The App Store and controversy go hand in hand. There have been several apps which have been rejected from the App Store for the most weirdest reason and several weird one’s which have been approved, and have left people scratching their heads as to how they got in.

It looks like Apple is upping the App Store ante a bit and going all after their main challenger, Google, by asking a developer to remove the word “Android” from the app description.

The app in question is Flash in Genius, who were a finalist in the Google Android Developer’s Challenge and had mentioned about it in their app description as seen in the screenshot above. However, the folks at Apple were less than happy about this and sent a email to them which you can read below.

Dear Flash of Genius, LLC,

Thank you for submitting Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 to the App Store.  During our review of your application, we found that your application contains inappropriate or irrelevant platform information in the Application Description and/or Release Notes sections.

Providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhoneApp Store.  While your application has not been rejected, it would be appropriate  to remove “Finalist in Google’s Android Developer’s Challenge!”  from the Application Description [Emphasis added].

Please log into iTunes Connect to make appropriate changes to the Application Description now to avoid an interruption in the availability of Flash of Genius: SAT Vocab 2.2 on the iPhoneApp Store.

Regards,

iPhone Developer Program

According to the email, Apple has threatened the developer to remove the Android mention or face the removal of the app from theApp store. Agreed that Apple makes good business for developers, but this incident definitely says much about them and how they treat competition.

This makes me wonder if Apple allows their own employees to use a Nokia or Android based phone in their work environment? Or will they send employees a sack notice because they use one?

[via Techie Buzz]

In another effort to help it combat Apple’s wildly popular App Store, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) showed off the winners of its second Android Developer Challenge.

The contest includes a variety of judges from places like Google, T-Mobile, MTV, and Twitter, and it names the best Android mobile applications across various categories like education, entertainment, games, media, and productivity. The overall winner received $250,000, while the winner in each category received up to $100,000.

The overall winner was an app called “SweetDreams,” which will send late-night phone calls directly to voice mail depending on what the user specifies. An app called “What the Doodle!?” nabbed second place by offering Android users a real-time online multiplayer drawing game. The “WaveSecure” app took third place and it enables users to back up data, wipe data remotely, or lock down a phone remotely if it’s lost or stolen.

The cash prizes will likely be well-received as there are growing reports that many developers are having trouble making significant profits with Android apps. A recent survey by Skyhook found 57% of developers were unhappy with their Android app profits.

Some developers have complained that with the growing number of Android devices with different screen sizes and input methods, it is becoming difficult to optimize programs. Additionally, developers have complained about Android users’ relatively low download rates, as well as the requirement to use Google Checkout for buying programs.

By comparison, Apple’s app platform is relatively more streamlined because there are only three iPhones in the lineup, and many users already have credit cards tied into the iTunes ecosystem. But the App Store is not without its faults either, as Apple acts as a strict gatekeeper and some developers say its approval process can be arbitrary or unfair.

By Marin Perez

[via InformationWeek]

Overall Winners

	SweetDreams SweetDreams is a revolutionary tool that will finally allow you to go to sleep without worrying about changing your phone settings in order to avoid unwelcome late night calls. You can even use those inactivity periods to save battery power as well, and of course forget about enabling WiFi, Bluetooth or ringtones volume …
	What the Doodle!? ‘WTD!?’ is a real-time online multiplayer game where one player tries to draw out a given phrase and others try to guess it. Features FFA and Team games, Global Highscores, Personal Face Doodles, integrated Voice Recognition and more! Real-time drawing!? Built for performance, you’ll really see the magic at first doodle!
	WaveSecure WaveSecure is a complete mobile security solution that protects your device, data and privacy. 1. Track your phone’s location and who is using it 2. Lock down your phone remotely, making it worthless to the thief 3. Backup all your data 4. Wipe out your data remotely 5. Restore your data May the phone be with you!

Education/Reference Winners

	Plink Art Plink Art is an app for identifying, discovering and sharing art. Take a photo of a painting, and the Plink Art servers will try to identify it. You can also browse our database of artwork by keyword or timeline and share your discoveries with friends.
	Word Puzzle The Word Puzzle is designed to provide a fun way to learn basic English words for preschool children. Kids can study spelling and pronunciation with flash card and check achievement with word puzzle. Interesting visual and sound interaction with awarding system helps kids to keep learning. Let kids play with your Android.
	Celeste An educational augmented reality app that displays the Sun, Moon, planets and their paths through the sky onto your camera view. You can navigate through the sky selecting celestial bodies to display interesting information about our solar system. See the exact spot on your horizon where the sun will rise and set.

