"By Jason Ankeny FierceMobileContent Palm announced the launch of its Hot Apps Program, promising $1 million in total cash bonuses to developers whose webOS-based mobile applications create the most consumer interest. ... MorePalm will award $100,000 cash to the developer whose free app yields the most total downloads during the Feb. 1-May 31 contest period--in addition, the device maker will give another $100,000 to the premium webOS app that generates the most total revenue. The next 20 apps in each category will score $10,000 each, and the next 200 apps in each category will win $1,000 each. To qualify for a Palm Hot Apps Program award, the application must be available to webOS users through Palm distribution programs between prior to May 31--all eligible apps must originate via the Palm webOS SDK or Ares Integrated Development Environment (not the webOS Plug-In Development Kit), and all apps must be available for download from an official Palm webOS distribution program (i.e., App Catalog Distribution, Web Distribution or Beta Distribution). The Palm App Catalog virtual storefront currently boasts more than 1,300 webOS-based applications, according to data released by webOS School--paid apps outnumber free apps roughly three to one. By comparison, Apple's rival App Store presently offers more than 140,000 iPhone and iPod touch applications. For more on the Palm Hot Apps Program: - read this release "

"By Jason Ankeny FierceMobileContent Google's Android operating system generated 27 percent of mobile ad requests from U.S. smartphones in Q4, according to mobile advertising network AdMob's Mobile Metrics Report for December 2009. ... MoreWhile Apple's iPhone yielded 54 percent of U.S. smartphone requests in the previous quarter, AdMob notes that Android's market share grew throughout 2009, and its U.S. share is by far its highest penetration in any global region. Among device manufacturers, Apple is the U.S. leader with 40 percent of requests, followed by Samsung at 17 percent and Motorola at 11 percent. AdMob reports that Apple's iPhone OS is also the leader in the Western Europe, Latin America and Australia markets, with its success coming at the expense of rival Nokia, whose share of requests across the AdMob network declined from 33 percent in Q4 2008 to 18 percent in Q4 2009. The iPhone and iPod touch generated more than half of total Western European requests in Q4, while Android generated 8 percent, second only to North America in terms of penetration. Nokia's Symbian platform still dominates across the rest of the globe, however: In Asia, Nokia smartphones generated 53 percent of mobile ad requests in Q4, with the iPhone at 27 percent--Nokia also leads in Africa, yielding more than 50 percent of requests throughout the year. Despite smartphones representing just 14 percent of mobile devices shipped in 2009, they generated 39 percent of worldwide traffic on the AdMob network, the firm said. "

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