Weekends Are The Best Time To Promote Most Apps, Study Finds

Reedsy Launches Behance-Like Profiles To Let Authors Showcase Their BooksAccording to a new report released today, the best time for mobile application developers to promote or launch a new application across a number of categories tends to be on a weekend, as it turns out. In fact, even if you do well with a weekday release in terms of download numbers, the weekend may be the better time to run an ad campaign that promotes purchases, the report found.
This discovery was based on a three-month study of app revenue and estimated weekly downloads for iOS applications that run January through March of this year.
The study was conducted by San Francisco-based mobile app optimization startup Sensor Tower, which offers an app analytics service that helps developers better understand how to improve their apps’ keywords in order to increase their app’s visibility in app store searches.
The company said it regularly fielded questions from its customers about the timing of new app releases, which actually vary a bit from category to category, and wanted to offer a more comprehensive answer to these questions. The firm broke down downloads and revenue estimates by day for all iOS apps in the U.S. in order to see what percentage of the weekly total took place each day, indicating the best time to launch or run a campaign.
Largely, the data is more relevant to those looking to promote their new applications by running campaigns to attract new users or purchases – something that generally occurs alongside an app’s launch, too. But in some cases, developers may choose to run press about their launch during the week, with the expectation that users will download their app immediately, but may not really begin to engage with it until after work hours or the weekend.
The company found that the best day to run promos varies across the App Store’s different categories. While weekends are often best as a rule of thumb, it seems, there can be some variance when it comes to when to promote purchases versus downloads.
Summarized below are the best days to promote apps across the following top-level App Store categories:
iOS Books: Sunday (revenue); weekends (downloads)Business: Mid-week, e.g. Wed. or Thurs. (revenue); Tues. or Thurs. (downloads)Catalogs: Weekends (revenue); Weekends-Monday (downloads)Education: Weekends (revenue and downloads)Entertainment: Saturday (revenue); Saturday or Sunday (downloads)Finance: Sunday (revenue); Weekdays (downloads – users download on weekdays, but play and buy on weekends)Food & Drink: Sunday (revenue); Saturday or Sunday (downloads)Games: Weekends (revenue and downloads, Sat. is slightly higher)Health & Fitness: Weekends, also beginning of week; not Friday (revenue and downloads)Lifestyle: Weekends, with small bumps on Mon. and Wed. (revenue and downloads)Medical: Wed., Thurs., or Sunday; avoid Saturday (revenue); Sunday (downloads)Music: Any day but Tues; explode on Saturday (revenue); Weekends (downloads)Navigation: Weekends, followed by Friday (revenue); Weekends only (downloads)News: Weekends, avoid Tues. (revenue); Weekends, followed by weekdays (downloads)Newsstand: Saturday, avoid Tues. (revenue); Weekends (downloads)Photo & Video: Weekends (revenue and downloads)Productivity: Any day (revenue and downloads)Reference: Weekends, followed by Mon. and Tues. (revenue); Weekends (downloads)Social Networking: Weekends (revenue and downloads)Sports: Weekends best by far (revenue and downloads)Travel: Weekends (revenue and downloads)Utilities: Weekends, avoid Tues. (revenue and downloads)Weather: Sunday (revenue and downloads)
As you can see by the above list, weekends are generally the best time to promote an app, but there are a few exceptions. Business apps, not too shockingly, do better on weekdays as that’s when most people are in the office or are focused on working. Meanwhile, productivity apps were surprisingly flat across the week, Sensor Tower noted, adding cheekily that “every day is a good day to be productive.”
Medical apps were another exception to the larger rule, with some weekdays being the better days to promote purchases.
However, because a lot of the app categories are focused on leisure activities like dining, travel, reading, music, socializing, shopping and more, it makes sense that users would be looking to discover and buy from these apps more during their downtime – meaning their weekends.
Sensor Tower’s site has more information and detailed charts by category here.

By: Unknown On 11:57

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A Leaner HTC Still Finds Room To Shine In High End Phones, With One M9

WebOS Shambles Back From The Grave In LG’s Latest SmartwatchAfter plentiful leaks in the past few weeks, HTC has today confirmed its new flagship smartphone at a press launch in Barcelona, ahead of the Mobile World Congress tradeshow which kicks off tomorrow.
The new handset, the HTC One M9, follows last year’s well-reviewed HTC One M8, and the original HTC One (M7). It will go on sale starting from mid March in Asia-Pacific.
There’s no radical redesign or huge software changes in HTC’s recipe for the M9. But given how well received the prior devices in the range have been — and HTC’s reduced resources as it works towards a turnaround in its business fortunes — it’s a strategy that makes sense.
This flagship is about a leaner HTC staying the course and trying to build momentum with a pared back portfolio that has room to shine. You won’t find any fancy new sensor hardware packed into the One M9. Rather HTC is focusing its efforts on beefing up core performance, and on tweaks to the camera and audio.
“We understand your smartphone is a statement of taste and personal style which keeps beautiful design at the forefront of our philosophy,” said HTC CEO Peter Chou, announcing the phone on stage, and talking up the dual-tone metal finish.
“The HTC One M9 is our third generation of iconic design. While people say M8 is the most beautiful smartphone on the market we didn’t stop there. We challenged ourselves to aim higher. We were so inspired by the premium watch. And we worked so hard the whole year creating this brand new silver and gold finish that has never been in the market before. We really polished this and add this beautiful hairlines,” he added.
Also today the company took the wraps off its first wearable — called the Grip — which is a collaboration with fitness gear brand Under Armour. The fitness band is being initially targeted at the U.S. market.
HTC One M9
Specs wise, the new HTC flagship smartphone has:
5 Inch 1080p HD displayQualcomm 810 processor3GB RAM32GB on board storage (expandable via SD card)4MP ultrapixel front-facing camera20MP rear camera100GB of Dropbox storage free for two years

