Currently, the mobile lineup includes apps for tech, football, baseball, celebrity gossip and rock music, but dozens more are in the works. There's even an iPad app coming, which Evri describes as a "smarter Flipboard."

How Evri Uses Semantic Tech to Deliver the News

Evri's new apps aim to bring you the content you're most interested in and passionate about, with the signal filtered from the noise and the content distilled down to what really matters.

The semantic technology Evri is known for enables this, as it helps to understand what content is popular, but also what it means. For example, its football application wouldn't confuse Will Smith, the actor, with Will Smith, the football player for the New Orleans Saints. And after discovering the content, Evri can then rank it based on recency, relevancy and popularity.

It also doesn't require a large group of curators to make this happen. Instead, the ratio is more like one curator per hundreds, maybe thousands, of pieces of content. The curator's job consists only of pointing the technology in the right direction. This is curation at scale.

Mobile Apps Available Now: iPhone, Android (iPad Coming Soon)

Each mobile app features multiple views of the content it provides: a news view, a video view, a Twitter view and an "EvriThing" view, which is all the views combined.

The Twitter view could be an intriguing alternative to using Twitter lists. Although lists are currently one of Twitter's best features for curating and filtering content, Evri's "Twitter" view on a topic functions like a dynamic Twitter list of what's interesting, current and relevant.

The upcoming iPad app will do much of the same, except on a larger form factor. It will also let you add content from sources that matter to you - like your own Twitter and Facebook accounts. "Flipboard doesn't get popularity," said Hunsinger. It doesn't know what content should be featured bigger or smaller within the app based on popularity and other factors.

But that's only a temporary glitch - Flipboard acquired semantic data-analysis company Ellerdale and is in the process of integrating that tech into its backend to better determine the relevance of the information it displays.

Design Needs Work

Flipboard has great design, too. And Hunsinger says his company has learned from that design and will likely implement similar interactions. Flipboard didn't invent the magazine, after all. It just got it right on the iPad.

But when it comes to design, this is an area where Evri has some serious ramping up to do, especially if it wants to take on Flipboard. The mobile apps are somewhat garish in their color choices and include hard-to-read fonts. GigaOm's Liz Gannes even said "the Evri app design currently hurts my eyes." It's hard to disagree, and that doesn't bode well for the company's iPad plans.

But like Gannes, who said the idea has "promise," we see the potential here. Semantic technology plus content discovery plus mobile is a recipe for success, is it not?

The Evri apps are being announced today at GigaOm's Mobilize conference in San Francisco. They will be available on both iPhone and Android. The apps are monetized through affiliate advertising partnerships with Amazon, Apple and others so they're available for free.

Now, in a detailed how-to guide posted by Justin Case on Android Police, not only has Google's licensing system been cracked, doing so was a fairly easy process.

It's not surprising to hear that a protection system was hacked or cracked these days. There is virtually no unbreakable code, given enough Red Bull and a dedicated hacker. What's somewhat disturbing about this particular crack, however, was how simple it was to accomplish.

In this case, the crack was made possible due to the licensing system's use of Java code. According to Case, Java code is what most Android applications are currently written in. Because of Java's cross-platform compatibility needs, there are already a number of software suites that can decompile and disassemble Java code, making it an easy target for reverse engineering.

After decompiling the code, cracking the licensing system is as simple as finding the file that references Google's licensing service and changing it to include a different set of instructions. A hacker would just need to change of couple of bytes of code that detail how an application should behave after verification of its license is complete.

Typically, an application using Google's protection mechanism would communicate with a Google's Marketplace server to confirm whether or not it's properly licensed. If it was not licensed, the app would be told not to run. This hack just changes the instruction set that means "don't run" into one that means "sure, go ahead and run." That's a basic, non-technical explanation, of course. Those with a development background should read the detailed steps laid out here instead.

In addition to the hack being easy to accomplish, it can also be automated using scripts. That means most Android applications could be stripped of their licensing protection and made available in off-Market, pirated distributions, Case warns.

How Bad is this for Android?

While not necessarily an Achilles' heel for the Android ecosystem itself - its momentum is too far along for that now - at the least, it's a cause for concern. Unlike Apple's carefully controlled App Store environment, Google Android operating system is more open by default, allowing users to install apps from outside the official marketplace just by changing a single setting on their phone. iPhone users, meanwhile, have to wait for weeks on end after every Apple software update for a team of dedicated iPhone hackers to release a new "jailbreak" - an end-user tool of some sort that removes the restrictions placed on the device which prevent the installation of unapproved, third party apps.

Google's openness is, on the one hand, a benefit to its developers and users, the former who no longer have to comply with complex and ever-changing developer agreements just to release an app in the official app store, and the latter having the freedom to install any applications they choose without having to hack their phone to do so.

