App Development to Drive Mobile Growth

Two main factors have led to increased attention on the mobile industry: 1. Rising device standards and smart-phone penetration 2. Open source operating systems that encourage third-party innovation.

The New York Times takes a look at the second factor in a good introductory piece. It’s this application development that will drive the growth of the mobile sector, the article concludes, including smartphone sales.

It profiles a few popular apps for the iPhone and G1 such as Shazam and Ocarina. It takes a look at local too.

From the article:

“For its part, Google has about 300 applications available. Among the most popular is ShopSavvy, in which users scan the bar code of any product using the camera built into the G1 smartphone from T-Mobile. The application, which is free, then searches for the best price online and delivers the information to the phone.”

In related mobile news, Google has begun to solicit user feedback on the improvement and development of its mobile software.