5 Wedding Apps for June Brides

We’re not entirely sure whether the ancient Romans were wise or cynical when they ascribed the stewardship of love and marriage to two different goddesses, but in any event, as we’re zeroing in on Juno’s (and every brides’) favorite month, and as a member of our staff is tying the knot in the next few weeks, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best mobile wedding apps that iOS has to offer.  Here are a few:

1. iWedding Deluxe:  This app comes with a steep $5.99 price tag, but it’s worth every penny.  A comprehensive wedding app that covers it all, iWedding Deluxe includes the venue, the dress, the rings, nearby vendors, ceremony music, guest lists, seating charts, you name it.  Perhaps most importantly, it even boasts a countdown timeline to help make sure you don’t forget anything.
2. Wedding Budget:  The average American wedding costs $25,631, but whether you’re eloping to some rustic get away, or shelling out for a multi-million dollar blowout, this free mobile app by SevenLogics can help you keep your budget on track.
3. Wedding 911:  It’s difficult to find a bride-to-be in the digital age who doesn’t use The Knot for her wedding planning, so it’s no surprise that it got wise and went mobile.  This free mobile app answers all those questions that wedding novices tend to ask:  When should we start looking for a site? Who pays for what? Do I have to feed the vendors?  This app will answer all those questions and more, and hopefully remove a little bit of anxiety from the preparations.
4. WeddingScan:  If you’ve had to deal with wedding registries lately, you’ll know they’re pretty high-tech these days.  This free mobile app from Organi Studios lets you scan bar codes from your favorite stores and centralize all your selections in an online database that your friends and family can access easily.
5. Fun Wedding:  When it comes to wedding preparations, you’d be surprised at how it’s the things you’d never expect that take up most of your time.  Choosing the music for your reception is one of those things, and this mobile app can help.  Great wedding playlists are constantly updated, and should keep your guests on the dance floor all night long.

iPad Boasts 95% of All Tablet Traffic

It’s been a pretty good year for the iPad.  Not only did it manage to nab 70% of the total tablet sales volume this year, but as it turns out, nearly all tablet web traffic is happening on Apple’s flagship device.  And when we say “nearly all,” that’s precisely what we mean:  according to a study conducted by the analytics firm Chitika, a full 95% of all tablet browsing is happening on iPads.  This number is staggering, of course, but even more so considering that the next closest competitor, the Samsung Galaxy, is only responsible for a mere 1.2%.

Given this wild success, it’s becoming more and more difficult to imagine how Apple might avoid the term “iPad” becoming generic in the same way that “aspirin” did.  (Although for our part, we’re happier with that than we might have been by “MacPad” or “PadMan” suffering the same fate.)  But once we step beyond the “wow” factor of the iPad’s total domination of the tablet market, or the fact that Apple could itself bail out Greece from its petty cash drawer, we’re left to wonder what the rest of the industry is doing to catch up.  The Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble’s Nook are both doing well, but it appears as though both of those devices are actually being used as e-readers rather than as low-budget tablets.  It seems where tablets are concerned, the only money to be made at the moment is in the niches.

This is great news for mobile app developers.   It’s worth noting that Chitika’s data was based on the total number of ad impressions across all tablet web consumption, which means that impressive 95% number is not restricted to the iPad’s integrated web browser.  In other words, mobile apps that incorporate consistent web access into their functionality (and most do these days), and which use an ad-based monetization model, are all the rage for iPad developers.  So if you have an idea for one, don’t wait!  Drop us a line and we’ll get you started with three free iPad development quotes.

Game apps are losing ground

Although games have dominated the mobile app market for tablets in recent years, it appears the undisputed reign of games is coming to an end.  According to a recent study published by Flurry Analytics, recent trends in mobile app consumption indicate users are spending at least as much time on social networking apps as they are playing games.  In 2011 games constituted 25% of mobile consumption compared to social networking’s meager 15%; in 2012, the numbers were virtually neck-and-neck.

In fact, social networking seems to be the driving force behind much of the industry at the moment, considering that we now spend more time on our mobile apps than we do online.  Many industry experts believe that the trend favoring social networking is what led to Facebook’s recent acquisition of Instagram.  Whether Facebook saw the writing on the wall, or wrote the writing on the wall, it’s becoming clear that while games are definitely here to stay, the social aspect of mobile technology is the key element to determining success.  Indeed, the social app’s spot as king of the hill breaks a 40-month winning streak held by game apps.