However, Android's openness combined with an easy-to-crack protection system means that it's now also incredibly easy for paid applications to be distributed to end users who don't want to pay for them.

That's not something that will make the developer community happy - especially given the earlier news that iPhone users are more willing to pay for apps and that 57% of Android apps are free, when only 28% of iPhone apps are.

It should be noted that not all Android applications use Google's Licensing Service, but the system is a popular choice because it's easy to implement and it associates applications to a Google account, allowing users to take applications with them when they upgrade to a new handset.

Update: Google responded to this situation a few hours after publication via blog post. Google's Android developer evangelist Tim Bray notes that its licensing technology is young, but represents "a significant step forward in terms of protection over the plain copy-protection facility that used to be the norm." He also says that the company will improve the licensing system going forward. He did not, however, detail any specific steps Google will take to thwart this current hack in particular.

Although there are a number of Caller ID-type applications already out there for mobile phones, PrivacyStar actually connects with the SS7 Network. In the telephony world, this set of signaling protocols allows for the existence of services like call forwarding, call waiting, call screening, busy callback, caller identification and more.

Being directly connected to SS7 or not may or may not be a key selling point for PrivacyStar's end users.

PrivacyStar: Caller ID, Blacklisting and More

That said, First Orion claims PrivacyStar's implementation of Caller ID is the one most similar to Caller ID services you would find on your landline phone. As with traditional Caller ID, the new app will display the name and number of whoever's calling as the phone rings. In the past, this service was only available to former PrivacyStar users by way of a lookup tool integrated with the phone's call log feature. Now, the identification is immediate.

In addition to the caller identification service, PrivacyStar users can also block individual phone numbers, entire area codes or private and unknown numbers. An included (and optional) SmartBlock service goes even further, proactively blocking phone numbers identified and blocked the most by all PrivacyStar users. If a telemarketer makes their way through somehow, despite this formidable blockade, you can then report them as being in violation of the Do Not Call list, assuming you've added your number.

Finally, a Do Not Disturb feature not only sends calls straight to voicemail, but also sends out a customized text message to the caller saying you've received the message. The recipient could then text back if the message was urgent but you weren't able to talk. (Would it be wrong to turn this on permanently, we wonder?)

Droid Doesn't?

There is one unfortunate drawback to the $2.99/month PrivacyStar service subscription: It doesn't work over Verizon's CDMA network. The company explains that on the CDMA network, the Caller ID service isn't able to make an outbound call while a voice channel is operating. For CDMA users, PrivacyStar's caller identification feature will only work when the phone is also connected to a Wi-Fi network.

These afflicted users can rely on the reverse caller lookup option instead, which allows any user to find the name of the caller within their call log. This option is similar to the current way the BlackBerry app works, but the BlackBerry version will soon be updated with the features outlined here today.

Why There's No iPhone App

Interestingly enough, one app that's not mentioned as being in development is the Apple iPhone version of PrivacyStar. Why is that?

From what we could gather, it's primarily because Apple doesn't allow the level of modifications required by PrivacyStar within its officially sanctioned iPhone applications. For example, PrivacyStar changes the incoming call screen. Would Apple allow that? No. Nor would it allow an app that integrates deeply with call logs and contact lists.

Apple's restrictions give Android and even Blackberry the edge here when it comes to offering practical tools for the everyday user. iPhone owners who want similar functionality can download "lookup apps" that let you enter in phone numbers after the fact, or apps that apply custom ringtones to warn you of "blacklisted" numbers.  To really blacklist a number, iPhone owners have to jailbreak their phones, then install apps like iBlacklist. And to get Caller ID services... wait, what's that?...There isn't even a jailbreak app delivering Caller ID functionality to iPhone? Sorry, guys.

Or is it?

In theory, you should be able to go into any store, launch an app and find a coupon for that business which could then be presented to the cashier. We have the technology - it is possible. In practice, however, this sort of mobilized "discount shopping" experience is still quite a ways off.

In my tests of several of these mobile coupon apps, I used an iPhone, but many of the apps mentioned below are multi-platform, supported on devices like Android and Blackberry, too.

Problem #1: Which App Has a Coupon for This Store?

For starters, despite living in a relatively large metro area (Tampa Bay, Florida - which, for the geographically unaware, is the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the Southeast U.S.), there were relatively few coupons available no matter which service was used. That's surprising, given the fact that nearly every major national chain is represented here. But in one app, there would be coupons for a national chain like "GNC" and in another app there would be coupons for the national chain "Domino's Pizza" and in yet another app there would be coupons for a Tampa Bay-based chain of restaurants, but despite my searches, I couldn't find a single app that housed all the offers in one comprehensive listing. Why is that?

And had I actually wanted to use a particular coupon, it would have taken several minutes of launching multiple apps and searching for that business in order to locate which app offered it. That's hardly convenient when you're on the move and in a hurry.

