Mobile apps
Encyclopedia
Mobile apps, also called mobile applications, are software applications, usually designed to run on smartphone
s and tablet computer
s. They are available through application distribution platforms which are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system
, such as the App Store, Android Market
, and BlackBerry App World
. Some apps are free, and others have a price. Usually they are downloaded from the platform to a target device such as an iPhone
, BlackBerry
, or Android phone, but sometimes they can be downloaded to less mobile computers such as a laptop
s or desktops
. For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the distribution provider (such as iTunes
), and the rest goes to the producer of the app.
The term "app" has become popular, and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society
Mobile apps were originally intended for productivity: email, calendar and contact databases, but public demand caused rapid expansion into other areas such as mobile games, factory automation, GPS and location-based services, banking
, order-tracking, and ticket purchases.
mobile devices are available through the BlackBerry App World application distribution service. It opened in April 2009, and as of February 2011 was claiming the largest revenue per app, $9,166.67 compared to $6,480.00 at the Apple App Store and $1,200 in the Android market. In July 2011, it was reporting 3 million downloads per day, and one billion total downloads.
for its Windows Phone 7
platform, which was launched in October 2010. , it has 34,000 apps available.
phone was launched internationally in May 2009. As of April 2011 there were 50,000 apps, and as of August 2011, Novia was reporting 9 million downloads per day. In February 2011, Nokia reported that it will be using Windows Phone 7
as its primary operating system, but the Ovi store will still be available for Symbian
phones, while the Ovi store will be merged into the Windows Phone 7 platform.
Smartphone
A smartphone is a high-end mobile phone built on a mobile computing platform, with more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone. The first smartphones were devices that mainly combined the functions of a personal digital assistant and a mobile phone or camera...
s and tablet computer
Tablet computer
A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a complete mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone or personal digital assistant, integrated into a flat touch screen and primarily operated by touching the screen...
s. They are available through application distribution platforms which are typically operated by the owner of the mobile operating system
Mobile operating system
A mobile operating system, also known as a mobile OS, mobile software platform or a handheld operating system, is the operating system that controls a mobile device or information appliance—similar in principle to an operating system such as Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux distributions that controls a...
, such as the App Store, Android Market
Android Market
Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
, and BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World is an application distribution service and application by Research In Motion for a majority of BlackBerry devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications. The service went live on April 1, 2009...
. Some apps are free, and others have a price. Usually they are downloaded from the platform to a target device such as an iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
, BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, or Android phone, but sometimes they can be downloaded to less mobile computers such as a laptop
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s or desktops
Desktop computer
A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright...
. For apps with a price, generally a percentage, 20-30%, goes to the distribution provider (such as iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
), and the rest goes to the producer of the app.
The term "app" has become popular, and in 2010 was listed as "Word of the Year" by the American Dialect Society
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society, founded in 1889, is a learned society "dedicated to the study of the English language in North America, and of other languages, or dialects of other languages, influencing it or influenced by it." The Society publishes the academic journal, American Speech...
Mobile apps were originally intended for productivity: email, calendar and contact databases, but public demand caused rapid expansion into other areas such as mobile games, factory automation, GPS and location-based services, banking
Mobile Banking
Mobile banking is a term used for performing balance checks, account transactions, payments, credit applications and other banking transactions through a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Personal Digital Assistant . The earliest mobile banking services were offered over SMS...
, order-tracking, and ticket purchases.
Apple App Store
The Apple App Store opened on July 10, 2008, and as of January 2011, reported over 10 billion downloads. As of June 6, 2011, there are 425,000 third-party apps available, which are downloaded by 200 million iOS users.BlackBerry
Apps for the BlackBerryBlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
mobile devices are available through the BlackBerry App World application distribution service. It opened in April 2009, and as of February 2011 was claiming the largest revenue per app, $9,166.67 compared to $6,480.00 at the Apple App Store and $1,200 in the Android market. In July 2011, it was reporting 3 million downloads per day, and one billion total downloads.
Android Market
The Android Market is an international online software store developed by Google for Android devices. It was opened in October 2008. In May 2011, Google announced that there are 200,000 available apps, with 4.5 billion apps downloaded and installed.Windows Phone Marketplace
The Windows Phone Marketplace is a service by MicrosoftMicrosoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
for its Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
platform, which was launched in October 2010. , it has 34,000 apps available.
Amazon Appstore
The Amazon Appstore is an American mobile application store for the Google Android operating system. It was opened in March 2011, with 3800 applications.Ovi Store
An app store for the NokiaNokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
phone was launched internationally in May 2009. As of April 2011 there were 50,000 apps, and as of August 2011, Novia was reporting 9 million downloads per day. In February 2011, Nokia reported that it will be using Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone 7
Windows Phone is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft, and is the successor to its Windows Mobile platform, although incompatible with it. Unlike its predecessor, it is primarily aimed at the consumer market rather than the enterprise market...
as its primary operating system, but the Ovi store will still be available for Symbian
Symbian
Symbian is a mobile operating system and computing platform designed for smartphones and currently maintained by Accenture. The Symbian platform is the successor to Symbian OS and Nokia Series 60; unlike Symbian OS, which needed an additional user interface system, Symbian includes a user...
phones, while the Ovi store will be merged into the Windows Phone 7 platform.
See also
- Mobile application managementMobile application managementMobile Application Management describes software and services that accelerate and simplify the creation of internally-developed or “in-house” enterprise mobile applications...
- Mobile application developmentMobile application developmentMobile application development is the process by which application software is developed for small low-power handheld devices such as personal digital assistants, enterprise digital assistants or mobile phones...
- List of digital distribution platforms for mobile devices
- Google AppsGoogle AppsGoogle Apps is a service from Google providing independently customizable versions of several Google products under a custom domain name. It features several Web applications with similar functionality to traditional office suites, including: Gmail, Google Groups, Google Calendar, Talk, Docs and...
- Mac App StoreMac App StoreThe Mac App Store is a digital distribution platform for Mac OS X applications developed by Apple Inc.. The platform was announced on October 20, 2010 at Apple's "Back to the Mac" event. Apple began accepting app submissions from registered developers on November 3, 2010 in preparation for its launch...