There’s an app for that?! Market your bright idea into an app and make a profit!
If you have a smartphone (i.e., iPhone ®, Blackberry ® or an Android ® phone) – you know that there is an abundance of apps which actually can make your life a little easier, relieve your boredom or or maybe even make you laugh. Even if you don't have a smartphone, you've probably heard people talking about new apps they've used or downloaded. To clarify, an app is really a shortened slang term for an application which can be used on a smartphone or tablet (such as the iPad ®) – created by the company Apple®. Apps are downloaded and purchased directly on to your device allowing you to use it for your specific needs. Although apps were created by Apple they are usually developed by third party companies – meaning pretty much anyone can make an app – even you.
Personally, I have and iPhone 4 ® and love having the option of downloading apps to my liking. They've definitely made my life easier at times. I remember this past Easter long weekend I had a splinter of glass in my foot, and needed a magnifying glass and needle to get it out. I had a needle but no magnifying glass and said to myself I wonder if there's an app for that? Of course there was not only an app for a magnifying glass but there was an app for a magnifying glass with a light! The app used the iPhone camera's zoom feature for magnification and the light from the camera's flash as a "magnifying light". I remember thinking to myself – why didn't I think of that? (If you're wondering I did successfully get my splinter out).
The marketplace for apps is quite large. From the Apple store, there are over 425,000 different apps to choose from. So, you may be wondering if you need to be a computer programmer or graphic designer to create this type of software but really anyone can make an app if you have an idea for it. Apple actually has an iPhone SDK (Software Development Kit) which is a free program you download on your computer which allows you to build your interface and develop your app. For Android phones there are a lot of resources as well, actually Google has created an app for making apps called the Google App Inventor.
Well, everyone has ideas and the reality is that you can'turn them into a profitable business especially with the right marketing. For more information on making apps click on the books below, the first two are available as e-books as well – if you own a smartphone maybe you can read them. More books on making apps and marketing them are available at North York Central Library.
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