Entertainment Winners

	A World of Photo Loosely inspired by the traditional “Spin the bottle”, A World of Photo is a casual, geographic worldwide multiplayer online game with a social touch. Players spin their phones and will receive a photo from whomever in the world they pointed to. For best play experience, let the app run in the background.
	SongDNA Need any information on a song? Practicing for a big karaoke gig? Music quiz coming up tomorrow? The SongDNA widget allows you to quickly look up your favorite song’s detailed information. It includes the lyrics, artist’s bio, homepage, highest chart rank and video. Handy when you’re training for your next karaoke gig!!
	Solo Solo is a great, easy to play and feature rich pocket guitar for your phone. A must for all guitar enthusiasts! Features include -Huge chord library with 380+ chords & diagrams -Load/save chord layouts -Play along with music on your phone -Overlay music & lyrics from the internet -Various strum modes, including shake strum

Games: Arcade/Action Winners

	Speed Forge 3D Speed Forge: Heavy duty hover vehicles, normally used for mining are now seen in illegal races organized in abondoned factories and dark Marsian alleys. The rock crushing explosives once used in these machines now serve a different purpose…
	Graviturn Tilt your phone to move the red circles out of the screen while keeping the green circles. Infinite levels from very easy to nearly impossible. Compare your performance with other players after each level (online highscore and statistics).
	Moto X Mayhem Jump, lean, and race through seven levels of amazing motorbike action in the best side scrolling bike game! Lean forward and back on your motorbike as you climb hills and fly through the air using accelerometer technology. Witness realistic physics as your shocks recoil when you land jumps! Or just flick your rider around!!

Games: Casual/Puzzle Winners

	What the Doodle!? ‘WTD!?’ is a real-time online multiplayer game where one player tries to draw out a given phrase and others try to guess it. Features FFA and Team games, Global Highscores, Personal Face Doodles, integrated Voice Recognition and more! Real-time drawing!? Built for performance, you’ll really see the magic at first doodle!
	Totemo Unloose the spirit. Break the spell. Uncover the mystery hidden between the realms in a unique puzzle game. Storm your brain and relax your mind solving over 60 mind-soothing logic tasks. Play the survival mode for extra challenge and write your name into the on-line leaderboards. http://hexage.net
	Mazeness The goal of the game is rather simple – you need to bring all the balls ( up to 4 per level!) to their goals at the same time, with help of barriers, teleports and holders. It seems simple at first, but it’s not that easy. The difficulty is growing steadily from level to level.

Lifestyle Winners

	SweetDreams SweetDreams is a revolutionary tool that will finally allow you to go to sleep without worrying about changing your phone settings in order to avoid unwelcome late night calls. You can even use those inactivity periods to save battery power as well, and of course forget about enabling WiFi, Bluetooth or ringtones volume …
	SpecTrek Improve your fitness with this revolutionary augmented reality ghost hunting game. Walk or run around using GPS and your phone’s camera to find and catch virtual ghosts. You will experience a new adventure each SpecTrekking session. The game offers statistics, awards, titles, records, and most of all a whole lot of fun!
	FoxyRing FoxyRing makes your phone smarter by analyzing the ambient noise and adjust the ringer volume. Also: – Sleeping hours to silent your phone during the night. – Geolocated ringer profiles, change ringtone or make your phone vibrate only at work! – Widget to silent your phone for a timed period. – Great interface

Media Winners

	Buzz Deck BuzzDeck is the quick and easy way to get all the web content you care about most. Flick through your daily hit of favourite news topics. And get Twitter & Facebook updates alongside. BuzzDeck learns what you like and recommends cool new stuff. Simple, elegant & fast. NB: No landscape mode yet. http://mippin.com/buzzdeck
	SPB TV SPB TV is a highly usable IP-TV solution, optimized to run on mobile devices. SPB TV provides users with lots of channels in multiple languages with easy-to-use features and settings. No subscription fee! Requires a reliable 3G or WiFi network connection for proper streaming. Full-featured 60-days trial.
	FxCamera FxCamera enables you to take a picture with various effects. – ToyCam (Toy Camera Emulator) – Polandroid – Fisheye – Warhol (Andy Warhol-izer) – Normal *this app requires SD card*

Productivity/Tools Winners

	WaveSecure WaveSecure is a complete mobile security solution that protects your device, data and privacy. 1. Track your phone’s location and who is using it 2. Lock down your phone remotely, making it worthless to the thief 3. Backup all your data 4. Wipe out your data remotely 5. Restore your data May the phone be with you!
	Hoccer Hoccer is your application for ad-hoc data exchange. Use gestures to “throw” your data through the air and let the recipients “catch” it. There is no need for prior exchange of contact details.
	Tasker Tasker let’s you link any Task (action set) to the Contexts (application, time, day, location, event, widget press) where it should run. Send an SMS at 3:15 Monday, make per-app settings or locks, map camera button to a menu, launch music app on headphone insert, timelapse photos, encrypt on-the-fly, the list is endless!

