Chomp

June App Search Analytics

June was an incredible month for apps. An important milestone was achieved when daily time spent in mobile apps surpassed web consumption and the IDC predicted 183 Billion Mobile App Downloads by 2015. The month was particularly interesting from Chomp's perspective; digging into our query logs here are some of the gems we discovered.

To celebrate the beginning of the summer movie blockbuster season, our query of the month is "movies". Peaks in search traffic for the query correlate with release dates of the major motion pictures X-Men First Class, Super 8, Green Lantern, Cars 2, and Transformers 3.

The dynamics of app pricing remain fascinating. For the second consecutive month, the percentage of paid apps has increased for both Android and iOS by 1% and 4%, respectively. Premium price points showed strength on Android, while the increases for iOS were primarily at the lower $.99 and $1.99 price points.

The distribution of apps across categories saw major churn during June. The social networking category saw a major downtick in app share across platforms, decreasing from 6.6% to 4.6% on iOS and 7.8% to 6.9% on Android. Productivity and reference apps increased their share on iOS, while entertainment and music apps increased their share on Android.

Finally, games dominated June’s top queries, with the queries puzzle games, adventure games, action games, shooting games, and board games appearing in the top 25 queries for both Android and iOS. The strength of games in June is also demonstrated in the Chomp 55.

App Search Analytics June 2011

Have ideas for future versions of our analytics report or questions on the current edition? Let us know by leaving a comment or emailing alex at chomp dot com.

What Your App Searches Taught Us During May

Here at Chomp, we are continuously fascinated by what we learn from our users day in and day out.   Because apps have become such an important value-add to our lives, what we're searching for, when, and what we inevitably download holds key information to not only help us build a better search experience but also helps app developers understand what matters most to you.

May was a particularly exciting month in the world of app search.  The first item in particular that peaked the interest of our analytics team was the abnormally high trend for the word 'bible' (of which there are over 1,700 apps!).  What's more, the volume of searches skyrocketed just before the date of the predicted rapture.  Have a look for yourself on slide 8 of our App Search Analytics report. 

Another search element we were thrilled to include was a comparison of our own search patterns to those of Google's mobile web, which they released earlier this month.  We were thrilled to see that app search traffic on Chomp seemed more consistent that what was projected on Google's graphs. 

Of course no Chomp Charts would ever be complete without the Chomp 55.  Check out which Android and iPhone apps appealed most to the collective Chomp community on slides 19-23.  We'll give you a hint - the #1 apps are not games!

 

App Search Analytics: May 2011

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Have ideas for future versions of our analytics report or questions on the current edition?  Let us know by leaving a comment or emailing robin at chomp dot com. 

Tech Talk with Chomp CTO and Co-founder, Cathy Edwards

Recently, our fearless technology leader and entrepreneur extraordinaire, Cathy Edwards, sat down with the folks at NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) to deliver her take on the world of apps and where the industry is headed, some of the biggest challenges of startup life, and how she and her team of talented researches and engineers are building the first ever search engine for apps from scratch.  She even offers some advice for entrepreneurs who are looking to start the next great movement in Silicon Valley or abroad. 

Listen to the NCWIT Entrepreneurial Interview with Cathy Edwards.

Do you have a question of your own for Cathy?  Leave a comment and she will happily answer. 

Chomp Welcomes David M. Blei, PhD. as Tech Advisor

Today, we are excited to announce that Assistant Professor, David M. Blei, PhD has joined as an advisor to the company. 

Dr. Blei brings a deep technical and research background in the areas of of topic modeling and machine learning, which directly relates to key elements of the Chomp algorithm.

Dr. Blei's award-winning research has been honored by the likes of Microsoft; Google; U.C. Berkeley, where he completed his PhD., the National Science Foundation and Princeton University where he currently holds a position as Assistant Professor in the Computer Science department.

Our own Cathy Edwards, CTO and Co-Founder said, "We are delighted to have such a noted luminary in the field on board as an advisor.  Dr. Blei's research and insights will be invaluable as we strive to deliver the best possible search results."

"I was immediately impressed by Chomp's technology, team and vision.  I am thrilled to be a part of it", commented Dr. Blei on his new advisory role.

David Blei joins Chomp as the third advisor to further strengthen the technology focus, alongside Kevin Rose, Co-Founder of Milk, Inc. and Ashton Kutcher, who provide business and marketing guidance. 

