From app developers to product strategists, the pendulum swings widely on whether engaging consumers via their mobile device should be a mobile web or native app experience.  Ultimately, when it comes to consumer facing products the decision does need to be based on the most effective way to connect your consumers to your product and to understand where the market is – because that is where the consumer will be found. (more…)

Good morning, welcome to the first day of Apps World Europe 2011!  We’re taking over the Olympia 2 here in London with some of the leading brands and people in the industry for two days of apps discussion, insight and networking.

If you’re heading down to the event this morning, the first sessions will be kicking off at 9am. Here’s a link to the full agenda.

Last minute booking has been furious but there are still a small number of places left on the free and paid for conference streams, so if you’re in the area, feel free to come down.

We’ve got some fascinating sessions today, with brands such as Nokia and Spotify taking part; as well as global operators such as Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica and Singtel all offering the benefit of their experience and industry viewpoint.

Here’s some interesting food for thought around some of our key sessions today. In the morning we’re looking at operator strategies for Apps & content:

Mobile Europe: Mobile application stores: what’s the opportunity?

Txt4ever: Operators need to embrace apps for new revenue streams

OVUM: Operator billing for third party app stores: changes ahead

In the afternoon we are looking at advertising your app and the media strategies available within the apps business.

Smashing Magazine: How to market your mobile application

Apps Tech News: 10 ways to make your app stand out in the mobile crowd

.NET: 10 step approach to marketing your app

Over in Developer Zone 1 Samsung are taking over with a whole afternoon dedicated to bada developers. Here’s what’s in store

2:00 Welcome
2:10 The UK bada developer challenge
2:15 bada ecosystem/from idea to published app
2:45 bada: show us the money
3:30 Coffee Break
3:45 Tools: implement, test, optimize
4:15 bada and iOS
4:45 Q+A
5:00 End of workshop

Manfred Bortenschlager, Platform Evangelist, Samsung
Keith O’Brien, Head of Content, Samsung
Sameer Ballewar, Technical Consultant, Samsung
Keith Bauwise, Technical Evangelist, Samsung
Jon Lansdell, Technical Writer, Samsung

So there are some things to think about today… If you’ve got something to add to any of the sessions you see, or harbour a burning question that needs answering, you can tweet it into the #AppsWorldQ hashtag; our panel moderators will be keeping an eye on this. Or you can earn maximum kudos by asking it directly over the Q&A mic.

Don’t forget about the official after show drinks will be at the Old Firehouse in Hammersmith. There’ll be complimentary drinks, networking and general merriment for all paid delegates. Doors open at 7.30, come along!

The gambling sector is one of the biggest mobile app success stories in terms of creating real value for customers and real revenue for companies who execute their strategies correctly.

Apps World Europe, one of the world’s leading multiplatform apps events, is returning to London Olympia on 29-30 November, to learn more about how you can benefit from the explosive trend in gambling apps, visit: http://www.apps-world.net/europe/

Apps World Blog caught up with one of the UK’s leading app developers, Mubaloo, which has produced apps for a number of major players in the gambling industry, to find out how the sector has grown recently and discuss how gaming brands are taking advantage of this lucrative new channel. (more…)

We are pleased to welcome Wiley to Apps World Europe  – this year Wiley will be bringing along some of the top Mobile App books currently available – this will be a great opportunity to get yourself a great book, grab a coffee and chill out in the networking area in the exhibition.

For over 200 years Wiley has been one of the most trusted and valued sources of information and understanding. Wiley’s breadth of brands and imprints (For Dummies®, Bible, Wrox, Sybex and Visual, to name a few) makes it one of the UK’s top technology publishers, with a strong reputation for top-quality authors. (more…)

2011 was an interesting year for the mobile industry to say the least. From the rebirth of the Windows 7 Mobile platform to apps such as WhatsApp, and Viber shattering the long running rule of SMS and calling costs.

This year also brought with it a host of new devices in our ever changing mobile market. From the launch of the iPad 2 to the release of Samsung’s Galaxy S2, the thinner, faster, brighter trend continued very much as expected.

To pinpoint one of the biggest shifts in mobile over 2011, it would have to be the surge of new tablets.  The number of mobile broadband-enabled tablets (e.g., Apple iPad, Motorola Xoom, BlackBerry PlayBook, HP TouchPad, etc…) sold in the second quarter versus the first quarter jumped 80%, with 14 million tablets sold worldwide in Q2, 2011.

Now is the perfect time to look ahead into the horizon of 2012 and consider a few upcoming trends of the mobile sector. (more…)

MoMo NYC Developer Panel

The Developer zone is being kicked off with a dynamic panel discussion hosted by Mobile MondaysNew York. The panel will centre on how developers can create, distribute and monetise crossplatform apps and on the future opportunities of multi-platform technology.The session will answer questions such as; what makes a successful app and what are the differentways developers can monetise their app? CEOs from Grapple Mobile, HopStop.com, NextUp andGateGuru will also be joining the session to provide valuable first hand insight into the industry.
Day one, Developer zone 9:50am

WIP Jam

Popular with mobile and wireless developers around the world, WIPJam offers a unique, highlyinteractive format, blending ‘UnPanels’ with intimate discussion groups held by industry leadersand developers.The WIPJam session, sponsored by Verizon, at Apps World will be an interactive, reactive gatheringfor North American businesses, brands, marketers and especially developers who want to connectwith each other and learn how to make the most out of the phenomenal developments in the regionalmobile industry, incorporating mobile into marketing, understanding the role of mobile social mediaand discovering how to reach a global audience.