Social Networking Winners

	Ce:real – Everyday trends Ce:real, What’s happening in this world? Are you curious about real world? How about North Pole or an edge of Africa? Also, it can be your neighborhood. It is offering to you hot photo stories with Twitter trends keyword which has speed of lights. Enjoy millions of happenings in real world and you participate in it as well.
	SocialMuse Check out what users on the other side of the world are listening to! Find people with similar musical taste, or just explore the world through music. Browse other users’ music libraries, listen to previews of their songs, and buy them if you like them. Check out their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and Last.fm.
	SpotMessage SpotMessage is a communication tool using GPS. Send a message designating a spot with Google Maps then the message will be notified when the recipient arrives at the spot. SpotMsg finds various uses; as an alarm reminding you of a task at a certain spot or for sending your friend a surprise message on his or her arrival.

Travel Winners

	Trip Journal Trip Journal is the ultimate trip tracking and sharing solution currently available on Android powered Smartphones. Impress your friends by sending them real time updates from the places you are visiting. GPS route tracking, record waypoints, photos & notes, trip statistics, KMZ & Picasa exports, incorporated Google Maps.
	iNap: Arrival Alert Ever wanted to get some sleep during a train ride, or a quick powernap on the bus to work? You either hoped to wake just in time not to miss your station, or set an alarm to wake you far too early… Using your phone’s GPS it will determine where you are, and wake you when you are close to your destination!
	Car Locator Save your location whenever you park, and Car Locator will navigate you back to your car should you ever have trouble finding it. – Points in direction of your car using GPS and compass – Radar view, map view, and split view – Parking timer alarm GPS and compass must be enabled. This free version expires after 25 runs.

Misc Winners

	Rhythm Guitar Plays like a real 6-string, 5-fret guitar. Strum and pick chords, make new chords, string them together to create songs, transpose songs to fit your vocal range. Great for songwriting, chord reference, learning radio hits, or even plugging into speakers and pedals.
	Andrometer Andrometer allows you to measure the approximate distance from you to an object that you can see. Uses GPS, accelerometer and geomagnetic sensor. Tips: – Keep as steady as possible – The further you walk, the more accurate the measurement – Must be outdoors with clear view of sky – Works best under 1 km
	Calton Hill GPSCaddy GPSCaddy allows golfers to quickly and easily map any golf course either out on the course using GPS or in the comfort of home using satellite imagery. Then, when they are playing the course, it uses GPS to tell them exactly how far they are from the significant features of the hole they are playing (green, bunkers, etc).

Google’s Android operating system is on a roll. Earlier this week, the search giant announced an alliance with Verizon Wireless that includes the launch of two Android phones this year with plans to develop other Android-powered devices in the future.

Dell is reportedly coming out with an Android smartphone next year on the AT&T network and Sprint’s new Android phone-the HTC Hero-debuts this Saturday. That’s not to mention the recent launch of other forth coming Android phones such as the Motorola Cliq, launching in November, and the Samsung Moment, announced Wednesday at the CTIA Fall 2009 conference in San Diego.

So Android is gaining momentum, both literally and figuratively. Growing distribution for the operating system across carriers and handsets should benefit the Android Market, Google’s app storefront. The more Android phones and users there are, the more demand there should be for Android apps, which now number about 10,000. That’s far fewer than the Apple’s App Store for the iPhone, but not insignificant.

With the recent launch of Android 1.6, Google also took steps to upgrade Android Market, including letting developers provide screenshots, icons and more detailed app descriptions to better showcase their wares.

But sprucing up Android Market won’t make up for the lack of a convenient, established payment system like iTunes, which the App Store is built on. “The familiarity and affinity millions of people have developed over the years with iTunes, and iTunes’ seamless payment system is what will keep iTunes ahead in terms of attracting masses of apps and downloads,” noted Lilly Gold, founder of app developer IntuApps in New York.

IntuApps cofounder Ronnie Schwartz added Android Market is also hampered by the perception that all apps in the store are free because Android is an open source platform. “Apple [App Store] is the only one where people actually buy stuff,” he said. “I think developers are dabbling in other platforms, but iPhone is where they see their main focus.”

With Android running across different devices and carrier networks, CNet’s Marguerite Reardon also raised a question about weather apps will work on different types of hardware. “If they do, they could drive more Android device development, which could lead to the Android mobile platform actually living up to the hype that was promised nearly two years ago,” she wrote.

