Nintendo’s recently released figures show that the company lost nearly a $1 Billon in the last six months alone, making this the lowest ever sales numbers for the Wii console and disappointing 3DS handheld sales in the last 3 decades.

To date Nintendo has sold roughly 15 million units of the dual-screen 3D portable console, 4.7 million of which in Japan alone. The Wii, which has sold over 94 million units to date, has had its expected annual sales revised down, from 12 million to 10 million.

You would expect that Nintendo, being at the bleeding edge of technology and having its pulse on all things gaming would realize what’s going on here? Where they like it or not, gaming is going mobile. The truth is Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, has made it crystal clear that they will never develop games for third-party platforms, including iOS and Android. Right, because who needs a slice of that estimated 4 Billion dollar pie anyway right?

In all fairness, Nintendo understands that if they ever decide to move into the mobile realm, it will face serious hurdles. For example: Software sales would be high, but releasing titles via both Nintendo and Apple would directly impact sales of Nintendo’s hardware. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata just told Japanese news site Nikkei, regarding making games for iOS devices.

“This is absolutely not under consideration. If we did this, Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo. Having a hardware development team in-house is a major strength. It’s the duty of management to make use of those strengths.”

At the end of the day, I’m rooting for Nintendo to really step up its game as I wouldn’t want to see them give up entirely on hardware, unless it’s another crappy power glove. But I would like to see them make a ballsy move like Capcom did with Capcom arcade and Sega’s fantastic Sonic the Hedgehog.

One needs to simply look at titles such as Paper Monsters to understand that iOS titles can deliver the same game play depth, controls and replay-able factors we’ve become accustomed to on the leading gaming platforms.

Bottom line, my thought is this; Mr. Iwata, act fast and port the leading Nintendo titles over to iOS or face the harsh realities of change head on. As the wise Toad once said, the princess is in another castle.

iPhone Projector

Watching movies on a big screen straight from my iPhone has always been a dream of mine. The Brookstone Pocket Projector for iPhone could be the answer I’ve been looking for. The device is a micro projector that simply requires you to slide your iPhone into and run whatever media you choose through it. The Brookstone Pocket Projector runs at a resolution of 640*360 (which is a little low for big screen fun) and will display an image of up to 50 inches. Focus adjustment lets you control image clarity while the integrated 0.5W speaker delivers the audio.

iPhone-Powered Rocket Launcher

In totally ridiculous gadget, I present to you The iLaunch Thunder, which as the name says lets you shoot out 4 rockets at your innocent victims. The iLaunch Thunder has a 270-degree horizontal rotation, and vertical flexibility of more than 40 degrees. Couple the device’s directional skills with the launcher’s 25-foot (7.6-meter) shooting distance, and you can cover close to 1,400 square feet (130 square meters) of space with the toy.

Source: gizmag.com

Positioning your  missiles is controlled within the iLaunch Controller app on your iDevice. The iW500 sells for about $59.95, making it a fun and affordable option for those wanting something iGeeky.

The iW500 Wall-Climbing Car

Flying drones are so 2011. Wall climbing vehicles is where it’s at. Besides being controlled straight from your iPhone, the iW500 RC car also distinguishes itself in its ability to climb straight up walls, spidey style. The company producing this toy says the iW500 uses “the opposite principle of the hovercratft and creates a sealed vacuum between itself and the wall or ceiling.” That sounds like some pretty cool right? Has to make you wonder why automobile manufacturers aren’t doing this kind of stuff Maybe then the automotive industry would be in better shape.

The Soundbar for Android

The Philips  CSS5123 is a sleek looking slim speaker that’s the perfect width to sit under a flat panel HDTV. The soundbar uses Android programming to connect wirelessly with devices such as an Android tablet or phone, and even a PC running Windows or iOS operating systems. Here’s how it works; Android streaming is possible for any DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-enabled device with the Philips app SimplyShare and Wi-Fi functionality.

SimplyShare is an Android app provided by Philips to connect Philips devices to the home network or other devices and share content. Each compatible device, such as the soundbar, comes with an activation code that unlocks the device for connectivity. In this case SimplyShare installed on an Android tablet or PC will uses the unlock code to connect with the soundbar and stream content to the TV. Easy and straightforward, just the way I like it.

