Google Android App Tutorial Training hometutorials

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COEhiTT1KLk

Funding iPhone Ecosystem Plays

 

Scott Kveton, CEO/co-founder of Urban Airship, the company whose services take the sting out of push notification and in-app purchase — and sponsors of this site! — wrote to let me know that they’d closed a $1.1 million series-a funding round.

This was rattling around in my brain along with a recent memory that Chomp, the Yelp for apps application, had raised around half a million dollars from well-known Bay Area investor Ron Conway.

On the surface, Urban Airship and Chomp appear dissimilar. However, they both exist to exploit byproducts of the iPhone ecosystem. They’re iPhone ecosystem plays.

Both also feel free. Urban Airship new pricing structure lets you send 250,000 push notices a month for free; why would I want to write the socket code to handle push myself with this as an option? Chomp earns their money through Apple’s affiliate program — they take 5% of the app purchase price, but this comes out of Apple’s cut — so they’re even more free.

These provide a pattern to emulate and learn from. Have a look at Urban Airship’s funding press release for smart language linking their offering to Amazon’s web services.

It’s heartening to see series-a and angel funding for iPhone ecosystem companies. It’s a nice counterbalance to the episodic company/developer leaving iPhone development cycles we see every few months.

 

http://www.mobileorchard.com/funding-iphone-ecosystem-plays/

Google Earth has landed for Android 2.1

When the Google Nexus One was announced, there were several cool new features unveiled for the device and Android 2.1: interactive wallpapers, 3D graphics and support for Google Earth. The latter wasn’t available at the time, and there was no date set, but it looks like it’s available on Android Market now.

If you have Android 1.5 or 1.6, don’t bother. Not to burst your bubble, but your device doesn’t have the resources needed to power such an intensive application. Users reporting the app’s availability have all been Nexus One owners, which means this is a 2.1-only app so far. DROID owners will have to wait for the 2.1 update, which seems to be taking longer than most would have wanted or expected.

There’s nothing official yet from the Google blog, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated when the announcement is official.

[via Android Guys]

 

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/02/22/google-earth-has-landed-for-android-2-1/

The Truth about Mobile Application Stores

At the recent Mobile World Congress 2010, Dutch app store analytics firm Distimo presented their findings on the six largest mobile application stores in existence today: the iTunes App Store, BlackBerry App World, Google Android Market, Nokia Ovi Store, Palm App Catalog and Windows Marketplace for Mobile. In their presentation, they analyzed everything including store size, store growth, the most popular applications and where you can find the best deal. They recently shared some of the highlights from that presentation by way of a slideshow embedded on their blog.

For mobile industry insiders, some of the findings won't be all that shocking, just common knowledge paired with statistics. However, there were a few surprises that caught us off guard, maybe they will you too.

Distimo collects public application data from app stores and also offers developers an analytics tool which is used to monitor their apps and those belonging to their competitors. After examining and analyzing the data, the company releases market reports detailing their findings.

Free Vs. Paid Apps

One of their most recent reports looked at which application stores have the highest percentage of free apps. Not surprisingly, the Android Market was the winner here. In an interview with Venture Beat, Distimo co-founder and CEO Vincent Hoogsteder said this was due to multiple factors: the nature of the open-source operating system from Google attracts the sort of developers that enjoy giving away their works and the open nature of the application- approval process (that is, no review board middleman exists between app creation and public release) makes it easier for casual developers to launch. Also, anecdotal evidence points to developers' dissatisfaction with Google Checkout - paid Android apps are required to implement this payment method for purchase, a much slower process than Apple's 1-click buying process.

The different ratios of free apps versus paid was one of the findings presented during MWC 2010. In the chart below, you can see the varying percentages by store. (Note that Distimo's findings were focused on the U.S. market only). Android has the most free applications (57% free) and Nokia has the most paid (85% paid). The next closest store to Android in terms of free is Palm, followed by Apple, Blackberry, Windows Phone, and finally Nokia.

Another interesting finding had to do with the prices for the paid applications. Apple, Android and Palm were all in the same range when it came to the average price for paid apps ($3.27 to $3.62). However, RIM and Microsoft were more than twice as high ($8.26 and $6.99, respectively). This didn't necessarily have to do with the different types of applications available in each store - sometimes, the exact same app was just priced higher on other platforms. For example, Tetris was $4.99 on Apple and $6.99 on Windows. IM+ was $4.99 on Apple and $29.99 on Blackberry.

Store Size and Growth: Look Out for Android!

Android is now the second-largest application store, reports Distimo, with 19, 297 apps. It's still a far cry from Apple's 150,998 apps, though. And other competitors are farther still. Ovi, we were surprised to discover, is the third largest with 6,118 apps available while Blackberry has a respectable 4,756. Palm has only 1,492 and Windows has 693. Apple is also the fastest growing store with a shocking 13,865 new applications added per month. Android's growth is picking up too - they now have 3,005 new apps per month (15%). Relative to the number of apps housed, Android is actually the fastest growing store.

Games, Games, Games

Also discussed were the popularity of applications by category. On Apple's store, games and entertainment were the most popular categories (58% and 18%, respectively). Somewhat more surprising was the popularity of games on Blackberry, the platform often used more by enterprise and SMBs than by consumers. Here, games were also in the lead with 29% popularity to only 18% for utilities. One would have thought that would be the other way around - that corporate users would be more likely download apps that helped them work, not play. Apparently, that's not the case.

For more details on this presentation, you can view the entire slideshow on Slideshare or contact the company itself for a more in-depth marketing report.

