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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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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Not only are companies, developers, and entrepreneurs of all varieties looking to develop a mobile presence as part of a comprehensive marketing campaign, even US states are delving into mobile territory.

This week it was posted on the official web site of the state of Alabama, that a new (and free) iPhone application is being released courtesy of Alabama.gov. Available now from iTunes and Apple’s App Store, the state of Alabama is looking to boost everything from tourism to resident awareness about state happenings through the new app.

Alabama Interactive, which is the “official eGovernment solutions provider” for the state of Alabama, reveals that the aforementioned application will serve up a variety of tools and resources that will certainly prove of interest to both Alabama residents and potential visitors to the great state. Such features include: Full site and state employee directory searches, access to state maps (parks, educational references, public services) through Google maps, news feeds, alerts and – of course – Twitter.

According to the official announcement from www.alabama.gov, the state’s website generates in excess of 800,000 visitors each month. The mobile extension of the site via the new app “will provide another gateway for citizens to interact with government.”

What it may also provide is the inspiration for every other state to develop a similar mobile application to promote the virtues and values of their own state.

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In the past, CBS has invested heavily in the development of their mobile sports presence. And building upon last year’s successful mobile coverage and corresponding iPhone app for March Madness, CBS is rolling out a host of new developments for the CBS mobile sports platform.

Chief among such noteworthy developments is the addition of 3G/EDGE support, which will bring live streaming video to the “CBS Sports: NCAA March Madness on Demand” iPhone/iPod Touch application.

The app in question debuted last year to much fanfare and was created with the help of mobile video solutions provider MobiTV. In 2009, however, the application’s enjoyment was limited to those capable of securing a WiFi connection.

The 3G support add-on is certainly a welcome addition, although the upgrade comes with a substantial price increase. Last year’s $4.99 has been replaced by 2010’s new price tag of $9.99.

CBS says their NCAA March Madness on Demand will provide the most comprehensive coverage possible, including all tournament games from the opening round to the Final Four. That means basketball fans can stream 63 live games in all right from their mobile device.

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It’s a headline that will certainly inspire more than just a few double-takes. But the reports are, indeed, true. There are, at this very moment, more books available in Apple’s App Store than there are games. It’s a significant shift of content momentum that has taken place in a surprisingly rapid fashion.

This reality represents the first time the game category has taken a back seat to any other. According to a report from Mobclix, an ad exchange provider for iPhone apps, the App Store currently offers approximately 26,5000 books. All told, that represents approximately 19% percent of the total apps available in the App Store (142,0000 in all). On the other hand, Only 25,000 games are now available, a figure representing roughly 18% of the App Store’s total offerings.

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With all the talk about the New York Times’ accomplishments and endeavors in the mobile realm, you would think there are no other major newspapers in the Big Apple.

The New York Daily News, however, is not only one of New York’s biggest newspapers, it’s also the 6th most “widely circulated” daily paper in the United States today.

Befitting a publication of its stature, The New York Daily News is finally rolling out a new mobile application (developed by Handmark) that will deliver the biggest headlines directly to readers via their mobile device.

Based on the first impressions logged by readers and longtime subscribers, there’s nothing overtly innovative about the app – much like the apps from competing publications. Instead, the app is a meat and potatoes offering that serves up the news as only the NY Daily News can. And, luckily for the paper, that’s all readers seems to care about anyway. Read the rest

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