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Source: fashionablymarketing.me

To put it in context, the mobile marketing industry will see 37% growth by 2016. An estimated 44 Billion apps are expected to be downloaded and the mobile coupon industry alone will be worth $46 Billion by the same year.

This major ramp up in mobile app development and usage is creating opportunities for entrepreneurs unlike any other over the last decade. From beta testing to app development and user engagement, there’s literally a niche to be filled through every step of the mobile app customer’s journey.

Here’s a look at our top 12 go-to services from various stages of a mobile app’s lifecycle. If you’re thinking about your big break in the mobile industry, try to think of where your service can fit in and truly be a game changer.

Beta Testing

uTest:  In a nutshell, uTest delivers  a community of more than 45,000 professional testers from 180 countries and helps companies like Google, Microsoft and Intuit extensively test software applications in real-world conditions. In other words, uTest provides live testing for mobile apps and software through a series of crowd-sourced tests, including functional, security, localization and usability testing.

PerfectoMobile: The service lets you test your app remotely using a selection of real mobile devices. PerfectoMobile‘s MobileCloud enables developers and testers, located anywhere in the world, to access a comprehensive range of the latest mobile handsets and tablets via the web. Users can develop, test, deploy and monitor their mobile applications and services without having to physically obtain the handsets

TestFlight: The use of TestFligh to beta test your app is almost a must. Here’s how it works; After registering yourself as a team leader and registering your devices for testing, you set up a network of beta testers by sending invites or by advertising a link to you application opened for testing. It’s a fairly straightforward process that eliminates the need to send an .ipa file with the provisioning profile.

Distribution

Ask many app developers and the vast majority will tell you that the development aspect is actually the easy part of the process. I’ve previously shared a few strategies on how to avoid the “what now” moment once your app goes live. Here are services that will help propel your app towards end user’s devices.

BuzzDoes: Launched at Apps World London, BuzzDoes is a reward based viral distribution service that encourages app users to recommend and share the apps they’re using. Integrating the BuzzDoes SDK into your app enhances it with social and viral aspects.

NextPeer: This service makes your game better by making it really social. Using Nextpeer, players can instantly start playing with friends, invite others to the game and enjoy a whole new multiplayer experience. There is no cost to integrate the Nextpeer SDK into a game, but Nextpeer does participate in revenue-sharing with developers who monetize via virtual currency.

AppStores.com:  Dubbed as “Adsense for apps” the recently launched AppStores.com brings relevant downloads to mobile apps through their network of app sites, galleries, and network of mobile publishers. AppsStores.com have partnered with mobile website publishers ranging in all types of different content, to run HTML5 optimized app ad units. These ad units allow users to see what your app is going to look like before they ever get to the app store or marketplace.

Notable Mentions: Social “scoreboards”- OpenFeint , Scoreloop , GameCenter and W3i (AppsMarketing Partner)

Monetization

Although the mobile industry is consistently seeing impressive growth, mobile developers are still divided on how best to monetize mobile apps. Freemium games are still leading all app revenue models, now accounting for more than 65% of app revenue. Below are alternative methods of monetizing your apps.

Startapp: StartApp tackles the critical challenge of monetization on the Android platform. Here’s how it works. Android users download StartApp-monetized applications to their phone, which is bundled with a search icon and bookmark link. Once the app is on the user’s device, developers have two monetization options: either up-front pay-per-downloads or ongoing revenue sharing from the new search option.

Mobclix: Mobclix is a real-time bidding mobile ad exchange that connects the best apps with the best ads. The Mobclix ad exchange provides complete transparency and visibility for developers to maximize revenues and advertisers to increase performance.

AdWhirl: The AdWhirl SDK provides a framework that allows developers to display banner ads from different ad networks in their iOS and Android applications. You simply tell AdWhirl what ad networks you want to use and the percentage of requests to allocate to each network, and AdWhirl handles the ad requests.

Notable Mentions: Smaato, MoPub, Inneractive, AdWhirl, Matomy Mobile , and TargetedMobi (AppsMarketing Partner)

Engagement and Analytics

Good apps require even better analytics. Measuring app engagement can be accomplished in a variety of ways: by the number of minutes per session, how often users update their app, actions within the app, and how many times an app has been referred to a friend. Here are the services you should be using to find out what’s happening under the hood.