We're Spreading the App Search Love with Carphone Warehouse in the UK

Today, we're excited to announce a partnership with The Carphone Warehouse to bring great app search to smartphone owners in the UK. 

This is really cool for a number of reasons:

1) We're putting some serious muscle behind a global offering, starting with the iPhone and Android markets in the UK.  This means that not only will Carphone Warehouse customers enjoy the benefits of superb app search through Chomp; all Chomp users in the UK can now utilize the great search functionality we've built specifically for that market. 

2) The Carphone Warehouse is the largest independent mobile phone retailer in the UK, with over 800 stores nationwide.

3) This partnership arrives on the heels of a successful innaugural Appys awards, a contest that held apps in the spotlight, inviting enthusiasts of all levels to cast their vote.  After weeks of buildup, the winners were annouced at the star-studded (literally!) Appys awards ceremony on April 11th.  Check out the winners here.

So, what does this partnership mean for you?  Well, if you're an Android or iPhone owner in the UK, you can download the free Chomp app and instantly start discovering apps relevant in your market.

 

 

Additionally, you can visit www.chomp.com/uk for easy app search access via the web. 

What's more, you can even sign up for personalized recommendations here.  This will help us understand your interests and suggest some great apps in between your flurry of search activity :)!

If you're in the UK, the look and feel of your Chomp app will take effect when you update to the latest version of the app (now available).

If you reside in the US and just want to scope out the new Chomp & Carphone Warehouse Appys app, you can  go into your 'profile' and change your 'Country' settings temporarily (iPhone only).  Just remember to change them back so we're not delivering search results for apps only availalbe in the UK. 

To close on this exciting news, we'll leave you with a quote from our CEO, Ben Keighran, on his thoughts around the partnerhsip: "We are thrilled to working with The Carphone Warehouse and are pleased to broaden the app discovery lens within the UK smartphone market.  The Chomp app in partnership with The Carphone Warehouse Appys will offer the unique ability to type in the kind of app you are looking for an instantly see the best results."

Android App Search has a new name: Chomp

Today is a very exciting day both for Team Chomp and Android users across the nation.  Chomp now brings powerful new search capabilities to tens of millions of Android users, simplifying the discovery of apps for any purpose. 

Android is the fastest-growing segment of the mobile application space and the Chomp team is pleased to give Android users a better way to find great apps while minimizing the time it takes them to get exactly what they're looking for. 

If you missed it, check out what TechCrunch had to say about our big launch.  Plus, Chomp CEO, Ben Keighran sat down with Digg CEO, Kevin Rose (who is also a Chomp advisor) to expose exactly why Chomp on Android is the real deal. 

In Ben's words, "For the first time ever, Android users will be able to search for apps they want based upon what they do, not just what they're called.  App discovery is a big problem both for developers and for end users.  What we've done at Chomp is create an algorithm that understands the topic and function for each app - as a result we've made searching for and finding apps fast and simple.  We've also worked hard to deliver the best possible user experience with a truly beautiful user interface." 

Take a tour of Chomp on Android:

With that, we really hope you enjoy Chomp on Android.  The experience is the direct result of feedback from user tests we conduced starting from phase one of the product build through the current version. 

If you have an Android phone, go to www.chomp.com to dowload the free app and please let us know what you think by leaving a comment or sending us an email to feedback at chomp dot com. 

P.S. If you're heading to SXSW in Austin next month, we're hosting The Search Party on Sunday, March 13th.  Mark your calendar and register here. 

Chomp is "Calling on the Search" - A SXSW Party You Won't Want to Miss!

Everyone knows that the real reason to go to South by Southwest is for the great Austin food (Tex Mex or Barbeque, anyone?) and to get stupid at the best parties this side of the 3GSM Mobile World Congress.

Chomp is quickly becoming famous: first for providing an amazing app-search experience, but perhaps secondly for holding amazing parties.  This year we're teaming up with new web search sensation  Blekko and Hipmunk  the "hippest" way to find the best flights, to "Call on the Search" at SXSW with the "Search Party".

Held on Sunday March 13,  the doors open for VIP-only access from 8PM and to everybody else starting at 9PM.  If you're lucky enough to have a pass just follow the searchlights to the Hanger Lounge at 318 Colorado St in Austin.

