The open application store industry is where iPhone will see competition. PocketGear has bought out Handango

Mobile applications are often the subject of some seriously ostentatious advertising and promotion. Apple regularly quotes its most recent “billion” landmark, and the Wholesale Application Community announcement at MWC last week was the very definition of grandstanding. But in the older market of platform agnostic app stores, things are quickly getting very interesting. Todays announcement that PocketGear has bought out competitor Handango is only the most recent of several interesting developments.

Consumers don’t really use Blackberry apps - so here come Super Apps for businessmen

I’ve always been a bit wary of applications on the Blackberry. It’s not that I don’t think RIM is up to scratch, it’s that apps aren’t really what the Blackberry is for. It’s the premier business mobile in the world, and the flash-bang of the iPhone app store doesn’t really belong there. And it would seem that RIM is thinking along the same lines, as I spoke to Mike Kirkup, RIM Director of Developer Relations, about its philosophy of app development surrounding the Super App.

Finally getting to play with Swype, and loving it: mobile text input evolves

I finally got to play with Swype this week at the Mobile Focus event in Barcelona. This is an application that GoMo News has been following for months. If you’ve got a touchscreen phone then you’ll probably be using it soon enough. I’m serious - this app is so good, you won’t be able to avoid it.

Mobile payment made in Germany: mobuy

Wie geht es: Bei www.mobuy.de registrieren mit einer oder mehreren Telefonnummern, Abbuchung vom Bankkonto erlauben, persönliche PIN erhalten. Zum Bezahlen: Mobuy Nummer, die für eine bestimmte Transaktion steht, kostenlos anrufen, Anruf –ID identifiziert den Kunden, PIN eingeben, Buchungsvorgänge laufen. Mobuy ist ein Startup und erprobt seinen Service momentan in Pilotprojekten in Kooperation mit Vertriebspartnern, z.B. wird bei Geräten von Ricoh auch das Bezahlen von Kopierleistungen mittels des Mobiltelefons möglich. Die Software hierzu stammt von Genius Bytes, ebenfalls aus Deutschland.

Calling all Digital Nomads! WorkSnug is a mobile application that will really appeal to you.

I absolutely love WorkSnug - but then again I would, because it’s directly aimed at people like me. I’m what some people call a Digital Nomad. All I need to do my job is a laptop, a plug and an Internet connection. I can work from the street, from a cafe, or from your kitchen. I’m a homeless office-worker, suffering from complete location independence. And WorkSung is an app that is directly designed to make my life easier.

MWC: Yep, Maemo and Moblin really are on the way out - is an Intel/Nokia device on the way in?

I was among the crowd at the joint Intel/Nokia announcement yesterday when they introduced MeeGo. The service contains a lot of “multi”s - it’s multi-platform, multi-device, multi-system, multi-use, multi-multi. The launch was so big and vague that I was left with a lot of nagging doubts. But today I got to sit down with Scott Apeland, Director of Intels Developer Network, and ask a few questions.

Skype launches native app for Symbian mobiles

BREAKING NEWS:
Skype has launched a native Skype app for the Symbian platform. Anything newer then an N95 now has the ability to run a native Skype app. It’s available at www.Skype.com/m

MWC: Golden Gekko wants EVERYBODY to be a mobile app developer

Golden Gekko is a mobile app developer, with a very tight focus on marketing and advertisers. GoMo News has had quite a lot of contact with the company in the past, and we were glad to catch up with them again today. I talked to Caroline van den Bergh, Head of Product and Michael Campilho, Business Development Director about a new mobile application service from Golden Gekko called Tino - a platform to let anyone create mobile applications, no matter what their level of experience is.

Sprint + GetJar = Awesome. Mobile operator teams with indie store for 60,000 applications

American mobile operator Sprint has just announced a major deal with mobile application store GetJar. GetJar is the largest independent application store in the world - and counting everybody else, only the Apple Store is bigger than it. Sprint will now be offering the entire selection of 60,000 apps from GetJar to its mobile customers. Why is this such a good idea? Read on…

Earning free mobile minutes through marketing rears its head again - how will Embee do?

Blyk Mobile has featured heavily on GoMo News in the past. The ad-supported mobile operator had a bold plan to give users free mobile voice minutes and texts in return for receiving mobile advertising. It has been a rocky road for Blyk (see our recent report on the fortunes of the company) - and today we’ve been introduced to a company that is trying something very similar in the States. Embee Mobile is connecting brands, operators and mobile users in a way that allows phone owners to get minutes for free by participating in marketing… all through a Facebook application.

Want to launch your own mobile app store? Go talk to GetJar

GetJar is an independent mobile application store - unlike the Apple Store or the Android Market, it doesn’t have manufacturer backing as a safety net. But it also isn’t tied down to one device, and GetJar offers free applications to download for pretty much every smartphone platform available. GetJar also claims to be the 2nd largest application store in the world behind the Apple Store (a title that Nokia somewhat amusingly attempted to yoink in December). And today GetJar is announcing the launch of a new service that could be very interesting. App Catalogue Express is a white label mobile app catalog that allows other mobile entities to instantly launch their own app store based on the GetJar catalogue.

More good news for independent mobile application stores - Mobango shows 500% download increase

Mobango is an interesting blend of services - it’s a mobile social network, user-generated content hub and application store all rolled into one. Mobango allows its subscribers to post and share mobile content completely for free, including mobile games and applications. And it is reporting a surge in use over the last year.

Apps software is key differentiator argues ZTE

Rating: Hardware differentiation is not sufficient handset vendor says

China’s number one handset supplier, ZTE , argues that in order to survive, the leading software vendors will be forced to develop their own handset software services. So ZTE intends to throw resources at software development in its plan to become a global Number Three supplier by [...]

Mobile developers threatening uprising? Apple changes approval process

Things are changing for Apple. The old ways are giving way to new. With the massive drive towards openness and transparency we’ve seen from groups like Android, OMTP and the Limo Foundation, mobile developers have more options than ever when it comes to publishing their apps. And it looks like Apple is feeling the pinch.

Pitch your mobile application at Under the Radar

Hello all mobile developers! GoMo News will be attending the Under the Radar convention in Mountain View, California on the 19th of this month. The event is focused at shining the light on early stage innovation in the mobile space - and GoMo News will be on stage during an event for app developers called the FAST PITCH. Want to learn more? Read on.

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