MediaPost - Appy Awards

Appy Awards

Books: Monsters, Inc. Storybook Deluxe by Disney Publishing Worldwide for Disney Publishing Worldwide

The Monsters, Inc. app gives users a chance to re-experience the movie in a more interactive way. Downloaders can follow Sulley and Mike Wazowski -- the top scare team at the scream-processing factory in Monstropolis -- as they shepherd Boo home while also keeping her hidden from the other monsters. The app, which includes short animated clips from the film, retells the movie's story with read-along text and narration. The app also plays quotes from the film when kids tap on characters. Users can also follow the clues to collect "Scare cards," which include pictures of the monster Scarers. A personalization feature draws on kids' recorded screaming and roaring abilities.
Credits: Disney Publishing Worldwide; Storia by Storia for Scholastic

Scholastic's new eReading app, Storia, offers thousands of ebook titles for a wide range of ages. The ebooks, which come in replica-text format, offer dictionaries and other tools to help kids develop confidence in their reading skills. The books for older kids include highlighting and note-taking, while the ones aimed at younger children include natural-voiced read-alouds. Each Storia account can be used on up to 40 devices, allowing for reading at home as well as group reading on tablets and PCs, or classroom instruction through a projector or interactive white board.
Credits: Deborah Forte, Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Media Judy Newman, Executive Vice President and President, Scholastic Book Clubs and eCommerce Dani Nadel, Chief Digital Marketing Officer at Scholastic; Starring You StoryBooks by JibJab Media for StoryBots

Drawing on JibJab's "Starring You" technology, the StoryBooks app enables parents to easily graft their toddlers' names and faces into digital story books. The books come in a variety of design styles, all of which include unique animations and sound effects. Titles include "Elf for a Day," "Dancin' Feet," and "The Barnyard Band." Since JibJab - the company that provided the technology for Office Max's viral "Elf Yourself" campaigns -- launched StoryBooks in 2011, the app has consistently been a top 10 grossing iPad book app, with downloads throughout 89 countries.
Credits: JibJab Media

Branded Content App: Jimmy John’s Sandwich Cannon by Evolution Bureau and Superfad for Jimmy John's

I made it rain on my dog. Not literally, of course. But figuratively. I did it by downloading the Jimmy John's Sandwich Cannon app, snapping a picture of my unsuspecting dog, and then pointing a cannon filled with money at him. The result was magical and hilarious. While I preferred to shoot money at my subjects, there was also the option to shoot many of the sandwich chain's famous sandwiches. It's a fun app that lets you kill a few minutes while planting the idea of sandwiches in your head. Plus, if you have any office enemies you can put them in your virtual crosshairs and fire sandwiches at them until you're satisfied. Stress relief.
Affiliated Agency: Evolution Bureau--advertising agency; Superfad--production company
Credits: FORMAL CLIENT NAME: Jimmy John's CAMPAIGN TITLE: EXECUTION TITLE: JJ's Sandwich Cannon App AGENCY: Evolution Bureau LAUNCH DATE: 12/11/2012 URL: http://www.facebook.com/jimmyjohns/app_427278593956661 EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Stephen Goldblatt ART DIRECTOR: Jeremy Stewart ACD/COPYWRITER: Casey Brewer DESIGNER: Erin Ignacio EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Craig Batzofin PROJECT ASSOCIATE: Charlotte Baxter DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY: Aaron McGuire DEVELOPER: Suny Gao INFORMATION ARCHITECT: Chris Znerold PRODUCTION COMPANY: Superfad CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Will Hyde ART DIRECTOR / 3D / DESIGNER: Loren Judah COMPOSITING / ANIMATION: Jose Diaz, Paul Barkshire LEAD IOS DEVELOPER: Jason Lust IOS DEVELOPERS: Robert Eickmann, Benjamin Van Citters PROTOTYPES: Brent Watanabe SENIOR INTERACTIVE PRODUCER: Beck Henderer-Peña EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Chris Volckmann; Chevy Game Time by Detroit Labs for Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners/Chevy

More than half of people show up at Super Bowl parties for something other than the Super Bowl. Chevy realized this and created an app that those people could enjoy during their Super Bowl party. The Game Time app, once downloaded, provided a unique license plate number for users. If the user spotted the license plate in a Chevy ad, then they won the car. Users also answered trivia questions about the game and ads to score more points, thus making the users pay attention to the Super Bowl more than ever. Over all 700,000 people downloaded the app and 130,000 people played simultaneously.
Credits: James Vreeland (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Justin Osmon (Goodlby, Silverstein and Partners) Hunter Hindman (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Joakim Borgström (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Niklas Lilja (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Michael Limbert (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Sha Nguyen (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Brandon Locke (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Rachel Madrigal (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Antonio Marcato (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Jason Pierce (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Logan Walters (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Brooke Turner (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Crystal Trzok (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Karen Jackson (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Hunter Hindman (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Nicole Greenlee (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Alex Burke (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Agnieszka Palarz (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Cameron Luby (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Marika Wiggan (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Heidi Killeen (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Talya Fisher (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Paul Glomski (Detroit Labs) Dan Ward (Detroit Labs) Henry Balanon (Detroit Labs) Nathan Hughes (Detroit Labs); Sons of Anarchy (SOA) by Magic Ruby for FX Network and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

People hooked on FX's "Sons of Anarchy" can use the show's app to sync companion content in real time with the show or with specific past seasons, giving them access to merchandise, trivia and interactive content that relates to what they are seeing on their TV screen. The app truly engages viewers with a second screen throughout the entire show and during commercials without detracting from the show itself. Over 500,000 fans have downloaded the application.
Affiliated Agency: Delivery Agent – Contributed commerce platform, TV Wallet™ where viewers can instantly purchase items featured in, or inspired by, the series.
Creative Agency: DEFY Creative – Contributed technology, called ‘Perspective,’ that transports the users to the world of SOA with an immersive environment and contains back-stories of the characters and club history, as well as bonus production materials.
Credits: Tom Engdahl, Magic Ruby CEO Clayton Biele, Associate Director, Global Technology Strategy Michael Waghalter: Vice President, FX Network Toby Chi, Defy Agency Creative Director Mike Fitzsimmons, Delivery Agent CEO

Branded Gaming App: NBA: King of the Court 2 by Ogmento for Ogmento

NBA King of the Court 2 provides the user with an easy to play, yet fun experience. Ogmento provides the users with clear directions and logical controls that make for a quick learning curve. The game also incorporates different elements of basketball: shooting, passing, avoiding defenders, etc. which keeps the game interesting, challenging, realistic and most importantly entertaining. The developers did a good job of branding as the NBA logo is consistently featured prominently throughout the game but it is never overbearing. The game also has positive messaging promoting teamwork throughout the game that aligns itself closely with the NBA team mentality.
Affiliated Agency: The National Basketball Association - licenser
Credits: Brian Selzer: Co-Founder, President of Ogmento Brad Foxhoven: Co-Founder, VP of Marketing at Ogmento Tim Hernandez: VP Producer at Ogmento Tatiana Nahai: Marketing Manager at Ogmento Chris Shanley: Associate Producer at Ogmento; Top Gear: Stunt School Revolution by BBC Worldwide Digital Entertainment & Games for Top Gear / BBC Worldwide

