At Appsolute Genius, we often advise our clients on different ways they may be able to monetize their mobile app.  Here are a few basic ideas that we usually start exploring:

• Sell your app at a reasonable market rate instead of making it free
• Sell advertisements, sponsorships, and promotions through your app
• Enable in-app purchases
• Join an affiliate program and incorporate it into your app
• Sell analytics or lead generation through information gathered through your app

In a future blog post we will explore all of these different options.  Which one is right for your app?

Martha Jean (you can also call her MJ) is passionate about marketing, advertising, sales, and — most importantly — technology and mobile apps. She currently serves Appsolute Genius clients from her post in Atlanta, Georgia, and enjoys helping mobile app entrepreneurs succeed. Tweet with her at @mjschindler.

photo credit: EricGjerde via photopin cc

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Many entrepreneurs who approach us with a mobile app idea start by answering the question, “Who will use your mobile app,” with the blanket answer of “everyone.”

While it is true that you may have come up with a brilliant idea for an app that can help a large audience of users, chances are that your app will not, in fact, be useful to everyone.  So we work with our entrepreneurs to narrow down specific use cases and examples to paint a picture.

Start by answering the following questions about your app:

• When will your app be used?
• Where will your app be used?
• Who is your ideal CUSTOMER for this app?

These three questions are just a jumping-off point to help you develop a more specific target market.  The last question can sometimes be the most important, as it is tied into another question we will address in a later blog post: how you will monetize your mobile app or gain an ROI with your mobile app.

What are your answers?

Martha Jean (you can also call her MJ) is passionate about marketing, advertising, sales, and — most importantly — technology and mobile apps. She currently serves Appsolute Genius clients from her post in Atlanta, Georgia, and enjoys helping mobile app entrepreneurs succeed. Tweet with her at @mjschindler.

photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc

The post How to Find Your Mobile App’s Audience appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

When you first percolate a new idea for a mobile app venture, its easy to get carried away on daydreams of becoming the next Angry Birds or Instagram.  So before you rush out to buy that domain name and hire an app development team, take a deep breath and a lesson from us, because we have found a common thread among our most successful entrepreneurs: devotion to diligent research prior to starting the project.

This week we’ll discuss just a few of the many aspects of your app that you should research prior to jumping into your app development project:

Does Your Mobile App Idea Already Exist?

You’d be amazed at how many excited entrepreneurs begin investigating mobile app development costs and timelines prior to discovering if the app they wish to develop already exists.

After conceiving your app idea, write down several different concise, specific descriptions of its features and purpose. Then search Google, iTunes, and Google Play for various iterations of those descriptions.  Look for apps like yours in categories you think your app might fall into.

If you find any apps that are even remotely similar to the one you have in mind, download them and use them.  See how they compete or compliment your app idea.  Identify their strengths and weaknesses.  Read their reviews and user comments to see what other positive and negative thoughts you can find about them.

If Your Mobile App Idea Already Exists…

So what do you do if you find out that an existing app performs almost exactly the same utility you have in mind for your app?

First, don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater just yet; that is, don’t abandon your app idea simply because you located its doppelgänger. You should actually breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the existence of similar apps probably validates your hunch that there is a need and a market for what your app has to offer.

Go back to the existing app. After reading through all the other user reviews and comments, downloading the app, and trying it out yourself, ask yourself a few questions:

• Are there obvious ways this app’s functionality can be improved upon?
• Are there other potential audiences and markets for this app?
• Could I make an app that does this but provides a better overall experience for the user?
• Can I think of a unique way to monetize the app?
• Do I have relationships and resources that I can leverage to make this app better?

Show the app to other people whose opinions and insight you can trust to be useful to you, and see what they have to say as well.  Remember, you don’t have to build the only app in the app store that performs a certain task to be successful, you just have to be able to differentiate yourself from your competition in a valuable way.  Consider the cola market and the success of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and a number of other nearly-identically flavored drinks. The mobile app market can work similarly to that.

If Your Mobile App Idea Doesn’t Exist…

So what if you search for hours, days, weeks even, and can’t find an app that does exactly what you have in mind?

First, consider yourself to be an outlier.  It’s not common to come up with a completely new idea – congratulate yourself and bask in your uniqueness, you special snowflake, you!

Next, ask yourself a few questions:

• Do I need to restart the search for my app using different terms and features?
• Does the absence of my app mean there is NOT a viable need or market for the features it performs?
• Do I still think I will be able to monetize the app, or have others tried and failed, and that’s why the app doesn’t exist?
• Am I trying to build an app with such an ambitious scope that it is too costly for most developers to attempt?
• Do I want to build something that just isn’t technologically possible at this time?