Design
HTC is not straying far in its established premium handset look and feel with the M9. In recent years, the One range’s clean, metallic lines have helped it stand out against more plastic-y Android rivals. And with metal-clad phones now pushing into Samsung’s and Xiaomi’s ranges HTC has no reason to change course here.
The main aesthetic difference between the M9 and its predecessors is a subtle two-tone effect, with the edges of the new device picked out in a different metallic tone than the back. The power button has also been moved from the top to the side.

There is also a brushed lines texture effect on the back, contrasting with high polished sides.The metal has a scratch resistant coating. HTC said it is taking inspiration from high end jewelry, such as luxury watches, for its design choices with the M9.
There are three color options for the M9: gold (edges) on silver; gunmetal grey on grey; and gold on gold. The version pictured in this article is the gold-edged silver device.
Although the 5 inch display is the same as the M8’s pane HTC has also managed to marginally shrink the footprint of the M9, so it’s slightly smaller than the M8 (below left).

Camera upgrade
Another major upgrade is to the camera hardware: the M9 has a beefed up rear lens, with a 20MP lens, toughed with sapphire glass, that can record video in 4K. The dual physical lenses of the M8 have also been consolidated into a single, more square-shaped rear lens, with the depth-based photo post-processing which the M8’s dual lens set-up allowed now being achieved entirely with software on the M9 (and its larger single sensor).
Meanwhile HTC has moved the main camera that was on the rear of the M8 to the front of the M9 — touting a better selfie snapping experience, thanks to improved low light performance. Other camera tweaks include dynamic exposure improvements — which HTC says gives more detail in multiple exposure points in a single picture.

HTC’s now trademark front-facing BoomSound speakers haven’t gone anywhere. But they’ve been augmented with the addition of Dolby Audio — for a “much richer, rounder, more surround experience”. (The Dolby processing also applies if you’re listening via headphones.)
Sense 7 brings more personalization
The M9 runs the latest version of HTC’s Sense Android skin, Sense 7, which includes its Blinkfeed news and social feeds aggregator sitting a swipe away from the homescreen.

While Blinkfeed has had the ability to tailor the content you see to your location for a while now, such as pushing nearby restaurant reviews, Sense 7 includes some new contextual elements. So you’ll also see the apps that are displayed on the M9’s homescreen change based on your usage and location.
For instance, you might see your train timetable app appear when you’re near your local railway station. Or the calendar app when you’re at work. Users can still override algorithmic customization if they wish to pin certain apps in place, but the idea is to help people get to their apps when they are most useful.

There’s also a homescreen folder containing contextual suggestions for new apps that might be worth checking out, again based on factors such as location, time of day, and also other apps you’re downloading — so more related content.
Another software tweak in Sense 7 is also focused on increasing the personalization of the device, with a range of new themes available for download — and an option to create your own, based on a photo or image of your choosing. Themes are intended to bleed out across the whole device in a range of ways — changing multiple aspects of the design such as the clock, icons, textures, music and fonts, not just the background image.

Another software addition HTC flags up is a new gallery feature which lets users synchronize thumbnails of any pictures they have stored elsewhere — in Dropbox, Google Drive, Flickr and Facebook — to the phone to help them locate where a particular shot is stored.
Dot View II
On the accessories side, HTC is keeping its fun Dot View case in play with the M9. Dot View debuted on the M8 and shows retro-style notifications through a matrix of small holes in a plastic screen cover.
As well as notifications, and lockscreen patterns, there are retro games for Dot View, like brick breaker.

The company has also now come up with some clear-backed versions of the Dot View case so M9 owners don’t have to conceal the device’s metallic back.
In a briefing with journalists HTC said it now has “two strong product lines in the market” — referring also to its mid-tier Desire range (which includes a selfie-focused phone, the Desire Eye), and the premium One line up.
Critics may complain the M9 lacks any new ‘wow’ factor. But it’s a solid smartphone with a premium feel and HTC’s trademark thoughtful detailing.
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By: Unknown On 13:24

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Ranku Finds International Students The Perfect US School

America isn’t the land of opportunity unless you can get a job after college to earn a visa. That makes picking a city in which to attend a university a critical decision for international students. Some services can charge families thousands of dollars to guide them through the U.S. college selection process. But Ranku does it for free dollars and fifty-free cents.
Ranku is a higher-education search engine. Enter your desired degree, school, or interest, and it shows legitimate programs and their tuition costs. Scammy for-profit schools are filtered out.

By: Unknown On 00:04

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