploit is still a teachable moment when it comes to the traditional wisdom surrounding mobile security.

Many have begun to suggest, however, that “the actions of a smartphone user far outweigh the actual phone they decide to use when security comes into play.”  This fact has yet to trickle down to most users themselves, who continue to hold their carriers, rather than themselves, responsible for mobile security.  According to Tech News Daily, only 20% of surveyed users have any kind of security software on their mobile devices, in spite of vigilantly installing such protections on their desktop devices at home.  Users tend to be considerably less forgiving as well, given that a full 90% of them insist they would change carriers should an unexpected or unexplained charge appear on their monthly bill.

It’s slowly becoming clearer to many users, however, that just as their Internet provider isn’t responsible for their desktop security, their mobile carrier isn’t necessary responsible for their smartphone security.  It all boils down to how we think about our mobile devices:  That’s not a phone in your pocket, but a computer, and a fairly powerful one at that.  It deserves every bit as much vigilance as the computers we use at home.

Budgeting For Android App Development

Last week we revisited the nagging question that lies at the heart of the mobile app industry: “How much does it cost to develop a mobile app?”  Bearing in mind that the answer to that question is and will always be “it depends,” this week we’re going to discuss budgeting strategies for mobile app start-ups, in the hopes that ample preparation will help soften the blow.

There are a couple approaches you can take once you’ve decided your mobile app idea is appealing enough to be taken seriously.  Those approaches will rely heavily on the amount of investment capital the app will require.  It breaks down like this:  either you know how much you’re willing to spend, or you don’t; either you know how much developing the app will cost, or you don’t.  In any event, you’ll need to have at least one of those questions answered before proceeding to the development itself.

Your first step, of course, is to have as precise an idea as possible as to what you want your app to do.  The key word here is “precise.”  You won’t necessarily need to have any grasp of the technical specifications involved, but you should be able to describe in detail exactly what it is your app will accomplish, how you want it to look, etc.  At that point you can contact a service like ours and get three free app development quotes before you make a decision as to whether you’re willing to shell out the necessary start-up money.

If your budget falls short of that number, don’t despair.  Remember that the development cost of a mobile app is directly proportional to its level of sophistication, so if you can’t afford the development costs for the app you have in mind, try and determine whether you can accomplish the same objectives with a lower level of sophistication.

In any event, services like ours allow you to minimize the initial risks by ensuring that you’ll know exactly how much the app development will cost before you have to spend a single dime.  So drop us a line, and we’ll help get you started!

Android Development Costs Revisited

“How much will it cost to develop my mobile app?” is a question we hear from time to time, and by that we mean “several times a day.”  The fact that this question doesn’t have a satisfactory answer is one of the more frustrating sides of the mobile app business, both for entrepreneurs and developers alike.  There are far too many factors involved to quote a precise and accurate figure, so the best answer we can give – the best answer anyone can give – is “it depends.”

We realize that’s not terribly helpful, as far as answers go, but to get a better sense of the development cost for a given mobile app, it’s helpful to know on what that answer depends.  Those of us in the mobile app industry love to break things down into categories, whether we believe there are two kinds of apps, or seven, or seven hundred.  This isn’t always useful, particularly when those categories lead to a price range of anywhere from $1,000 to a quarter of a million dollars.  The complexities of development cost can however be effectively distilled down to a fairly simple formula:  the more sophisticated the app, the more it’s going to cost.

It’s certainly possible to develop a static, information-only mobile app for $1,000.  Bear in mind that what we’re talking about here is an app with Pong-like levels of sophistication.  Beyond that, every added feature will increase the total development cost, often significantly.  Will the app be able to store all its necessary data on the platform on which it’s installed or will it require an external database?  Is it a game that will require sophisticated pathing algorithms and 3D functionality?  Will the app need to make use of the hardware on which it’s installed, the microphone, the camera, the accelerometer?  Will the app’s look and feel require the participation of a professional graphic designer, in addition to the app developer?  All of these factors contribute to the total development cost of any given mobile app.

We’ll discuss development budgeting in a later post, but in the meantime, if you’re considering developing a mobile app, let us hear your idea and we’ll set you up with three free quotes from experienced developers.

Best Apps of the Year

It’s that time of year again, when those of us who haunt the internet throughout the holiday season are regaled with page after page of year-in-review listicles, from the top ten hockey fan moments of 2011, to the top ten new species of 2011, top ten concept cars, top ten everything, you name it.  One of the categories that has yet to be fully determined, however—and one of particular interest to us—is the Best Apps of 2011 category.

The Best Apps Ever award is the People’s Choice of the mobile industry; it’s now in its fourth year, but for reasons beyond our understanding did not include Android apps for the first three of those years.  The 2011 contest has rectified that frankly unforgivable oversight, so hopefully Android will be able to make up a bit of ground in this year’s running.

Users can nominate the apps of their choice in any of four major categories: Overall App Awards, Application Awards, Educational App Awards, and Gaming App Awards.   We’re especially pleased to see Gaming Apps in their own category this year, where we assume Angry Birds will clean up, considering it’s captured three of the top ten spots in Distimo’s ‘most popular apps of the year.’

Each of the main categories is further broken down into a host of subcategories, covering just about every imaginable eventuality.  The Overall App category, for example, includes awards in Best Use of Hardware, Best Doing Good, and the much-coveted Best Time Killer.  The other main categories break down into much more specific sub-categories, far too many to list here.