Day one, Developer Zone, 2:00-5:00pm

Mobile app strategy in the tablet market

The recent development and mass availability of tablet devices has had a large affect on the mobileapps industry particularly impacting on publishers, entertainment providers and brands and theirdigital strategies.This session moderated by Bottle Rocket Apps and involving senior representatives from A&E Mobile,Scripps Network and SPIN will focus on how to justify and measure ROI in terms of developingfor tablet devices as well as discussing the relevance of tablet specific apps. There will also be achance to discuss the development of convergence apps and multi screen popularity in line withthe developments in TV.

Day one, Marketing track, 3:30pm

TV apps sessions

TV apps is the current buzz word in the application industry with internet connected TVs alreadybecoming available on the main market, and as a result we have dedicated an entire session in themarketing track and a session in the developer’s zone to this new platform.In the Marketing and monetisation track the hour long session will bring together experts from Yahoo!Connected TV, AT&T, Digital Mind State, Kit Digital, Discovery and NBC to discuss the future of the TVApps market and the opportunities it is already presenting.Day two, Marketing and Monetisation track, 15:40pmIn the Developer’s Zone Google TV will be running a session to examine TV apps from the perspectiveof the developer, focusing on how developer’s can face the challenges created by this new platform.

Day two, Developers Zone, 9:50am

Optimizing the apps ecosystem

With the rapid growth of wireless communication over the last couple of years and the expectedgrowth to 50 billion connections by the year 2020 it is time to consider whether network capacity canmatch the predicted demand for spectrum. Mobile phones have become multi-functional devicescapable of hosting a broad range of applications and although mobile networks were already dimensionedfor voice there is now a need for data-oriented devices which are generally unpredictable andunbounded in their usage of spectrum.Developer’s need to make changes now in the way apps are produced to streamline their data usageand prevent over loading of networks.Vicki Livingston of 4G Americas and Gautam Talagery of Ericsson will be focussing this sessionon giving developers tips and tricks to develop apps more efficiently to use less spectrum whilstdiscussing the larger issues of optimising the app ecosystem.

Publishing Panel
One of the industries that has been progressive in its reaction to the explosion of the mobile applicationmarket is magazine, book and newspaper publishing, leading to a rise of publishing apps anddigital publications. This development and change of strategy has led to questioning of the need fortraditional hard copy products.The Penguin Group USA, Rodale, Pearson and Random House will be discussing the potential forapps in news and publishing focussing on how publishers can use apps to build engagement withreaders and what functionality can be provided by apps. Whilst also considering the size of themarket for apps in different sectors of the publishing industry and asking the question, what is goingto be the impact of apps on the publishing industry as a whole?

Day two, Marketing track, 2:40pm

There’s just a couple of days to go until Apps World North America 2011 kicks off in New York, featuring leading brands and developers from across the apps spectrum, brands, businesses and app store operators, all preparing to get together for two days of industry insight, practical advice and top-level networking.
We caught up with two of the show’s speakers, two guys who also happen to be leading app development specialists, to see what advice they could offer for aspiring developers ahead of the apps industry bonanza that is Apps World NY 2011.

Marketing an app is all about building up that initial frenzy when an app is launched and creating a buzz with consumers, bloggers and key press contacts. Those who have a strategy and start marketing the app early create the best buzz and give their app the best chance in a very competitive market.

1) First bird gets the first worm

When the app first becomes available in the app store is a key moment for initial buzz but don’t miss the chance to start your marketing strategy before the app is released to really exploit the buzz you can create. Many developers have begun building splash pages which act as a promotional platform for the app prior to its release and then grow into the full app website post release. (more…)

1. Two days of action packed engaging content within 30+ sessions, across three tracks covering all aspects of the social media & apps ecosystem.

2. 100+ speakers from top names in the industry including Twitter, AT+T, Radian6, Google TV, Yahoo and Bing.

3. Unique opportunity to network with 2500+ attendees made up from leading industry representatives.

4. Free to attend developers zone – two day showcase of technical presentations from leading developers, handset operators & apps stores covering a myriad of opportunities and challenges faced when developing apps.

5. Free to attend social media hub – two day showcase from leading social media networks & service providers providing an insight into the basics of successfully adopting SM, practical tips & tricks, budding start-ups & a look into social TV. (more…)

Apps World and Social Media World Forum Asia are almost upon us. Two shows designed specifically to help delegates build valuable connections in Asia and the rest of the digital world.We have compiled our top suggestions for how you can get the most out of getting connected at the show.

Twitter wall – a feature hard to be missed, located central to the networking hub within the expo area.  To see your tweets broadcasted on our big screens and be in with a chance of becoming the top tweeter at the event don’t forget to include the #AppsWorld and #SMWF hashtags in all your tweets!
Event app - download our event app and Talkbox to allow you to communicate with our speakers and delegates in a completely unique way.   Full details can be found here
Social shindig – come join the party at the annual Social Shindig Asia, this year located in the quirky Clarkes Quay at the Rupee Rooms kicking off from 7.30pm, an excellent opportunity to catch up over a few beverages in a chilled atmosphere
Tweet our speakers – twitter will of course be the order of the day, below you can find a list of many of our speaker’s and special guests twitter handles so you can get the conversation started ahead of the show. If you have a question for one of the speakers don’t forget to use the #SMWFQ and #AppsWorldQ hashtags. View all our speakers here. (more…)