Tech Today w/ Ken May

It’s hard to underestimate how important ranking in Apple’s top 25 in the iTunes store is for mobile app developers. After all, the top 25 is probably the single most important app discovery mechanism for most iOS users. But how many downloads does it take to rank in the top 25? Mobile app store analytics firm Distimo today published some interesting data that answers just this question. Turns out, in the U.S. store, the answer currently is about 38,400 daily downloads for free iPhone apps and 3,530 for paid iPhone apps. To rank in the top 25 per category, of course, takes significantly fewer downloads, with games unsurprisingly being the most competitive category. It takes 25,300 daily downloads to rank in the gaming top 25 for free apps and 2,280 downloads for paid apps. For free apps, other competitive categories include ‘entertainment’ (6,700 daily downloads), ‘social networking’ (5,800), ‘lifestyle’ (3,900) and ‘music’ (3,900). Interestingly, in the paid app charts photography apps rank just behind games and entertainment apps. Still, it currently only takes about 270 daily downloads to rank in the photography top 25 for paid apps. These numbers, of course, are always changing and this just represent a snapshot of what Distimo found when it compiled this data last month. Update : We just talked to one source with a lot of experience in building mobile apps and who also currently runs a top App Store app. According to this source, Distimo’s numbers are too low and may just represent data from a relatively small number of apps. Keep that in mind as you read Distimo’s data. Given the popularity of games on iOS, Distimo also took a closer look at the various gaming subcategories. Here, arcade and action games lead the pack: This is the first time Distimo is releasing a detailed set of these numbers. It’s worth noting, though, that at the end of 2011, the company reported that it still took about 45,000 daily downloads to rank in the top 25 of most popular free apps. Since then, though, Apple has been working hard to shut down various scams and bots that automatically downloaded apps and allowed developers to rank in Apple’s charts without having a real user base (then, once you are in the top 25, of course, real users will automatically find you, of course). Judging from Distimo’s latest data, these efforts are starting to pay off and will hopefully make life a little bit easier for legit developers.

Last year, nearly half a million completed Dropbox ‘s very first “Dropquest.” This time, designer Jon Ying and engineer Rajeev Nayak say they “honestly don’t know” how many people will participate, but with the company’s rapid growth , it’s a safe bet that the number will be bigger. Nayak describes Dropquest as “a gift to our users.” It’s an online scavenger hunt where you solve logic puzzles while also learning about Dropbox’s key features. Everyone who finishes gets 1 extra gigabyte of free storage, and there are other prizes for the players who finish first — the grand prize winner will get a Dropbox employee hoodie, a Dropbox Hack Week T-shirt, a drawing signed by the entire Dropbox team, an invitation to write the next Dropquest, and a 100 gigabytes of free storage for life. It sounds like you’re going to have to work for that free storage, however — the game is designed to take 12 hours to complete. That’s about how long it was supposed to take last year, too, but someone finished in three hours. This year, it’s longer and more challenging, thanks to additional, harder puzzles, but Ying and Nayak admit there’s still some debate about exactly how long it will take. Puzzles aren’t the only new feature: There’s also a post-apocalyptic science fictional storyline. Dropquest is a product of the company’s Hack Week in March, where employees can work on whatever they want. This year, one week wasn’t enough to complete the game, so Ying and Nayak say they’ve continued working on-and-off on the game in the two months since. The contest starts at 10am Pacific time and will be online for three weeks — but don’t be late if you want one of the big prizes. You can read more about Dropquest here and play the game here (the second link goes live at 10).

Just a day after it announced its well-received updates to its search result pages, here is some more good news for Bing: according to the latest data from Experian Hitwise, Bing-powered searches — that is searches on Bing.com and search.yahoo.com — now account for 30.01% of all U.S. searches . By itself, Bing grew 16% year-over-year and 5% month-over-month and now accounted for 14.32% of all U.S. searches in April 2012. Yahoo grew somewhat slower, but still at a respectable 5% month-over-month and 7% year-over-year. Things didn’t quite look so rosy for Google, though. Searches on Google.com, according to Hitwise, declined 3% in April 2011 compared to the previous month and were down 5% year-over-year. Google, of course, still remains far ahead of its competition. In April, almost 64.5% of all U.S. searches were powered by Google. The 65 smaller search engines Hitwise also tracks only accounted for 6.51% of U.S. searches, by the way. While Bing is still losing money – and while there have been some rumors about Microsoft trying to sell its search engine to Facebook – there can be little doubt that Microsoft’s persistence is slowly paying off and eating into Google’s still sizable lead. Leaving out the searches it powers on Yahoo, Bing itself, of course, still remains a niche player at under 15%, but crossing the 30% barrier is quite an achievement for Bing.

