ProjectJourneyman

Android Ad Network Review: LeadBolt

Posted on May 6, 2012 by ProjectJourneyman

My review of LeadBolt for ads in my Android apps has been a long time coming. I started working with them over six months ago. When the project I was working on didn’t quite match the ad units I investigated, my implementation of LeadBolt got stalled.

UPDATE – I’m not currently using LeadBolt.

That’s too bad, actually. I integrated their ad units into my last two apps, and after seeing the results I am rolling out LeadBolt advertisements to my other apps as well. My lifetime average eCPM with them is over $2.00. Not bad at all… Continue reading →

Android Ad Network – Swappit

Posted on April 2, 2012 by ProjectJourneyman

To earn more ad revenue from your Android apps, what you might need is more exposure. House ads work great, but they only reach out to customers you already have through your other apps.

Update 2018 – they’re gone.

That’s where Swappit comes it. Swappit is a bit of an outlier – you don’t earn ad revenue from it, but rather you exchange your ads for those in other apps that also use Swappit. Basically, it lets you run a house ad campaign in other developers’ apps. Continue reading →

How to Handle Badges for Android App Stores

Posted on March 23, 2012 by ProjectJourneyman

If you’re looking to drive Android app discovery and downloads from your website, you have likely considered using one of the app store badges that can be seen everywhere.

No, not the one from Apple (unless your app is also on the Apple Appstore). Android app store badges! There are in fact a lot to choose from.

There is a small quirk though – each app store that provides a badge creates a different sized image (and sometimes no image at all, but dynamic content).

And then there’s the clause of mutually assured annihilation: most of the app store branding guidelines require that their badge be “as big or bigger” than any other badges. At least they don’t all require that their badge be on top…

Why multiple Android app store badges? Continue reading →

Google’s Android Market becomes Google Play

Posted on March 11, 2012 by ProjectJourneyman

For most, the switch from Google’s Android Market to Google Play mostly meant the minor inconvenience of another user agreement. Users also found their “Market” shortcut missing from their home screen (if they had it there), and they need to replace it with the “Play Store”.

What does this mean to Android developers, though? Continue reading →

Android Alternate Market Review: RIM’s BlackBerry AppWorld

Posted on February 9, 2012 by ProjectJourneyman

You might actually want to jump on BlackBerry Appworld. Quickly in fact – if you submit your Android app before February 13 2012, you’ll get a free BlackBerry playbook. Since it takes a day or two to get your account set up (and a bit more to get your app released), you really don’t have much time to lose.

Update April 2012 – Looks like BlackBerry is at it again – submit an app by April 26 and you have a pretty good chance of getting a free ticket to BlackBerry Jam 10 (with spending money): [link expired, the promotion is over]

Update October 2012 – current promotion is the $10k Commitment, where they’ll pay the difference between $1k and $10k if you earn at least that first $1k in the first year. They’re pushing hard to promote their new BlackBerry 10 platform. I haven’t verified that Android apps are eligible for this promotion, so be sure to read the terms and conditions. You have until January 2013 to submit for this challenge.

Update February 2016 – the $10k commitment page is still up, I’m not sure if they’re still running the promotion. Investigate further if you’re interested.

OK, let’s take a step back, and get to the actual review before I send you off to register. If you’re new here you may also be interested in my other Android app market reviews.