The Top 5 Monetization Tools for Mobile Apps

Android Live Tv HD
The most obvious way -- charging users per download -- can be the least effective, as four out of five paid apps in the Android store have been downloaded less than 100 times. Contrary to what you might expect, most of the highest grossing apps in any marketplace are free to download.

There are a variety of ways that ostensibly "free" apps turn profits for their developers, whether using the "freemium" model popular with apps like Dropbox or displaying banner ads (see any Angry Birds download ever). How can your app, from the day you introduce it to the iOS, Android or Windows market, monetize?

There are many companies that try to solve the mobile monetization conundrum, but several truly stand-out companies are leading the way. Here are the top five monetization tools for mobile apps -- in terms of their widespread use as well as the profits developers make by using them.

1. AdMob

Currently supporting 50,000 mobile businesses with in-app advertising, Google's AdMob is one of the biggest mobile ad platforms in the industry. With thousands of advertisers to choose from, developers can choose the ads and the formats most relevant to their product, and get paid each time an ad -- most commonly a banner -- is clicked. AdMob also has a mediation feature that helps you juggle multiple ad networks, allocating traffic by percentage, location, or ad revenue. You can also use AdMob to advertise your product in other apps.

2. StartApp

The software development kit offered by StartApp allows a developer to integrate a mobile search engine add-on into their app. Integration takes between three and five minutes, and developers can instantly share in the revenue generated from user searches. This unique model is a hit among developers because it doesn't alter the app experience -- keeping it free of ads -- and they are paid for each download containing the add-on, rather than for every time the search engine is utilized. StartApp is currently available for Android apps and has been downloaded over 250 million times, making it a worldwide monetization phenomenon. StartApp's search engine can be found on roughly 20 percent of Android devices worldwide, making it the largest mobile search engine in the Western world.

3. InMobi

Using both SDKs and Server Side API integration, InMobi is an easy-to-integrate performance-based ad network that helps you not just monetize users, but acquire and engage new ones. By advertising on InMobi's platform and using their top-brand ads on your own app, you'll be tapped into a market of 578 million consumers in 165 countries. InMobi also boasts a conversion tracking system, which helps you identify if the right ads are being displayed to the right users -- maximizing eCPMs and revenue. InMobi is considered the largest independent mobile advertiser in the world.

4. Millennial Media

Founded in 2006, Millennial now has offices from Los Angeles to Singapore and a developer base that includes The New York Times Co. and Zynga. Developers can manage the ads used in their apps, as well as the format -- including mobile video, other rich-media or banners. Known particularly for its premium ads, developers have the choice of running Millennial ads, third-party ads, house ads or client ads. Millennial has won Mobile Marketing Campaign of the Year awards on numerous occasions, and more than 30,000 apps worldwide use their platform.

5. Tapjoy

Developers who use Tapjoy take part in an incentivized monetization model called Mobile Value Exchange. Users are encouraged to click on and interact with advertisers (sometimes downloading another app outright) in order to gain virtual currency or other bonuses in the app they are currently using. The payment comes from the the maker of the other application, who benefits by collecting new users and increasing their exposure. More than 110 million mobile users are said to take part in this kind of incentivization program, on over 75,000 applications. Tapjoy claims that developers have seen a 50-300 percent increase in monetization.

Apple Exec Dismisses Notion of a Cheaper iPhone

• Google3
• Share0
• Tweet30
• Submit0
• Share1
• Pin It0
• EmailPrint
• Sponsored By:

Despite a flurry of rumors, Apple won't be making a cheaper iPhone any time soon, according to senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller.

Schiller reportedly told Chinese-language daily theShanghai Evening News that "despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple's products."

The Apple executive's full explanation, as related by The Next Web in a report citing the newspaper's interview, included a nod to Apple's industry-leading profit margins and appeared to argue that those would be threatened if the company started making lower quality products.

"At first, non-smartphones were popular in the Chinese market, now cheap smartphones are more popular and non-smartphones are out," Shchiller was quoted as saying. "Despite the popularity of cheap smartphones, this will never be the future of Apple's products. In fact, although Apple's market share of smartphones is just about 20 percent, we own the 75 percent of the profit."

Apple did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The Next Web said Apple had confirmed that Schiller's interview with the Shanghai Evening News was official.

The notion that Apple was planning a cheaper iPhone for release in late 2013 in certain markets, particularly Asian markets, was jump-started by a report from Taiwanese tech journal DigiTimes but also appeared in some form in reports from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.

The rumor quickly got the tech press and industry analysts buzzing—for example, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated Wednesday that a low-cost iPhone could rake in upwards of $6.5 billion a year for Apple.

With Apple apparently kiboshing the bargain handset, however, those dollars are going to be left on the table.

Or are they? As The Next Web notes, Schiller's statement only appeared to relate to the quality of any future iPhone's components and build—but not necessarily their price points. As consumers know, subsidized iPhones sold through various carriers can be purchased for steep discount, at least for the device itself, compared to what one would pay for an unlocked version of the phone.

Those rumors of a "cheaper" iPhone, some citing reportedly well-placed albeit unnamed Apple sources, could still be accurate in terms of a pricing strategy Apple has planned for emerging markets if not on how it gets to lower prices.

At any rate, Apple historically never budges on its self-proclaimed dedication to making quality products, but it's certainly shifted gears in the past on what "quality" actually means. Many of us recall when the 4.5-inch iPhone was declared by the late Steve Jobs and others as optimally sized for the human hand, which was apparently a scientific fact all the way up to the point that the 4.9-inch iPhone 5 was released last year. Not to mention the ridiculousness of a tablet smaller than the original, full-sized iPad—which miraculously disappeared as an issue when the iPad mini $329.00 at Apple Store came out.

