A new study published by Chetan Sharma consulting on behalf of GetJar indicates that mobile app downloads will soar to 50 billion by 2012, up from 7 billion in 2009.  In addition, the global mobile application economy is estimated to be worth $17.5bn in 2012, more than CD sales, which it predicts will be $13.83bn.

The study predicts a surge in advertising-supported mobile apps as a means for monetization, with Google’s Android platform leading the pack for the foreseeable future.  Today, advertising-based revenue accounts for about 12% of app revenue, but by 2012 this figure is expected to rise to 28%.

The average selling price for mobile apps in 2009 was about $1.90, but the study suggests the during the next three years, this is predicted to decrease by 29% while apps will get cheaper.  However, advertising revenue derived from apps is likely to stay relatively flat.

By 2012, “offdeck” apps, which are offered independently from a carrier, is predicted to be the largest revenue generator, accounting for almost 50% of all app revenue.  By comparison, in 2009, apps available from mobile operators still accounted for more than 60% of all app revenue, but this will fall to just under 23% by 2012.

The study theorizes the market will continue to grow exponentially as mobile devices become as powerful as computers, and wireless networks deliver consistently higher bandwidths. “With the consumer appetite for mobile apps rocketing, the opportunities for developers are huge,” says the CEO and founder of GetJar, Ilja Laurs.

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Staying on top of mobile advertising best practices and methodology, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) today published a new whitepaper outlining the use of Rich Media ad-formats and units in mobile advertising campaigns.

The new whitepaper, created with the help of numerous member companies, includes definitions, attributes and examples of Rich Media advertising that are currently being used in the marketplace.  Within the document, the MMA created a definition for “Rich Media Mobile Ad Units,” which are interactive and/or non-interactive ad units displayed on a mobile web page and/or in a mobile application that offers one or more of the following: (i.) inclusion of streaming video content or animated GIF within the ad unit; (ii.) inclusion of sound; or (iii.) a richer interactive feature set than basic mobile click-through, such as user interaction that occurs through input other than a “click” or “tap.”

Though one would believe Rich Media use in mobile-ad campaigns is large, Millennial Media indicates that in the fourth quarter of 2009, an average of only 19% of U.S. mobile advertisers used Rich Media Mobile Ad Units.  While the whitepaper encourages experimentation with the use of Rich Media formats, it’s clear there’s some ambiguity as to how to best use the concept effectively.

In getting a better understanding of guidelines in terms of formatting, the MMA invites companies to share best practices with the MMA’s Mobile Advertising Committee in order to influence future Rich Media Mobile Advertising Guidelines for the industry.  As always, the MMA is at the forefront of organizing and interpreting new technologies and methods associated with mobile marketing and advertising, with the new whitepaper being a perfect example of providing an invaluable resource for marketers.

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As mobile apps across all major platforms continue to flourish, a missing link has been a comprehensive mobile billing solution that works across all of them.  Bango today released a solution to hopefully fill that void with its new in-app billing solution that works seamlessly across Nokia/Symbian, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and iPhone.

The new solution is completely open, giving developers complete control over the experience from how they charge consumers to pricing and currency, allowing them to sell content, virtual goods and add-ons from within their app, opening up a wide range of commercial opportunities no matter the platform they’re using.

App developers can collect one-time payments or start ongoing subscriptions within their app using operator billing, credit cards or even PayPal.  The goal is to provide consumers a simple and consistent application payment experience on operator networks as well as over Wi-Fi.  The new solution is aimed at developers who would rather have greater control over in-app billing and purchases, rather than relying on app stores to provide the functionality.

A recent study by Bango itself found that 45% of developers plan to monetize their apps directly, outside of app stores, making the case even stronger for an independent third-party solution.  Though Apple and Google will undoubtedly launch their own in-app billing solutions that are tightly integrated with their corresponding app stores, as more and more platform become popular for development, a third-party solution that works across all of them will become more attractive.

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Online movie ticket retailer Fandango is giving the mobile platform the old college try in eight markets for a new mobile ticket program.

The program in question, aptly dubbed “Mobile Ticket,” is a barcode-based solution that is getting a trial run in hopes of widespread launch in the coming months.

Fandango says “Mobile Ticket” presents theater tickets or passes as barcodes, which are sent to the mobile device of a moviegoer. At the theater, the barcode is scanned much the way a mobile coupon would be scanned at the point of sale. The advantage for moviegoers? No long wait at the box office ticket window.

