Blackberry App World LBS Apps Four Times More Expensive Than iPhone, Android LBS Apps, According to Skyhook Wireless Report

Review of Top Mobile App Stores Reveals Very Different Costs for Android, iPhone and Blackberry Apps

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skyhook Wireless, provider of XPS, the patented hybrid location system, today released a report on trends in location-aware apps from Apple’s App Store, Google’s Android Marketplace and Blackberry App World.

“We are excited to release the first in a series of Skyhook Wireless App Store reports to track the evolution of location apps within these app stores.”

The study found a great disparity in app cost between the three stores. The average price of a location-aware app in Blackberry App World is $13.60, compared with $3.60 in the iTunes App Store and $0.84 in the Android Marketplace.

The Apple App Store has the greatest number of location-based applications, at over 2,300, and the highest percentage of paid for LBS apps, at over 75%. Sixty seven percent of Blackberry apps are paid and eighty percent of Android Marketplace apps are free.

After standardizing app types across all three App Stores, this report found 17 different types of apps that use location. The most popular location aware apps are Travel, Navigation, and Social Networking, but new types of apps, like Music, Finance, and Games, are also integrating location in new ways.

“Skyhook’s comparative study of location aware app stores reveals three very different types of stores in key measurements like the average cost of apps, total number of apps and growth over time.” said Kate Imbach, director of marketing and developer programs at Skyhook Wireless. “We are excited to release the first in a series of Skyhook Wireless App Store reports to track the evolution of location apps within these app stores.”

The full report is available today at http://www.locationrevolution.com/stats/skyhookaprilreport.pdf. LocationRevolution.com is the new go-to guide for location-aware app information. The report will be published on a monthly basis.

About Skyhook Wireless

Founded in 2003, Skyhook Wireless has pioneered the development of the first hybrid positioning system to fully leverage Wi-Fi, GPS and cell towers delivering precise location data supporting the growing market for location-based services. Skyhook's hybrid positioning system XPS requires no new hardware, works indoors and outdoors, provides an instant location and is more accurate than current technologies in congested downtown areas. Skyhook Wireless is headquartered in Boston, MA, and is privately held. Investors include RRE Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, Intel Capital and CommonAngels. For more information visit www.skyhookwireless.com, send email to [e-mail] or call 617-314-9802.