All of these questions should lead you to even more questions and explorations. That’s good. You should be learning a great deal about the market potential for your app, and you’ll probably be inspired to narrow or expand your ideas.

We’ll go over some more ways to perform initial research on your app later this week.  In the meantime, we’d love your feedback.  What did you discover when you searched for your app ideas?  Leave us a comment below.

Martha Jean (you can also call her MJ) is passionate about marketing, advertising, sales, and — most importantly — technology and mobile apps. She currently serves Appsolute Genius clients from her post in Atlanta, Georgia, and enjoys helping mobile app entrepreneurs succeed. Tweet with her at @mjschindler.

photo credit: Cayusa via photopin cc

The post Does Your Mobile App Idea Already Exist? appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

Galaxy S3 

Overview

I’ve used the Samsung Galaxy on and off for about a month now.  My first impression of it reflected how I usually feel about Samsung products: they don’t do much for package design.  However, when I finally opened the box, I was impressed.  The phone is pretty much the largest I’ve ever used with the biggest screen I’ve ever seen.  The phone is also very thin, but it doesn’t feel very solid.  It has a plastic feel and doesn’t feel like an expensive device.

Overall, I wouldn’t say that the Galaxy S3 is a Genius, but I would say that it’s Above Average!

Hardware (Above Average)

The screen is very nice, actually, and very bright.  It is one of the largest screens you can buy, and it’s a good example of Android’s never-stopping race to create a bigger, better phone screen.  Although the phone is very thin, I really feel the phone is too big.  However, if you want a huge phone, you will really like this phone.

As I mentioned before, the build quality of the phone is…just okay.  It just doesn’t feel very solid.

Speed (Above Average)

A 1.4 GHz Quad-Core processor is a very fast processor.  With Android 4.0, this phone felt very fast, and I had no complaints about speed.  In fact, this may be one of the fastest phones on the market.

Camera/Video Camera (Average)

When using the camera, I thought the speed was very good. It is an 8MP backlit camera similar to the iPhone 5.  However, when I compared the pictures closely to those of my iPhone 5, I felt that its photos were not quite as good.  Most people would probably not notice the difference in quality unless they blew the photos up into large, detailed prints.

Battery Life & Charging (Above Average)

Most people who’ve owned a 4G/LTE Android phone have realized that the battery life is not up to par, and many people need to recharge their phones after just 5-6 hours of normal usage. As a business user, my basic requirement is that my phone makes it through the day without needing to be charged. The Galaxy S3 was a pleasant surprise, as it tended to last all day even when I used it heavily.  This is not always the case with my iPhone 5.  You can also replace the battery if you really need to go extended periods without charging.

Sony Smart Watch

Overview

Let me start by saying that I really wanted to like this watch.

It allows you to connect to Twitter, email, the weather, Facebook, and more.  You pair it to your Android phone using Bluetooth.  What geek wouldn’t want to see an alert on their wristwatch when someone sends them a DM? It seems like a great idea to me – yet the execution of many ideas behind this watch’s function failed to meet my expectations.

The process of pairing the watch with my phone was simple enough, and the watch was comfortable.  We were off to a nice start!  Then I started setting up the widgets like Twitter and email.  This is where the watch really started to become a disappointment.

I’m fairly computer savvy, and yet, I found the interface extremely confusing.  I never was able to exactly figure out how to move between widgets and clock mode.  I even broke down and read the instructions (something that guys don’t do – sorry guys!).

I just couldn’t consistently figure out how to work the watch.

My verdict is this: THe Sony SmartWatch ranks “Below Average,” and is something I wouldn’t recommend even for a power user!

Brian Cauble, CEO

@briancauble

Brian earned a Bachelors in Electrical & Computer Engineering and a Masters in Information & Engineering Management, only to decide he really wanted to be an entrepreneur when he grew up! Talk to him and you’ll see that he loves mobile apps and helping entrepreneurs make Birmingham a better place (www.BirminghamEntrepreneur.com). You will also find a sincere passion for meeting people and helping them however he can. All this has translated into his laser focus on understanding what makes a business tick and finding the perfect mobile solution for each business.

photo credit: audiovisualjunkie via photopin cc

photo credit: inju via photopin cc

The post Do the Galaxy S3 and Sony SmartWatch Make a Good Pair? appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

Brian Cauble, CEO

“The first time I used a Kindle Fire (7″ tablet) I was surprised by how much I liked the size. But I didn’t love the actual device — just the size — and preferred the usability of my iPad. When rumors of the iPad mini began swirling, I was very excited because I kept thinking that the iPad usability and the smaller size would be a killer combination. Well it’s here, and I’m ecstatic! I know some will complain about price but we can buy two wifi iPad minis for the price of 1 LTE iPad, so I’m happy.”