Stunt School Revolution is the most graphically impressive app in the Branded Gaming App category. It plays most like a traditional video game its controls utilizes the user’s smartphone’s accelerometer as the main form of control. While the game is extremely impressive graphically, it can be a bit redundant as the main objective of the game is completing stunts throughout. While there are different stunts, they primarily consist of completing jumps. The game does incorporate a “Wheel of Fortune” aspect to give the user a chance to win money that they can then use for upgrades which gives the game an additional entertaining aspect. This game aligns itself well with Top Gear both due to branding throughout as well as the gameplay.
Affiliated Agency: Supersonic (developer)
Credits: - Andy Maddison, Programmer, Supersonic - Andrew Williamson, Programmer, Supersonic - Peter Williamson, Programmer, Supersonic - Darren Newall, Artist, Supersonic - Tim Gidlow, Artist, Supersonic - Grant Dean, Head of Top Gear Games, BBC Worldwide - Ben Badgett, Creative Director, BBC Worldwide; Car Town Streets by Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. for Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc.

At first glance Car Town Streets appears to be geared more towards a younger audience as its graphics are cartoonish, which is strange as it is a branded game for Nitto Tires in which children are obviously not the target market. However, once the user delves into the game further they will realize it is an immersive gameplay experience that is designed for a (somewhat) more mature audience. The game itself is expansive compared to other games in this category as the goal is not just to win races or get from point A to point B, but to rebuild the town from scratch as well as upgrade your vehicles. Nitto Tires branding could be more prevalent within the app, but at the same time the fact that it feels like a strong, well-developed app that features Nitto Tires comes across better than just placing their logo on every single screen.
Affiliated Agency: Cie Games
Credits: Gloria Miyamoto - Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. - Marketing Manager Harry Kong – Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. - Marketing and Social Media Strategist

Business: ThankYouPro by Zendoa LLC for ThankYouPro

Imagine getting a thank-you note in the U.S. mail from someone. Anyone! How about from a salesperson; wouldn’t that make you remember the transaction in a feel-good way? Zendoa makes it easy for anyone with customers or clients to be remembered with this app that lets them send such notes with their iPhones or iPads. Options make each note unique and hand-signed with a finger or stylus. Users can add photos and gift cards, making this a most useful tool for busy sales people looking to increase loyalty, referrals -- and sales.
Affiliated Agency: MobilityPR - PR Agency
Credits:
John Testement - President Zendoa LLC; Perch by Closely for Closely

Psst! Look who’s using Foursquare to foster loyalty? Why, it’s your main competition! Heretofore, you would have to go online and search for the name of each competitor in each social network to find out what they were up to. Now, with Perch, which knows your location, you can easily see where the local competition is finding customers, from Facebook and Twitter to hundreds of deal sites, all in one place. Even better, you can create a watch list and get notification when that other sushi joint starts offering deals that you can match or top.
Affiliated Agency: n/a
Credits: Perry Evans | Founder & CEO Our founder’s background seems custom made for leading Closely. As the founding executive behind the formation and growth of MapQuest, Jabber and Local Matters, Perry is one of the most experienced and respected product and business executives across local search, real-time messaging and LBS. Tom Bender | Co-founder & VP, Engineering Our technology leadership comes with a diverse base of experience across automated trading systems, geo-based services and smart energy platforms. Tom’s background encompasses leading development organizations at Tendril Networks, Jabber, and Digital Globe alongside complex platform projects with Ford Motors, Goldman Sachs, Boeing and Citibank.; Nametag Analyzer by Starcom MediaVest Group for Microsoft Dynamics

While it may be difficult to understand the nuances of Microsoft Dynamics’ CRM software and how it empowers employees, it is easy to grasp the idea of unlocking one’s true potential, and that’s what this app aims to illustrate. It allows business decision makers to stand apart in their social circles by creating new job titles based on their LinkedIn profiles. Titles like “Logistics Playmaker” and “Profit Powerhouse” are put on name tags that people can share in social media and on industry-targeted pages in LinkedIn. These name tags certainly get the conversation started.
Affiliated Agency: Deutsch Inc - ad agency partner
Credits: Garrett Self, SVP, Global Strategy Director, Starcom MediaVest Group; Gumala Steele, Director, Starcom MediaVest Group; Jason Gershman, Associate Director, Starcom MediaVest Group; Liz Peterman, Supervisor, Starcom MediaVest Group; Amanda Villa, Associate, Starcom MediaVest Group; Mike Dudgeon, Account Executive, LinkedIn Corporation; Mike Lang, Marketing Solution Strategist, LinkedIn Corporation; Roger Katz, CEO, Friend 2 Friend

Business Media App: Smart Enterprise Magazine App by UBM for CA Technology

A new update to the app for the award-winning Smart Enterprise magazine enables it to support full video covers as well as guided reading. The app brings the business technology publication's content to its audience of IT executives wherever they are. Subscribers who enable downloads will automatically receive new issues on their devices. The app also has new keyword search abilities. The app is key to the company's future, as support for the for the Smart Enterprise Community Site, and the vision for the next year, will be to migrate to digital-only editions.
Credits: Dave Nicastro, Creative Director, New Media Giulia Fini, Art Director, Adeline Cannone, Group Production Manager, Lauren Heller, Production Designer; Baylor Business Review by Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business with Quark's App Studio and Pollei DesignWorks for Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business

The Baylor Business Review -- the first magazine app published by Baylor University -- was designed specifically for the iPad. Each magazine offers a host of free content, including coverage of current business trends, research and executive profiles. The app offers readers material in a variety of formats -- including videos, podcasts, and slideshows. It also includes photos and articles not published in the print version. The BBR app was ranked No. 65 out of all free business iPad apps in the U.S. on the iTunes App Store shortly after its May 2012 release, and has been downloaded in 42 different countries.
Affiliated Agency: Quark's App Studio-technical build, Pollei DesignWorks-app design
Credits: David Hardiman, Developer-App Studio; Paul Danter, Director of Mobile Products-Quark; Ronnie Marroquin, Independent Sales Representative-App Studio; Patrick Pollei, Owner/Creative Director-Pollei DesignWorks; Callie Trueblood, Designer-Pollei DesignWorks; Haley Gandy, Designer-Pollei DesignWorks; Stephen Ott, Designer-Pollei DesignWorks; Seth Daulton, Designer-Pollei DesignWorks; Terry Maness, Dean-Hankamer School of Business; CJ Jackson, Director of Communications & Marketing-Hankamer School of Business; Kristin Stires, Assistant Director of Communications & Marketing-Hankamer School of Business; Micah Lamb, Senior Systems Analyst-Baylor University; Robbie Rogers, Director of Photography-Baylor University; Matthew Minard, Assistant Director of Photography-Baylor University; Zack Morris, Owner-ZackMorris MEDIA; Bloomberg by Bloomberg L.P. for Bloomberg

