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. 

Mobile Content Continues to Soar Through 2014

The latest report from eMarketer is predicting a rise in mobile content revenues, inflating to $3.53 billion in 2014; in 2009 revenues were as low as $1.15 billion.
 
Noah Elkin, an eMarketer analyst said, “An improved user experience and the ability to access an ever-expanding variety of content from the cloud will attract many new mobile content consumers in the next five years.”  He went on to say, “The continuing advance of smart devices- including tablet-style computers, led by Apple’s iPad- and the growing ubiquity of mobile broadband networks mean that consumers have to make fewer compromises when it comes to the consumption of games, music, and video.”

When compared to the number of users, games seem to be the most popular when compared to music and video.  This has permitted opportunities for content monetizing through ads and downloads.

Although the trend is leaning more towards games, the fastest growth will come from mobile music at an annual growth of 52.5% (between 2009-2014).  The current ringtone focused market will shift to one that users will pay to access full-length songs.

Elkin, also the author of the report, foresees a compound annual growth of more than 25% in the mobile video audience due to smarter Smartphones and the materialization of viewing options outside the carrier networks; a threefold increase between 2009 and 2014 is expected. 

A Comparison Between Native Apps and Web Apps

(via webmonkey.com)

When deciding to create a mobile application, there are numerous elements to consider. One of the main decisions will be choosing to create a native application or a web application. Depending on which path you take, your decision will affect the design, development, and the distribution of your app. Below is a great comparison of Web apps vs. Native apps:

AppMakr Sends iTunes App Store Over the 250k Available Apps Milestone

We did it! :)

Did you hear the big news yet? The iTunes App Store now has over 250,000 apps available for download.

We figure it would have taken Apple at LEAST an extra 1-2 days to reach the 250k mark had it not been for the over 3,000 AppMakr Apps that have been built for the App Store so we're going to take all the credit we can! 

Thanks to our publishers for all the great creations you're building. We couldn't do it without you!

Via Fortune:

According to 148Apps.biz, Apple's U.S. App Store passed the quarter million milestone on Friday, two years and 49 days after it opened.

As of Saturday morning, by this count (which doesn't include apps available only overseas), there were 251,007 applications from 50,304 publishers available for download for the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. AppShopper.com, which keeps a similar list, has the total at 253,777 apps, including 24,334 for the iPad.

Mobile Apps Becoming Crucial in Business

Research2guidance pieced together 6 reasons mobile apps will become an integral part of a company’s structure in the coming years.  The following is a quick overview of their key points:

•    The widespread increase usage and availability of Smartphones
•    The diversity in Smartphone features and capabilities where business is concerned
•    App stores and their foreseen growth
•    Interactivity offered by apps, increasing user-experience
•    The intimacy and portability of Smartphones; they hardly ever leave our sides
•    The ease of app discovery

Press Release: AppMakr.com Integrates HTML5, Enabling Non-Developers to Create iPhone Apps — Including Games — for Free

AppMakr.com Integrates HTML5, Enabling Non-Developers to
Create iPhone Apps — Including Games — for Free

AppMakr.com Users Can Now Leverage HTML5 & JavaScript to Create Interactive Mobile Application Features Such As Games & Quizes

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 25, 2010

AppMakr.com, a free platform for building native mobile applications, announced the integration of HTML5 to its features, allowing users to leverage advanced functionality within customized HTML tabs.

“We’re most excited about the infinite possibility of apps that will be made by our AppMakr user community,” said Sean Shadmand, co-founder and president of AppMakr.com. “With the integration of HTML5, developers and non-developers alike can create engaging apps — even interactive games — for free using our service.”

In addition to the HTML5-enabled tab, AppMakr.com has also implemented PhoneGap’s leading open source development framework for building cross-platform mobile apps. These features will give all users the ability to code their application using HTML and JavaScript and utilize those languages to take advantage of native, device-specific functionality allowing for the app to access the device camera, address book, compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and many others that would otherwise require more complex development languages, like Objective-C.

HTML5 integration opens up the app market to allow just about anyone to create an iPhone app with custom content which does not need to be generated from dynamic RSS feeds. It also opens up the market for web developers who can now offer completely custom views, even complex games using JavaScript, HTML5, Canvas and CSS without any prior mobile development knowledge. These powerful capabilities will quickly lead to more engaging application experiences built on the AppMakr platform.

“We’re looking forward to seeing how our users take advantage of the high level of customization,” said Isaac Mosquera, co-founder and CTO of AppMakr.com. “We expect to see a new surge of AppMakr apps delivered in the coming months with games, quizzes and the many other interactive features our publishers create for their audiences.”

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Ready to add this feature to your apps? Find out more in the AppMakr Support Community!

Make your own iPhone App

Trending Mobile Advertising Strategies to Watch

Although marketers have been sluggish to embrace the use of mobile tactics, the rapid growth of the mobile landscape has proven that it’s essential for marketers to take heed.  As marketers become attuned, they will find there are several ways to reach target audiences, including SMS, search ads, mobile app display ads, push notifications, videos, and rich media.

