Apps, 'Appless And The Great Unwashed

If you think you are going to make your fortune by producing an app and selling it to the multitudes consider this: out of the thousands of apps available, the average mobile user tends to only use between 22 and 28 apps a month.

Research has shown that young users (18-24) spend more time using apps which comes as little surprise, but they use fewer on average than the 25-34 age group.

Earlier in 2014 comScore released statistics that showed social media apps as being the most popular -  Facebook, YouTube and Gmail.

2013 produced a similar result (see below).

Most popular smartphone apps in the United States in 2013

But if you are thinking of developing an App and want to know what type of app people are interested in, take a look at AppBrian Stats which lists the top Android searches.

Music, hacking and password breaking apps figured prominently when I last looked which speaks volumes (if you'll excuse the pun) for the use of apps in general.

Top  Android searches over the last two weeks

Perhaps the final word on Apps and the pervasive nature of their use in society are the recent findings from a Bank of America study.

Apparently mobile phone users would rather give up alcohol, television or chocolate than lose the use of their mobile devices. 47% of U.S. consumers are so wedded to their smartphones that they couldn't last a day without them.

Bank of America Study

The bank also found that there folk use their mobile banking apps to "perform more sophisticated transactions, such as mobile check deposit" while the younger set would rather forgo using deodorant or toothbrushes than lose the use of their smartphone.

Perhaps it would be wise never to mingle in a crowd of young smartphone users if you are fastidious about personal hygiene!

Related articles

• Apps to Improve Your Commute
• 12 Everyday Mobile Apps To Make Life Easier

A Big Slice of Apple

So what's inside the Apple iPhone 4 and what do its components cost?  Considering that Apple does not manufacture these mobile devices themselves it makes this breakdown revelation from the Economist even more interesting.

Apple's margins on a phone that retails for an average rice of $US 560 is impressive.  No surprise then to learn that Apple recently became (albeit briefly) America’s biggest publicly quoted firm.  Exon Mobil has since taken back this stock market position from the tech company.

All of this shows just how important our digital world has become to the world economy and why most share traders follow Steve Job's health bulletins with great interest.

Related articles

• Economist - Apple and Samsung's symbiotic relationship: Slicing an Apple (nextlevelofnews.com)

At Last... A Mind Reading App!

While this app. may appear frivolous at first glance, it has some quite profound implications for the future.

Using XWave enables you to control on-screen objects with your mind. It trains the brain to monitor and ultimately control the depth of relaxation (derived from Alpha Waves) and your attention span (derived from Beta Waves).

So how does it work?

The device's sensor reads the user's brainwaves (through the skull), converts them into digital signals and then displays them in various colours on the screen of the iPhone.

The company blurb says:

"XWave, powered by NeuroSky eSense patented technologies, senses the faintest electrical impulses transmitted  through your skull to the surface of your forehead and converts these analog signals into digital. 

With XWave, you will be able to detect attention and meditation levels, as well as train your mind to control things. Objects in a game can be controlled, lights in your living room can change color depending on your mood; the possibilities are limited to only the power of your imagination."

So it would seem that the evolution of mankind has taken yet another step - connecting your mind to your phone.

All this for $US99.99, battery not included!

Related articles

• The app that can read your mind: iPhone brainwave detector was only a matter of time (dailymail.co.uk)
• XWave: The iPhone App That Almost Reads Your Mind (techie-buzz.com)
• XWave Lets You Control iPhone Graphics with Your Brain (mashable.com)
• PLX Devices XWave brain interface for Apple devices ships (slashgear.com)