Problem #2: How Do I Use This Coupon?

Then let's say I actually found a coupon worth using. The process for doing so is entirely different, given the app being used. For example, in Yowza!!, you're given a coupon code (similar to what you would use on a website at checkout) which you're supposed to give to a cashier - a cashier who, according to the app's included FAQ, may have no idea what to do with it, requiring you to ask a manager for help. In mobiQpons, you're presented with what looks like an actual coupon that could have appeared in a local paper and you can tap it to make it appear full-screen. In Coupon Sherpa, however, most coupons appeared via the application's in-app Web browser which directs you to a page on that company's website where the coupon resides. Some of these have barcodes, some do not and in at least one case, the coupon didn't load - only the mobile website did. Oops!

Problem #3: Geo-Targeting Needs Improvement

Then there is the geo-targeting functionality, which is, in many cases, limited to a display of nearby offers, only available once the app is launched. Where are the push notifications, I ask? In mobiQpons, I could turn on push "reminders" about offers from favorite stores, but in Cellfire and Coupon Sherpa, there weren't push notifications even available. Yowza!! asked if it could send me push notifications (as did Qponomics), but in Yowza!! only your pre-configured favorite stores could send you push notifications, given permission. The same was true for Shopary, a "shopping diary" type app. Neither were smart enough to know that you were at "Finish Line," for example, and send you messages at that time - they would only ping you when new offers became available. Qponomics actually had so few deals, I couldn't even test it and although a newcomer called Shooger offered real-time, daily or weekly notifications, it was unclear how these worked given the app's lack of an included "how to" section.

Granted, the geo-targeting issues have partially to do with the lack of precision of the GPS systems in today's smartphones. If you're at a mall, for example, it doesn't know which store you're in as the shops are all so close together. Hopefully, now that the next-generation of GPS satellites have been launched into orbit with their exact targeting capabilities, the ability for apps to know precisely where you are will become possible sometime in the future.

Problem #4: You Still Need a Printer

Finally, there was the challenge of using mobile grocery coupons. As mentioned earlier, I've been using GroceryIQ for building shopping lists and there is relatively decent mobile coupon integration built into the app, courtesy of coupons.com (which, for what it's worth, has its own independent application if coupons are all you're after). However, despite the fact that the coupons.com offers are available right there in both these mobile applications, you have to print them out in order to use them at checkout.

Correction: You may have to print coupons in order to use them at checkout. GroceryIQ has a "Savings Card" option which will save coupons to a store loyalty card at supported stores. In my metro area, the stores I frequent (Publix, Sweetbay, Whole Foods and Fresh Market) were not supported so I was unaware of the option. GroceryIQ currently supports Safeway, VONS, Dominick's, Genuardi's, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Pavilions, and Carrs. The Coupons.com app offers a similar feature.

Perhaps the problem here is that supermarkets just aren't ready to handle mobile coupons at checkout. Plus, imagine the horror of being behind someone in line as they fiddled with a mobile app to pull up coupon after coupon so the cashier could scan barcodes. Clearly, this technology still needs improvement. I'd imagine that, in a perfect world, you could present the cashier with a single barcode to scan that would somehow translate all your offers into discounts readable by their in-house systems. But that's not something an independent developer could create for smartphones, the grocery chain would have to be involved itself before that technology became possible.

For Now, Barcode Scanning is Better for Saving

Although all the apps tested, as noted, were on the iPhone and this certainly wasn't a comprehensive lineup (I'm expecting the emails from PR staff as soon as I hit publish), the experience was disheartening enough to make me give up - for now at least - on using mobile coupons at all. Frankly, they're more trouble than they're worth at this point in time.

Far more useful for everyday savings are the barcode scanning apps like RedLaser and ShopSavvy, which let you know if you're getting a good deal on what you're buying. Although they won't give you a coupon for the item scanned, you'll at least know if there's a better price available down the street or online.

Want your app to talk to Twitter? There's a button for that. Want your app to use text-to-speech? No problem. Use the GPS? Piece of cake. Or so says Google, who had tested the app for a year prior to launch with groups that included "sixth graders, high school girls, nursing students and university undergrads who are not computer science majors," reports The New York Times, who broke the story this morning.

Does that list of testers sound a little odd to you? "It's so easy a high school girl can use it!" Or a nursing student! (A profession still dominated by women, mind you.) In any event, the point The New York Times was making is that Google App Inventor is so easy anyone can use it; they just came about that point in a somewhat sexist way.

Official DIY App Highlights Difference Between Apple and Google Philosophies

But DIY app creation tools aren't new, nor are they unique to Google Android. However, apps like these usually exist as third-party applications, not ones that are officially launched and blessed by the company whose software they support.