The Bloomberg app, first launched in 2010 (the same day the iPad went on sale), was recently redesigned to offer users a more personalized experience. Users now have their own "command centers," where they can access top news, a personalized snapshot of world markets and a summary of their investments (including news and earnings updates on companies in their Watchlist) without leaving their home screen. The app's scrolling stock ticker allows users to track the news and market data most relevant to them. Multitasking users can "pop out" a video and watch it while doing other things in the app.
Credits: The Bloomberg Mobile Team

Cooking: Everyday Foods by Engauge for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Martha Stewart Everyday Food allows users to access the entire collection of Everyday Food magazine’s quick family-friendly recipes, updated monthly with each issue. The app was launched along with the much-anticipated Windows 8, and within weeks, became a Featured app in the Cooking category in the App Store. The app’s grid design is simple and easy to use with the ability to browse recipes by ingredients, course, occasion, prep time and more. Other than recipes, the app includes video tutorials and cooking tips, such as buttering and Lining Cake Pans.
Credits: Inbar Barak, SVP, Digital Programming & Strategy, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Daniel Boguszewski, Digital Art Director, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Jolene M. Bouchon, Deputy Editor, Digital – Everyday Food, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Mark Dorison, Manager, Application Development, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Drew Hartevold, AVP Digital Operations & Project Management, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Gloria Lin, Ad Operations Specialist, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Lisa Michurski, Creative Director, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Ira Tau, VP Internet Technology, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Charlie Tiersch, VP Business Development, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Jeremy Young, Director of UX, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Richard Guy, Engineer, Engauge David McCanless, Design Director, Engauge Carla Paschke, Director of Mobile Innovation, Engauge Mike Richards, Engineer, Engauge Angie Terrell, Innovation Product Manager, Engauge Nick Webb, Engineer, Engauge; iCookbook by Publications International, Ltd. for Publications International, Ltd.

Dirty hands and mobile devices do not normally work well together; unless they are using the iCookbook App. iCookbook’s voice command function provides step-by-step instructions to complete a recipe without ever touching the device. iCookbook’s thousands of recipes include user ratings and the option to archive your favorite recipes or add ingredients to a shopping list. Conversion and substitution charts along with a built-in timer and how-to videos are just some of the tools in this all-in-one app.
Affiliated Agency: Appency - Specializing in App Marketing & Public Relations
Credits: Designed & Published by Publications International, Ltd: CEO - Louis Weber President, Cooking Division - Jerry L. Croft Editor-in-Chief - James M. O'Connor Project Manager- Brian Mathis iCookbook Editors - Carissa Kinyon Senior Art Director - Jason Clary Project Manager - Diane Connolly Vice President Licensing & Account Management: David E. Oates Vice President New Business Development: Su Bermingham Director of Database Development: Pat Hagle Director of Publishing Services: Jeff Krakow Projec Systems Administrator: Brett Thornsberry App Developed by Ratio Interactive Paul Kim Russ Whitman Yamini Shah Jeremy Olmsted- Thompson Mike Hitchcock Joe Do Jasenka Gracic Keith Guerin Megan Guerin Bart Claeys Adam Argyle Nathan Broyles Brenden Sawyer William Power; Weber Grills by rabble + rouser for Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Weber’s On the Grill is the perfect app for grill-enthusiasts as well as those just looking for barbecuing advice. The app includes over 250 recipes from Weber’s published cookbooks and hundreds of cooking tips. Each recipe includes a quality photo as well as prep time, grilling time, a full list of ingredients and instructions. The app also has an integrated timer to remind you when to stop grilling. Weber’s On the Grill contains quality content and is a perfect app to have just in time for your summer barbecues.
Credits: Patrick Hefner, Director of Application Development, rabble+rouser Christina Schroeder, Principal, rabble+rouser Meredith Williamson, Interactive Creative DIrector, rabble+rouser Kate Hanson, Interactive Art Director, rabble+rouser Brian Gibson, Interactive Development, rabble+rouser Mike Kempster, CMO, Weber-Stephen Brooke Jones, Director of Marketing, Weber-Stephen Tamara McTavish, Senior Producer, rabble+rouser

Communication: Current Caller ID by WhitePages for WhitePages

Current Caller ID is a free Android app by designed by WhitePages to help users better communicate with those they care about most. By automatically identifying the people most important to users – the ones they call and text — and by matching their latest status updates from Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, Current helps cut through the clutter and puts the latest updates from top contacts front and center right as communication is about to take place. Current also delivers live local information from the caller or texter’s location, such as their local news and weather, which is designed to start or keep the conversation going. Current Caller ID has identified over 700 million calls to date.
Credits: Alex Algard, CEO, WhitePages Bret Moore, General Manager, Mobile, WhitePages Lori Roth, Director, Mobile Product, WhitePages; Vonage Mobile by Vonage for Vonage

Vonage Mobile® is a free downloadable app for iPhone® and Android™ that lets users talk, text, share photos and location worldwide for free with Vonage Mobile users. It’s available globally and works over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G wireless data networks. When calling people who don’t have the app, users get low-cost calling to more than 200 countries with rates 70 percent less than major mobile carriers. Vonage Mobile uses the phone’s existing number and contact list, eliminating the need for unique user names and duplicate identities for contacts. Vonage Mobile surpassed one million downloads in just two months after the launch.
Credits: Marc Lefar CEO, Vonage Nick Lazzaro, SVP Product Development, Information Technology & Managing Director Mobile Services, Vonage; Tango by Tango for Tango

Since the commercialization of video calling with the iPhone 4, streaming mobile video has been a hard problem to solve. Tango has worked to make video calling a more fluid part of everyday life and gives the service a greater purpose for consumers by conveniently converging video calling, messaging, games, and unique content into one simple platform. More than competitors, such as FaceTime and Skype, Tango has been designed to work natively on mobile devices on direct peer-to-peer connections.
Credits: Eric Setton, Co-Founder & CTO

Consumer Magazine/Newspaper App: Lonny Magazine by Livingly Media, Inc. for Lonny

There is something refreshing in a clean home décor layout that is both practical and aspirational. The HD photography is lovely, and the app downloads new issues automatically, giving interior-design buffs access to every Lonny issue for the past three years. It makes keeping up with design trends a breeze, while highlighting shelter magazine artistry. And for those who covet what they see, videos and direct links to sites promote ecommerce, an advertiser’s dream.
Credits: Danny Khatib, COO, Livingly Media, Inc.; Tony Mamone, CEO, Livingly Media, Inc.; Jorge Reyna,Team Lead Design, Livingly Media, Inc.; Cleve Pasarell,Team Lead Development, Livingly Media, Inc.; U-T San Diego iPad App by Mindgruve for U-T San Diego