To nominate a specific app, all you have to do is click on the sub-category in which the app might reasonably be included, type in the name of the app, wait for the site to search for it, then confirm by clicking on the app in question.  This is, of course, not merely a way to plug apps you enjoy using, it’s an excellent way to get a bit of free press for any app you might already have on the market.

Freemium Apps Are Here To Stay

In spite of the fact that they’ve been taking a bit of undeserved (albeit hilarious) flak from the Daily Show, the freemium monetization model for mobile applications is only going to grow in popularity.  According to a recent study conducted by ABI Research, nearly 90% of the top mobile apps on the market are “incrementally monetized” using either advertisements or in-app purchases.  Distimo’s latest report added that freemium monetization generates about half of the total revenue in Apple’s app store and 65% of the total revenue in the Android marketplace.

ABI’s study is quick to note that the category in which a given app is classified plays an important role in the monetization model.  Games and other entertainment apps, for example, continue to favor a paid model for their revenues.  While many of these apps make use of in-app purchases for in-game currency (Tap Fish, Infinity Blade), these tend to require a considerably higher initial investment in development costs to allow for the sort of sophistication that will lead consumers to make such purchases in the first place.

However, one of the more important factors to consider in the freemium model is its inherent versatility.  As the ABI study notes, “What many observers misunderstand about freemium is that it isn’t only about monetizing, but also about marketing.  The threshold for consumers to download free apps is really low, so more people end up using and recommending them, which then also gives those apps a bump in distributors’ ranking systems. This means that paid apps fail to draw attention in the first place.”

In other words, for mobile app developers trying to make their product profitable in the app marketplace, apps using the freemium model are the ones that users are more likely to download and tell their friends about.  This is especially true for first-time apps and first-time developers who cannot yet bank on their own name recognition to push sales of their own mobile app.

Of course, if you’re considering developing a mobile app, freemium or otherwise, drop us a line and we can set you up with three free quotes from our network of experienced developers.

Ten Billion Served

In just three years since it first launched, Google’s Android Market recently celebrated its ten billionth download.  That’s way more than enough for every person on the planet to have an app.  Just as impressively, if current trends prevail – and there’s no reason to think they won’t – the Android Market will continue racking up a billion downloads per month.  That’s almost enough for every one of the 1.3 billion citizens of China.

These numbers are huge, but what do they mean?  “Nothing,” according to Ewan Spence of Forbes, who criticizes the data released by Google because it doesn’t differentiate discrete mobile app downloads from re-installations, version updates, and discarded trial versions.  Spence reduces the slew of press releases concerning the ten billionth download to a cynical marketing ploy designed to pump up the numbers over the coming months.  He concludes by comparing the media attention to “smoke and mirrors” and suggesting that consumers should ignore all the fanfare and select their mobile devices based on their own individual needs instead of allowing themselves to be seduced by the hype.

Spence isn’t wrong about that.  Nor is he wrong about the lack of meaningful breakdowns in the sales data or about the media blitz Google is using to sell more apps.  We can’t agree, however, that the number is as meaningless as Spence seems to suggest.  Ten billion is an awfully big number, and if nothing else, it’s indicative of the breakneck speed with which the mobile app culture is taking over not only the marketplace, but also our daily lives.  Additionally, the unbelievable growth rate in the app industry is a testament to the innovation and creativity of app developers as Google noted in a blog post last week.  To be sure, security concerns about Google’s open source app market model come up from time to time, but the fact of the matter is that no other business model rewards inspiration and industry quite like the Android marketplace … and of course, if you’re thinking about adding your own app to the Google community, drop us a line and we’ll help get you started.

Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich

We posted a couple of months ago that Ice Cream Sandwich, Android’s latest OS update, was coming.  Here’s an update on this treat, which, by all accounts, is delicious.

The most remarkable change that ICS will implement lies in the interface.  The new OS is designed to work without buttons.  The ‘home’ and ‘back’ buttons will remain as they always were, but the ‘long press’ function has been removed, and a ‘multi-tasking’ (or ‘recent apps’) command has been added.  This latter command will allow the user to access a menu showing all recent apps that have been used, all of which can be exited by a simple sideways swipe.  This feature will go a long way toward conserving battery life should any of those apps be conducting updates in the background.  The three main command buttons will collapse down to three small dots when any media app is launched in order to maximize the screen real estate for videos and such, which will likely represent something of a learning curve for new users.

One of the new features of Android 4.0 is called ‘Face Unlock,’ which will allow users to unlock their phones merely by looking at them.  This is, unfortunately, more of a gimmick than a feature, as it consistently malfunctions in certain lighting conditions, can be fooled by a photograph of the user instead of his or her actual face, and even Google admits on the “about screen” that Face Unlock is less secure than a PIN or pattern.  Nevertheless, it’s still unassailably cool, and will be fun to whip out at parties, at least until everybody else is running 4.0.

And when will that be?  Unlike iOS updates, which are valid for all devices at once, ICS will first be available on the more popular, high-end phones, most notably Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, sometimes referred to as ICS’s “mother ship.”  HTC announced that seven of its models will get ICS in early 2012, and most manufacturers will make it available on all devices released within 18 months of the OS’s own release.

A full review of ICS is beyond the scope of this post, but rest assured that we’ll keep you abreast of its progress as it makes its way to market.