The future of Android app development is looking pretty rosy right now. Demand for Android apps development is on the rise as consumers seek ‘best of breed” operating software and few platforms can beat the reliability and functionality of Android OS. As a result, Android app development for Android is on the upswing. In spite of a slow start, Android app development is about to take off as Google and Apple app store are displaying an equal number of available app selections.

Android is a Linux-based operating system designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices. Since its inception in 2007 by the Open Handset Alliance, an open source group represented by hardware, software and telecommunications companies advocating open standards for mobile devices. Currently Android development is comprised of device manufacturers’ wireless carriers and an enthusiastic community of app developers.

Yahoo! has announced its acquisition of OntheAir, a small video chat company. The purchase was made to bolster Yahoo’s position in the burgeoning video chat market. The financial terms of the acquisition were not divulged. OntheAir will become part of Yahoo!’s mobile group. Yahoo stated that its intention is not to offer OntheAir’s existing product, which permits users to host live video conversations. The service was made available to the public on March of 2012.

The purchase is the second acquisition taking place under the auspice of Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Meyer. She also spearheaded the purchase of a small mobile app developer called Stamped. The service allowed consumers to share feedback on social experiences such as sharing insight into their favorite restaurants and music venues on their mobile devices.

Driving the mobile device frenzy: differentiating usage between smart phones and tablets. As smart phones and tablets become more ubiquitous, marketers are curious as to which device is being used and for what application. The tsunami of mobile device usage sweeping the planet has created a revolution in how people communicate, work and play. The smart phones and tablets have heavily influenced the way in which we conduct business, shop, socialize and manage information. The devices have become so prolific that, increasingly, users have more than one type of device at their disposal. Marketers are now asking a tantalizing set of questions:Who are using which device and for what purpose? The demographics tell an interesting story.

A research study conducted by Flurry Analytic reveals some surprising results. Tablets are fast becoming as popular as smart phones at work and play. Yet functional usage of these devices is not the same. The study found that a big factor in usage differentiation is determined by age groups. The average smart phone user, for example, is age 30 while tablet users weigh in with an average age of 34. Nearly 75% of smart phone users average age 34 or younger while 66% of tablet users are 25 or older. The study also revealed that more men are smart phone users compared to women. Yet the ratio of male users to female for tablets comes out about even.

Blackberry loses government agency business to iPhone ICE terminates $2.1 million contract with Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) due to “Inferior” technology. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) announced it will end its eight year-long affiliation with Blackberry due to the agency’s assessment that the device no longer satisfies the agency’s future technological needs. The loss of the government contract deals a severe setback to the RIM’s future prospects as a serious player in the burgeoning smart phone market. The loss of the Government contract is occurring only months prior to RIM’s anticipated release of a new device that was expected re-vitalize the ailing mobile phone manufacturer.

ICE conducted an exhaustive review of Apple’s iPhones, Google’s Android Operating System and the Blackberry. ICE concluded that, for its foreseeable needs, Apple’s iPhone best serves the Agency’s technological requirements for its personnel. ICE cited Apple’s rigid quality controls and its superior operating system for its final decision. Under the contract, Apple will provide the mobile devices to more than 17,000 federal employees. Agencies under ICE’s auspices include Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement and Removal Operations and Office of the Principal Legal Advisor staff.

As we enter a new era in interactive communications with the advent of the smart phone, marketers are scrambling to understand its far reaching significance. To say that mobile devices have revolutionized the way in which business is transacted is an understatement. Ironically, it wasn’t that long ago that banner ads ushered in a new age in digital advertising and marketers rushed in to mine this marvelous new interactive opportunity. Who would have guessed then that a strange looking hand- held touch pad would soon overtake desktops as the consumers’ communication tool of preference?

The challenge of marketing in the age of mobile devices is not in identifying the new opportunities. Rather, it lies in the phenomenal speed in which the digital evolution has taken place. This dichotomy is exemplified in how ad budgets are to this day being dispersed. For example, it’s been recently reported that consumers spend 10% of their media time on their mobile devices while advertisers only dedicate 1% of their marketing budget on them. Yet, while print media only attracts 7% of the average consumer’s media time, 25% of ad budgets are spent on this rapidly shrinking audience.