ShopKick, the mobile shopping app with a unique twist on location-based engagement, has come out with impressive numbers detailing how the startup has grown since its launch in August of last year.

ShopKick forgoes the ever-popular “checkin” concept and instead uses a proprietary signaling method.  When someone using one of ShopKick’s free mobile apps walks into a store that has integrated the ShopKick system, a signal is detected and the app subsequently delivers reward points called “kickbucks” to the user.  Kickbucks are rewarded for anything the store desires, such as simply walking into the store, or actions such as trying on clothes, scanning a product barcode and more.  These kickbucks can then be redeemed across all partner stores for gift card rewards or for Facebook Credits.  Users can also receive special discounts on specific products at partners stores like Macy’s, Best Buy or Target.

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The folks at Nielsen have released data on an interesting study that looked at the differences in Android app usage between men and women.

Nielsen measured the so-called “active reach” of Android apps, which is obtained by looking at the percentage of Android owners who used an app within the past 30 days, according to the company.  This also involved analyzing the data from “on-device meters” on thousands of Android smartphones to determine the active reach of applications.

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Its been announced that Peekaboo Mobile, makers of an app for iPhone and Android that lets users find nearby coupon offers, has been acquired by local content and advertising provider nSphere for an undisclosed — reportedly “seven figure”– sum.

Peekaboo, which launched just last year, gives local business owners the opportunity to create coupons which are then available via its mobile applications and partner channels.  Its partner network includes the location based app “Where” as well as CardStar, a membership card management service.  “Through these relationships we can reach over 50 million consumers,” Peekaboo Mobile founder Ben Dolgoff said.

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Though it seems they’re a bit late to jump on the bandwagon, Yelp announced today they’re now offering location-based rewards to users who check in to certain locations.

Yelp’s mobile applications, and service in general, are widely popular, with the company only introducing check-in functionality last January.  Since that launch, the company said it’s seen 50% month-over-month average growth on check-ins, although it makes no mention of how that translates in terms of users.  Like Foursquare, Gowalla, and the droves of other LBS applications, Yelp finally supports rewards for check-ins, allowing businesses to better leverage the Yelp network.

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This could be the year that a single advanced Android will take over the world–or at least take a bite out of Apple.

2010 has certainly been HTC’s year. In the United States, the Taiwanese maker of cutting-edge Android handsets has drawn fanatical reviews for its Incredible (at Verizon) and EVO (at Sprint). In Europe, its wildly popular Desire–similar to the Nexus, which was sold directly by Google and could be used on the AT&T network–remained a ideal for stateside consumers, who clung to every rumor that it was coming to America.

But while HTC wowed numerous markets with numerous separate models, it was never going to unseat the iPhone–of which Apple has made different varieties for different types of networks–as the universal must-have mobile.

That may change. According to British tech news site The Inquirer, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is reviewing a dual-radio HTC phone, which would be compatible on both GSM and CDMA networks.

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Mobile Roadie, a provider of a dead simple mobile app building platform for iPhone and Android apps, recently announced a new “Pro” version of the platform that allows for even more customization and functionality.

The platform offers a beautiful interface to design apps, allowing full customization of menu layouts, colors, buttons, and fonts.  The new Pro version also supports multiple categories of content, a global search for users and newly designed landscape views, just to name a few.

The new platform has already been used by some big names to create some pretty impressive apps.  Three examples include the Wynn Las Vegas, indie electro label Ninja Tune and music and lifestyle publication The FADER.  ”We are very picky and controlling when it comes to brand integrity,” says Andy Cohn, EVP and Group Publisher of FADER Media, Inc. “Every single part of our user’s engagement has to experience The FADER brand and culture.”  The FADER is also offering exclusive content available to view when people download their app.

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I’m a huge fan of the augmented reality (AR) concept and the potential it provides.  With devices becoming more powerful and the technology in place to make it a reality, AR is at the forefront of mobile possibilities.

A shining example of which is a new startup called “Tagwhat,” which made its public debut today to offer what’s its calling “a new augmented reality (AR) experience that fuses the very best of mobile, augmented reality, and location-based social networking services for everyday use and appeal.”

At it’s core, Tagwhat is a fully functional social network, layered on top of the physical world and accessed by “tags” through an innovative augmented reality experience.  By simply holding up the camera view of a mobile device (iPhone or Android), geo-contextual tags from pre-selected friends and community members become visible.

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