Chomp

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. 

See What's Inside the Latest 1.3 Android Release

Each and every new Chomp update is powered by our fantastic users.  We're building this app search engine for you and are therefore incredibly grateful for your thoughts, whether they come to us through feedback at chomp dot com or in app store reviews. 

Today's 1.3 release is chock-full of new and powerful ways to find the best apps on the Android Market.  The latest includes search filtering enhancements plus new sorting options so you can better customize your search experience and results.  Here's what we mean by that:

 Let's say you want to find a calculator app.  The screenshot to the left offers all calculator related apps but now has a shiny new 'Filter' button at the top right of your screen.

You can see that the default search setting applied is 'All',  meaning all relevant apps of which there are 2,714 results, plus the 'Related' sub-categories at the bottom.

From here you can choose to tap 'Free' and the results will then reset, offering only calculator apps that are free. 

For those who requested even more control over their search settings, we've installed an entire page of sorting options to better target the apps you see.

Here's the overview and illustration of the new 'Filter' tab if you've downloaded Chomp through the Android Market (if you've downloaded Chomp through the V CAST App Store, skip ahead to the screenshot number 3).

By clicking the 'Filter' button you will see two levels of sorting options.  The top four buttons let you customize in three ways.

Selecting 'Relevance' will present a set of results that do the best job of matching your exact request. 

The 'Price' options will list results in order, leading with either the highest priced apps (i.e. 'Hi to Lo') or least expensive followed by most (i.e. 'Lo to Hi').

Enabling the 'Release date' option will prioritize the newest apps, ensuring that the first results you see reflect the latest additions to the Android Market. 

Filtering by 'Type' lets you choose whether you want your results to include 'All types' which will list both game and non-game apps. 

By selecting "Games only" Chomp will only list apps that are games. 

"Apps only" is the opposite of above and indicates that you do not want to see any games listed in your results. 

Once you've chosen your settings, click 'Apply' and voila!  To change your settings again, you can do so by tapping the 'Reset' button, choosing a new combination and applying. 

Alright all you lucky Chomp folks who downloaded through V CAST Apps, you're up.  You will notice that your 'Filter' has yet another set of options beyond what is shown on the Android Market version of Chomp. 

Because you have the wicked sweet ability to find and compare apps across both V CAST Apps and the Android Market, we've added the 'Filter Results by Store' column on the bottom right. 

If you have a store preference, this is your resource to indicate that.  For example, if you absolutely love V CAST Apps and never want to see an Android Market app in your results (or vice versa), simply tap 'Verizon V CAST Apps'.

Of course if you want to see results from both app stores, tap the 'All Stores' button and the cross-store functionality will become active. 

Once you're happy with your settings, tap "Apply" and you're set. 

The final item to note on this release is the new and improved spell correct. 

We've all been there - typing at warp speed and submitted a search term only to realize that what you entered barely resembles your native tongue. 

Here's an example to the left.  Though we meant to type 'calculator'...well, oops.  When this happens, Chomp will do a few things to get you back on track:

1) we'll offer a spelling correction. 

2) we'll ask you if you'd like to search again. 

3) A "Search without Filters" button will appear, prompting you to try searching again without some of the settings you applied. 

 

With all new features and updates to Chomp, we encourage your thoughts, feedback and advice on what you like, new things you'd like to see and anything else that will help us continue to build an experience that you love and trust. 

If you don't have Chomp, you can download it directly from the V CAST Apps Store or from the Android Market here.

Lastly, if you like our new update, please head to the market and add your review!  Thanks and happy searching!

 

 

App Search Like Never Before - Cross Store with Price Compare

As if Fridays aren't exciting enough, we're thrilled to announce a major milestone today - cross store search, now available thought the Chomp app on V CAST Apps.

Nearly 12 weeks ago, the Chomp app landed on Android, bringing the promise of improved app discovery to the fastest growing market in the world.  And while our priority remains delivering high quality app search, we've implemented a way to simplify your experience as the number of Android app stores grow.  In other words, we believe in the 'search one and done' convention and are dedicated to making that a reality for you, the wickedly awesome app seeker. 

