Distribute, promote, track and monetize apps like the MAX widget
If you’ve installed the MAX widget you may have noticed that I used the Gigya service to enable this feature. We actually teamed up with Gigya and are now launching the Distribution service.
This new service enables users to instantly add your application to their own page or account on more than 70 social networks and services including MySpace, Facebook and iGoogle. It’s incredibly easy to use as a developer. You just install an extension for Flash CS4 Professional or Flash Builder. By installing that extension, you actually get an easy to use configuration panel that allows you to set all the necessary parameters for your application. This literally takes just a few minutes and you can add this functionality to basically any type of application, from games to news widgets to promotional widgets. The service also allows you to monetize your application and track just about everything a user does with the app.
To get you up and running with this new service in no time, check out the tutorials on Adobe Devnet.
Making money with mobile apps outside Apple’s App Store
When I talk to developers about mobile application development, they all seem to think that Apple’s App Store is the only outlet where you can make money with mobile apps. Sure, Apple has done a terrific job making it easier for the consumer to buy and install apps on their iPhone but that doesn’t mean this is the only way. The iPhone market is also only a fraction of the total amount of mobile devices out there and people have been making money from mobile phone users for years now.
Here’s a little test. Turn on your television and tune in to any music channel. (Try to) Leave it on for half an hour and count the commercials for ringtone and application subscriptions you see. I’m pretty sure that after half an hour you’ve seen at least five for companies like the Ringtoneking, Jamster and Jamba. All of these (worldwide) providers allow users of just about any mobile phone to buy, download and install mobile applications. All it takes is a simple premium SMS that returns a download link. People have been doing this for years now and the Ringtonekings of this world are obviously making a ton of money from it.
Sure, it’s not the most ideal solution and again, Apple has done a fantastic job with the App Store. However, if these ringtone/app providers have been making money for so long, that means that people have been buying and installing ringtones, games and apps way before the iPhone was even conceived.
Conclusion: If you want to make money from mobile application development, why not do it for the broadest possible audience? And if you’ve made that choice, look in to Flash for mobile devices. It’s available on more than 400 650 (source: Device Central CS4) different mobile phones from just about all manufacturers including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC, LG, …
Make money with Flash Lite development
Today, over 27 million users can install Flash applications on their mobile devices hassle-free. With the mobile packager and distributable player that we announced yesterday, you package your swf app together with a Flash version checker. The result is one SIS (for S60) or one CAB (for Windows Mobile) file. This is the type of file that people are used to installing on their mobile device. When the user installs the app and launches it, the Flash version checker will check if the correct version of Flash Lite is installed. If not, it will prompt the user to download and install Flash Lite. This is very similar to the seamless experience people are used to on the web!
Monetizing your Flash Lite applications has also become a lot easier. Not only did we announce partnerships with various aggregating partners like ZED, Thumbplay and GetJar, but you can now also distribute your applications through the Nokia Ovi Store and the Windows Mobile application store.
We have also announced the Flash Lite Developer Challenge at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. With $100.000 in cash prizes, why wouldn’t you try your luck?!
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