For example, in Apple's ecosystem, there are a number of DIY apps that let non-developers create and submit iPhone applications to the iTunes App Store without needing to know Apple's own development language. Last year, we profiled over a dozen of these services, ranging from the templated creations made with Sweb Apps to the more robust app builders from Appcelerator and Rhomobile.

Unfortunately, third-party Apple tools are always just one step away from being knocked out of existence, thanks to Apple's ever-changing software developer kit license. Earlier this year, Apple famously updated its terms to specify that only applications written in Objective-C, C, C++, or JavaScript would be permitted in the iTunes Store. The move was a swipe at Adobe, and the intended victim was Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone packager, a tool that would have allowed Adobe developers to code for Apple's platform with Flash. But in Apple's zest to kick out Adobe, other application developers were fearful as well that they, too, would be affected.

Google: Anyone with an Idea is Welcome Here

Google, on the other hand, is taking an entirely different stance than Apple. Instead of locking down its App Market, barring entry to anyone but those who know how to code in the languages it specifies, Google is embracing "openness," saying anyone with an idea is welcome here.

To function, Google's App Inventor uses the Open Blocks Java library for creating visual blocks programming languages. Open Blocks is distributed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Scheller Teacher Education Program and derives from thesis research by Ricarose Roque. It's also closely related to the Scratch programming language - a language, notes Forrester Research principal analyst Jeffrey Hammond, that was banned on the iPhone.

Yes, that may mean a bunch more "junk" applications, as TechCrunch rightly points out. But it could also mean more great applications, too. Or maybe just more of everything. Like Michael Gartenberg, partner at Altimeter Group, quipped on Twitter this morning: "...look how much damage those WYSIWYG word processors and graphics programs have done." Damage? Like a Web where everyone can publish?

• 21% of American wireless subscribers have a smart phone at Q4 2009, up from 19% in the previous quarter and significantly higher than the 14% at the end of 2008
• 14% of mobile subscribers have downloaded an app in the last 30 days
• Average number of apps: Smart phone: 22, Feature phone: 10

Among other conclusions of the survey is that games, both free and paid, are the most downloaded of apps. No surprise there. On smart phones, vs. feature phones, the most popular are Facebook, Google Maps and Weather Channel.

Facebook is also the most popular in the social app category, but LinkedIn is popular with adults 25-44 and MySpace is more popular with teens than one might expect, given its leveling off.

The greatest surprise is that news barely makes a ding in the apps market, at least according to this study. Getting news tailored to your needs is one of the most gratifying elements of the new world of information. But maybe we're somewhat prejudiced.

The ideas in this post come from a session at the recent ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit that I convened. Thanks to the participants!

Buildings & Objects

RFID data could make building mapping automated and much more accurate. It could identify the location of gas lines, the temperature at various locations, how to optimize air flow in a data center, and more. Likewise, in your home you could have sensors deployed everywhere. For example, in your windows to notify you of any damage.

The ground itself can be monitored using sensors. HP Labs has a seismic sensing solution that is currently deployed by Shell. It integrates with Shell's oil and gas exploration systems to sense, collect and store geophysical data.

Parking could be a consumer friendly application for sensor data - telling you where are the parking spaces, in real-time.

Tire pressure monitoring and exhaust monitoring could tie into carbon footprints. But who will pay? Government mandates may be required before this happens.

Many libraries are already using RFID, to enable you to (for example) self check out library items.

Security in buildings is a big area of opportunity. Airports is one obvious example and the advent of biometric passports (sometimes called ePassports) is where we'll likely see a lot of RFID usage.

Speaking of airports, RFID tags on luggage is an application begging to be introduced - as my own tale of lost luggage woe from last year attests.

Collecting tolls from cars using FasTrack is yet another use case for RFID in the physical world.

Environment, Green & Energy

Just as there are plenty of building and object applications waiting to be built on top of sensor and RFID data, there are many opportunities for usage in environmental products and services.

Green Watch is a project that we reviewed at the end of last year. It's literally a watch, which measures ozone levels and noise pollution. The watch connects wirelessly to the wearer's mobile phone and sends updates to Citypulse, an open platform for receiving and storing environmental data. It's still a prototype at this point, but (ahem) watch out for it in the future.

Another prototype project is the Common Sense Research Project at Berkeley, which measures air quality. The project is "developing mobile sensing technologies that help communities gather and analyze environmental data." At the Mobile Summit, this notion led to a discussion about the business case for this technology. Whose fault is it for poor air quality; for example can polluting companies be held responsible for air pollution?

One Mobile Summit participant wanted a smart garbage pail that auto reorders an item when you have thrown it out. That segued to a discussion about paying by the weight of garbage. RFID could also be used to match a trash can with its owner!

Sensors could be used to detect the 'green quality' of a food producer, for example allergens.

Smart meters from power companies is something that is already happening. Also water - for example IBM's water management system for the city of Dublin. It measures things such as "the movement of pollutants in fresh water, marine and oceanic environments."