The app’s charge — taking a newspaper successfully into the digital age — proved a hit with U-T’s readership. It grabbed 32,000 downloads in its first five months. The design makes the paper’s categories, such as news, sports and weather, easily accessible, alongside photo and video content. Real-time news updates, coupled with the ability to customize story viewing, makes it a lively go-to site. Californians must love the traffic reports, generated by Zip code. Most importantly, the app is boosting the paper’s relevance and sustainability.
Credits: Creative Director: Clint Walden Designer: Daryl Daley Account Managers: Rachael Martin & Rachael Wilson Develeoper: Chris Kihneman; Distro by AOL, Inc. for Engadget

This niche platform for tech lovers is a smooth ride. Distro distills the best articles from Engadget.com in a magazine format. The site runs the gamut from gadget reviews to interactive features, covering an eclectic array of topics — apps to aviation. The clever design is engaging and inviting; the quick download times are a huge plus. Best of all, the app helps readers get the most out of the iPad and the information they seek. It must be working: Readers return four times a week to search the year-old pub.
Credits: Tim Stevens, EIC, Engadget Jeremy LaCroix, Head of UX & Design, AOL Mobile Christopher Trout, Executive Editor, Distro Greg Grabowy, Art Director, Distro Will Lipman, Photographer, Distro Scott Tury, Lead Developer, AOl Mobile Peter Niceberg, Production Manager, HPMG

Education: My Life as a Refugee by ACW for United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)

My Life as a Refugee differs from other apps in the Education category because of its simplicity. My Life as a Refugee is an app that presents a story in a “Choose Your Own Adventure” style. In the app you can choose to play or follow the story of 1 of 3 characters who are refugees (or all 3). Each character’s story progresses based on a series of multiple choice questions in which the user choose the answers to. The answers effect the progression and outcome of the character’s story. I thought this app functioned perfectly for its goal to educate users on the hardships and integral decisions refugees must make on a daily basis. Within seconds the app achieves this goal.
Credits: Martin Lloyd - Head of Sales & Marketing (ACW) Mark Evans - Creative Director (ACW) Vicky McDonough - Senior Designer (ACW) Roger Norris - Senior Designer (ACW) Christopher Reardon - Senior Digital Editor/Writer (UNHCR); Reading Rainbow App by RRKidz, Inc. for Reading Rainbow

The Reading Rainbow App is a new take on traditional reading for children. The app kick-starts with a video tutorial from Reading Rainbow television host Lavar Burton which is a thorough and easy to follow instructional video that is easy to follow for both adults and children alike. The best part about this app is that it stays true to the traditional reading experience for children. The reading experience is reminiscent of reading a traditional book, and the interactive animations are not so over-the-top, so they do not take the reader out of a “reading a book” mindset. The Reading Rainbow App also comes equipped with other features to keep its users busy if they want to take a break from reading such as a sticker collection system and matching game. With its quick learning curve and traditional reading experience, this app hits its mark in encouraging children’s reading.
Affiliated Agency: Jonas Public Relations - Publicist
Credits: LeVar Burton - CO-FOUNDER / CURATOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Wolfe - CO-FOUNDER / CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER Asra Rasheed - CEO; Star Walk™ - 5 Stars Astronomy Guide by Vito Technology for Vito Technology

Star Walk is an augmented reality app used for mapping out constellations and planets. Along with its unique and accurate augmented reality technology, Star Walk provides extra educational information by providing the user with upcoming astrological events. Also, upon coming across objects like planets, Star Walk provides the user with other facts. I was skeptical on the accuracy of augmented reality apps but Star Walk proves to work very well. The greatest feature I found within the Star Walk app was the timeline feature that allows you to see star movement paths. One drawback is I couldn’t seem to be able to turn off the constellation outlines to just view stars normally. This app achieves its goal on educating its users on astronomy.
Credits: Victor Toporkov - CEO Murad Nazaraliev - Managing Director

Entertainment: SnagFilms App for iPhone and iPad by SnagFilms Inc. for SnagFilms

A artist’s goal is for his/her work to be seen. For independent film and documentary makers, the festival circuit is a valuable but limited outlet. Snag Films removes the barrier between indies and their audience and replaces it with a direct to consumer experience. This app lets the user discover, review and champion a film or documentary. There are more than 1,700 titles and to choose from and a wide range of subject matter. The varied selection criteria make the search for films fun and interesting. There is also a “Filmathropy” section, which categorizes work by the causes they espouse. Time spent with this app will broaden one’s horizons and help more filmmakers to be heard.
Affiliated Agency: iCreon Tech
Credits: Manik Bambha - CTO, SnagFilms Jeff Douglas - VP, Product, SnagFilms Sarath Tatavarthi - Software Developer, SnagFilms; HuffPost Live by Huffington Post Media Group for Cadillac

Huffpost Live is a live-streaming video network, which makes the viewer an integral and involved part of the content. Viewers become engaged either by making or replying to real time comments as well becomming on-air guests. The IPad app takes this experience to the next level with the addition of air play/Apple TV so viewers can graduate from their small screens to their HDTV. The ability to be an on- air guest and to frame it on your HDTV speaks invitingly to the talking head in all of us. This is the future of media, as Diana Christensen from “Network” must have envisioned it, content by and for the people.
Credits: Roy Sekoff - Founding Editor of the Huffington Post, President and Co-Creator of HuffPost Live Arianna Huffington - Chair, President and Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post Media Group Gabriel Lewis - Co-Creator & Executive Editor, HuffPost Live and Vice President, AOL Studios Otto Toth - Senior Technical Director, Head of Mobile Josh Klenert - Head of UX & Design Adam Denenberg - VP of Engineering Mitch Semel - HuffPost Live Executive Editor; BuddyTV Guide by BuddyTV for BuddyTV

Bruce Springsteen sang, “Fifty-seven channels and nothin’ on”. Today, the number of channels, outlets and content they carry has exploded. People often select the first, least objectionable program. BuddyTV Guide says their app will let you find a program you really want to watch within 20 seconds. Listings are tempered with your personal information, your Netflix account, what your friends like and popular demand. This app then takes personalization a step further to function as a remote for your DVR (availbale now with AT&T U-verse, DirecTV DVR, TiVo boxes, Google TV boxes, Logitech Revue and Samsung Smart TVs.) so you become your own programmer and limit the “What’s On?” query.
Credits: Bill Baxter, CTO Andy Liu, CEO

Family/Parenting: UrbanSitter by UrbanSitter for UrbanSitter

One of the best thing about having kids is being able to leave them. But since you love your kids you can't leave them with just anyone. UrbanSitter has a solution. Their app for iOS devices lets parents scour through a list of approved sitters in their area. The virtual resumes include pictures, bios and credentials of each sitter. Best of all, the sitters are pre-screened so you can rest-assured that your kids are in good hands. The search feature lets you look for sitters by date and time. You can even book as little as 30 minutes in advance. You can also pay by credit card so everything is done ahead of time, making your time away from the kids as stress free as possible.
Affiliated Agency: Bucktrout Creative- Design Firm
Credits: Andrea Barrett, VP Product, UrbanSitter Scott Fausel, Product Team, UrbanSitter Hadar Wissotzky- CTO, UrbanSitter Ignacio Peixoto – Developer, Streamline Social Justin Bucktrout, Bucktrout Creative; BabyBump by Alt12 Apps for N/A