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_truth_about_mobile_application_stores.php

Dolly Parton Says: Mobile Roadie on Android Rocks

Mobile Roadie, the popular do-it-yourself platform that allows bands, celebrities and regular users to create iPhone apps without knowing how to program, just announced that it has now expanded its service to Google Android. With this new service, Mobile Roadie users can now create and manage both Android and iPhone apps simultaneously. Dolly Parton, Ashton Kutcher and Madonna are among today's launch partners. A Mobile Roadie-based Taylor Swift app is also in the works.

Mobile Roadie is mostly targeted towards musicians, athletes, politicians, celebrities, blogs, conferences and venues, though you could also use the service to create your own vanity app.

For a set-up fee of $499 and a monthly management fee that starts at $29, Mobile Roadie allows users to create apps that include integration with third-party services like YouTube, Brightcove, Flickr, Ustream, Topspin Media, RSS feeds, Twitter and Facebook. Mobile Roadie also allows bands to integrate ticket sales through Ticketmaster and LiveNation.

Mobile Roadie will give a discount to publishers who choose to use the service for both their iPhone and Android apps. Customers can also choose to use the service to only create an Android app.

Vanity Apps for Android

While there are a quite a few DIY app-creation services (including MobileAppLoader, MobBase, Sweb Apps, App Breeder, etc.) for the iPhone on the market, this business hasn't really caught on in the Android world yet. AppLoop, one of the first app generators for Android, for example, isn't even in business anymore. Currently, iSites and MobileAppLoader are among the few app generators that allows users to create and manage both Android and iPhone apps.

As the market for Android apps continues to grow rapidly, however, it only makes sense for companies like Mobile Roadie to offer support for both platforms.

The advantage of using services like Mobile Roadie is that users can manage assets in both apps simultaneously. If bands want to highlight new videos or songs, for example, they don't have to make changes to two apps to send these updates to their fans.

But Really, What Does Dolly Parton Think?

Mobile Roadie's PR release also includes a great quote from Dolly Parton, who clearly prefers Mobile Roadie over smoke signals:

"My first phone was two tin cans tied together with string, and it worked pretty good. But now you can watch TV, download music and surf the web from your phone. Sure beats smoke signals. I never thought in my lifetime, that you'd be able to watch movies, read books and listen to music from a phone, but I guess the technology of tomorrow is here today. And to think that folks will be able to watch my Video Diaries and listen to my music on the go is just fantastic."

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mobile_roadie_diy_iphone_android_app_builder.php

The Man on Your iPhone: 3 Government Apps Done Right

It was a few years ago that the World Internet Project stated that "broadband changes everything." The next evolution of the Web no doubt is largely being driven by the amazing user experience and functionality delivered by the iPhone and other smartphones. iPhone applications are no longer just toys for techies! This week we looked at examples of health and fitness iPhone apps, and 2010 Winter Olympics iPhone apps. Today we check out what's being delivered by government.

These app posts aren't about listing the "best" iPhone apps in a given category. That's because deciding which app is best for you really depends on your requirements. For example, if you are looking to a government agency to help you find the nearest library, you're not interested in an application that allows you to calculate mortgage rates - even if we recommended it. So what we're doing is showing examples of available functionality.

Government agencies around the world are notorious for delivering less-than-optimal website experiences. This is often due to a government agency, rather than citizens, driving website requirements.

There are other factors, such as legislation, that demand transparency and leads to the publishing of multiple documents that the majority of people could care less about. As a result, government domains have bloated to unbelievable sizes, and some governments such as those in the U.K. and New Zealand have adopted consolidation policies.

Based on this example, we have to admit we were expecting that governments would simply port their same, less-than-optimal website experiences to the mobile Web. However, we were able to uncover a few intriguing mobile government apps that are, to our delight, useful and usable!

Reporting an Issue to Government

GoRequest is a location-aware iPhone application that allows a person to log an issue with their local government. The app is free and submits issues directly into the issue tracking system. The user experience is top notch - simple and task oriented. Unfortunately, it is only available in 22 cities so far in the U.S.

For the lucky ones that live in these enlightened locations, you are able to select from a list of potential issues as broad as Road Kill (Dead Animal on Roadway), Graffiti, Accidental Spills, Illegal Dumping, Abandoned Vehicles, Police Non-Emergency, Ice Removal From Gutters and more. Once you have selected the issue, you can enter a description and take a photo of, for example, the dead animal. The application detects your location automatically.

America's Most Wanted

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has launched, of course, an app for its Most Wanted list. The app lists the Top Ten Most Wanted, the Most Wanted Terrorists as well as a list of top missing kids.

If you have information about one of the Most Wanted, you can submit a tip to the FBI. The app also provides links to FBI Tweets and its YouTube and Facebook pages. Unfortunately there is no sharing functionality incorporated into the app. The application was built by NIC, which is a provider of outsourced eGovernment portals.

Government Data On Steroids

NYC Way is a great example of application developers taking all the open government data they can find and turning it into something useful - although we question the usability. NYC Way was pointed out to us by Adam Greenfield on his recent visit to Wellington.

The best way to describe this app is that it's an application portal to 32 useful applications that offer New York City-specific location-based services. You can use it to locate the nearest free Wi-Fi, coffee shop or restroom, report an issue to city officials, or learn safety tips. Although the user experience as a portal is something to be desired, the functionality and helpful data available is truly mind boggling - a Swiss Army knife for finding your way around New York City. This app portal has benefits for locals and tourists alike.

The Saving Grace?

There is still the risk that government agencies will approach mobile much like they have approached the Web. Fortunately, the constraints - such as cost of development, screen size, functionality and file size - that are inherent in developing for the iPhone and other smartphones may be the saving grace that forces agencies to think twice about users' real needs.

You can read more ReadWriteWeb coverage of the iPhone here, and the mobile Web here. And don't forget you can download the RWW iPhone application here.

 

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/the_man_on_your_phone_3_government_apps_done_right.php