1.    Text Messaging/SMS

SMS has been verified as being the most widely used and cost-effective methods of communication in the U.S. According to a report from comScore, in May 2010, the number of U.S. mobile subscribers utilized SMS on their devices increased 1.4 percentage points to 65%. SMS outpaced other mobile activities such as accessing the internet, playing games, downloading apps, and listening to music. SinglePoint’s June 2010 study confirmed that SMS is one of the best methods. Their data revealed that 90% of all sent text messages are read within the first 3 minutes of being received, while 99% of text messages are read by the recipient.

2.    Rich Media

As developers and manufacturers continue pushing the envelope with the creation of mobile devices and various applications, there is a continued need to keep mobile users engaged. Rich media ads encourage in-app interactivity through use of sound, gaming, and video, amongst other things. Eric Litman, CEO of Medialets, explained that he has seen engagement rates as high as 33% on rich media ads, with rates consistently hitting above 20%.

With the growing battle between mobile apps and mobile websites, marketers will have to choose which platform to target. This entails various factors including target audiences, the different types of mobile devices, operating systems…..

With the advent of such applications as FourSquare, Gowalla, and BrightKite, marketers are beginning to take interest, although studies have shown that not too many participate in the “check-in” game. The Forrester Research firm found that 4% of the adult internet-using population have used location-based services, while only 1% of all adults check into a location at least once a week. Advertising within these applications could prove to be advantageous for marketers.  For instance, the BrightKite app allows marketers to target consumers by precise geography, behavior, and within a particular timeframe.

5.    Mobile Video

Though video advertising is not very huge for marketers currently, Internet video has exploded over the years.  eMarketer currently forecasts a 30% growth in mobile video viewers during 2010, which represents a 7.7% reach of the total U.S. population. A predicted increase is expected through 2014, giving ample time for marketers to jump on the bandwagon.

Press Release: Two PGA Tour FedEx Cup Tournaments Go Mobile with AppMakr

Two PGA Tour FedEx Cup Tournaments Go Mobile with AppMakr

Organizers at PGA Tour events are using AppMakr's mobile app platform to deliver locally-focused iPhone applications to their fans at a minimal cost and with little time commitment.

Greensboro, NC (PRWEB) August 20, 2010

As players at the 71st Annual Wyndham Classic wrap up their second round of championship play at Sedgefield Country Club, fans anywhere in the world - and for the first time in tour history, even on the course - will be able to keep close tabs on all the action from their mobile devices. The organizers of the Wyndham Classic were in search of a way to deliver up-to-the-minute scoring and tournament-specific course information directly to any fan with an iPhone. Tournament Manager, Clai Watkins had seen that just a few weeks earlier, The Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia had successfully deployed an iPhone app on a short deadline.

“I spoke with the Tournament Coordinator at The Greenbrier, and they recommended we try AppMakr and said they were very pleased with how easy the set up was,” Watkins shared. “I was on a very limited deadline but the AppMakr team was able to guide me through just a few easy steps and we got our app approved and in the App Store in a matter of days.”

The app features links to live PGA Tour scoring data and videos, on-the-ground information about the course, facilities and parking, live Twitter feeds and daily photo galleries from the on-course action.

“Of course there’s the official PGA Tour app in the App Store, and we’re encouraging fans to download that too,” Watkins added. “With AppMakr, we’re able to bridge the gap from the tour-wide app to our local event and provide tailor-made information, course details and fan interactions that the PGA wouldn’t normally build into their app for every tournament.”

The Wyndham Championship App is available for download in the App Store. Tickets for the tournament are still available and accessible via the mobile app and at http://www.wyndhamchampionship.com.

In the First Half of 2010: Mobile App Market Hits $2.2 Billion

(via Techcrunch)

The global Smartphone app market is said to reach $15 billion by 2013, according to the Berlin-based research organization, Research2guidance.  In a recent report, the organization confirmed that in the first six months of 2010, the market has reached $2.2 billion, with download numbers hitting 3.8 billion (for the entire year of 2009, download numbers were 3.1 billon).  The Apple App Store, Blackberry’s App World, the Android Market and other mobile app stores are said to be the cause of the surge.

Read full article.

PointAbout was Featured in PotomacTechWire:

DC-Based PointAbout Featured in FastCompany; Raising Funding Round

Washington, DC -- PointAbout, the DC-based creator of a platform allowing clients to develop their own low-cost mobile apps, said that it is in the process of raising a new round of funding from Charles River Ventures and angel investors Bill Lee and Rich Chen. The news comes amidst a period of rapid growth for the company, which recently opened a West Coast office in San Francisco, launched a new website and was featured in the September edition of FastCompany magazine. PointAbout's AppMakr platform has created more than 10,000 iPhone apps since its launch in January. Clients include Burger King, Disney, Kohl's and The Washington Post.