Have you fallen pregnant? Need to track your fetus' development? There's an app for that! BabyBump is one of the most popular apps with over 10 million visits a month. It's the most active mobile pregnancy community in the world. The app has a comprehensive set of tracking capabilities and even includes a daily journal for moms-to-be to track moods, cravings, energy levels and other important pregnancy-related milestones.
Credits: Jennifer Wong, Founder and CEO, Alt12 Apps Casey Sackett, Founder and CTO, Alt12 Apps; Tykoon by Tykoon Inc for Tykoon

Tykoon's app let's parents turn chores into a rewarding experience for kids. The app, which is accessible over web and iOS, turns chores and parent-assigned tasks into an engaging virtual experience. Kids play by completing tasks to earn both virtual and real life rewards, like TyKoins (virtual rewards) and more TV time (real-life reward). This app makes it easier for parents and kids to set and acheive goals together. It's even changing "I want" demands into "How do I earn" conversations. Chores done, better communication and happy kids. Happiness for everyone.
Credits: Doug Lebda, co-founder and chairman of Tykoon; ceo, founder, and chairman of LendingTree.com Mark Bruinooge, co-founder and ceo of Tykoon

Finance: Manilla by Manilla for Manilla

Manilla is an account management tool that allows the user to keep (most) of their accounts in one place, whether it is their bank account, cable, electric, etc. The app is simple enough to use so although it does not include a tutorial, it is still easy to use. The app allows the user to keep their bank account totals along with their bills (credit card, cable, electric, etc.) all in one place. The interface (which is key to this sort of app) is a very good one as the app is easy to navigate and while you cannot pay bills through the app, it provides a direct link to each one of your accounts.
Credits: Jim Schinella, Chief Executive Officer, Manilla Beth Devin, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Manilla Aaron Zitzer, Vice President of Product Management, Manilla Marc Karasu, Vice President of Marketing, Manilla; Mortgage Calculator by Quicken Loans by Quicken Loans for Quicken Loans

Quicken Loans Mortgage Calculator is an in-depth financial app that includes menus for purchasing, refinancing, amortization, and home affordability. I have zero experience on the topic of mortgages and this app is so clear cut and straight forward that it makes the process very easy to understand. Along with an easy to use interface it provides direct links to contact Quicken “Home Loan Experts.” The key to this app is its simplicity, as the subject of mortgage calculations can probably be confusing/overwhelming to some, Quicken does an excellent job of simplifying it for their users.
Credits: Tricia Cervenan - Mobile Product Manager Adam Kaump - Mobile Development Team Leader Kelly Born - Designer Adam Johnson - Developer Jason Huang - Developer Kris Gellci - Developer Mike Dickman - Developer Bryan Wisner - Business Analyst Tom Balog - Business Analyst Mat Stollman - Quality Assurance Pete Januszewski - Quality Assurance; SnipSnap by SnipSnap for SnipSnap

SnipSnap is a coupon app that provides users with a convenient way to keep track of and discover coupons. On top of this, the coupons stored within the SnipSnap App are usable via your mobile as opposed to carrying a clutter of coupons with you. SnipSnap also provides users with a social option to discover what coupons other users and friends are using. Users can follow other users to see what coupons they are “snipping” so they may do the same. This app is easy to use, has a great interface, and is one of the sleekest looking apps in this category.
Credits: Ted Mann, SnipSnap, CEO/Founder Kostas Nasis, SnipSnap, CTO

Games: Action/Arcade/Sports: Chasing Yello by dreamfab for Yello

Chasing Yello is the second installment of the endless runner game series for iPhone and iPad. Yello is an adorable goldfish that must swim endlessly to collect as many stars as possible while jumping and diving to avoid obstacles and Mathilda’s fishing net. Mathilda is of course is seven-year-old mischievous owner. The game is great for any age with fun graphics and snarky narrative. A unique feature of this game was the advent style holiday celebration during which one new challenge was unlocked from December 1st through December 25th.
Affiliated Agency: Tactile Entertainment Aps (Developer)
Credits: Tactile Entertainment Team: Producer Asbjoern Soendergaard Creative Director Alfred Nguyen Game Design Morten Svendsen Lead Programmer Esben Lundsager Hansen Graphics Anders Breum Alfred Nguyen Programming Jeppe Nielsen Anders Svendsen PR & Marketing Ditte Vig Find Special Thanks Rasmus Sabroe Tejs Knudsen Tobias Find Tobias Kragh Nicolas Østergaard Philip Horsten Steffen Reutzer Mathiesen Jeppe Holck Heebøll Martin Griffin Henriksen Jesper Bo Callesen Glostrup Produktionshøjskole cocos2d dreamfab Team: Project Lead & Producer Andreas Mihalovits QA Manager Bastian Stange Creative Director Christian Dickert Junior Producers Bastian Stange Julia Irler Additional QA Christopher Moody Elias Indrich Publishing & Marketing Andreas Mihalovits PR Manager Christopher Moody; ORC: Vengeance by Chillingo / Big Cave Games for Chillingo

With ground-breaking visuals, intense combat, dynamic touch controls, epic battles, and a deep, narrative-driven campaign, ORC: Vengeance is an epic revenge story filled with lore and intrigue. The game includes five chapters with epic battles and set pieces to collect for the ultimate arsenal. Amazing graphics draw the user in as they help the Orc Warchief on his quest for vengeance.
Credits: Ryan Rutherford — Creator, Big Cave Games Andrew Welch — Creator — Big Cave Games; I Hate Zombies by Turbo Chilli Pty Ltd for Turbo Chilli

I Hate Zombies is an easy to pick up racing game with 2D graphics and fun visual features such as the ability to swipe to trigger windscreen wipers and clean zombie slime off the screen. The game offers 21 different vehicles to be unlocked, each with their own unique handling and characteristics perfect for zombie smashing. While your drive may be endless (the game only ends when you crash), it is also endless fun with jumps, coin collecting and the thrill of slaying zombies.
Credits: Ben Hazzard - Turbo Chilli Pty Ltd - Publisher Mark Fennell - IRIX Pty Ltd - Developer

Games: Board/Puzzle: WordTag by Juxta Labs for WordTag

This interactive game lets you test your word skills, providing clues at 120 characters or less. Users can play with different players. Certain descriptive words are forbidden in any category, which ups the intellectual challenge. Winners gain tokens when they guess correct answers. The design is colorful; the game lets players be clever and have fun at the same time. It’s the ultimate parental charge: “Use your words.” Judging from the app’s trailer, creative wordplay and mild flirtation bring “got game” to a whole new level.
Credits: Jared Allgood, CEO and co-founder, Juxta Labs Jayson Ahlstrom, President and co-founder, Juxta Labs; Puzzle Craft by Chillingo / Ars Thanea Games for Chillingo