The bottom line is that more Android phones in consumers’ hands should lead to more apps for the platform, but big hurdles remain for Google in challenging Apple’s dominance in apps.

by Mark Walsh

[via MoBlog]

We’ve covered a couple of Distimo reports in the past because they provide us with some valuable insights on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Android Market based on the startup’s in-depth analysis of publicly available data. Now the company has added RIM’s Blackberry App World store to the fray, which gives us even more data points to compare the rivals’ app pricing and whatnot.

In the latest report (September 2009), Distimo notes software programs for Blackberry devices are considerably more expensive than comparable apps for competing devices/platforms.

In fact, the average price for apps is more than three times higher than the one for similar apps in the App Store and Android Market, which is sort of unbelievable. There’s not a single category where the average price of an app is lower than its equivalent on the latter two application storefronts, and the more serious, business-related tools are definitely much more expensive. Just look at the difference in fees for apps in such categories as Finance, Productivity, Reference, News, Utility/Tools and particularly, Navigation/Travel in the chart below.

Research In Motion has traditionally targeted more of a business audience with its product line, but is that enough of an explanation why developers are pricing their mobile software programs so much higher than their equivalents on the competing platforms? Or are Blackberry users simply more willing (and able) to pay for apps? If so, than the higher pricing is merely a result of simple relation between offer and demand.

Either way, the difference in pricing is quite clear.

Update: as commenter Cameron correctly points out, the minimum listing price for apps that get distributed on App World is $2.99, which is part of the explanation of the huge pricing differences (I doubt it’s the only reason). Note that the store is open for free applications as well (if they generate revenue after download).

The chart also shows pricing of apps for the most popular listings in Apple’s App Store and Android Market are rather similar, with only Social Networking, Navigation & Travel and Productivity showing a bit of difference in asking pricing.

[via TechCrunch]

Mobypicture has just release a new Android app called Moby.  With Moby you can post photos, video and audio directly to Twitter or create a Moby account and post to over 25 different services and  networking sites including; Facebook, MySpace, Hyves, Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo, WordPress, Blogger, and more…

“Mobypicture focuses on helping you share your adventures with your friends in a simple, convenient and context rich way. Directly from your mobile phone you can share photos, videos, audio and text with your friends, family and contacts on all the major social networking sites and services. You can easily post your adventure to Moby using any of the over 300 different applications for all types of phones, or by just using e-mail or mms. “

QR Code for Download

Tonight, Google’s Android platform is getting another application that gives it functionality iPhone users can only gaze at longingly. This time, it’s Ustream, a mobile streaming application that lets you broadcast video directly from your phone. The application will be available on the Android Market by 9 AM PST tomorrow morning.

Ustream isn’t the only option available for streaming video on Android — Qik launched its own version in June. But it’s a very solid debut that comes with some features that Qik doesn’t. CEO John Ham says that one key differentiator for the new Ustream app is the way it handles latency. While competitors can build up a ‘lag time’ over the course of an extended broadcast, Ham says that Ustream uses a low latency connection and optimization both client and server side to keep this to a minimum — in other words, the lag doesn’t build up. In my testing I got a lag time of around three seconds over a 3G connection (nothing to scoff at), and perhaps more importantly the delay didn’t grow over time, which is especially important if you’re going to interact with your viewers through the app’s various community features.

And there are plenty of those: the application allows you to poll your views live during the broadcast, and also supports both Ustream’s integrated chat and Twitter chat. It also supports local recording, which lets you take higher quality video for upload later.

Another great feature: Ustream for Android lets you ‘overtake’ a currently broadcasting stream, provided you’re the owner of the account. For example, we could use the mobile application to take over our CrunchCam stream while we’re on the go and have some breaking news. Then, when we finished our mobile broadcast, the feed would revert to the camera that’s constantly streaming from inside TechCrunch headquarters (you can see a demo in the video below). Very slick.

Ustream also offers some apps for the iPhone, but these don’t let you broadcast straight to the web because Apple has restricted this functionality, despite the fact that the 3GS actually supports video.

[via TechCrunch]

You can download the app directly to your phone with a barcode code reader using the image below or by searching for ustream in the Market

Ustream Website: http://www.ustream.tv

It turns out that Androids do dream of electric cows! We’re super excited to be launching Remember The Milk for Android, a feature-packed app that brings Remember The Milk goodness to your Android device. The app is now available as a free download on the Android Market for Pro users.

Stay in sync.