If you’d like to chill with the who’s who of the Internet, rub elbows with Hollywood A-listers or get down to beats spun by legendary SF-based DJ, Kidhack, but haven’t scored your own ticket you can still get lucky.  Just follow @Chomp on twitter.  During the days leading up to the party members of Team Chomp will be tweeting out times and places where you have a chance to get hooked up with your very own VIP lanyard. But pay attention and be snappy - every one’s looking for a way to get in on the action and tickets are limited.

For more information or to register, visit the official event site here.  The Search Party is held in association with SV Angel and @aplusk.

Chomp Culture: Notable News wk of Feb 7, 2011

One of the regular meetings we have over at Chomp is our Friday morning bagels and coffee. Sometime mid-morning the team congregates in the kitchen and between bites of bagel and sips of espresso everyone has the chance to talk about what went on during the week.

As part of our ritual we usually talk about what we did, how the week was, compliment the good work someone may have done, ask others on the team any questions we might have and finally, and most fun, we talk about what industry (or even non-industry news caught our eye).  

Starting with this post we’ll be sharing some of the news we found interesting, important or funny enough to share with the team (and now with you).

The thing everyone was talking about this week was the Mary Meeker and Matt Murphy presentation.  We already mentioned it in a post the other day, but if you missed it you should really check it out.

Another piece of news that the team spied was Pocketgear changing their name to Appia and developing a platform for white label app stores.  As you might expect, the team thinks this kind of news is great - the more app stores there are, the more people need a great search engine for apps.

In a move that many analysts are saying is far from brilliant, Nokia has apparently decided to drop their own Symbian platform (at least for smartphones) and adopt some version of Windows 7 instead.  While this news wasn’t a complete surprise to people in the industry, the roughly $8.5 billion penalty Nokia’s shares have taken as a result of the news was pretty unexpected.  Is this the rebirth of two great companies in the mobile space or the end of Nokia as we know it?  Only time will tell.

In still more industry news the combination of tablet computers and handsets have outstripped PC sales for the first time.  This is very promising news for developers focused on apps and of course for Chomp since we make it possible to find the apps you need. ;-)

On the fun, funny or quirky side, the Chomp team liked this TED video about putting legs on mobile devices, we discovered some bad-ass stencil kits, an alarm clock that proves the maxim “when you snooze, you lose”, and finally we learned that the Vatican is not going to let you confess your sins with your iPhone.

Oh -- before we wrap up this first peek into Chomp culture, the team wanted to remind everyone that just got (or is going to get) a Verizon iPhone, that in order to “Rule the Air” you first need to get some bad-ass apps and nothing can help you do that like Chomp - the app search engine that lets you find the apps that do what you need.  Download Chomp first and finding everything else is easy.

Chomp Now Powers Search on 148Apps

We are very excited to announce our latest partnership development for 2011.  Chomp's search technology now serves the 148Apps community at www.148apps.com. 

For over a year now, the Chomp team has been plugging away at the difficult app search problem by expanding and improving our proprietary technology.  The new baked in app search box on 148apps.com combines Chomp's back-end algorithm with the vast library of reviews, news and recommendationsto to visitors seeking information around apps available on iOS devices.    

Chomp's CEO and Co-founder, Ben Keighran had this to say about the partnership: "we are thrilled to be working with 148apps.com.  The combination of Chomp search and 148apps.com reviews and news, creates a phenominal destination for users to discover the besta apps for their smartphones."

Jeff Scott, Founder of 148Apps commented: "Chomp's API delivers great app search results along with their expanded search term feature, delivering both apps that relate to the search and suggested alternate terms.  It's a great feature to help the user find the right app."

Check out 148apps.com to experience the fruits of this new partnership, first hand.  You can also access Chomp through our website www.chomp.com and via the free Chomp app in iTunes. 

Vote for Chomp - Best Mobile Application

We received some very exciting news today - Chomp is a Crunchie finalist for Best Mobile Application of 2010! 

While we're thrilled and honored to have made it this far, we're gunning to take home the top prize.  Help Chomp seal the deal by voting for us to win!

So, what is a Crunchie anyway?  The 2010 Crunchies are an annual competition and awards ceremony that honor and celebrate the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of the year.  The Crunchies are co-hosted by TechCrunch, GigaOm and VentureBeat.  Chomp earned this top nomination from the internet community and now it's up to our awesome users, supporters and advocates to help us take home the prize.

The Crunchie Awards Ceremony takes place the evening of January 21st, 2011 at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco. 

Thanks in advance for supporting our company, our technology and team.  If we win, the victory will truly be ours to share.