Does empire building top your do-to list? Then consider Puzzle Craft. Players have to farm, collect taxes, hire workers and more. It’s Bain Capital without bankruptcies, or Monopoly, assuming you were building Marvin Gardens from the ground up. Part town-creation Sim, part match-three puzzler, Puzzle Craft employs strategy and big-picture thinking. Named the App Store’s Best of 2012 “New Ways to Play” and winning IGN People’s Choice Award for Best Mobile Puzzle Game, the iOS game puts a premium on productivity. Winners get to revamp health care.
Credits: Bartlomiej Rozbicki — CEO & Partner, Ars Thanea Games Artur Ganszyniec — Lead Game Designer, Ars Thanea Games; Abductionary by DOJO for DOJO

Abductionary, claiming to be the first time-based word search game, puts players in the role of aliens trying to steal words from humans. Substitute Congress for aliens and benefits for words, and you get the idea. The goal is to form words from random letters “sucked out” of human brains before the Language Extractor 6000 explodes. In my day, they called it Scrabble. A clean, cartoon format awards points for complexity of word; the action kicks up as the stakes rise. Available in Spanish and Portuguese, it encourages Earthlings to think on their feet.
Credits: Executive Creative Directors: Mauro Alencar and Geoff Edwards Creative Director: Chris Masse  Game Design Lead: Rafael Gaino  Game Design: Rafael Gaino, Mauro Alencar and Justin Macha Programming: Rafael Gaino Creatives: Justin Macha, Deidre Lichty and Madelyn Lee Animation: Chris Vilchez and INK Animation Studio Music: Mauro Alencar and Rafael Gaino

Games: Educational/Family/Kids: Learn Spanish – MindSnacks by MindSnacks for MindSnacks

MindSnacks provides users with an entertaining way to learn basic Spanish with its app Learn Spanish. Along with a game that presents users with the challenge of translating Spanish to English and vice versa via text or images, Learn Spanish provides users with a measurement system so they can gage how close they are to mastering a word. The app provides users with multiple lessons and games to choose from. Although this app will not have you fluently speaking Spanish after using it even at length, it is a great starter tool.
Credits: Jesse Pickard, CEO and Co-Founder Andy Mroczkowski, Co-Founder Karl Stenerud, Co-Founder; Write It Versus by 360 Digital Co. for 360 Digital Co.

Write It Versus presents users with a unique challenge of creating a short story/paragraph using three different words. Once that challenge is complete, the user then sends that paragraph to the other player choosing three different words for them to incorporate into their story/paragraph. The process then repeats. Along with this unique way of encouraging creative writing and thinking, the app Is equipped with a sleek interface which includes great illustrations that make the app’s environment enjoyable. Write It Versus also comes with a badge system which encourages users to continue using the app.
Credits: Juan Pablo Gaviria (Creator/Developer), 360 Digital Co.; Abductionary by DOJO for DOJO

Abductionary is an entertaining game/app in which has its users focus on creating words with a limited set of letters and a limited set of time. As the letters fall, users must choose ones they are presented with to make words of three letters or more. The more letters a user does not use the closer the game comes to ending. While this isn’t a groundbreaking type of game, I found myself returning to it often as it’s entertaining, has a good soundtrack, and quality animation.
Credits: Executive Creative Directors: Mauro Alencar and Geoff Edwards Creative Director: Chris Masse  Game Design Lead: Rafael Gaino  Game Design: Rafael Gaino, Mauro Alencar and Justin Macha Programming: Rafael Gaino Creatives: Justin Macha, Deidre Lichty and Madelyn Lee Animation: Chris Vilchez and INK Animation Studio Music: Mauro Alencar and Rafael Gaino

Health & Fitness: Walgreens by Walgreens for Walgreens

Users can do a lot with Walgreens' mobile app - find store locations and most anything else one would expect from a large retailer's offering. But Walgreens chose to focus on the prescription ordering and fulfillment processes, including a feature that allows customers to order refills by scanning prescription bottles. The app's most recent iteration made it easier for customers to relocate their pharmacy business to Walgreens. Transfer Prescriptions lets customers transfer a prescription to Walgreens by snapping a photo of the bottle and transmitting it through the app.
Credits: Andrew Tidy - Director, Mobile Experience Tim McCauley - Sr. Director, Mobile Technology Joe Rago - Sr. Mobile Product Manager Jon Turkington - Mobile Product Manager Kate Paduchowski - Mobile Product Manager Mark Shaffer - Mobile Business Manager Kartik Subramanian - Mobile Product Manager; Health4Me by UnitedHealth Group for UnitedHealthcare

Healthcare behemoths generally aren't known for their embrace of new technologies, nor for the user-friendliness of their web sites. Thus UnitedHealthcare's Health4Me app feels like a revelation: It's easy to navigate and packed with the sort of smart, helpful features - including one through which consumers can learn the approximate cost of around 100 treatments and procedures without having to visit a doctor's office - usually associated with brands like Apple or Honda. It also gets the essentials right, allowing users to check the status of their claims, connect directly with a nurse on a 24/7/365 basis and manage account information.
Affiliated Agency: RLM Finsbury (Public Relations)
Credits: N/A; Cyclemeter by Abvio Inc for Brand

There's a reason so few cycling apps have made a dent among hard-core riders: Most can't begin to approximate the power of bike computers that to which those riders have become accustomed. That's probably why riders responded to the arrival of Abvio's Cyclemeter with something close to astonishment. Unlike nearly all others, the app taps Apple's iCloud for data sharing and updates workouts as they happen - providing the info that bikers want and the is-everything-okay? solace that family members and friends need.
Credits: Steve Kusmer, CEO and co-founder, Abvio Kevin Wallace, co-founder, Abvio

iPad/Tablet Publishing: Cookbook Cafe - the new grassroots way to publish & shop for cookbooks by BakeSpace.com for BakeSpace.com

Have you ever wanted to publish your own cookbook? Now you can with Cookbook Café. Cookbook Café allows anyone from bloggers to home chefs to upload and publish their own recipes online for app users to have for free or to purchase. Not only can one promote your own recipes, but they can also browse through and download all the cookbooks in the collection. The app’s look and layout is inviting with a “Cooking Mode” option that reformats the recipe so it is better to read while cooking.
Credits: Babette Pepaj, Founder/CEO BakeSpace.com; Distro by AOL, Inc. for Engadget

In Engadget.com’s mobile app, Distro, the best tech articles can now be viewed in a magazine-blog format. The app is updated weekly with a new issue that can be quickly downloaded for free within the app. The design of the layout and content provides an easy read and the navigation is swift as you scroll vertically to continue a story or flip horizontally to read the next article. The app also takes advantage of its digital qualities with interactive images and captions.
Credits: Tim Stevens, EIC, Engadget Jeremy LaCroix, Head of UX & Design, AOL Mobile Christopher Trout, Executive Editor, Distro Greg Grabowy, Art Director, Distro Will Lipman, Photographer, Distro Scott Tury, Lead Developer, AOl Mobile Peter Niceberg, Production Manager, HPMG; Newsy for iPad - Video from Multiple News Sources by Newsy for Newsy

