Top Mobile Applications 2008
Top Mobile Applications Awards 2008
With consumers tightening their belts and hunkering down in the face of an imminent recession, the mobile industry finds itself at a crossroads. On the one hand, devices, multimedia services and user interfaces continue to improve--but on the other hand, wireless subscribers find themselves with little disposable income to allocate on luxuries such as mobile TV and music.
Growing evidence suggests that users desire a mobile experience that transcends passive entertainment, preferring instead practical, utility-based applications like mobile-optimized banking and travel planning. A recent usage and attitudes study conducted by mobile web domain registry dotMobi and digital agency AKQA cites growing consumer trust in the security of the mobile web, noting the volume of consumers demanding access to mobile banking and related m-commerce services. According to the dotMobi study, roughly 90 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to select an airline with mobile check-in over one that did not offer mobile services, while almost two-thirds of participants said they would consider purchasing theater tickets, take-out food and travel tickets on mobile.
FierceMobileContent's third annual Top Mobile Applications Awards reflect the changes sweeping across the industry they honor, heralding a new wave of practical, prosumer-oriented mobile services and tools that simplify and improve the day-to-day lives of a consumer segment in perpetual motion. The spotlight this time around falls on applications that exploit the possibilities implicit in a catch-all term like "smartphone"--these are intelligent applications for intelligent subscribers, with an emphasis on m-commerce, mobile social networking and location-based services.
What remains the same year in and year out is the process for determining the finalists: After evaluating hundreds of apps according to guidelines including technological innovation, revenue potential and competitive edge, we've come up with a diverse roster linked by their originality, practicality and personality. They are mobile applications that will survive and even thrive regardless of the economic turmoil ahead--necessities, not luxuries. -Jason
And the winners are...
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Comments
Posted by myles | August 20, 2008 - 7:19pm
if these are the top apps...then its a sorry state i reckon. remember the milk is good...others seem like they are run of the mill.
Posted by Anonymous | August 20, 2008 - 7:43pm
Heard of FoneMine, mobile marketing services: integrating text, voice and mobile internet creation, publishing and hosting with tracking and analytics: sounds like a good candidate
Posted by Mary Fallon | August 21, 2008 - 10:55am
Congratulations to CellSpin and Skyfire, both companies launched at DEMO conferences, and we're delighted that their disruptive innovations are being recognized by others. Mary Fallon, DEMO.com editor
Posted by citizenjane | August 21, 2008 - 8:49pm
"disruptive," Mary? How about duplicative. What's the difference between Skyfire and the more popular Opera, which uses the same idea of servers to feed a universal browser? Or the carrier built-in Navarro? Congrats to anybody getting kudos, don't get me wrong. But coupons to your cell phone (y-y-y-y-y-a-a-a-w-w-w-n), and basic GPS nav on cell phones? Was this contest like a Handspring Springboard Retrofit Festival, or special programs for special ed? Apps that prove smartphones are smarter than innovators are innovative? Any judging highlights on YouTube we can check out, let us know Jason.
Posted by Jason Navarro | August 28, 2008 - 6:00am
That's a funny comment, My name is Jason Navarro and I developed a mobile coupon web site. Nothing wrong with mobile coupons. BTW I think you were talking about Novarra...the Transcoder
Posted by Anonymous | August 21, 2008 - 9:10pm
Ironically, I can now use my cell to make sure I don't miss the CTA bus to wait in line at the Cook County unemployment office. Should I become a bonafide drifter, I can use Earthcomber to find free WiFi hot spots and restaurants with dumpster diving, and then call my family via Gizmo and tell them I'm living large ... at large.
Posted by Wendy | September 2, 2008 - 5:16am
I think the citizen journalism application (Post by ME) by Celltrigen Inc., should be on the list as well.
Posted by Anonymous | November 23, 2008 - 11:54am
I really hate my t-mobile dash. The only thing that is keeping me from using it as a suppository for the rep who convinced me to get it is the wonderful app, Skyfire. I can browse the web like I'm in front of my pc and watch my favorite Hulu movies as well as those funny youtube vids. Thanks Skyfire - I'm sure my sales rep thanks you too!
