Rise of the Planet of the Apps

This article from The Motley Fool gets into how the MicroSoft (MS) software landscape could change with the launch of a Windows 8 App store.  Two points that I hadn't considered (mostly because I don't think about MS much) are that MS products are mostly sold through middlemen, where Apple and Android are mostly sold direct, and, there are lots of pirate copies of MS software out there -article says it's estimated that 30% of Windows XP installs are pirated.  If an App store for MS could allow them to cut out the middleman and curtail piracy, they could charge a little less -making their products more competitive, and offer that all-in-one experience that makes Apple feel so easy to deal with.
Do we need another App platform/store?  Capitalism would say yes -competition increases innovation and decreases price.  Can MS make a go at this competition?  A large percent (article says 85%) of the worlds computers run windows of some flavor and if they could leverage this ubiquity correctly with a user friendly strategy they probably could.

Angry Birds Maker Rovio Worth $1.2 Billion [REPORT]

Angry Birds Maker Rovio Worth $1.2 Billion

Now this is a true success story. It's both good and bad: from a developer's perspective, it's great to show what's possible in the mobile app space; however, the angry birds phenomena is just that--a low probability event.

Parse Offers "Backend as a Service" to Mobile Developers

Parse Offers "Backend as a Service" to Mobile Developers

This is exactly what developers need to be free to focus on sticky interesting app building.

Foursquare poised to charge merchants in revenue bid — Tech News and Analysis

Foursquare poised to charge merchants in revenue bid — Tech News and Analysis

It will be really interesting to see if this type of revenue model will work. It seems like the opposite of freemium.

Nielsen: Android Takes Top OS Spot, Apple Tops Manufacturers | TechCrunch

Nielsen: Android Takes Top OS Spot, Apple Tops Manufacturers | TechCrunch

Great graphic of the mobile landscape not only by OS, but also by manufacturers within each OS. The Android share will only grow as RIM fades

Yes, tablets are eating PCs’ lunch — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

Yes, tablets are eating PCs’ lunch — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

This is a no-brainer--tablets provide all the functionality 99% of the population needs

SimpleGeo and Urban Airship Team Up

SimpleGeo and Urban Airship Team Up

This opens amazing opportunities for developers! It will be interesting to see how the costs are distributed.