For more, see PCMag's full reviews of Apple's iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPad mini.

Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820

Live Tv H

Live TV Infibeam Takes Pre order for Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 820
Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 will be available soon on Infibeam. The prices are still not out but Infibeam is taking pre-order for the same at a booking amount of Rs.5,000/-. The remaining amount will be collected at the time of launch. Both these mobiles will be available in yellow, white, black and red colors. The Nokia Lumia 920 is fitted with a 4.3” screen with the Pure Motion HD+ display technology. This phone is powered by the Snapdragon S4 dual core 1.5 GHz processor, and is built on the Windows Phone 8 operating system. Now you can access the virtual world wherever you go with the wireless Wi-Fi technology enabled in this phone. Share files through Bluetooth. Capture life best moments with the 8.7 megapixels camera. That has a Carl Zeiss lens, Short pulse high power dual LED, Auto focus feature with two-stage capture key , 26.0 mm focal length and 4x digital zoom. It has a wireless charger that makes life more simple and easy. The phone runs on a 2000 mAh battery. Nokia Lumia 820 is fitted with the 4.3”screen with the AMOLED Clear Black display technology. This is a Windows Phone 8 operating system based phone and is powered by the Snapdragon S4 dual core 1 GHz processor. Capture the best pictures with its 8MP camera that operates on the Carl Zeiss lens. It levels with the advanced technology cameras as it has a dual LED flash, 4x digital zoom, 28.0 mm focal length and an aperture of F2.2. Connect to the net with Wi-Fi technology. Transfer files via Bluetooth. It has a wireless charger that makes life more simple and easy. The phone runs on a 1650 mAh battery.

 Nokia launches Lumia 920 in India at best buy price of Rs 38,199

TAGS: Nokia | Nokia India | Lumia | Nokia Lumia 920 | Nokia Lumia 820 | Nokia Lumia 620

P Balaji, MD & VP of Nokia India, with Vipul Mehrotra, Director & Head, Smartphone Devices, Nokia India, at the launch of Lumia 920.

Nandagopal Rajan

Nokia has finally launched its flagship Windows 8 phone, the Lumia 920, in India. The Finnish phonemaker, which has been struggling to hold on to its historical dominance of the Indian smartphone market, is hoping that its bouquet of Windows 8 Lumia devices will let it recapture the market. 

On paper Nokia has a winner in the Lumia 920, which among other unique features has a stunning 8.7 MP camera that uses the company's Pureview Camera technology along with optical image stabilisation. 

IN PICTURES: G&G used Nokia Lumia 920 at CES 2013

Nokia claims the camera is the best in class as far as low-light photography is concerned. 

Then, the Lumia 920 introduces wireless charging which lets users power-up the phone by just keeping it on a charging surface. Nokia is also bringing in a host of accessories that will put this capability to good use. 

The 920 uses a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor and has a .5" PureMotion HD+  WXGA (1280x768) IPS LCD and a 2000 mAh battery. 

However, all this makes the Lumia 920 an expensive phone at a best buy price of Rs 38,199, around 10 per cent more than competing devices on the same platform. But online retail sites were already quoting cheaper rates with Saholic.com at Rs 36,499 and Flipakrt.com at Rs 36,999. 

To be relevant across various price points, Nokia has also launched a cheaper phone, the Lumia 820. This phone has 4.3" OLED WVGA 800x480 display with a 1.5 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1650 mAh battery. The 820 has a 8MP camera, though witout PureView. This model is priced at Rs 27,599. The Saholic.com price for the model was 26,499, while Flipkart.com was charging Rs 500 more. 

"The launch of Lumia 920 and 820 has instantly catapulted Windows Phone into the high-end smartphone shootout," said P Balaji, MD and vice-president of Nokia India. 

The company also announced an even more affordable model, the 620, but refuced to divulge the price or date of availability. In all probability, the 620 will be the cheapest Windows Phone 8 device when it hits the shelves later this year.

Vipul Mehrotra, Director and Head - Smartphone Devices, Nokia India said the roll out of not two, but three devices marks Nokia's intent and agility, as well as its commitment to Indian consumers.

Sony Xperia Z vs Samsung Galaxy S III

After spending some quality time with the Sony Xperia Z (see our other CES 2013 videos), we were eager to see how it matched up to the reigning Samsung superphone, the Galaxy S III. Fortunately, we happened to have one of those on hand, and a few spec sheets to tell us just how they compared. Watch our video to get your daily dose of spec overload, and stay tuned for much more on the Xperia Z in the days and weeks ahead!

2013 Sony unveils Xperia Z, 4K OLED TV

Sony unveiled its flagship smartphone 'Xperia Z' at the press conference in Las Vegas. This smartphone features a full HD 5-inch retina display with mobile Bravia engine 2. It will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Pro quad core processor. It will have a 13MP camera with world's first image sensor with HDR for videos. 

Along with the smartphone, Sony also talked about NFC enabled wireless portable Bluetooth speaker. 
While other manufacturers were individually talking about 4K and OLED TVs, Sony wowed everyone by announcing the world's first 4K OLED TV. This 56-inch prototype on display has a 3840x2160 resolution. Sony has been able to produce this display using oxide semiconductor TFTs. The new OLED component's structure also incorporates Sony's own 'Super Top Emission' technology, which has been successfully incorporated in other products already introduced into the market.