Appoxee: Appoxee allows app developers maintain a constant communication channel with their users, which in turn substantially increases the lifetime value of an application and allows the developers to maximize the revenue potential of their users. We’ve also shared an in-depth post about Appoxee detailing how to create post app download engagement.

AppFiguers: AppFiguers s a reporting platform for mobile app developers that brings together all of your app store sales data, worldwide reviews, and hourly rank updates into one intuitive and informative reporting solution.

Localytics:  Boston-based Localytics offers one of the most powerful mobile app analytics platforms, which gives publishers of smartphone and tablet apps the tools needed to build more successful and profitable apps. Among the many features are screen flows, funnel analysis, cross-app conversions and customer retention analysis. All of these features are available to Localytics Premium and Enterprise subscribers.

Phew…Time to turn it back over to you - I admit, that’s probably enough tools and resources to make your head spin. The one thing I should stress is that there just isn’t a “one size fits all” model when it comes to the mobile app life-cycle. As the ways of the web have taught us, you will have to go through a series of trials and errors to see what works best. We’re here to help make sense of it all. Have you used the services mentioned above? Share your experiences with our readers. We’d love to hear about it. You can also reach out to us via Twitter @Apps_Mktg and on the AppsMarketing Facebook page.

Wait a second; what does Pinterest have to do with apps or app marketing in general you ask? For one, Pinterest has a very slick app that I’ll go into detail about in just a moment. But first, follow me through this post because you simply cannot neglect this social network.

Launched back in 2009, Pinterest was among the first web services to offer push button content generation (via a bookmarklet) and allow users to structure it into sets of curated corkboards. In other words, Pinterest is a great way to bookmark (pin) the things you’re into using images and videos. The one thing you can’t use pin are articles without pictures or sites built on Flash.

Pinterest recently experienced its growth spurt with a 40% user increase over the past six months, reaching 11 million visitors in one week in December. To put that into perspective, it’s now within the top 10 most active social networks and it’s growing at a faster pace than Facebook did in its early days.

So why is a site that launched at the tail end of 2009 suddenly making waves? Personally, I believe this is due to Pinterest simply pushing ahead and crossing the chasm. When it comes to the social web, short form content creation is increasingly on the rise and the same can also be said about content consumption. What’s so refreshing about Pinterest is that witty comments aren’t necessary, although you can always add them for your audience’s satisfaction.

Forget Viral think Visual

Brands and businesses have long been blinded by the eagerness to create viral content. The problem with “viral” is that it can be a very slippery creature. The more you try to create it, the further slips away. At its deepest level, but people share things that spark an emotion, one way or another. It’s very human. It’s what we do.

Pinterest designer and co-founder Evan Sharp sums it up well: “For most consumer brands, the idea behind your brand makes sense on Pinterest.” Since you’re not supposed to blast pictures of your products on Pinterest, try to think outside the box and pin images that capture a lifestyle and/or the essence of your brand. Pinterest calls for a more holistic approach to marketing, and it can be more effective and engaging than traditional advertising because the consumers can really see how your brand fits into their lives. For example, Bon Appetit can’t just pin pictures from the website or magazine, but it can pin images of cooking appliances, beautiful kitchen decor, cutlery, dinner parties and delicious creations or recipes–basically anything related to cooking and food. Seeing these culinary items will continually drive home the Bon Appetit brand, thus making pinners more familiar with and more likely to trust the brand, visit the website and maybe even subscribe to the magazine.

Brands Rocking the Pin

At first glance, Pinterest may seem too much of a “niche” social network to create a real benefit for mainstream users, let alone big name brands, except that the exact opposite is true. Sure the site leans heavily towards the Martha Stewart, Whole Foods, West eld type brands right now, but make no mistake, top tech brands are also jumping on board. AMD for example maintains a very active board and has even used it to showcase products from CES 2012.

As with any respecable social network, we’re bound to see Pinterest develop features specifically for businesses or better yet, an API letting developers create an eco-system of services based on Pinterest. For the time being, expressing a little creativity never hurt anyone.