Andria Jensen, CTO

“A lot of people are excited to finally see the iPad mini come to life, and I am one of those people of course. My favorite part of the event was where they did a side by side comparison of a 7-inch Android table to the 7.9 inch iPad mini. The difference in usability and the difference in the way apps display on the iPad mini vs. the Android tablets was night and day. As usual, there are critics on all sides that wanted more out of the device or wanted a cheaper price point, etc. I believe that Apple has taken the time and care that they needed to (and always do) to make sure they produced a product of great quality, that the majority of the public users will actually enjoy using and want to own. This is what makes Apple special, and this is why over 91% of web traffic from tablets comes from the iPad – people love these devices, and the iPad mini will be no exception.”

MJ Schindler, Business Development

“I’m excited about the existence of a smaller iPad, and I think a lot of people will appreciate a lighter, more compact form-factor.  But I love the screen size on my largee, 3rd-gen iPad.  It’s perfect for taking notes in a meeting, surfing the web, and reading magazines, which is what I mostly use it for.  I won’t be upgrading to a smaller tablet anytime soon, but I know lots of other people who will be! As for Apple releasing a shiny new iPad right after touting the iPad 3 as the be-all-end-all of progress… well, isn’t that something we should be used to by now? Apple always has something bigger and brighter — well, in this case, SMALLER and brighter — waiting right around the corner!”

Graham Hensley, Android Development

“I’m glad Apple is catching up. It’s still the same, boring, unorganized rows of apps.” ;D

Oh, dear.  What have we started?

• S*** Android Fanatics Say

The post What do YOU think about Apple’s latest announcement? appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

If you haven’t been following us closely, you might have missed some really cool stuff!  Never fear, dear reader, because we’re re-sharing the past month’s top 10 most popular tweets we shared.  Go on, click ‘em!

10. Nielsen: Native Travel Apps Trump Mobile Web By 95%, Google Maps Top Travel Service By A Mile

9. What the mobile payment craze is really about: Coupons!

8. ShoutEm Launches Development Platform To Make HTML5 Mobile Apps Look Native

7. 4 Mobile Apps to Simplify Your Job Search

6. What Developers Can Learn From Top Mobile Apps

5. “Search… Is Obsolete” Says Xyologic, As It Takes On The Mobile Apps Long Tail

4. How many gallons of gasoline would it take to charge an iPhone?

3. More Americans Using Mobile Apps in Emergencies

2. Non-invasive anaemia sensor delivers results to any smartphone

1. Mobile App Market to Almost Double This Year to 45 Billion [REPORT]

The post 10 Mobile App News Bites You Don’t Want to Miss appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

New Size and weight

• This week Apple introduced “the thinnest, lightest, fastest iPhone ever.”
• The new iPhone 5 is just 7.6 millimeters (0.3 inches) thin.
• The new A6 chip is up to 2x faster than the A5 chip but 22 percent smaller.
• The iPhone 5 is 20 percent lighter and 18 percent thinner than iPhone 4S.

New Screen

• The iPhone 5 features a 4-inch display that is taller than but the same width as iPhone 4S.
• The screen has 326 pixels per inch, which is 18 percent more pixels than the iPhone 4s for 1136-by-640 resolution.
• The retina display has “integrated touch technology,” which means instead of a separate layer of touch electrodes between display pixels, the pixels do double duty — acting as touch-sensing electrodes while displaying the image at the same time.

Phone and Data Speed

• The iPhone 5 will have LTE. It also supports more networks all over the world. That includes advanced networks such as HSPA, HSPA+, and DC-HSDPA. Browse, download, and stream content at ultrafast speeds. Dual-band 802.11n wireless connectivity accelerates your Wi-Fi experience, too — up to 150 Mbps.
• The new A6 chip has faster CPU performance, faster graphics, and better battery life.

New Camera Features

• The 8MP iSight camera has more features, like panorama and dynamic low-light mode, and is 20 percent smaller.
• It offers 40 percent faster photo capture, better low-light performance, improved noise reduction, 1080p HD video (720p HD video with the front-facing camera), improved video stabilization, and face detection for up to 10 faces. You can even take still photos as you record video.
• Although the surface of the iSight camera is as clear as glass, it’s not made of glass. It’s actually sapphire crystal, whose hardness is second only to diamond on the scale of transparent materials. That means the surface of the lens is far less likely to scratch.