As you can see, some of these ideas are already in production (HP Labs, IBM). Others are in prototype, still others are but a twinkle in the proverbial milk man's eye. Now let us know, in the comments, your own ideas for mobile apps that make use of sensor and RFID data.

Image credits: Datascan; Common Sense Project

We'll explore these and other trends with you at the ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit, a 1-day event we're running on Friday 7 May, in Mountain View, California. That's the day after Web 2.0 Expo (2-6 May), so we hope you'll extend your trip to the West Coast to help us define the future of mobile! To be certain of getting a ticket, we invite you to register now.

Geo-location Services

In January, RWW Co-Editor Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote that the era of Location-as-Platform has arrived. Using leading location mobile service Foursquare as an example, Marshall wrote that "the mobile location 'check-in' is fast becoming the hot new status message type online." He added that "it was only a matter of time until 'where you are' became a platform to build added value on top of just like 'who you know' has on social networking sites like Facebook."

The use cases for location data include showing nearby restaurants and ratings, mobile advertising, local news, events, and Wikipedia data about local buildings. That's impressive enough, but imagine the possibilities when you add data from sensors. As I wrote in January, one use case that should become reality soon is receiving a real-time update of traffic conditions via sensors embedded in the road.

What else can we do using location as a platform? We'll discuss this in-depth at the ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit.

Internet of Things

As well as sensor applications, there are other emerging applications for mobile that intersect with the Internet of Things trend. They include barcode scanning, using your phone as an RFID tag and reader, and using your phone as a proximity sensor.

As we explained in January, as well as your mobile phone reading and acting on sensor data from real world objects, the phone may also be used as a sensor itself. For example the iPhone has a built-in accelerometer, which is basically a motion detector. This is used for game control and also for re-sizing your iPhone display from portrait to landscape. The iPhone also has a microphone (which can be used as a noise sensor), a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor.

Barcode scanning and its applications is a fast growing market in the mobile world. The most popular form of 2D barcode is the QR Code (the QR stands for "Quick Response"), which became popular in Japan and is now gaining traction in the U.S. and other markets.

There are many emerging opportunities to utilize sensor and RFID data, which again we will explore at the Mobile Summit on 7 May.

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality has been one of the hottest trends in mobile for about a year now. ReadWriteWeb even created an extensive report about AR and its market and development opportunities. We think that AR offers a new marketing and product paradigm for a high impact, high value customer experience. More than 1,000 AR campaigns were kicked-off last year and we expect to see many more this year. In our report, we profiled key AR development companies, their campaigns as well as development lessons learned.

In a recent post, Chris Cameron (the author of our AR report) noted that practical application is the golden ticket of Augmented Reality. As an example he pointed to the junaio iPhone application, which competes with Layar and Wikitude in the AR browser space. junaio recently announced that its formed a partnership with BART, San Francisco's Bay Area Rapid Transit system, to bring live train data to the app. junaio takes advantage of the API provided by BART to not only place locations of nearby stations in a user's field of vision, but also estimate arrival time of trains at each station and display that live in real-time using AR.

Mobile Social Networking

A recent study from Ruder Finn revealed that more people are using the mobile web to socialize (91%) compared to the 79% of desktop users who do the same. ReadWriteWeb's Sarah Perez concluded that "the mobile phone is actually a better platform for social networking than the PC."

The study found that during the 2.7 hours per day that people in the U.S. spend on the mobile web, 45% are posting comments on social networking sites, 43% are connecting with friends on social networking sites, 40% are sharing content with others and 38% are sharing photos. Sarah commented that it's no surprise to find that the rise of the mobile phone corresponds with the rise in Facebook's popularity, because "it has become a do-anywhere activity that captures people's attention whenever they have free time, instead of an activity that requires people make time for it."

Sarah concluded that mobile social networking is an easier activity to participate in now that it's been unchained from the PC. This of course has big implications for entrepreneurs and application developers, which we will explore at the RWW Mobile Summit.

Top 10 Mobile Trends of 2010:
- Part 1: Design & Development
- Part 2: Apps, Apps, Apps
- Part 3: Emerging Markets

We'd love to discuss these and other mobile topics with you at our ReadWriteWeb Mobile Summit 2010. See our announcement post for more details.

If you're a company in the Mobile Internet market, you may be interested in becoming a sponsor for this event. Please contact our COO Sean Ammirati for more information about sponsor packages. And a big thank-you to our current event sponsors: CallFire, WorldMate, Alcatel-Lucent and Ipevo.

While the applications will not be for the iPhone, and therefor not direct competition to the App Store, a centralized location for mobile applications may lure potential customers away from Apple and its iPhone.

