Once upon a time there was only one mobile eco-system worth developing apps for: iOS.  Why?  Because that was where the money was.  It was generally accepted that the only place that people would pay for apps was the Apple App Store.

Not any more.  A recent article in the Financial Times (free subscription required) suggests that, whilst the revenue generated from the top 200 apps on the Apple App store has risen from $15 million per month to $18 million, the Google Play store has seen an astonishing growth from $3.5 million to $12 million.  And this does not include regions where the Google Play store is unavailable and where third party app stores might bolster this number even more. Read the rest of this entry »

In terms of total app revenue across iOS and Android, the U.S has traditionally dominated. But it appears this influence is shifting. According to a recent the report from AppAnnie, Japan overtook America as the country generating the biggest app revenues for the first time in October last year. Surprising? Perhaps, but what was also interesting is the rate of growth Japan has undertaken. Where the U.S.’s app revenues grew steadily over the year, Japan’s rise has been more meteoric in the same period. Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas is a busy time for MagicSolver, not least because we are readying our Advent 2013 calendar app. While we are poised to launch our festive app next week, around the same time shoppers in the U.S will be gearing up for the post-Thanksgiving shopping extravaganza known as ‘Black Friday’. For those unaware of this special day, it is where retail outlets slash the prices on their goods and wares and American citizens go crazy trying to pick up amazing bargains to put under the Christmas tree.

Shopping via mobile is already on the rise but this year the smartphone will play a big role in the way people buy gifts for Xmas, according to a survey conducted by technology protection specialist Asurion. 58% of smartphone owners said their device will be very important to them on ‘Black Friday’, with 49% claiming they will make purchases via the device.

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Two interesting stories have come out of India already this week showing the two different sides of the mobile app market.  The first concerns the future growth of the mobile gaming and app market in India while the second is a heart-warming story that shows you don’t have to be a mature and experienced developer to make it in the app world.

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This week The Independent newspaper in the UK published a list of its top travel apps.  You can see the top 10 here.

Far be it for us to disagree with such a learned publication, but we honestly felt there were so many good travel apps that it would be worth adding five more to their list that tickle our fancy and help us when we are out and about.  So below you can find our additional five travel apps for those that are hungry for the best and easiest experiences on the move.

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MagicSolver, the app discovery and user acquisition specialists, have been named one of Mobile Entertainment’s Top 50 Mobile Innovators in the UK for 2013.

The ME Top 50 has been going for three years and recognises excellence within a number of mobile specific sectors. MagicSolver has been recognised for its continued success in the Apps sphere after it amassed more than 30 million downloads for its portfolio of mobile app discovery platforms.

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With the arrival of Britain’s newest Prince or Princess imminent, we take a look at the Best of British Royal Baby apps!

1)    Baby Royals by Angelsong Creations

While the Prince or Princess of Cambridge will most certainly be getting the royal treatment, Angelson Creations have designed an app that allows you to do the same for your little one*! Simply snap a photo of the wannabe future Queen or King and click to add regal jewels, clothes and headwear. With razor sharp graphics and everything from traditional crowns and tiaras to Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh outfits to choose from, this fantastic photobooth is a royal winner!

*Don’t have a baby to beautify? Why not crown your dog, cat or friend? It’s hilarious!

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Anyone for tennis? With Wimbledon swinging to its conclusion this Sunday, you’re probably in the mood to get a racket out and go rally down the local courts. But, if you don’t want to miss all the great matches, then you may want to settle down with these three tennis apps that we’ve featured in Free App Magic over the past year to get into a virtual sweat with.

Stick Tennis

First up, we’re serving you a game from the makers of legendary Flash powered time waster Stick Cricket. Stick Tennis is a cartoony take on tennis, getting you scampering around a cel shaded court and timing shots perfectly to bamboozle your opponents.

Where Stick Tennis excels is in how simple it is. Every shot is powered by a swipe on the screen meaning that you can backhand, forehand and lob the ball in absolute ease. It makes the game really simple to pick up, meaning you’ll be playing with the grace of Roger Federer about ten minutes into the game.

Packed with real players, a variety of courts and tons of replayability, Stick Tennis is perfect for those of you wanting to get a match going with minimum hassle.

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It’s time for the June edition of the App Show and we really got our teeth into a wide variety of app industry issues this month.

We chatted with Craig Grannell, games editor for Tap! Magazine and contributor for Macformat, about the changes to iOS 7 and what that means for the future of Apple. We caught up with Iris Campinski from Apps for Good and Ben Howard from ViewRanger to discuss how their work with apps has helped the community. And we discussed how you turn a board game into an app with Rodeo Games’ CTO Richard Brooks and Creative Director Ben Murch.

With Beth reviewing superhero apps and the Free App Magic Chart rounding things off, you can check out this bumper interview special by listening the podcast via http://bit.ly/msappshow.

George

With an ever increasing number of smart mobile devices being sold every year, the mobile app ecosystem is exploding in size as more and more people enter the market. So the Application Developer Alliance have surveyed mobile device owners to find out their behaviour towards apps and see if there are any major insights that mobile marketers should be tapping into.

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