So, without further ado, here is a peak at the super sleek app search experience you'll get with the new Chomp app when downloaded through V CAST Apps:

After you've downloaded Chomp from V CAST Apps, type in the kind of app you're searching for via our search box (yup, nothing new - it gets better, we promise!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When your search results appear, you'll see text underneath the main app screenshot letting you know where that app is available - V CAST (V CAST Apps) and/or Market (Android Market).  The "Get It" button will be branded with the app store offering the lowest price (pretty sweet, huh?). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once you click "Get It", you'll be able to see the price of the app in both V CAST Apps and the Android Market (if available), then select which store you'd like to complete the download through.  Note: We will always list the cheapest price on top. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 If you're loyal to one store over another (hey, some people might be!), we've put you in the driver's seat, adding a 'store' filter where you can select either "Verizon V CAST Apps" or "Android Market" as your default.  You can find that filter at the top of the app next to 'price' and 'category' filters.  Because you download this version of Chomp through V CAST Apps, we've set that store as the default (in case you were wondering).

Now that you're feeling well informed (and totally amp'd!), we invite you to grab your Verizon Android phone, click on the V CAST Apps icon, download Chomp and be one of the first to test drive what we feel is the most useful tool to get the best apps at the lowest price onto your device. 

 

And while we assure you there is more to come, we graciously ask for your guidance by providing feedback on this latest update or anything about Chomp you'd like to chat to us about.   You can do so by leaving a comment or reaching out to us via email: feedback at chomp dot com. 

Thanks for all the support.  We <3 building Chomp for you and hope you continue to enjoy!

 

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. 

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 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.

Chomp Charts: November

Each month, we release a metrics report called Chomp Charts.  The inaugural edition launched on November 30th and today, edition two became available. 

Q:So, what is Chomp Charts and why does it matter? 

A: Chomp Charts is a collection of data that showcases what users are searching for and downloading on a given month.  This is valuable for a number of reasons.  Primarily, there isn't a lot of hard data around app search.  That is because Chomp is the only true app search engine; all others operate primarily for queries based on an app's name or title, as opposed to what it actually does, i.e. app function. 

Q: What can you learn from Chomp Charts: November?

A: Here is the overview:

- Top search terms

- Top searches within iTunes categories, i.e. "Games", "Productivity", etc.

- Deep dive into top rated category, "entertainment"

- Top free and paid apps

- The Chomp 55- Most downloaded, highest rated apps

Check out Chomp Charts for yourself and let us know what you think.

 

Chomp charts november 2010

Hello, My Name is Chomp

 

Welcome to the official Team Chomp blog.  Allow ourselves to introduce....ourselves. 

For those of you who aren't yet familiar with Chomp and the technology we are building, we're glad you're here.

Chomp, Inc. began in January 2010, lead by co-founders Ben Keighran (CEO) and Cathy Edwards (CTO), two bright (incredibly!), headstrong Aussies who now call San Francisco home. 

So, what has Chomp been up to in 2010? Simply put, finding the best apps for our users through our search and discovery engine.  We're building and perfecting a new, state of the art search technology that enables app discovery for the first time via an on-device search box.

This unique system produces search results based on algorithms that allows users the ability to search based on what the app does rather than what it's called.  A good example of this is in our ability to produce good search results via a query for “music games” instead of having to know the name of music game apps like, Tap Tap Revenge.

What that means is, before there was Chomp, app discovery through a search box was impossible...unless of course you knew all 300,000+ app names.  While that would be both remarkable and impressive, the likelihood is unrealistic.  

We are 100% focused on app seekers with every niche interest, helping to better navigate the vast library of apps for your particular device, whether that’s web or native (aka, mobile apps).

We're not just for app seekers, we're an app ourselves.  With that, we invite you to experience Chomp with a free download in iTunes (iPhone and iPod touch) or visit us on the web.
Please enjoy and let us know your thoughts; we're all ears!