The alliance "aims to unite a fragmented marketplace and create an open industry platform that benefits everybody". The group will be conversing with W3C, the web standards consortium, to develop a standard for mobile application development. The group intends to make cross-platform development for a number a different mobile devices possible, with those applications available in one location, much in the same way that all Apple users rely on the app store.

The main question we have is, will this store also create the closed atmosphere that many complain about with the app store? Will there be a verification process for apps, giving the alliance the same sort of control Apple has, or will it be more of an open environment?

According to the release, the group aims to create "an ecosystem for the development and distribution of mobile and internet applications irrespective of device or technology," so on that end, things look good.

We would have to agree with Google, however, in noting that the number of different device technologies and platforms could make the dream of a unified mobile front against the dominant iPhone could just be a pipe dream.

Adobe, meanwhile, is focusing on the other up-and-coming smartphone platform, Google's Android OS, with the launch of their "AIR for Android" offering. With this and the newly announced Flash Player 10.1, wannabe mobile developers don't need to learn specialized code, but can instead leverage their existing development skills to build Flash and AIR-based applications. They can then have those apps run anywhere: PCs, Macs, Linux and mobile...including, surprisingly, the iPhone.

The AIR for Android development platform allows designers and developers to use their existing skills in coding for AIR on the desktop to build standalone applications that run on the mobile Android operating system, found on devices like the Droid, the myTouch 3G, and the G1. With AIR, developers can include mobile-specific functionality in their devices including multi-touch, accelerometer input, GPS, screen orientation and gestures.

Already, Adobe has several developers on board. A company blog post today shows a selection of some of the first AIR-built Android apps, all games, including iTunes App Store classics like Alchemist, FickleBlox, Gridshock, Chroma Circuit, Red Hood, South Park Avatar Creator and Su (iTunes links).

Flash 10.1

In addition to the AIR for Android announcement, Adobe also debuted the Flash Platform 10.1 beta, now available to developers and content providers worldwide. With Flash, developers can not only build mobile applications for Android, but can build apps that run anywhere: desktops, laptops, netbooks and smartphones. All the major smartphone players (save one) will support Flash, including Android, RIM BlackBerry, Symbian, Palm's webOS and Windows Mobile. It will now also be available on LiMo devices, an independent and open smartphone platform with a Linux-based operating system at its core.

Flash isn't just about the apps, either. It's also used for website content display and HD videos, like those found on the popular U.S. TV portal, Hulu. Sling Media, makers of the Slingbox hardware, devices that let you watch live TV playing in one location on a remote receiver, also use Flash as part of their three-screen solution which delivers video to TVs, laptops, and mobile devices.

Flash for iPhone: the Workaround

Despite all the announcements, which lay solid ground for Adobe's continued relevance and importance in the ever-changing mobile world, the company has not forgotten about Apple. Although sour grapes could have easily had the company turn their back to the popular iPhone OS platform, Adobe did just the opposite: they made it easy for their developers to build for iPhone too. Using the Packager for iPhone software, announced previously at Adobe MAX 2009, developers can export Flash code as iPhone apps.

With these tools, developers can essentially write once and deploy anywhere - as AIR or Flash creations for the desktop or mobile web or as apps for any mobile device including Android or iPhone.

Will Apple Cave?

Apple's standoff against Flash has gained more public exposure with the recent announcement of the Apple iPad. Even consumers who don't pay careful attention to technology news will soon discover the iPad's shortcomings when iPad-launched websites don't include streaming video, content doesn't display as expected and video portals like Hulu are inaccessible.

While purists may feel the same as Apple CEO Steve Jobs when it comes to Flash's expulsion from the iPhone/iPad platform, (notably that it's "buggy" and will soon be replaced by HTML5, an upcoming standard that can provide streaming video, too), the reality is that the new HTML5-enabled web won't be built overnight. In the meantime, developers and consumers alike want solutions for the content they expect to access when mobile - that being the web, the whole web, the fully functioning web. It's here that Adobe intends to deliver. Their goal is to have every platform but Apple supporting native Flash and AIR, while still supporting iPhone through a workaround. Will Apple eventually concede to this power play where everyone supports Flash but them? It's impossible to tell, but Adobe certainly isn't afraid to lay the pressure on thick.

Unlike other mobile navigation apps, Waze "crowdsources" its map-making process, reliant on its users to switch the app on when driving around town. Then, using the phone's built-in GPS capabilities, Waze uses the information sent back to create base maps and determine traffic patterns in order to warn other users of traffic jams ahead.

Making Maps is Just a Game

To encourage users to contribute to the map-building process, the company came up with an idea to make it more of a game. Originally, the Waze character would appear and munch dots on the screen when you ventured onto a road that didn't previously exist in the company's database.

Now, with Waze 2.0, the gaming elements have been enhanced even further. Users will now munch on other goodies like cherries, hammers, and small gift packages which generate bonus points. The extra goodies will be placed on locations where the map has issues with the higher-point items on maps with the most issues.

