Games Rule Mobile

For all of us who constantly think of that great and useful app that we'd love to make for our iPhone or Android phone, it seems that the best bet is ... games. Not surprisingly, games dominate the mobile app world.

Of smartphone owners surveyed by Nielsen who downloaded apps last month, 61% said they've downloaded a game. In second place was weather apps, then maps/search, social networking, and music. Surprisingly, health-related apps ranked pretty low at 14%. I think that could be, in large part, due to the fact that there aren't many great health-related apps out there.

As I look to my own app-purchasing habits, this does follow suit. And if I can only stop playing Angry Birds and Boggle, I'll regain some of my sanity.

iPhone App Review Process

There have been many complaints about Apple's review process for approving third-party iPhone apps. The arguments have been that the process takes too long, it's inconsistent in its approval or disapproval, and they've been accused of nudging out apps that would compete with the phone function.

As reported on the MacCast, some top iPhone app developers are abandoning the platform over their frustrations with the review process. They include Facebook's Joe Hewitt, Second Gear's Justin Williams, and Rogue Amoeba's Paul Kafasis. And some smaller (often times one-man-band) developers who are banking on their app being approved have had their hopes dashes when they receive the denial notification from Apple.

These are all valid arguments for a flawed system, but they pale in comparison to the prospect of an open-platform where one flawed or malicious app could render your iPhone inoperable. Imagine the public outrage that would arise if even a few hundred iPhones were "bricked" because of a third-party app. Stories of iPhones catching fire have swarmed the Internet, despite the fact that occurrences of battery fires are extremely rare (emphasis on "extremely").

Remember that, despite the fact the iPhone has come to be known as a killer smart phone (or app phone), it is a phone. All jokes about AT&T's service aside, when you need to make a phone call you need to have that phone working. If a wonky application or game caused your iPhone not to work, you'd be terribly upset when you're trying to call in to a business conference call.

All things considered, I'd gladly have Apple at the gates, warding off apps that don't pass muster, even if the process is slow or somewhat flawed. The alternative is a potential disaster, of which we don't fully conceive the consequences, because it's only a hypothetical. However, BlackBerry owners -- myself included -- experience this to some degree every time they have to pop the battery out of their device when it crashes.

And to concede on the phone service point, remember ... with AT&T, you never have to say goodbye, because every conversation ends with "hello?"