Android smartphones winning over 'app' makers

Google is the new darling of software wizards out to cash-in on the world's
love for customizing smartphones with fun, hip or functional applications.

Developers once obsessed with "apps" for Apple's hot-selling iPhones are
touting creations tailored for smartphones built on the Google-backed
Android platform.

Mobile platforms being watched by developers include BlackBerry, Microsoft
Windows Phone 7 and Hewlett-Packard's webOS.

Ianni expected smartphones based on Microsoft or HP software to increase in
allure as they gain traction in the market.

Urban Airship provides tools that help developers make money from smartphone
programs. Early in April the Oregon-based company added a feature allowing
people to make purchases inside Android applications.

Android's share of the US smartphone market has surged this year while
BlackBerry's sunk, according to recent figures from industry tracker
comScore.

Android commanded a third of the market, while BlackBerry ranked second with
29 percent and Apple third with 25 percent, comScore reported.

Apple had slightly more that 333,000 iPhone applications in its App Store in
March, but Google's Android Market boasted 206,000 "apps" and was growing
fast, according to figures from industry tracker Distimo.

Distimo predicted that Apple's App Store would be relegated to second place,
followed by Windows Phone 7 Marketplace and BlackBerry App World.

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace had about 12,000 applications in March while
Nokia Ovi Store had 30,000 and BlackBerry had 27,000, according to Distimo.

Distimo expected Windows 7 Marketplace to leap ahead of BlackBerry and Ovi
by October.

Independent application operations typically have only a few, if not just
one, software developer, according to Bajarin.

Finding ways to get noticed and make money in a sea of more than 600,000
smartphone applications were hot topics at AppNation.

Attendance at the event grew to 1,700 this year from 1,100 at its premier in
San Francisco last year. The number of exhibitors grew to 210 from 80.

Opera Mobile Store that spans more than 200 countries launched an
"Appcelerator" program at AppNation to help developers promote and profit
from software creations.

Advertisers are increasingly tuning into the potential to target consumers
on smartphones and tablet computers.

Mobile ads are more effective for advertisers and can translate into more
money for developers, according to Lisa Abramson, director of marketing at
mobile video ad network Rhythm New Media.

Developers can also make money from in-application transactions, selling
virtual goods, or simply charging for software.