A Look at the Pinterest App

OK, time to tune back into our regularly scheduled program. As I mentioned at the start of this post, just like the service’s charm took me by surprise, Pinterest’s iPhone app doesn’t disappoint. Unless you own an Android, which in that case, you’re fresh out of luck, for now.

Pinterest has just released version 1.4 of their iPhone app which allows its users to search and view the pins being shared, follow other Pinteresting users and share pictures from the iPhone’s camera or straight from your camera roll. So far, it does exactly what you would expect from a service like Pinterest, but here’s where the app gets interesting…

The Pinterest iPhone app also lets you touch up your pictures, but not with filters or effects as one would expect from a photo sharing type app. They’ve gone about this with what they call Touch Up. The Touch Up feature lets you adjust your picture’s saturation levels simply by sliding your finger over the image.

In Conclusion – Napoleon was right; A Picture is worth a thousand words, or in Pinterest’s case, at least 11 million visitors. Pinterest’s charm stems from it’s ultra minimalistic design and ever changing value. Needless to say, I’ve already set up my Pinterest profile where I share anything from funny pictures to awesome iPhone apps. Follow me up and start pinning the stuff that inspires you!

From TV’s to mobile devices and household appliances to automobiles, if it hosts an interface of any kind, manufacturers’ and developers are looking for creative ways to fill it with apps.

By now we all know that if tech and toy manufacturers want a fighting chance at success, they needs to beef up its app arsenal. A perfect example is children’s toymaker Wowwee, which will debut a line of collectible toys called AppGear at CES. The toys connect to mobile devices, mirroring the real world with the virtual world.

Apps in the Spotlight

For the third year in a row, CES will be hosting the Mobile Apps Showdown, a contest that pits awesome apps against each-other in a fight to the finish. This year, over 100 apps were submitted to the contest and 25 semi-finalists are already in the running.

A new addition to this year’s CES is a fixture called the Wall of Apps where 20 of the best apps by from devices are on display at the entrance of the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Titles include Zinio, a global magazine service, FastAccess Anywhere, a password reminder app and more will all be on display for attendees to take for test drives.

The Official CES 2012 Android App

As the event unfolds, we’ll be sharing the hottest apps from CES 2012. In the meantime, attendees to the mega event carrying and Android phone should definitely start out by downloading the official CES 2012 Android app.

The easy to use app features links to exhibitors, keynote events, news, hotel and travel, personal schedule news, alerts, maps and many other useful items. I downloaded it and it has worked very well thus far. The app is easy to navigate, intuitive and speedy, and is packed with features for the future such as special offers, FAQs, a friends link and more.

Turning it back over to you – Will you be attending the event this year? What apps or tech goodies are you most excited about seeing at CES 2012? Drop your comments below or reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.

Take off your developer hat for a moment and think about your personal app usage habits. What makes you stop and even consider downloading an app? Is it its visual elements? Is it its usefulness? Its price point? How about the fact that it’s being talked about through your social networks? Maybe it’s the video trailer that did it for you? Did you compare similar apps? App developers, this is the kind of thinking you should be doing way before you write your first line of code. Get the answers right, and your customers will thank you for it.

To help turn off that pesky app developer part of your brain and think like a user, here are 5 key points you need to keep in mind.

Use it in a Hurry

People are short on time; it’s a well known fact. Most apps are used for the first time when there are a few a minutes or seconds to spare. After the initial first use, only 20% of users even open a free application again the day after it’s downloaded. As time goes on, that decline continues. This means you have 3 options. Make your app insanely useful, insanely fun, or insanely well designed. Your app has to scream “Open me again!” A recent report by Flurry shows that app usage spikes during prime-time, when people are relaxing at home in front of the TV.

Interface, Not In-Your-Face

Just because you can design, doesn’t mean you should. Nothing turns users away more than a poorly designed app, regardless if it’s a game, utility or productivity app. I understand that you may want to save on the overall development / design cost of your app, but someone much wiser than me once said “I don’t have enough money to buy cheap things…” Keep that in mind when you’re bringing your app together. I urge you to look at the quality a few of the most stunning apps available today.

