Ning Network Creators Can Now Mobilize With AppMakr

Exciting news for Ning social networks big or small! AppMakr is partnering with Ning to bring about their vision making Ning social networks accessible anywhere and everywhere. This goes hand in hand with AppMakr helping anyone and everyone make an iPhone app.

Ning Network Creators can signup at www.AppMakr.com to start their iPhone app utilizing Ning Pro Network features. Begin with your domain name and AppMakr will scour the Internet for related content from a variety of sites like WordPress, Twitter, YouTube, or Flickr. Design how your app will look, modify colors, and upload your own icons or images.

Create different tabs in your iPhone app using RSS feeds from Ning blogs, Photo Albums, Event Listings, or design custom webpages with HTML that can be displayed within the app. Add in the Ning module to let your network members update their Ning status, upload photos, or contribute blog posts, making communicating amongst your network on the go easy. Just type in your Ning network name and the API key Ning assigns you. No coding required.

AppMakr also makes it easy to setup features like sending instant notifications to your app users, recieve messages and photos back from your users, and even put in ads or set up a price when you launch your app on iTunes Store. With our Stats Tracker you can see how many and how often your no coding required iPhone app gets downloaded and used.

Starting next week Ning Pro users can add the Ning module to your iPhone app is $24.95 a month in addition to your Ning subscription but registering is free, building an iPhone app is free, and testing an app with AppMakr will always be free. Ning Network Creators building iPhone apps won't get charged until your app is downloaded at least once from iTunes Store. Meanwhile get a head start learning exact steps on how this will work here. Follow AppMakr's Twitter account here for upcoming promotional codes. Happy App Making!

The Smartphone War Remains in Effect

(via eweek)

Swiss bank USB AG and banking giant JPMorgan Chase are said to be testing Apple devices for employees, along with rumored Android-powered devices, for the first time. 

Pierre Ferragu, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein told Bloomberg, noting a survey the company did in August that found cost savings and employee preference represented the two biggest factors companies considered when making the switch, “This phenomenon is very new, and we expect it to put increased pressure on RIM’s performance.” 

A spokesperson from Swiss bank USB AG, Jean-Raphael Fontannaz said, “There are certainly quite a few employees that have private iPhones, and as a bank we have to ask ourselves if that could be an option for us.”

Gartner’s research report warranted a close eye on Android-powered Smartphones.  By the end of 2010, Android-devices will outnumber Blackberry Smartphones and iPhones, while matching Symbian sooner than expected, the report suggested.  Gartner also projected Symbian and Android as the two top OSes by 2014, as they will account for a combined 59.8% of mobile OS sales.

Growing Numbers in Mobile App Adoption

(via mashable)

The latest report by the Pew Internet Project delved into the adoption of mobile apps by consumers.

 In the U.S., 82% of adults are active mobile phone users.  Of the 82%, nearly one-third have downloaded mobile apps and 13% revealed that they paid for at least one or more of those apps.  Over half of those who admitted they downloaded apps said they had done so within the past 30 days; one-third claimed downloading apps within the last week. Overall, 43% of active mobile phone users now have apps on their devices, with more than two-thirds or 24% using them regularly. 

The study found, which was not surprising, that those who use mobile apps tend to be younger, male, more educated, and more affluent when compared to the rest of the population.  On average, app users had 18 apps on their devices, with a mean of 10.  This was an indication that there were a number of users that had a disproportionate number of apps, which was common to younger adults.

Although apps have not taken the main stage like other mobile activities, such as taking photos, sending and receiving text messages, and accessing the internet, the app ecosystem has exploded due to Apple’s App Store and Blackberry’s App World.  A report released by Nielsen earlier this month found that games were the most popular genre of apps, followed by news/weather, navigation/maps, and social networks.

Key Factors: Does Your Business Have A Mobile Commerce Strategy?

(via mashable)

Below are a few key factors to consider:

1)    Mobile Commerce as a Whole

• Juniper Research projected that the total value of mobile payments, globally, will quadruple from $170 billion in 2010 to $630 billion in 2014.
• According to ABI Research, mobile phone purchases will account for 8% of all e-commerce activity in 2015, which is nearly $119 billion spent by consumers.

2) Mobile Browsing vs. Mobile Shopping

• The adoption of consumers reaching for their Smartphones when it’s time to make purchases is rapidly increasing; consumers now have an expectation that their favorite retailers will have a mobile presence.
• Mobile browsing is just one piece of the puzzle.  It has given consumers the power to bargain shop, view inventory, and even persuade them to visit the actual store.
• Mobile shopping is the other piece.  Consumers want the opportunity to make final purchases, so it is imperative that merchants bring a level of convenience, ease and intuitiveness to the mobile checkout process.