To kick off this new release, the company is also hosting a contest dubbed the "Holiday High Points Challenge" which runs from November 25th through December 9th. During this time, which includes the busy traveling period of the Thanksgiving holidays, Waze hopes to tap into the high number of drivers who will be trekking around town and across the country to visit relatives. The top three users who earn the most points during this period will win Amazon gift cards in the amounts of $500, $300 and $200, for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places respectively.

Crowdsourcing: Better Maps, Faster

The Waze application was one of the more innovative companies to appear at the most recent DEMO conference where they launched their turn-by-turn directions feature. Because they're not using map data from Tele Atlas or Navteq - the two big names that license map data to other companies for use in applications - Waze saves money while also being able to sell their own data to other companies at reduced rates. The company also claims that their crowdsourced method has dramatically shortened the months-long update cycle for maps.

While Waze may not be ready to replace your in-dash GPS just yet, it gets closer every day as more roads are mapped and more users join the service. Early adopters who want to contribute to the project can download the mobile application from the company's homepage here.

With all the news from the event, one thing was clear: RIM desperately wants developers to build for Blackberry and is now actively enticing them with a slew of new offerings designed to win them over.

One of the biggest announcements made yesterday involved the launch of new APIs (application programming interfaces) for third-party developers. The APIs offered include a new advertising service, a payments service, location services, and the general availability of Blackberry's own Push service, which had never before been made available to outside developers. What this means is that developers now have the tools to build applications that rival those already available on many other smartphones today, most notably, the iPhone. In some cases, the Blackberry APIs even offer something the iPhone doesn't such as is the case with the payments service which allows you to pay for apps on your next mobile phone bill.

The location services include a geo-location API that will use cell tower triangulation as a backup for when GPS fails, making location-based applications more reliable. There are also services for determining your phone's location on a map and another that helps estimate travel time for driving directions. It's obvious to see how these types of services could help build new and useful mobile applications for the Blackberry.

Also revealed was the new Blackberry Advertising Service, an offering designed to help developers generate revenue from their mobile applications. Through partnerships with ad networks, developers can easily integrate mobile advertising within their apps and track the ad's effectiveness with an included analytics package. It's even possible for these ads to access the phone's core features. For example, you'll be able to initiate a phone call from an ad or add a calendar entry from an ad. That's an innovation that many other mobile handhelds are not yet offering. These types of interactions should have a clear appeal to the many business-minded corporate Blackberry users who are often more interested in getting things done than they are with playing mindless games.

That being said, the game-playing crowd isn't being ignored either. Also announced was support for OpenGL ES, a graphics API for 3D games. While this doesn't quite put the Blackberry on par with what's available for iPhone, it's a move that's designed to keep Blackberry at least somewhat competitive in the field of mobile gaming.

Other announcements included new support for mobile developers looking to build applications with the languages and tools they already know and use. Java developers will get a new GUI builder that lets them create mobile interfaces using a WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor with drag-and-drop capabilities. Adobe developers will be able to use the company's Flash Platform technology and Adobe Creative Suite tools to build rich, mobile apps as well. This is another area where Apple falls short - Flash still doesn't work on the iPhone. Instead Flash developers have to use special Adobe software to convert apps written in Flash to a format that's iPhone-compatible. Also, designers can now use Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver to build both themes and widgets using the new Blackberry Theme Studio 5.0.

Apps, Apps, Apps!

In addition to the RIM-specific announcements, a number of companies also used the Developer Conference as the launching pad for new Blackberry applications and related announcements.

Ebay, for example, unveiled a brand-new mobile app that lets you search for items, view descriptions and photos, bid, watch items, and more. It will also tap into Blackberry's now open Push services API to deliver real-time alerts as to when you're outbid on an auction. Considering that the company has already generated $400 million this year using eBay's iPhone application, this new Blackberry app should be a big hit among mobile users when it launches next month.

The popular location-based social networking service called Loopt also revealed a major update for Blackberry which includes something the iPhone can't offer due to the nature of the device: it runs in the background to continually update your location in real-time. This is one of the iPhone's biggest flaws according to critics, since so many mobile applications take advantage of always-on connectivity to track your location for the benefit of specific mobile apps. In Loopt's case, the app knows where you are in order to show you nearby friends and local businesses which you can rate. It even offers mobile coupons for the retailers and restaurants in your vicinity.

Finally, Xobni, the Outlook email search plugin that discovers social connections in your inbox, revealed their new Blackberry application, too. As with the desktop software, Xobni for Blackberry will let you find contacts in your address book quickly using Xobni Rank technology which returns results ranked based on frequency and freshness of your communication. The application will be made available sometime early next year.

The Blackberry Developer Conference continues until Thursday, so stay tuned for even more news over the coming days.

