BlackBerry LBS apps four times pricier than iPhone

The average price of location-aware mobile applications available for download from the Blackberry App World storefront is $13.60, compared to $3.60 in Apple's App Store and 84 cents in Google's Android Marketplace, according to a new LBS trends report issued by location systems provider Skyhook Wireless. Skyhook reports that the App Store boasts the largest number of location-based apps at more than 2,300, 75 percent of which are premium services--67 percent of BlackBerry LBS apps are paid, while 80 percent of Android LBS apps are free.

After standardizing application types across all three App Stores, Skyhook finds there are now 17 different types of apps that use location. Travel apps represent the most popular LBS category at 31 percent of all iPhone apps, followed by navigation (27 percent)--other emerging location-enabled categories include social networking, lifestyle, public transportation and sports/fitness. Travel leads Android LBS apps at 20 percent, followed by social networking (19 percent) and utilities (14 percent), while in BlackBerry App World, 35 percent of LBS apps fall under the travel umbrella, followed by navigation (21 percent), utilities (19 percent) and social networking (17 percent).

For more on the Skyhook report:
- read this release

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