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"News and magazine apps are a segment where the momentum is likely to shift towards the Web within the next two to three years," noted senior analyst Aapo Markkanen. "Since news and media content already account for a large share of smartphone usage and are likely to play an even bigger role in later adopters' usage, changes in this segment alone will make subscribers on average download fewer native apps." The next wave of smartphone owners in mature markets like the U.S., Western Europe and Asia will download fewer apps than the first one-third of mobile consumers who bought smartphones, according to the report on mobile app storefronts. At the same time, ABI expects that in the games and utilities categories, the mobile Web will probably never catch up with native apps, due to the difficulty in matching the user experience. ABI's outlook on the future of apps appears at odds with a separate report released Tuesday by Strategy Analytics, which maintains that the emergence of HTML5 won't put much of a dent in the app economy. Instead, it predicts the Web programming language will lead to the spread of hybrid apps that combine HTML5 with native APIs (application programming interface) to harness the best of native and open standards.

"Of the 30 brands that have signed on thus far, only five will be running campaigns in the U.S. Twentieth Century Fox, one of two global launch advertisers, will promote its upcoming film Life of Pi with ads in the Xbox Video app, Xbox companion mobile and tablet app SmartGlass app and the Casual Games app, which spans Xbox and Microsoft's desktop and mobile operating systems. And next month the other global launch advertiser, Nissan, will run ads in the Bing and Xbox Music apps. Though it seems the in-app ads are initially only slated to run within Microsoft's own apps, the company said several publishers-such as The Associated Press, Bonnier Corporation, Photobucket, Slacker Radio and The Tribune Company-have agreed to run the units. In announcing the roster of initial advertisers, Microsoft also put out some stats regarding consumer perception of the ad units. The most encouraging stat found that the ads scored a 92 percent in ad recall, but the other numbers suggest brands may prefer consumers forget their ads. Only 39 percent of respondents said they're happy to see advertising within Windows 8, and only 33 percent agreed that advertising on Windows 8 improved their opinion of a brand."

Flock is not just a brand new app; we see it as a brand new *kind* of app.  While most apps today jockey for our ever-dwindling time and attention, attempting to become one of the apps that we think about the most, Flock is different.  We designed Flock so you don't have to think about it at all.  You just live your life like you already do.  Spend time with your friends and family; take photos with whatever camera app you prefer.  There's no work for you at all, really.  Flock uses new battery-friendly location technology and sophisticated algorithms to magically know which of your Facebook friends you are with when photos are taken.  After you leave your group hike, or the night out on the town, or Thanksgiving dinner, Flock will check if anyone wants to share the photos they took and then bring those photos together into a single group album for everyone to enjoy.  And because most photos taken by iOS devices are geotagged, Flock can even work backwards in time from before you installed the app!  So if you and your friends and family install the app today, you'll likely unlock lost memories that were trapped on each other's phones for years.

"Flurry stacked up time spent with mobile apps next to the web and TV. Although it didn't take into account multitasking-which research shows is very common among mobile app users-Flurry findings indicated that US consumers spent more time in apps than on the web. And their time spent with mobile apps (127 minutes) was nipping at the heels of their time spent watching TV (168 minutes). Flurry broke down mobile app usage into categories, and found that mobile gaming led the charge, accounting for 43% of the time spent with mobile apps worldwide. Social networking came in second, accounting for 26% of consumers' time, and entertainment and utility followed, each with 10%."

Mobile applications will drive serious growth in mobile advertising in the coming years, according to a new study. Juniper Research reported today that in-app advertising will hit $2.4 billion by the end of the year. By 2015, that figure will soar to $7.1 billion. In-app advertising is widely viewed as the key to success for developers in the coming years. Mobile users are becoming increasingly loath to pay too much for applications, driving prices down. In-app advertising can help soften the blow of charging so little for an expensive app.

"The new web app reportedly looks a lot like the desktop apps, with search, radio, playlists, and a "What's New" section all available. Almost certainly, the web app will provide some free usage as long as you listen to audio ads and see banner ads. The web app will roll out to all users over the next several months."