Created by gaming site Nimblebit's Ian Marsh, App Classics analyzes iTunes rating and sales information to determine which applications have remained popular over time. The apps that make the cut are then awarded either a gold, silver or bronze medal based on their status.

The interface to the site is similar to that of the social network for bookworms, Shelfari or the iPhone app Classics (iTunes link) which displays classic novels as books on a bookshelf. Like those, App Classics features a wooden bookshelf where the icons for the applications are displayed and labeled by name. A drop-down menu at the top lets you filter the shelves by category (games, business, social networking, etc.). The "Games" category is even sub-divided into further sections (strategy, board, card, etc.).

Video Reviews Rock, but Missing Apps Don't

Click on any of the apps and you'll be taken to the app's page where you're provided with information similar to that which the App Store provides - screenshots and descriptions.

However, the best part about the app subpages is the video reviews. Using videos pulled from YouTube, you can actually see the app in action. Watching YouTube videos is something many users often do before buying a new application - this just makes it easier. 

And, as it's rapidly becoming par for the course these days, you can also share your findings via Twitter and Facebook. 

So how does App Classics stand up in terms of selection? For the most part, OK. The apps featured on the site do seem to reflect those that are deserving of "classic" status, but there are some glaring omissions as well. For example, under social networking, Facebook isn't listed. Under news, there's no Wall Street Journal. Under weather, there's no Weather Bug. We find it hard to believe that these apps weren't worthy of inclusion - were the reviews really so bad?

We're Watching this One

It could be just a case of new launch bugs - after all, App Classics was only unveiled yesterday. Given time, they may work out these kinks so true "classics" don't get overlooked.

Again, this is another site that hasn't mastered the perfect formula, unfortunately, but definitely one whose concept and implementation is to be admired. We'll say it's worth watching for now, but it's not there just yet.

According to Best Buy chief marketing officer Barry Judge, the new applications, which also include several Facebook apps that will appear on the company's branded page, take advantage of the company's "Remix API," (application programming interface). This allows third-party developers to access Best Buy's inventory data, pricing, and product images for use in their web or mobile applications.

Next month, the first of several Google-created Best Buy applications will launch. The new app will allow consumers to do product searches and then will provide them with the location and directions to their nearest Best Buy store. It will even direct the user to the exact location of the product within the store itself. Phones sold in Best Buy will include the app pre-loaded onto the handsets prior to purchase. Also coming are applications designed specifically for Android, Google's mobile operating system, but there's no word yet as to what those apps will be. Best Buy currently carries two models of Android phones, the G1 and the myTouch 3G.

Other Plans: Websites, Gadget Deals, and Facebook Apps

In addition, the company is launching a dedicated website for Best Buy Mobile in October, is lining up exclusive deals to sell highly anticipated gadgets like Nokia's first netbook, the Booklet 3G, and is launching a series of Facebook applications.

The revamped Facebook page, which the company said will attract anywhere from 3 to 4 million fans, will offer several apps designed to help holiday shoppers find gifts. One, the "Hint Hacker," allows visitors to send gift hints to their family and friends about what products they're interested in. Another, called the "Holiday Morning Simulator," is a goofy Christmas card where Best Buy Blue Shirt employees sing holiday tunes, also addresses gift-purchasing questions. A third is a Facebook Secret Santa app. These, too, will be revealed in the coming weeks.

One of the main problems in the mobile industry today is fragmentation. There are thousands of different handsets out there and multiple mobile platforms to code for, too. Sometimes, mobile applications for the same platform - like the Blackberry, for instance - don't even work on all Blackberry devices, only on certain ones. That makes it challenging for both the developers who have to write the various versions of their mobile apps and for the mobile users who want to install applications on their phones.

In many cases, consumers don't even know the model number of their phone - they may know the brand, but only because it's etched into the top of their handset. So when they happen across a mobile application on the mobile web, they're stumped as to whether their device is supported.

With GetJar's new service, that confusion could be a thing of the past. By automatically identifying a consumer's handset, the mobile App Download Page can point the end user to the correct download automatically. And if their phone isn't supported, the page can redirect the user to another mobile webpage of the application developer's choosing.

Developers who sign up with GetJar can manage all their mobile applications from the Developer Site, where they can also track download and performance analytics, sign up to advertise on GetJar sites and partner networks, and integrate in-app ads within their mobile software. 

Future Plans

Facebook was one of the first companies to use the new service and photo-sharing website Photobucket will roll out their GetJar integration later this fall.

Next year, GetJar will also launch a new version of their mobile application store which is currently available only as a traditional website and a mobile-ready WAP site. The future version, which will feature some 50,000+ mobile apps from GetJar's catalog, will more closely mimic the iTunes App Store mobile experience as it will be accessed via an icon placed on mobile phones' homescreens. The company is currently working on establishing partnerships with mobile carriers in order to prepare for the store's launch.