More New Stuff in the iPhone 5

• The new phone will require a new reversible Lightning connector.  Although apple promise that the new connector design is superior to the old on in form and function, this will actually be a pain point for many consumers. None of your old chargers or phone docks will fit the new iPhone 5 with an adapter, which must be bought separately.
• The new Apple EarPods are supposed to provide stronger protection from sweat and water, and should stay in your ears even during athletic movement.  They are also supposed to offer sound quality that rivals that of headphones that cost hundreds of dollars.
• The iPhone 5 also promises better audio with three microphones: one on the front, one on the back, and one on the bottom.
• The new maps app off turn-by-turn spoken directions, a 3D view, and real-time traffic information.
• Siri is supposed to be better, overall.
• iCloud is built right into iPhone 5.

The post The New iPhone 5, Summarized appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

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Football.

In honor of the start of football season, we’re offering all our newsletter subscribers a special guide to the best football-related apps in the market.

We’re highlighting only the apps that have an above-average rating by many users, or ones that we’ve successfully used ourselves.

1. Draft Punk Pro app for Android - The ultimate mobile fantasy football cheatsheet and offline draft tracking tool. It’s “everything you need to go paperless at your draft.”
2. Sporting News Pro Football app for iOS - Sporting News Pro Football, a proud upgrade and addition to The Zumobi Network, packs as much game information, stat tracking and pure Sunday afternoon bliss that you can find for free on the App Store.  As one user says, “I love it. I am a big football fan, and this app really helps me stay current and keep up with players stats.”
3. Fantasy Football Draft Magnate 2012 app for Android - Master your fantasy football draft in 2012 with a fully interactive cheat sheet. “Put that magazine away and welcome to the future the best draft tool available anywhere on any platform.”
4. Yahoo! Fantasy Football ’12 app for iOS - If you can’t live without Yahoo! Fantasy Football then download this app onto your iPhone or iPad to get real-time live scores, matchups, player news and stats. Sporting some brand new updates and bug fixes for the 2012 season, the app now “has everything I would want to do from my iPhone or iPad,” according to one excited user.
5. MFL Fantasy Football 12 app for Android – Use this to master your draft, track your MFL leagues, and get current NFL scores. “[The] app is awesome,” writes one user. “Lets me know everything I need to know with my league.”
6. Football Manager Handheld™ 2012 app for iOS - Football Manager Handheld is an interactive designed specifically for iOS devices and allows you to take control of the greatest job on earth wherever you are and whenever you want: the job of a football team manager.
7. Fantasy Football Draft 2012 Insight - This app harnesses an advanced analytics engine to let you see player and team information, research which fantasy football players you want to draft, and finally provides a live 2012 draft that gives predictive advice on who should be your next fantasy football draft pick. “This was my first year doing a league,” writes one user, “and it basically just did all the work for me! Useful for novice and expert drafters!”
8. Football U app for iOS – According to its developers, Football U is “the most immersive and irreverent 3D football game” for  designed exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch. And app users seem to agree, with one writing an exceptionally glowing review: “Awesome game, a must have for any football fan. Great grafix, funny story line, extremely well made.”

The post 8 Truly Great Apps for Fall Football Season 2012 appeared first on Appsolute Genius.

At both conferences I’ll discuss Developing for Reuse, which is a topic that has been very important to me and my team lately.  We’ve been working on a large project with another team over the past few months, and there have been some significant overlaps in code usage across applications.  This has led me to a deeper knowledge of how static libraries, workspaces, and svn externals (i know, we’re switching to git soon) can be your friend instead of your enemy.   This has also brought to light how important things like unit testing, automated builds, and continuous integration can be for a team environment.

With all of these realizations have also come lots of questions like…

• How should we setup our environment so that our team can work even more effectively together?
• What are the best tools out there for handling tasks during development and support tickets during maintenance?
• What is the best change management policy to adopt for the long term?
• What are people using for rapid prototypes?
• And why do I continually have to re-index my entire Xcode project several times a day?

This is why I love conference season.  In a few weeks, I’ll be surrounded by the best in the business, and they will all be willing to discuss these things with me.  Everyone in the iOS community is willing to share their knowledge and pass along any best practices they’ve uncovered.  That’s why I consider these months of each year as my biggest learning opportunity.  It’s my chance to catch up with some good friends in the business and get some answers to all of those burning questions that have been haunting me.

And, of course, I’ll get to show off my new haircut.  See you at the conferences!

This post was written by Appsolute Genius’s CTO Andria Jensen. Follow her on Twitter at@andriajensen.

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