apps | Internet Marketing Blog

App review: The Spectator for iPhone

Political magazine The Spectator has just launched an iPhone app with an interesting subscription model. Unlike recent apps released by other publishers such as FT.com and The Telegraph, The Spectator's version charges users 59p per week for access.

However, while the subscription model might be intriguing, and offers a glimpse of how publishers may make money from mobile apps, it fails to deliver on user experience...

The Spectator iPhone app

by Graham Charlton 30 September 2009 15:25pm 1 comment

Q&A: lastminute.com's Marko Balabanovic on innovation

Marko Balabanovic won an award for Innovation in Multichannel Marketing at Econsultancy's Innovation Awards last year, and this year he is a member of the judging panel.

I've been talking to Marko, who is Head of Innovation at lastminute.com, about lastminute.com labs, how the team looks to innovate, and some of the products it has created...

by Graham Charlton 15 September 2009 09:53am 1 comment

Facebook Lite simplifies, complicates Facebook

If you've used Facebook, you've probably lamented a few things. Despite the fact that Facebook generally has a clean interface, navigating all of its features is not the easiest thing in the world. And Facebook isn't the most responsive website either.

In an effort to simplify the experience and make it faster for those who don't have a high-speed connection (or a lot of time to waste), Facebook has launched a version of its website called Facebook Lite. Currently it's available to users in the United States and India via lite.facebook.com but most expect it to be rolled out globally sooner than later.

by Patricio Robles 11 September 2009 09:04am 7 comments

Mobile app review: Flickr on iPhone

The Flickr iPhone app was released this week, with many of the features that are available on the main site, browsing photos as well as uploading and tagging photos taken on the phone.

We use Flickr for hosting the photos used on this blog, and to upload iPhone screenshots I've had the option of uploading via email, or plugging the phone into the laptop and uploading this way, which can take some time.

I'm hoping that the app can make this process a little easier...

by Graham Charlton 09 September 2009 09:38am 0 comments

Spotify and the problem with customer ratings and reviews

We all know that customer reviews can boost trust and credibility, and as such they can drive serious improvements to conversion rates and search rankings.

But Houston, we have a problem. The problem with customer reviews is this: the lack of proper customers.

The launch of the Spotify iPhone app demonstrates this issue quite clearly. Non-paying customers are giving one-star ratings to the app on the basis that they are non-paying customers!

by Chris Lake 07 September 2009 17:01pm 4 comments

App review: Spotify on iPhone

The eagerly awaited Spotify app is now available for download for UK and European mobile users to download, for both Android and iPhone users.

The app allows you to sync playlists, stream music to your phone through a wi-fi connection, and best of all, to access playlists when you are offline.

I've been trying the new Spotify iPhone app out...

by Graham Charlton 07 September 2009 10:20am 5 comments

Best practice tips for iPhone apps

Apps are big business, with Apple recently passing the landmark of 1.5bn apps downloaded by users, and there are now more than 65,000 iPhone apps in the App Store.

With so many competing apps, developers and brands need to deliver the best possible user experience. Here are a few best practice tips for improving the usability of iPhone apps...

by Graham Charlton 03 September 2009 11:57am 1 comment

Facebook's most popular app ever? It's probably not what you think

If you had to guess what the most popular Facebook app on Facebook is, chances are you're not thinking that it has anything to do with fruits, vegetables and cows. But you'd be very wrong. What is the most popular app on Facebook? FarmVille.

As the name suggests, FarmVille is a game that gives users the ability to "grow delicious fruits and vegetables and raise adorable animals" on their own virtual farms. With nearly 35m active monthly users and 12m active daily users, FarmVille has just about grown itself into the most popular Facebook application ever. When FarmVille surpasses 35,554,755 active monthly users, it will surpass the record set by the How Well Do You Know Me? application.

by Patricio Robles 03 September 2009 09:23am 5 comments

Will intrusive ads on iPhone apps turn off users?

The New York Times has started to use intrusive ad formats for users of its iPhone news app, with full screen interstitial ads appearing between pages.

These ads can be pretty annoying on the internet, so will they discourage iPhone owners from using your app?

by Graham Charlton 24 August 2009 10:59am 4 comments

20 badass iPhone apps for the boss

Yesterday our CEO Ashley Friedlein finally did the honourable thing and bought an iPhone. Already his world has measurably improved.

We asked our Twitter followers to suggest the apps that he should download. In particular we wanted ideas on apps relating to productivity, workflow, as well as the internet industry more broadly. Some are more boss-like than others, but they're all great apps.

Here’s what you (and I) came up with. Images link to the iTunes Store, should you wish to download them.

by Chris Lake 19 August 2009 12:56pm 4 comments