Image via: IconMoon

Minor Bugs, Big Problems

We all love apps that crashes again and again, right? No? Well neither do your end users. You on the other hand, might have a little patience since you developed the app, but I assure you, no one else does. The only thing app users don’t like more than an app that crashes is an app that takes up useless space on their device. You may have done everything right, from the development, to the marketing and made your way on to user’s devices, but it’s definitely not their job to do quality testing on your app.

Watch Someone Use The App

The best thing you can do is get a testing group comprised of real, honest-to-goodness end users, and value their feedback. The ultimate test is letting someone who’s a complete novice user look at it, and give you their fresh perspective. A service that can’t be beat is UserTesting.com which lets you watch users actually engaging with your app and sharing their honest feedback.

Consistency Goes a Long Way

Everyone loves being surprised now and then, as I mentioned above, you only have a very short window of opportunity to blow away your end-users. That being said, consistency resonates professionalism. Stick to a standard formatting of fonts, links, colors, etc. This is usually lost when developers stubbornly want to design the app themselves. Even small changes through the app may confuse and frustrate your users.

After all is said and done, your app should always allow you for room to grow. If you did things right, you probably left out more features, bells and whistles than you originally intended to include in the first version of your app. If you did, I applaud you.

Turning it back over to you – What are some of your tips to make a quick switch from developer to end-user? Share them in the comments or reach out to use on Twitter and Facebook. We’d love to hear about them.

Over the course of 2011 we have seen serious growth in Smartphone ownership, a significant increase in app development, downloads and usage (Facebook mobile was up 166%) as well as the advancement of HTML5 and mobile site technologies. With the New Year right around the corner, now would be a good time to put it all into perspective, while making a few fact-based predictions on how the mobile industry as a whole will evolve over the next few months.

2011 Most Disruptive In Mobile

The Kindle Fire – Over the long term, we’ll certainly look back at Amazon’s launch of its first Android-powered device, the Kindle Fire, as one of the most disruptive events that occurred through the 2011 mobile scene.

A close second has to go to Microsoft for understanding the market shift from PC’s to mobile. The tech giant moved quickly, adapted to change and focused it’s attention to the Windows Phone platform while inking a deal with Nokia, which released one of the most talked about and sexiest devices this year, the Lumia 800.

Biggest Disappointment

RIM - Without a clearly defined strategy anywhere in sight, their PlayBook fiasco and tripping over their overconfidence (not to mention their lies) every step of the way, RIM pretty much fumbled all the way to the 2011 finish line. By now it’s clear that their operating system is no-where near adequate enough to stack up to the competitors.

That being said, RIM’s silver lining is still BlackBerry devices. The company sold 14.1 million phones in Q3, in line with its earlier guidance of 13.5-14.5 million.

Biggest Heartbreak

The passing of Steve Jobs – Much has already been written about this, including: What the legacy of Steve Jobs means to me. RIP.

5 App That Blew Us Away

Facebook for iPhone and iPad – Although Facebook’s iPhone application has been available for a long time, we have to give them credit for constantly staying on its toes and aiming to provide the best user experience, while completely revamping the site’s interface. We’re more than curious to see how the Facebook app will evolve over the course of 2012, and are eager to see the impact that the introduction of mobile ads will generate.

Temple Run for iPhone - As soon as you see that everyone waiting for a flight at the airport is playing the same game, you know that’s a hit title. Temple Run illustrates the opportunities that are available to developers if they focus on creating awesome apps people will want to tell others about.

Vodio for iPad (client) – The initial soft-launch was rolled out in Israel where Vodio (Israel App Store link) received the coveted number 1 spot on the Israeli App Store for top free entertainment apps. Set to release in 2012 globally, Vodio will be a serious contender in the video consumption category on iPad.

Contapps  for Android - Contapps is a free app for Android that unlocks your phone’s contact book potential and makes it easy to connect with people. In other words, Contapps is an alternate phone book app for Android phones that consolidates your contact’s social network updates in one spot.

Flipboard for iPhone - Following the release of their iPad app, The Flipboard Inc. team has done it again, this time for iPhone. Flipboard for iPhone is a beautifully developed social magazine that lets you organize the info you want to look at and then flip through it. Get started by creating an account with Flipboard, then sign in to your favorite social networks.