Yup, it’s got background sync. Background sync! (Sorry to make all you iPhone users jealous! Everything that you create in the app syncs back to RTM (and likewise everything from RTM syncs to your device). That’s tasks, notes, lists, Smart Lists, tags, locations… everything! You can even use the entire app offline without an Internet connection, then sync up later when you’re back online.

Get notified.

The app wants to help you stay on top of things; it will pop up your reminders in the notification bar so you’ll know instantly when tasks are due. Running around town? The app can (optionally) keep an eye on your location, and let you know when a location with tasks is nearby.

Organize your way.

Organize efficiently by list, Smart List, tag, or location and prioritize your tasks. Not sure what’s next? See at a glance how many tasks are due today, tomorrow, and this week. Don’t like the ordering? Choose to sort by priority, due date, or task name for each list.

Manage your tasks.

Add and edit tasks with ease: choose from a quick ‘Add task’ bar and a full add mode. All the fields you’ve come to know and love are supported (task name, list, priority, due date/time, repeat, time estimate, tags, location, and URL) and you can even customize the fields shown. So if you’re big on tagging, you can set that field to always display when adding tasks.

Get stuff done.

Need to complete or postpone multiple tasks? No problem, just check to select those tasks in the list. You can also long press on individual tasks in the list to perform quick actions, or alternatively head over to the task view screen and do it all from there. You’ll be adding tasks just so you can say you’ve completed them.

Add tasks the Smart way.

Use the ‘Add task’ bar to add tasks with our new Smart Add syntax (e.g., “Pick up the milk tomorrow”). Save time with add by context: tasks added to your today list will be due today, while tasks added to Smart Lists inherit their criteria. If your Smart List happens to show all your high priority tasks that are due today and located at the office, any tasks added to this Smart List will automatically inherit all these properties.

Note it.

Need to store additional info about a task? Write a note for quick reference. You can manage your existing notes too, and easily edit or delete them. Email addresses and links in your notes conveniently auto-link to the mail and browser apps. Phone numbers in notes also auto-link for handy one-touch calling.

See tasks located nearby.

This is why we love devices that can detect your location! See your nearby tasks and plan the best way to get things done. Add new locations easily by current location or street address. Remember that if you locate your tasks in the app (e.g., “pick up the milk” at the supermarket), you can view them on a map on the web.

Your own personal tasks search engine.

Not only can you search for tasks by name, you can use any of the advanced search operators. Want to find your high priority tasks located within one mile and tagged with ‘errand’? Done! Save your favourite searches as Smart Lists for quick access.

A handy widget.

No need to leave your Home screen to see what’s due today; this widget will let you know what’s due (and overdue!) so you know where to get started.

The little touches.

Want to quickly switch from the Today to the Tomorrow screen? Just swipe the screen! Prefer landscape mode? No problem, just flip your device. Anything to make managing your tasks (and life easier.

Thanks to…

A big thanks to the RTM users in the Pro Tester Program who helped us to test the app, giving us lots of feedback and reporting the occasional bug. Bob really appreciated your help with testing!

Ready to use RTM on your Android device?

Just search for “Remember The Milk” on the Android Market; you can also find a download link here. If you don’t have a Pro account yet, you’ll be able to try the app free for 15 days (login to the app to start your trial).

Want to learn more, or have any questions about the app? Please check out our Remember The Milk for Android mini-site or head over to our new Android forum. We hope you like the app!

[via Remember The Milk]

Pandora have announced that their popular mobile app Pandora Radio is now available to download from the Android Market.

The Pandora Android app supports the HTC G1, Hero, and the myTouch 3G, allowing for a home screen widget and background playback on the handsets.

Pandora Radio is your own FREE personalized radio now available to stream music on your Android phone. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs or classical composers and Pandora will create a “station” that plays their music and more music like it.

Already a Pandora user? Even easier. Just log in. Pandora on Android is fully integrated with Pandora on the web. Enjoy all your existing stations – and create new ones right from your Android phone.

Earlier in the week popular European music service Spotify also released their mobile app for the Android platform.

[via Talk Android]

The official Facebook Android application is now available to download from the Android Market.

We haven’t had a chance to have a good play with the app yet, but from what we’re hearing the Facebook Android app has fewer features than it’s iPhone counterpart but does allow access to walls, commenting, and status updates.

Facebook for Android™ makes it easy to stay connected and share information with friends. You can share status updates from your home screen, check out your news feed, look at your friends’ walls and user info. Share photos from your phone and can even look up up to 125 friends’ phone numbers from the home screen.

The Facebook for Android app was revealed back in July, and has been long awaited by many Android and Facebook users since.

An official announcement from Facebook is expected shortly. So stay tuned for more info!

[via Talk Android]