"Publishers seem to have no end to their appetite for apps. This year through October, 9,125 publication-related apps were released for the iPad, twice the number released in the year-ago period, according to McPheters & Co.'s iMonitor app-tracking service. Hearst led publishers with the most number of apps (89), followed by Time Warner, Condé Nast, Future Media and Bonnier Corp. But as publishers expand to more and more platforms, they're pulling back on the number of costly and time-consuming enhancements, as are advertisers. That's unfortunate, since not only readers are more likely to read enhanced ads, they mean more money in publishers' coffers."

The Walgreens mobile app lets customers scan their mobile devices at the register to earn points and redeem awards without the need to carry a physical card. The app allows us to integrate Balance Rewards with other great mobile features, including in-store aisle maps so you can find the school supply or Band-Aid you need, and photo print services so you can send your pictures direct from a mobile device to our store for copies. LoyalBlocks, customers sign up through the app with their favorite stores that participate with the program. When they visit the store, the app communicates with the merchant's tablet, which automatically checks the customer in and sends them token rewards and deals.

Cody also acts as a kind of virtual coach. When users first load the app, they're asked to identify their goals - from losing weight to building muscle tone to de-stressing. For now, the app just surfaces original content about workouts, healthy living and other topics that match up with those goals. But, ultimately, Javid said, the plan is for Cody to learn from users' activity and recommend articles, workouts, people or places that fit their interests. In time, he added, the app could integrate with fitness tracking devices to get an even more comprehensive view of each user.

app shopper provides recos on apps; what apps your friends have, etc

Fitness/health is still a huge societal trend. Maybe VZW can tap into this or co-sponsor a similar app? Or focus on in-app placements in such apps.

Neiman Marcus trialling an app that provides sales associates consumer data they can act in real-time. download app, opt-in, when they walk in store it triggers the app and provides info on product

Mitchell says three main things have emerged over the past few years. First, while simply soliciting Likes for chances at a sweepstakes win was once enough to grab users' attention, that no longer flies. "Now they want an experience that's rich unto itself," he says. "They don't want to interact with this app because of a .001% of chance of winning something, but because it's fun and something they want to share." But that doesn't mean adding unnecessary layers of complication; the second thing the Movement team has found is that simple apps perform the best with fans. Especially on Facebook, where a friend's photo album or potential paramour's profile are just a click away, too much clutter without a simple call to action can kill engagement. The third key: plan for mobile, even if it means just a page letting smartphone users know the app isn't mobile compatible.

Use the app to scan a barcode (or search for the item if you don't want to go in-store) and then purchase the item through amazon (via that app, another amazon app, or amazon.com) for 5% off. Select item categories and only Dec 10th. 

platform that facilitates creation of mobile apps using the power of crowds to first improve then fund the apps. they receive a share in apps revenue.

App burnout. If most people don't reopen apps, should partner with media-driven apps that do get used.

The app supports multi-take videos up to 11 seconds long, midway between Vine's 6-second and Viddy's 15-second caps. Users can preview videos before posting them to App.net's Twitter competitor, Alpha.

"Domino's and Blippar have created a mobile ordering app in Britain for hungry (and desperate) people with smartphones. The app interacts with billboards advertising the pizza chain's 555 deal. You point your phone at outdoor posters and billboards, and the app creates an augmented reality experience, allowing you to order a pizza, visit the Facebook page, and more."

The festival app, developed by app creator Alex Rude, makes potential headaches manageable while informing attendees about the bands before and during the day they attend. It has the usual stuff we've seen so far: a news section, official Twitter feed, band information, band Twitter links, photos, videos, and plenty of logistical help with perks like the Reverse Daycare Tent - an air-conditioned tent where parents can chill out while their kids are out doing things that their parents should probably be stopping them from doing.

After all three finish shooting and uploading their footage to Vyclone's servers, the app algorithmically cuts and edits a video using the four (or fewer) different video streams, creating one supercut out of all the footage. The app figures out who was shooting at that moment using GPS location data, and automatically includes those streams of footage into the cut.