2011 Mobile App Key Facts

Downloads on Apple’s App Store topped five million per day for the first time ever this past November.

Source: Fiksu

Costs per loyal user on Apple’s App Store topped out at about $1.43 in November, decreasing by just four cents $1.43 from October’s $1.47.

Source: Fiksu

Comparing November to a year ago, App Store download volumes have increased by an impressive 83%, highlighting the colossal expansion of mobile apps in just twelve months.

An estimated one Billion apps were downloaded each month, throughout the course of 2011 and $3 Billion was paid  out by Apple alone to independent app developers and development studios.

What’s In Store For Apps and Mobile in 2012

Apps Are Growing Up – The rise of the mobile web will continue to grow, specifically with retailers and businesses. Given the ubiquity of the web cross platform, the costs associated with cross platform development and the experiences which can be provided via mobile web, developers will shift away from platform specific apps towards developing rich, mobile web experiences.

Faster and Cheaper Android Tablets - Google announced that it was activated more than 550,000 Androids every day in November of 2011, up from 350,000 per day in April. At this rate, it would be no surprise to see Android pass the big one million per day mark mid-way through 2012. Expect a surge of Android based devices from HTC, Samsung,  Nokia, LG, Acer and more to come out of the wordworks.

Businesses Will Get Smarter About Apps - Businesses will get smarter about developing lead-based app marketing campaigns. Business-to-business companies will be leading the charge, but everyone will be on board soon. Year 2012 is set to be the year of lead-based app marketing.

App Powered Everything - Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and other TV Manufactures have already started launching their line of app enabled TVs. These “Smart TVs” can connect to the web through ethernet or wireless connection.  This connectivity allows the user to perform many of the functions on their television that could normally only be done on a computer or mobile device. Samsung has already gone the extra mile by launching their own dedicated App Store for TVs.

In Conclusion

2012 promises to bring us more progress in the mobile space thanks to increased attention to user experience, better development tools and increased opportunities for mobile advertisers and publishers. Fortunately for some, this also means more jobs as the demand for mobile app content and services increase. It was said that mobile media  is the future, I for one believe that the future has officially arrived. Share your thoughts – Reach out to us via Twitter @Apps_Mktg

Widespread belief among Apple-watchers is that the next-generation iPad will probably launch in March 2012, however a Citigroup analyst believes it could be earlier than that. According to Business Insider, Citigroup’s Richard Gardner said in a research note that he expects the device to launch in February. Gardner says that several of his sources have confirmed the slightly earlier release date and that “there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining”.

Macotakara, a Japanese technology blog with an arguably sketchy track record on Apple rumors, added that an Asian supplier which is providing parts for the next-generation iPad hinted that the screen size will be the same as the iPad 2 but will be thicker for an “unknown reason”.

The word on the street

The iPad’s fiercest competition comes today comes in the form of an inexpensive 7-inch tablets, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire. Research firm IHS iSuppli has estimated that Amazon will ship about 3.9 million Kindle Fire tablets before the end of the year.  Apple surely isn’t ignoring this growing threat and will have to think of lower cost alternatives to the iPad. To add to the guesswork, there have been conflicting reports that Apple will launch a smaller 7.85” version of the iPad.

The iPhone 4s’ key selling point can be summed up in one word, Siri. Apple’s breakthrough voice recognition user interface for the iPhone 4S is already being perceived as a game changer. Assuming that Siri be included in the upcoming iPad 3 would be a safe assumption to make.

iPad 3 Videos and Concept Art

I’ll be the first to say that the upcoming iPad 3 will not look anything like these videos or concept art, but does that stop me from getting your excitement juices flowing? Heck no.

iPad 3 (fake) Commercial – tip: Tom Anderson

The fact is, no one really knows what Apple has up their sleves this time, but personally, I hope we see the “what’s inside Herry” concept materialize…

Turning it back over to you

What would you like to see included in the upcoming iPad 3? Better screen quality? Siri? Faster processor? All of the above? And will you be selling your iPad 2 in preparation for the new model? Let us know what you think in the comments or reach out to me via Twitter @OrenTodoros

Windows Phone is being billed as a phone that just works and works well. Whether these efforts will be enough to ensure the success of the platform is yet to be seen. Below are 6 of the top reasons developers are keeping a close eye on the Windows Phone OS and the opportunities they represent.