What this means for the entrepreneurial development community, of course, is that there is fertile territory to be exploited by those with the resources and creativity to develop mobile apps that appeal to both demographics.  In other words, if you have an idea for a mobile app game that incorporates a social networking element, there’s never been a better time to begin developing it in earnest.

Of course, in much the same way that Instagram didn’t really bring anything revolutionary to the table, but merely combined photo editing and social networking and still managed to sell for a cool billion, there’s nothing new to the idea of social gaming, and nothing to suggest that it can’t be just as lucrative.  So if you’ve been toying with the idea for the next Farmville, give us a call and we’ll help get you started.

Developing iPad Games (part 2)

Last week we took a look at the developing trends in mobile gaming, and specifically at the times and places where users choose to game.  It turns out that mobile gamers aren’t just whiling away the time on their devices, but rather are setting aside a considerable amount of time strictly for mobile gaming.  As such, many experts conclude that it’s only a matter of time before the tablet replaces consoles altogether.  As they grow faster and more sophisticated, the consensus seems to be that “there’s no reason tablets won’t replace the living room console.” And according to GigaOm, for example, “Mobile gaming is not a companion to consoles, but rather it’s attacking them on their home turf: the couch, the La-Z-Boy and even the bedroom.”

So what should you shoot for when developing a mobile game?  CNet recently prefaced its list of the 30 best iPad games with a brief summary of what makes mobile games worth playing:

• It’s gotta be fun.  This one’s pretty obvious, but it’s also one of the elements that’s the most difficult to quantify.  Think hard about the games you play, and why you play them.  And if you don’t play all that much, ask your kids what keeps them coming back for more.
• Ergonomics.  Is the interface user-friendly?  Can the player target an enemy, drive the car, access an inventory, or flee the monster easily, without having to contort themselves?
• Uniqueness. First-person shooter games might be fun and therapeutic, but there are dozens upon dozens of them already established on the market.  What makes yours stand out?  We’re using FPS games as an example, of course, but whatever your game’s genre, you need to make sure it’s original.
• Value.  Gamers are often willing to shell out more money for better games as long as they know they’ll be getting their money’s worth.  If your game is a simpler one – and there’s nothing wrong with that – make sure that the price tag will be enticing to users.
• Showoff quotient.  Much like the “fun” factor, this one’s also impossible to quantify.  When you first open the game, does it “wow” you?  If not, you might need to head back to the drawing board.

And if you’re looking to develop a game for the iPad, give us a call!  We’ll get you set up with free quotes from reputable developers right away.

Developing iPad Games (part 1)

When it comes to mobile games, we tend to assume that people are playing them in places where they’re forced to wait with nothing else to do … on buses, planes, and trains, in bank lines, or while waiting for an appointment.  And while the newest Angry Birds game is certainly more captivating than the year-old magazines in a dentist’s waiting room, the fact of the matter is that most of us (in the U.S., at least) drive to work, we do most of our banking online, and the total amount of time spent in doctor’s offices can’t possibly account for the rampant success of the mobile gaming industry.

So where are we really playing our mobile games?  At home and in bed, according to a study produced by the mobile entertainment company MocoSpace.  While the study does in fact show that 82% of us are playing while waiting for a doctor’s appointment and that 73% of us play during out daily commute, most of us don’t actually spend a lot of time doing either of those things.  How much time have you spent waiting in doctors’ offices over the last six months?  One hour?  Two?  The same study shows that more than half of us play mobile games for at least one hour per day, while 32% somehow find the time to spend up to three hours per day gaming.

This information is essential to entrepreneurs who are considering developing games for the iPad.  The kinds of games people play while waiting to board a flight are decidedly different than those being played at home.  If you’re just passing the time, then you’re probably playing a relatively simple, repetitive, two-dimensional game (Tetris, Angry Birds, BrickBreaker, for example) that you can close at any time and not care about whether or not your progress is saved.  As the MocoSpace study shows, however, people are dedicating time specifically to gaming, and they’re certainly going to expect more bang for their buck.  Next week we’ll take a look at what you’ll need to consider when developing games for this newer kind of consumer.