According to research company Gartner, more people will buy smartphones by 2012 than PCs (via Reuters).  With that growth in smartphone purchases will come an even bigger growth in the development of mobile apps for those smartphones.  In 18-months, smartphone owners downloaded over 3 billion apps from Apple’s App Store.  Considering that sales of iPhones are expected to grow by 50% this year while sales of PCs are only expected to grow by 20%, Gartner’s predictions don’t seem too far off base.

The vast majority of mobile apps are offered for free or for less than $1.  By offering mobile apps for low costs, developers and companies expect to earn a comfortable return based on a higher quantity of downloads than a higher price would deliver.  However, precedent has been set for offering valuable content for a higher price tag (read “Even Expensive iPhone Apps Sell“).

Clearly, the mobile app market is growing fast, and given the shift in buying behavior to smartphones from PCs in the immediate future, creating an app strategy should be on the strategic planning radar of every company.  Mobile apps aren’t limited to iPhones anymore.  BlackBerry, Google, and Palm are growing in terms of mobile app availability, too.  Consumers are driving a shift to mobility that will only continue to grow.

Now, if only my current mobile phone contract would expire so I can get a new smartphone and some cool apps!

Image: Flickr

Time for another blogger video interview from the Newstex Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

This Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview features Jay Brewer of Blogpire, a blog network that offers news, reviews, and more about products in a variety of niches.  Watch the video below to learn more about Jay and his successful blog network.

Watch for more Blogger in the Spotlight video interviews coming to the Newstex YouTube Channel soon!

It seems like everyone is creating an iPhone app lately, and let’s face it, there’s a reason why.  Mobile devices are here to stay, and consumers’ demands from those devices are going to keep growing.  Just as everyone needs to have a website these days, we’re not far from the day when everyone needs to have a mobile app.  Even Newstex is offering mobile apps!

The question that many app providers and developers are trying to answer relates to the money (doesn’t it always come down to money?).  The reason is simple.  Someone has to create, update, and maintain apps, and all that work isn’t cheap.  While most mobile apps are still free, there are more and more apps popping up each day with a price tag.  The current trend is to price apps low in order to sell a greater quantity.  However, a higher priced app can be successful.  That’s exactly what the Major League Baseball At Bat 2010 iPhone app has shown the world.

The At Bat 2010 iPhone app costs $15, but despite the high price tag, the app is ranked as the second best-selling app from the iPhone App Store.  According to Business Insider, who estimates the app is selling at 10,000-25,000 copies per day, the At Bat 2010 iPhone app is also the top grossing app in the App store (although that’s not surprising given its price tag and popularity).

So what makes people willing to pay for the At Bat 2010 iPhone app?  Features, exclusive content (including live games), a built in audience, and great technology create the perception that $15 is a reasonable price to have access to content from the sport customers already love.

The bottom-line is this: the price of a mobile app has to match the perceived value that app brings to consumers.  If a developer can strike that balance, then they’ll be on the road to success.

A new study by Sysomos uncovered an interesting relationship between blog authority and YouTube.  According to the study results, blogs with more authority link more frequently to news and politics videos on YouTube while blogs with less authority link more frequently to music and entertainment videos.  Check out the chart below for details.

Furthermore, North American bloggers are more likely to link to news and politics videos on YouTube than bloggers from other parts of the world.

But that’s not all the study revealed about the relationship between blogs and YouTube.  57% of all YouTube videos in blogs are embedded or linked to by bloggers between the ages of 20-35.

It was also reported that the average video viewed lasts between 4-5 minutes.

There is no doubt that online video is hot in 2010.  For bloggers who want to establish themselves as authoritative sources, video is an excellent option, but why just link to online videos when you can create your own?  Follow the link to see some great examples of the authoritative content being produced by Newstex video publisher partners.

Welcome to the first interview in the new Newstex Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview Series where we turn the spotlight on the bloggers, Twitter publishers, and video publishers who syndicate their Authoritative Content through Newstex.

The first Blogger in the Spotlight Video Interview features Kelly Jad’on of BasilandSpice.com, a blog that offers views on healthy living from over 300 authoritative contributors.  Watch the video below to learn more about Kelly and her successful blog.

Watch for more Blogger in the Spotlight video interviews coming to the Newstex YouTube Channel soon!