Only 12% of your friends see your average status update, but Facebook is testing an option called “Highlight” that lets you pay a few dollars to have one of your posts appear to more friends. Highlight lets the average user, not Pages or businesses, select an “important post” and “make sure friends see this”, but not color it yellow as Stuff wrote when it first spotted the feature. A tiny percentage of the user base is now seeing tests of a paid version of Highlight, but there’s also a free one designed to check if users are at all interested in the option. Highlight could show Facebook’s willingness to try more aggressive ways of making money, which should delight potential investors. But Facebook is playing with fire here. The service has always been free for users, and a pay-for-popularity feature could be a huge turn off, especially to its younger and less financially equipped users who couldn’t afford such narcissism. The official statement from Facebook on this is: “We’re constantly testing new features across the site. This particular test is simply to gauge people’s interest in this method of sharing with their friends.” I doubt Facebook is going to see positive reactions to Highlight, but if it did it could turn into an unpredicted revenue stream. Just the fact that Facebook would test this could bolster confidence for potential IPO investors. They want to know the company is interested in striking a more advertiser-friendly balance between a pure user experience and the goals of advertisers. That’s especially important now, as yesterday Facebook had to warn investors that its ad business is in jeopardy as more users access via mobile where it doesn’t show nearly as many ads. But the problem is the potential for Highlighted updates to reduce the general relevance of the news feed. Facebook’s news feed sorting algorithm is designed to show you posts by your closest friends or that have received a lot of Likes and comments. Highlight distorts this, and will encourage news feed spamming club promoters, musicians, small businesses, or anyone else with something to gain from more clicks. How Highlight Works If you’re in the test group and post a status update, you’ll see the “Highlight” option next to the Like and comment buttons below it. If clicked you’re shown the prompt above. Depending on what version of the test you’re seeing you’ll either get a free Highlight, or have to pay a dollar or two for the extra news feed prevalence. Facebook’s testing different price points, but users always pay with a credit card or PayPal, never with its virtual currency Credits. Highlighted posts may appear higher in the news feed, stay visible for longer, and appear to more friends and subscribers . However, they’re not colored differently to make them stand out. And to be clear, this is not like Twitter’s Promoted Tweets which is designed for businesses. Facebook Highlight is for the end-user. Luckily Facebook doesn’t seem to be betting the farm on Highlight, since the user who leaked the test was in New Zealand — a more isolated but English-speaking location where Facebook seems test features it doesn’t want too many people to know about. That’s smart because it could erode the site’s sense of community. On Facebook, what’s supposed to matter is how interesting your posts are, not how deep your wallet is. – Other Big Facebook News: Facebook Launches File Sharing Find Great Facebook Apps In The New App Center Facebook’s Messenger Mobile App Now Shows If Someone’s Read Your Message

Apple just released iOS 5.1.1—mostly consisting of bug fixes—for all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch owners to consume. You can expect better HDR handling, AirPlay video streaming, and bookmark syncing between Safari and Reading List. Find it in iTunes or under Software Update in your iOS settings. [ Apple ] More »

In recent years a flurry of electrified two-wheeled motorcycles and scooters have emerged from companies like Zero, Brammo, Mission Motors, BRD and Evolve. While some are still in the prototype phase (I’m looking at you BRD!), others have shown rapid advancement to meet rider needs, preferences and performance. Though they’re still light years away from their gas-powered counterparts, the release of Brammo’s 100MPH and 100-mile range electric motorcycles later this year will undoubtedly turn some heads. Originally announced in July 2010 , the Oregon-based startup today announced both pricing and availability for the Empulse and Empulse R. During a demo earlier this month in San Francisco, the changes made from the original Enertia were glaringly apparent to me from two feet away. Having ridden the original Enertia, I can say that it wasn’t the most pleasant riding experience. Not that it was uncomfortable by any means but it didn’t feel like any motorcycle I’d ever been on. Geometry on the Empulse is much more akin to something between a Ducati Monster and a supermoto. In other words, I’d have no problem riding the Empulse on the pothole-riddled streets of Manhattan or in the twisties. And if I really needed to carry a passenger I wouldn’t hesitate to throw one on the pillion either, a first for an electric moto. Though I didn’t get a chance to actually ride the Empulse, I’m looking forward to a bit of seat time later on this year. Other than seating position, range and top speed, you might be wondering what else makes the Empulse special. That’s easy to answer, too. For starters, it has a six-speed gearbox and regenerative braking (similar to engine braking) like a normal motorcycle. Brammo’s Brian Wismann, Director of Product Development, told me that he hasn’t had to change his riding style in any way, especially when it comes to entering or exiting corners at speed thanks to upgraded parts like brakes and suspension. He rides a BMW S1000RR, so I’m inclined to believe him. More importantly, the 9.3 kilowatt battery driving the bike can be recharged in 3.5 hours from your standard plug. And the startup process is basically the same as any gas-powered motorcycle. Priced at $16,995 the baseline Empulse is equipped with an assortment of Italian made components similar to those on the Ducati 848 StreetFighter. The Empulse R fetches an additional $2,000 and includes a plethora of carbon fiber farkles like front and rear fenders, headlight shroud, tank and tail. A limited run of the Empulse R will come off the line in June and based on demand could hit full production in Q3. The Empulse, unfortunately, won’t be ready till Q1 of 2013. Check out Brammo.com for more details. Click to view slideshow.

If you bring your broken black iPhone 4 to the Apple Store, you might get a fresh iPhone 4S as your replacement phone. What?! Yep, because of supply constraints, many Apple Stores don’t have any black iPhone 4 units (16GB/32GB) in stock so they have been instructed by Apple to give customers an iPhone 4S instead. More »