Newsy is an app that promises to make you smarter and faster, providing current news stories from multiple sources around the world. The Newsy reporters on the videos take in consideration the various news platforms and weave them together to bring a wider view of the story. On the main page, each story is presented as a thumbnail that can dragged onto a personal playlist. The layout design and videos are very clear and the news content are well presented.
Credits: Geoff Pado, Director of Development Tony Brown, Director of Product Jim Spencer, President

Home/Garden/Interior Design/Lifestyle: ThankYouPro by Zendoa LLC for ThankYouPro

Everyone loves getting mail. Well, everyone loves getting mail that isn't a bill or junky coupons. Thank You Pro from Zendoa allows users to send out personalized Thank You cards at the touch of a few buttons. It even gives you the option of adding your own signature. You can send the card through the mail or electronically. There is even the option of adding a gift card to your Thank You. The first card is free to send and subsequent cards cost no more than $2.99 -- a steal considering that includes the card and postage and the hassle of actually mailing the thing. Our wish: cards for birthdays, anniversaries and thinking of yous. Otherwise, the app is pretty flawless.
Affiliated Agency: MobilityPR - PR Agency
Credits: John Testement - President Zendoa LLC; Charity Miles by Charity Miles for Charity Miles

If you like to run, walk or bike, the Charity Miles app lets you earn money for charity while you're doing your favorite hobbies. Bikers earn 10 cents per mile and walkers and runners earn 25 cents for every mile courtesy of cporporate sponsors. Simply log in, pick a charity and start moving. The charities are some of the best in the world, too and include The Michael J. Fox Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, the ASPCA and Feeding America, among others. So far more than 55,000 users have walked, run or biked more than 580,000 miles to earn more than $105,000 for the charities.
Credits: Gene Gurkoff - Founder Joe Marinucci - Founder; Proposal Pro by Rosetta for Helzberg Diamonds

Proposing to your significant other but haven't the first clue about rings or etuqiette? Proposal Pro by Rosetta has you covered. This app takes potential proposers through the stressful process or asking the parents, picking the ring and even gives tips on how to propose. The in depth diamond overview should prove especially helpful to novice gem buyers. The app already has 13,000 downloads. We imagine that number will soar in the Spring when love will most certainly be in the air.
Credits: Rosetta CCO: Gary Scheiner Rosetta Group Creative Director: Roger Wong Rosetta Creative Director: Brian Clevenger Rosetta Art Director: Rachel Gehrs Rosetta Copywriter: Paula Rogers Rosetta Copywriter: Craig Israel Rosetta UX: Jackie Greenfield Rosetta Solution Architect: Chris Guthrie Rosetta Planner: Lauren Trego Rosetta Mobiel Strategy: Sara Rodriguez Rosetta Developer: Jared Jacobs

Location or Place-Based App: Local Search & Gas Prices app by YP for YP

The YP app goes beyond the basics when it comes to local search. That starts with a home screen that can be customized to show certain businesses, local weather, deals and even gas price listings. Instead of simply showing nearby restaurants, it offers access to 300,000 menus nationwide without requiring users to leave the app. To help speed up searches, it’s also introduced an auto-suggestion feature that predicts what users are looking for as they type, based on their location.
Credits: Rohan Chandran, Executive Director, Consumer Products; REALTOR.com by Move, Inc. for Move, Inc.

Like other real estate apps, Realtor.com provides millions of property listings and ample mapping. But it offers some other nifty features like the ability to draw a specific search area right on top of a map to narrow a search further. Most real estate information is also updated every 15 minutes. And because it’s from the National Association of Realtors, it provides limited access to the MLS database, considered the most accurate listings source. Newer services include price-change alerts for saved listings and maps showing properties just taken off the market along with recently sold ones.
Affiliated Agency: N/A
Credits: Duke Fan – VP Mobile Strategy and Product, Santosh Hegde – Director, Mobile Technology, Cathy Tiritoglu – Lead User Experience Designer, Deirdre Hutchins – Senior Product Marketing Manager, Joe Delos Reyes – Product Manager, Mobile Experiences; Yiftee by Yiftee for none

Yiftee has an innovative underlying idea: allow people to buy gifts through the app from shops and restaurants near a recipient’s location. Someone might send a friend a “Yiftee,” for example, from a manicure, specialty coffee or flowers via Facebook, email or text and have them pick it up at a local merchant. Most gifts are under $20, so it doesn’t require a big occasion for giving. Launched nationally in December 2012 with 2 million merchants, Yiftee now allows people to search by zip code in addition to city and neighborhood.
Affiliated Agency: none
Credits: Donna Novitsky, CEO Aldo Briano, Co-Founder Lori Laub, Co-Founder Jon Kepecs, Co-Founder Christina Gray, Designer Veronica Borges, Developer

Mapping/Location Based: Columbia's GPS Portable Activity Log (GPS PAL) by ISITE Design for Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear wanted to develop a mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts and current Columbia customers to get more out of their adventures, enabling them to capture and track their experiences through a GPS-supported application. The GPS PAL app allows customers to track hikes, capture photos, videos, and notes with automatic GPS tagging, and sync them to a web journal. The GPS tracking app is battery-conscious and works across three platforms: Android, iPhone and the web, allowing virtually any customer to engage with the brand in a new way.
Credits: Paul Zaengle, VP of E-commerce, Columbia Sportswear Tom Russo, E-commerce Project Manager, Columbia Sportswear Garrett Gonzales, E-commerce Creative Manager, Columbia Sportswear Brent Wynn, Sr. Interactive Designer, Columbia Sportswear Gene Ehrbar, Director of Mobile Solutions, ISITE Design Tim Sears, Mobile Solution Architect, ISITE Design Sydney Wood, Account Manager, ISITE Design Bryan Ledford, Senior Solutions Architect, ISITE Design Devin Olsen, Front End Developer, ISITE Design Patrick Craig, Creative Director, ISITE Design Peter Heide, Mobile Solution Architect, ISITE Design; Scout by Telenav for Scout

Scout is your ultimate driving companion. It’s a mobile navigation app that lets you search, discover and drive to things. The app takes a personalize approach to navigation, giving users to favorite places, quick local search, current location and automatically calculated route times for home and work. The mobile app comes equipped with voice turn-by-turn directions along with speech recognition, ETA sharing and many other social sharing features. One unique feature about Scout’s search component is that it offers more than just local search for food, cafes, gas (by price) and WiFi. It also lets users search for concerts, art exhibits and other things to do nearby.
Credits: Dariusz Paczuski, VP of Product, Telenav Ryan Drake, Product Manager, Telenav; Local Search by Superpages by SuperMedia for Superpages

The Superpages Local Search helps users find local information quickly when they’re on the go. With just the swipe of a wheel, iPhone, Android, Kindle Fire and iPad users can access information on nearby businesses in addition to the weather. This year’s app updates feature “shake to filter” results and an integration with GrubHub which allows for users to search, order and pay for food delivery all in one place (with over 400k restaurants in the US to choose from!). The app also includes functionality like voice activated search, predictive search and social media integration, which garnered it an Appy Award in 2012.
Credits: Christopher Folmar - Director Mobile Development Uddhav Kambli - Group Manager Bob Fitzgibbons, - Sr. Designer

