**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Rdio Price: $9.99 for unlimited web and mobile, $4.99 for unlimited web
Platform: iOS and BlackBerry
Advertising: None
Functionality: B+
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B+

Music has turned out to be a rather tough proposition on mobile. While apps like Pandora have soared in both popularity and revenue-generation capabilities, other apps like RealNetworks’ Rhapsody have garnered less favorable reviews and market penetration.

Still, there are a growing number of free and subscription-based streaming services to choose from, which makes the “music on mobile” market all the more compelling to participate in. Case in point: The Rdio app. Read the full story

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: StoryCorps; developed by Bottle Rocket Apps Price: Free Platform: iPhone
Advertising: None
Functionality: B-
Fun Factor: C
Overall: B-

With a mission that’s as large and as simple as recording America’s stories, it didn’t take much to convince me to give the StoryCorps app a go-round. I absolutely love StoryCorps’ premise — recording people’s stories, and getting them archived in the Library of Congress — but I wish the app provided a better window into the tens of thousands of interviews the non-profit group has already recorded.

This app does a great job of introducing the user to StoryCorps with a limited selection of clips from about 35 interviews, but the true value of StoryCorps lies in its rich vault of far more stories. While the website offers a full selection of stories, it would be great if the app could do the same. Read the full story

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: TripIt, Inc. Price: Free Platform: BlackBerry OS, iPhone and Android
Advertising: None
Functionality: B+
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B+

I travel frequently for business, so finding the right digital tools for keeping track of all my itineraries has become a necessity. But it’s been a bit of an ongoing journey, simply because there are almost too many options. The one solution that has grabbed the bulk of my travel interest — at least since the beginning of the year — is TripIt.

Like any good app these days, TripIt has all the makings of Web 2.0: Users can connect with other users, share details about upcoming trips and then expand that reach to various social media outlets. Personally, I’m not interested in sharing my travel plans (work or personal) with much of anyone, but for those that are, this is a must-have feature. Read the full story

**As published at digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: SocialScope, Inc  Price: Free  Platform: BlackBerry OS, iPhone and limited Android devices Advertising: None

Functionality: A+
Fun Factor: A
Overall: A+

Just when I think I’ve found my all-time favorite client for Twitter on my BlackBerry, an alternative jumps into my radar and I begin the evaluation process anew once more.

I can’t remember how long it’s been since I requested an invite to check out the beta for SocialScope, but I finally got a code via e-mail last week and was downloading the app on my BlackBerry minutes later. The company has seemingly made an early commitment to developing for the BlackBerry, as it lists a number of compatible RIM devices on its site; there’s also support for the Android-based G1 and the iPhone. Read the full story

**As published in didigay:DAILY**

Publisher: Cyberia, LLC Price: Free Platform: iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad
Advertising: None (other than its own)
Functionality: A
Fun Factor: A-
Overall: A

It’s rare to find an app that’s purposefully limited in scope and yet still manages to provide thought-provoking content. During interviews and conferences, I’ve often heard executives say that mobile apps aren’t always worth the effort and resources they take to create — but I point to cyberia media’s app as the perfect counter argument. Read the full story

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Verizon Wireless Price: Free Platform: Android
Advertising: None
Functionality: B
Fun Factor: A
Overall: A-

Ending a multi-year exclusive deal with Sprint Nextel Corp., Verizon Wireless scooped up a major win earlier this year when it landed a deal with the National Football League to exclusively carry the brand on mobile for the next four years.

Although the regular season is still four long months away from kickoff, the nation’s largest carrier took advantage of the off-season hype by launching its marquee NFL Mobile app less just in time for the 2010 NFL Draft, which ran from April 22-24.

The carrier admits the app is still in the growing phase, but most of the must-have features for any NFL fan – news and information, 2010 season schedules, player profiles, draft prospects, team updates, and analysis – are already in play. What really sweetens the pot though, particularly for millions of cable TV subscribers still locked out of access to NFL Network, is a live 24/7 stream of the all-things-football channel. Read the full story

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Sony Pictures Price: Free Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Advertising: None
Functionality: B+
Fun Factor: A-
Overall: A-

For kids that grew up in the 1980s — call them Gen Y or Millenials — there are a few quintessential films from those years that help define that period of innocence and wonder. For me, that list includes The Karate Kid. The 1984 classic hit all the right notes – geeky, scrawny kid defies the odds, goes up against his bullies and wins.

With the remake slated for a premiere on June 9, Sony Pictures is using a new game app to market it. And when I discovered the app, I didn’t hesitate to hit install. The studio does a great job of not taking over the application with plugs for the film. Users that want to know more about the movie can simply click on the “about the film” button; at other times, recorded lines are woven into the app.

While I may not exactly be the target demographic for the remake of the film, engaging longtime fans and/or potential fans with the opportunity to become a virtual karate kid in their own right couldn’t be more right on the money. Read the full story

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Research in Motion Limited Price: Free Platform: BlackBerry
Advertising: None that we’ve come across yet
Functionality: A
Fun Factor: A
Overall: A-

After being a committed UberTwitter user for at least a year, I’m almost ready to move over to the official Twitter for BlackBerry app. But like so many other apps that have come out of Reasearch in Motion, Ltd (BlackBerry’s parent company), the just-launched app is late in the game, and still missing a few key features.

First and foremost, the app only allows access for one account at a time. This is a feature that came late to UberTwitter as well, but it should be considered a must-have for every Twitter-centric app. I’m hopeful it will be added soon in an update, but I’m not holding my breath.

Another great feature that’s missing from this app is the ability to start typing a user’s handle and automatically narrowing down by your following list who you intend to tweet. Anytime I can avoid drilling into a menu system to access what I’m after is a bonus. UberTwitter does this. The RIM Twitter app doesn’t. Read the full story

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: Paragon Technologie GmbH Price: $24.99 Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Advertising: None
Functionality: C-
Fun Factor: C
Overall: C

Any app priced at $24.99 is going to be a tough sell. But once a publisher crosses that hurdle, it should strive to deliver a better-than-expected experience. Keeping that in mind, it’s still hard to see how any reference app like Encyclopaedia Britannica could exceed expectations in any environment, let alone mobile.

There’s certainly nothing evolutionary or revolutionary in this new app, but it at least gets close to delivering on expectations. The value of any reference app on mobile is purely based on its convenient format (read: digital) and its content that’s been thoroughly vetted by academia.

Wikipedia might have more name recognition than Britannica at this stage of the game, but the weight that Britannica carries as a solid resource won’t be bested by Wikipedia anytime soon (if ever). Valuable content aside, the eventual success of this app will depend on whether or not a worthwhile number of users subscribe to that idea so diligently that they are willing to cough up $24.99. My best guess is probably not. Read the full story

**As published in digiday:DAILY**

Publisher: GameFly
Price: Free
Platform: iPhone/iPod Touch
Advertising: None
Functionality: A-
Fun Factor: B
Overall: B+

Backed by GameFly – the Netflix of gaming – when the GameCenter app recently updated to version 1.2.1, I decided to give it a spin. The app stepped up its game, so to speak, by better integrating GameFly customers’ access to GameQ.

This app has almost everything I’d expect – functioning as a conduit to customers’ GameFly accounts and providing relevant news and information services. Admittedly, I’m a non-gamer by most measures, but after signing up for the free GameFly trial, my wife and I were having fun battling over what games to add to our GameQ or Q first. Read the full story