1 – Ease of Development

One of the WP’s secret weapons is ease of development. Call it developer friendly. Michael Dell was among the first to state that his company’s engineers are finding it easier to develop Windows Phone Smartphones than they are handsets using Android.

There are various reason why development why WP is fairly simple, one of the reasons being WP compiles very quickly because it uses C#. So the iteration times are fast. On the other hand, Objective-C and C++ compile very slowly by comparison.

2 – Sleek and Sexy UI

A few years ago, the Windows Phone design team had a shining and defining Ah-Ha moment. By focusing their attention away from the PC and mobile environment, they looked at real world examples of user interfaces at what they considered to be the best examples of design work, from Josef Müller-Brockmann and other pioneers of the International Style. This research was what lead to the now established Metro UI.

3 – Selection of Devices

Much like Android based mobiled devices; the Windows Phone OS comes in various colors and flavors to please just about any personal taste.

In February this year, Microsoft and Nokia announced a partnership that sees Symbian being dropped as the main OS on the Nokia key devices, in favour of Windows Phone. The event to unveil this news was held a short while before Mobile Wold Congress in Barcelona, as not to overshadow Europe’s largest mobile phone trade show – which launches a good deal of the years’ handsets. Nokia’s Windows Phone flagship device is the Nokia Lumia 800.

4 – Limited App Competition

A year after its launch, the Windows Phone marketplace is showing great progress, with a slew of free and paid applications growing monthly. The Windows Phone Marketplace currently boast 40K and is expected to hit 50K by January. Additional developers are continuously jumping on board to introduce their apps to Windows Phone owners. However, when compared to Apple’s App Store, it’s still  small potatoes.

According to a Distrimo report, developers have not yet taken advantage of the new countries that became accessible with the 7.5 Mango update, or that developers have not updated their pre-Mango applications in order to make those applications available in all 35 countries.

For WP Developers, time is of the essence. The Windows Phone Marketplace is now the fifth-largest OS app store, says Distimo, behind those of Apple, Google, Nokia and RIM. For the most part, there’s a huge opportunity to develop a defining app for this new OS, due to limited competing apps.

5 – Microsoft’s Enthusiasm

It’s crystal clear that Microsoft’s in it for the long haul. They’ve made it evident with their app acceleration events and they’ve been vocal about it at industry events. On the flipside, developers have also caught MSFT enthusiasm fever.

When asked why developers are more interested in Windows Phone now than a year ago, a plurality (48%) said it was the Microsoft/Nokia partnership. Nokia also received high marks from its new Lumia Windows Phone smartphone announcement last month, with 28% of developers saying they are ‘very interested’ in developing for the device.

6 – The (IT) Factor

Despite Microsoft’s ups and downs, The Windows Phone OS is off on a running start. To maintain the momentum, Microsoft needs to ensure that WP enabled devices are launched globally as well as get more hardware in the hands of developers, to capitalize on the hype surrounding it. Being the new cool kid on the block has its advantages, but it’s certainly time to back it up by delivering on the promise that’s built up over the last year.

Developed with a mom’s busy lifestyle in mind, Apps for Moms saves you time by showcasing the most essential utilities, educational,style, fun and educational apps, because even the best multi-tasking moms need a few new tricks in their belt. Apps for Moms also contains parent approved apps, as studies have shown that on average, mothers have downloaded about 11 apps for their smartphone, but  four of the applications have been for the child to use.

The AppNetwork

Apps for Moms is the latest app within TheAppNetwork.co which we launched a very short while ago. The network includes Apps for Girls, Apps for Boys and Apps for Execs – we’re delivering apps that are suited to users’ needs, without the fuss of having to search for them and without compromising on developer revenue.

In a previous post, we looked at how moms are becoming extremely influential within the mobile app world. According to a recent mobile app report by eMarketer, moms love their iPhones and are spending significantly more time on the mobile web (6.1 hours a day) than the PC-based web (4.1 hours). To put this in perspective, the general population is spends about 2.1 hours a day on the mobile web.

Download Apps for Moms and enjoy! We’d love your feedback and reviews on the App Store.