3) Native Apps vs. Mobile Browser

• When “going mobile,” retailers must understand the difference between native mobile applications and the mobile browser; the pros and cons of each.

What Will Come of the Tablet War?

There’s a great article via mashable.com that adds some insight to various tablet/platforms on the rise and how they might be one of the last standing. Platforms/tablets mentioned in the article are Google’s Android and Chrome OS, the Blackpad, the Palmpad, and Windows.

The article pointed out a critical part of any mobile device’s success: Developers. Sure,the amount of units sold is a key indicator of success, but developers must be onboard and back platforms; consumers want functional devices and want to trust that their applications will work.

A More Transparent Apple App Store?

(via gizmodo)

Apple has offered welcomed and much needed changes (1) by relaxing development requirements, now allowing developers to use tools other than Objective C, which once was a MUST and (2) by offering an open window into the app review process.

In today's press release, Apple pointed out that they had taken into consideration the concerns and complaints of their developers, which drove the changes made to sections of the iOS Developer Program. Not too long ago, Apple banned such development tools as Java, Silverlight, and Flash, but in an effort to permit more flexibility for developers, as well as preserve security, Apple lifted all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, “as long as the resulting apps do not download any code.”

If that wasn’t surprising enough, developers now have access to the App Store Review Guidelines. In their announcement Apple said, “We hope it will make us more transparent and help our developers create even more successful apps for the App Store.” The guidelines touch on various do’s and don’ts pertaining to Functionality, Pornography, Location, Violence, Religion, Culture, and Ethnicity, iAds, Gaming, and more.

Here's the main points from the introduction that include a bit of a response to publishers that have complained in the past of more-stringent approval requirements in the App Store over the other content (music/books/etc) in iTunes:

We view Apps diferent than books or songs, which we do not curate. If you want to criticize a religion, write a book. If you want to describe sex, write a book or a song, or create a medical app. It can get complicated, but we have decided to not allow certain kinds of content in the App Store. It may help to keep some of our broader themes in mind:

• We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps, and parental controls don't work unless the parents set them up (many don't). So know that we're keeping an eye out for the kids.
• We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don't need any more Fart apps. If your app doesn't do something useful or provide some form of lasting entertainment, it may not be accepted.
• If your App looks like it was cobbled together in a few days, or you're trying to get your first practice App into the store to impress your friends, please brace yourself for rejection. We have lots of serious developers who don't want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour.
• We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, "I'll know it when I see it". And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.
• If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps. This is a living document, and new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your app will trigger this

Take a look at the full App Store Review Guidelines document:

The iTunes Battle: Apps vs. Songs

Research analysis advisory and app production firm, Asymco, found compelling numbers when researching Apple’s iTunes and download rates; apps are set to outnumber music downloads.

Based on the collected data, both iOS apps and music are growing at exponential rates, but apps are accelerating much faster. Furthermore, Asymco concluded, based on data from the recently upgraded music and app store that the total number of app downloads has already reached the same level as that of songs in less than half the time. According to the graph, it took a little over 2 years for the app store to output over 6 billion apps. It took practically 5 years for the music store to accomplish the same.

If the current trends persists, Asymco asserts that app downloads will dominate, overtaking music downloads by the end of the year.

Confirming their research, the graph below depicts the decline of music downloads when compared to apps. On a per day average, iOS users are downloading close to 17 million apps per day and roughly 8 million songs.

Interesting Apps Infographic: Facebook vs. Android vs. iPhone

(via allfacebook)

Here's an interesting infographic showing different aspects of three popular app platforms (Facebook, Android, and iPhone).

The PBS NewsHour iPhone App Featured by Apple as New and Noteworthy

The PBS NewsHour iPhone app, created using PointAbout’s AppMakr, was featured as New and Noteworthy by Apple.

Being one of the most trusted and reliable news sources on television, the customizable PBS NewsHour iPhone app gives mobile users open-access to a broad range of topics including politics, science and technology, world news, art and culture, and economy, not to mention the ability to listen to official podcasts and view videos that lead to the PBS YouTube Channel.

The application is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.  With AppMakr recently upgrading to full iOS4 support, the PBS NewsHour app now supports iOS4, as well as multitasking, allowing mobile users to quickly move between applications.  PBS NewsHour also utilizes AppMakr’s push notification function, easily delivering real-time content and messages to user devices, even when the applications are not open.

Download the PBS NewsHour iPhone app.

AppMakr Featured in Meetings and Conventions Online Magazine

PointAbout’s AppMakr, a free, user-friendly, browser-based platform used for the creation of native iPhone applications, was featured in the award-winning Meetings and Conventions online magazine (M&C Online).

M&C Online and print magazine is designed to help meeting and event planners excel at their jobs, offering in-depth features, news analysis, original research, destination insights, article archives, a facility search engine, and more.