Fandango’s Mobile Ticket doesn’t require a smartphone and works with the majority of mobile carriers. Initially, the program will reach more than one hundred screens in the Reading Cinemas circuit, including locations in New Jersey, Houston, Dallas, San Diego, Bakersfield, Sonoma County, and parts of Hawaii.

“We’ve already seen success in the mobile space with our variety of apps for the iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Palm and others,” says Rick Butler, COO of Fandango. “We know that Mobile Ticket will be one more Fandango convenience that moviegoers will enjoy. Our cell phones are with us all the time – so what better way to ensure you have your movie ticket?”

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While location is in the spotlight these days, most apps and services revolve around geosocial or other mainstream concepts.  A new app launching from Hoovers aims to build on the location-aware mobile aspect when in comes to sales, prospecting and lead-generation in the B2B segment.

The app, dubbed “Near Here,” provides sales and business development professionals access to location-based business information on millions of companies in the United States and Canada in real-time. Easily viewable on a map or in a list, users can refine search results to meet their specific requirements by applying several criteria, including multiple ranges of revenue and number of employees at a particular location, multiple industries or a simple keyword search, and they can save those filters for future searches.  The search area is adjusted by moving the map or changing the search address.

Based on the data provided, users can quickly and easily place a phone call to the company, visit the company’s Web site, get step-by-step driving directions and even find local competitors.  Users also can sort companies in ascending or descending order by annual sales, company name or total employees, and bookmark their favorite locations for future searches and favorite companies.

Within the app, users can retrieve key data points on any business or organization in close proximity to their current location, including annual sales, primary industry, number of employees at any given location, key contacts and titles and much more.  Users can easily get a clear picture of the businesses around them and determine whether or not it’s an attractive lead to pursue.

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I came across an interesting study today that claims Blackberry users are wishing for other smartphones in large numbers- particularly the iPhone and Google’s Nexus One.

While, like most studies, the data should be taken with a grain of salt, the study indicates that roughly 40 percent of BlackBerry users would rather have an Apple iPhone, while one-third are eying Google’s Nexus One as their next smartphone purchase, according to the study released by Crowd Science.

While this seems to show a large dissatisfaction with Blackberry by its users, it’s likely due to the fact many business users forced into using Blackberries for enterprise use would rather have a more consumer-friendly iPhone or Android device.  The sample used in this survey may be slightly skewed- however, the results are interesting.

Beyond this, the study also found that users of the Nexus One rivaled iPhone users in terms of brand loyalty, with both groups registered at 90 percent for those who plan to continue with their current brand when it comes to their next phone purchase.  On the other end of the spectrum, however, only 32 percent of BlackBerry users plan to continue with their smartphones upon their next purchase.

“These results show that the restlessness of Blackberry users with their current brand hasn’t just been driven by the allure of [the] iPhone,” says Crowd Science CEO John Martin.  ”The figures show deep dissatisfaction with BlackBerry that goes beyond simple jealousy of the attractive iPhone user interface.”

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Microsoft has always had high hopes for Silverlight, it’s Flash alternative, and has announced its availability to mobile developers in hopes of gaining usage in the explosion of mobile gaming and the future of 3D development on mobile devices.

Developers can download a comprehensive set of tools for Silverlight development on the Windows Phone 7 Series, including Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Express for Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7 Series add-in to use with Visual Studio 2010 RC, XNA Game Studio 4.0, Windows Phone 7 Series emulator for application testing and a separate downloadable Expression Blend for Windows Phone Community Technology Preview.

Though there’s hardly a thriving development community waiting in the wings to develop apps for the Windows Phone 7 Series, doing so using the newly released Silverlight development toolset allows access for things such as the accelerometer, a Microsoft Location Service for  location information, the Microsoft Notification Service to push information, regardless of whether or not an application is running and hardware-accelerated video with DRM, among other things.

It’s definitely a comprehensive suite of tools, but the problem remains that there’s simply no interest in developing for Windows Mobile devices- at least not yet, or anytime in the near future.  Developers focus on platforms that sell, and that are popular with users.  At the moment that’s iPhone and Android, bottom line.  This isn’t to say that Microsoft isn’t doing the right things to set the stage for increased consumer enthusiasm and interest from developers, but there’s still a long way to go.

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