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Friday, June 17, 2011

App discovery gets smarter

Mark Bridge writes:

I’ve written previously about the changes happening to mobile application stores. Last week I was talking to Todd Levy about the family-friendly application store he’s planning to launch. He explained how BloomWorlds would be curated to provide trusted reviews that weren’t skewed by the app developers themselves.

Mobile affiliate network OfferMobi has also been bringing attention to the “dirty little secret” of the app charts suffering from developers who manipulate the figures. It says Incentivized Cost Per Install - offering users virtual currency in exchange for installing an app - is temporarily boosting installation figures but resulting in low quality users. As you’d probably expect, it’s a fan of app usage and not merely downloads… and it has a commercial solution.

Howie Schwartz of OfferMobi said “With such a large volume of app developers now attempting to manipulate the charts at once using incentivized CPI, it has become more difficult than ever for a company stay on them long enough to attract actual REAL users. After the Beta launch for iOS earlier this year of the OfferMobi App Discovery Network, we are pleased to bring the platform to Android devices to provide App developers with a cost-effective platform changing the game for App developers who desire non-incentivized installs of their apps to build true lifetime value with their installs.”

But the biggest news comes from Yahoo! Mobile, which has introduced a new mobile application called AppSpot. That’s right - not its own app store but an app-finding app. Apparently it “works like a flashlight in the darkness of more than 425,000-plus apps in the Apple App Store and 200,000 apps in Android Market”. Hyperbole aside, it’s available on iPhone and Android devices - and it’ll do its best to recommend apps based on your preferences.

Is this the future?  As Todd and I discussed last week, this sort of thing is certainly a solution... but the big-name app stores with their overloaded shelves will be with us for quite a while yet.

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Opinion Articles

Last week at The Fonecast: 15th October 2012

US government grumbles, O2 UK stumbles

Mark Bridge writes:

Can you trust a Chinese company to build a telecoms network?  Apparently not, according to the US House of Representatives. The “Investigative Report on the U.S. National Security Issues Posed by Chinese Telecommunications Companies Huawei and ZTE” wasn’t at all impressed with the two companies, although most of the complaints appeared to be about a lack of cooperation rather than hard evidence. I wonder if any mysterious agents are planning to visit the new Huawei UK HQ before next year’s official opening?

Author: The Fonecast
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Article rating: 5.0

Mobile phones used to track malaria transmission patterns

Jessica Berman of voanews.com writes:

Scientists are studying the use of mobile phones to track patterns of malaria transmission in endemic nations. The research is part of an effort by many countries to control or eliminate the mosquito-borne disease.

Author: The Fonecast
1 Comments
Article rating: 4.0

Congressional warning on Chinese telecoms could prompt retaliation

William Gallo of voanews.com writes:

Analysts say this week's U.S. congressional report that called two Chinese telecoms a threat to national security is likely to prompt China to retaliate against U.S. businesses.

The House Intelligence Committee report warned U.S. companies against doing business with China's largest phone equipment companies, Huawei and ZTE.

Author: The Fonecast
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Kenya to pull plug on counterfeit mobile phones

Gabe Joselow of voanews.com writes:

Mobile phone subscribers in Kenya may wake up Monday morning to find their phones no longer work, as the nation's telecom companies enact a nation-wide switch-off of all counterfeit devices. Retailers and customers have mixed reactions to the plan, which could affect up to three million mobile phones.

Author: The Fonecast
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Last week at The Fonecast: 1st October 2012

A high for RIM, a low for Apple

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple started last week in the glow of a CoolBrands survey that had named it the UK's coolest brand – but it ended the week with its head bowed in embarrassment. Not only did Tim Cook apologise for the quality of the company’s iOS 6 Maps application, he recommended that customers use competing services until it gets better.

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