The mobile app store landscape is growing and evolving quickly, and keeping up with the latest information when you’ve already got a day job is tough.  One of the most useful ways to keep up-to-date is to watch what some of the mobile analytics vendors are writing about on their blogs and white papers.  One of the best and most recent cross app store information resources I’ve found is from Distimo.  (more…)

Apple is making its big (rumored Tablet) announcement tomorrow, and the folks at StageTwo and I are organizing a tweet-up afterward to chat about whatever is announced and the impact it will have.  Whether you’re going to the Apple event or wish you were, everyone is welcome.  We’re also thinking of this tweet-up as a pre-cursor event to meet others who are heading to Barcelona for  Mobile World Congress in mid-February. (more…)

I’m looking forward to attending Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona this February.  It’s going to be a great show… This year, apps take center stage, and GSMA has taken a huge step forward, investing a lot of time and effort in showcasing them in App Planet, and making sure the conference agenda appeals to the people that are shaping the mobile ecosystem.

I’ll be moderating two panels on Monday, February 15, 2009 in the “Mobile Applications – Innovation Vs Fragmentation” stream.  A few of the details are still being confirmed, but here’s what’s been announced so far… (more…)

UPDATED: 2/12/10 6:32 CST: Last year, I created a list of networking events and parties at Mobile World Congress. This year, I’ll be doing the same, updating the following list and the Socialize Mobilize “Events” page until the Congress kicks off in mid-February 2010.  If you have a party or event you’d like me to add to this list, please send me the details and RSVP requirements. (more…)

As a prolific LinkedIn and Twitter user, I was excited to hear the two companies announce an integration yesterday:

I was less excited when I actually tried to use it- and couldn’t. (more…)

Ted Erfer over at Intertek tells me that Intertek will be giving away a bunch of $500-$1,000 testing credits at their booth at the Blackberry Developer Conference in San Francisco, California November 9-12th.

If you’re unfamiliar with Intertek, they’re one of the world’s largest mobile device and application testing companies, with a global network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices in 110 countries.  They acquired mobile testing giant NSTL back in 2007 and are transitioning the NSTL brand to “Intertek”.  Many of the world’s leading mobile certification programs run through Intertek.

If you’re a mobile developer, you know that mobile app certification costs can quickly add up – especially when you’re testing your app on multiple devices and platforms. So, if you’re going to be at Blackberry Developer Conference, stop by Intertek’s booth to see if you can score some of those free testing credits.

After listening to the podcast I did on Wednesday with Motodev on how to incorporate social media into mobile applications, Matthäus Krzykowski,  (a fellow mobile consultant, freelance writer for VentureBeat, and fascinating guy) tweeted: “@motodev @lisawhelan is great, enjoyed the podcast. However, as @danshapiro http://bit.ly/3eRvaK says viral broken is in mobile. Thoughts ?” It’s a good question.  The short answer is “he’s right,” but while the mobile ecosystem sorts itself out, there are things developers can do to make their apps more viral… (more…)

Today, I did a MOTODEV podcast with Randy Ksar of Motorola: “Social Media Marketing for Mobile Developers Part II”. The podcast addressed mobile developers and focused on the benefits of incorporating social media into mobile applications.

You can see the social dialogue surrounding the podcast on gsnap and listen to the podcast below:

Here’s the corresponding powerpoint:

In it, you’ll learn how to:

• Measure mobile app success
• Create a viral loop and engage social media within your mobile application
• Advertise your mobile apps for free on social networks
• Leverage Facebook Connect
• Add social value

The presentation also includes some useful examples of how leading mobile developers use social media in their apps. You’ll also see helpful stats on viral tuning and increasing conversions and revenue with social media techniques from Flirtomatic. (more…)

In business development, nothing beats meeting a client, partner or colleague in person. While electronic communication and phone calls are a great way to keep in touch, making time for face-to-face communication is an important part of solidifying a deep connection and/or closing a deal.  Attending industry events and trade shows is a great way to simultaneously catch up with existing contacts and meet new people.  I used to attend trade shows/ conferences to learn about what was going in web and wireless, but that’s less and less the case. The conventional conference format is growing stale, and is less relevant in our ‘real-time information’ driven culture.  The only reason I go to shows these days is to focus on relationships, and it seems I’m not alone. (more…)

WinMoDevCamp is happening from 10-5 tomorrow (Friday, October 2nd) at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley campus in Mountain View, in conjunction with Silicon Valley Code Camp.  They’ve got a solid line-up of presenters leading sessions including Susan Kevorkian of IDC’s Mobile & Wireless team, Microsoft MVPs, Sony Ericsson, Samsung and more.

If you’re planning to develop for WinMo 6.5, which is launching October 6, this looks like a great opportunity to learn and network.  You’ll be able to hear about the new OS, the new Microsoft app market (coming soon) and meet interesting people in the space.

The event will continue throughout the weekend at Silicon Valley Code Camp happening at Foothill College.  Over the weekend, developers will have a chance to: (more…)