Mapping/Location-Based: Local Search by Superpages by SuperMedia for Superpages

Need to change your brunch reservation last minute? Find out if the auto shop you pass every day can change your tire? What about when you're late to pick up your dog from the groomer? There are plenty of things that can't be done easily at the click of a button, so you still need to make a phone call. With the app Local Search by Superpages, making calls to local businesses is easy and reliable. The app is generate over two million calls to local businessed each month and the app continues to grow with the average consumer using the app 3.2 times per month.
Credits: Christopher Folmar - Director Mobile Development Uddhav Kambli - Group Manager Bob Fitzgibbons, - Sr. Designer; The Weekender by Metropolitan Transportation Authority for MTA

During the week, the New York City subway lines and bus routes are the most crowded in the nation. The 109 year old system accomodates 8 million passengers each day. To deal with that heavy load, the system is pretty much always undergoing repairs and maintenance, mostly on the weekends. Before the MTA released their Weekender app, hoards of New Yorkers were frustrated and quite angry over the fact that the weekend schedule for subways and buses differed from the weekday schedule. To remedy this, MTA released The Weekender app in June 2012 for both Apple and Android. Over 100,000 users have downloaded the app. Now, weekend travelers know what lines are under repair, when to expect delays and when there will be smooth sailing.
Credits: Paul Fleuranges Senior Director Corporate & Internal Communications Metropolitan Transportation Authority Mark Heavey Director Marketing & Communications Metropolitan Transportation Authority Sohaib Mallick Asst. Chief Officer Technology & Information Services MTA New York City Transit Charles Gordanier Production Manager Metropolitan Transportation Authority Yoshiki Waterhouse Partner Vignelli Associates Kamal Sheik Web Programmer/Consultant Metropolitan Transportation Authority; TripAdvisor City Guides by TripAdvisor for TripAdvisor

When you're in a new city and want advice from local travel experts, as well as veteran ones, TripAdvisor City Guides' app does the job. This app is packed with great content and boasts easy usability. It can also be used offline so international travelers won't get charged with roaming fees when looking up the must-see sights of Paris or Shanghai. The app includes everything a traveler would want to know about a new city: best hotels, attractions, nightlife, shopping, excursions and restaurants. The best part -- it's available on iOs and Android devices.
Credits: TripAdvisor City Guides Team

Marketing/Branding/Advertising: Target for iPhone by Deloitte Digital for Target

With clean lines and limited colors, this app makes the shopping experience at Target easy. Like the Target logo itself, the design here is fun and functional, easily navigated by the busy shopper. Users can find products, see specials, create lists, consult gift registries and browse the retailer’s weekly ad. Each screen reeks with efficiency. The work illustrates creativity so well done that it seems anyone could have done it, much as Fred Astaire made dance look effortless. Here, Deloitte has developed a lighthearted cross-platform experience that integrates Target’s business strategy.
Credits: Target Experience Team; Chevy Game Time by Detroit Labs for Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners/Chevy

Super Bowl attendees: 63,000; peak active app users: 128,000. It enjoyed 40 million total views, and was downloaded 700,000 times. If ever a company hijacked the Super Bowl, Chevy did by giving viewers a live second-screen experience. Users answered questions about the game and Chevy’s ads in it to win cars. Each player was given a unique license plate and, if you saw a car in a Chevy ad with that plate, the car was yours. What better way to keep the audience more interested in their phones and commercials than in the game itself.
Credits: James Vreeland (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Justin Osmon (Goodlby, Silverstein and Partners) Hunter Hindman (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Joakim Borgström (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Niklas Lilja (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Michael Limbert (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Sha Nguyen (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Brandon Locke (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Rachel Madrigal (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Antonio Marcato (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Jason Pierce (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Logan Walters (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Brooke Turner (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Crystal Trzok (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Karen Jackson (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Hunter Hindman (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Nicole Greenlee (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Alex Burke (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Agnieszka Palarz (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Cameron Luby (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Marika Wiggan (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Heidi Killeen (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Talya Fisher (Goodby, Silverstein and Partners) Paul Glomski (Detroit Labs) Dan Ward (Detroit Labs) Henry Balanon (Detroit Labs) Nathan Hughes (Detroit Labs); Proposal Pro by Rosetta for Helzberg Diamonds

Imagine a young man struggling to finesse his way through a marriage proposal! Here, an app by Helzberg Diamonds helpfully takes him from setting the date to choosing a ring and finding the correct size for his intended’s ring finger and on to selecting the exact spot to “get on one knee. Open the box. Ask her straight out.” Naturally, the retailer hopes to score significant coin for one of life’s most important purchases but it does help teach the 4Cs, how to ask the parents, and gives them useful, practical ideas for pulling it off.
Credits: Rosetta CCO: Gary Scheiner Rosetta Group Creative Director: Roger Wong Rosetta Creative Director: Brian Clevenger Rosetta Art Director: Rachel Gehrs Rosetta Copywriter: Paula Rogers Rosetta Copywriter: Craig Israel Rosetta UX: Jackie Greenfield Rosetta Solution Architect: Chris Guthrie Rosetta Planner: Lauren Trego Rosetta Mobiel Strategy: Sara Rodriguez Rosetta Developer: Jared Jacobs

mCommerce or Mobile Payments: Fandango by Fandango for Fandango

I hate waiting in line at the movie theater for tickets. It seems so unnecessary. All I want to do is get my popcorn and trashcan-sized soda and find the best seat in the theater. Fangango knows this, too. With their app, movie going is much simplier. You can search for the movie you want on almost any mobile device and then buy your ticket instantly. Users get a barcode in return that can be swiped at the entry, thus negating the ticket-buying-waiting-in-line process.
Credits: Jessica Yi; Walmart Mobile Apps by Walmart for Walmart

You can now find America's favorite big-box store in your pocket. Walmart's mobile app is easy to use and chock-full of good deals and information. When you choose your location, deals for your local store pop up. The current sale? Tax refund specials. Once you choose the item you want, put it in your shopping cart and check out. All of your information is input (by you) into your profile so shopping, shipping and, the best part, payment is super simple. Be careful that you don't go overboard!
Credits: @WalmartLabs, Walmart, and Walmart.com teams.; Parkmobile by Parkmobile for Parkmobile

Parking meters are ridiculous. There are few things more demeaning than digging through your car seats to find loose change so you don't get a ticket. Parkmobile has the perfect payment solution to avoid both the seat digging and ticket getting. You can pull up to a meter and pay using your phone. Think you'll be 30 minutes but end up staying out for 2 hours? That's okay! You can easily feed your meter remotely and extend your time to keep the meter maids at bay. There are over 400 locations that accept Parkmobile and over 1 million members. A high quality app that serves a real life purpose.
Credits: Cherie Fuzzell, CEO Brian Burleson, COO Mike McCloskey, CFO aurens Eckelboom, EVP Business Developemnt Brent Paxton, EVP Sales

Medical: EMDR Elite by Aristotle Inc. for Aristotle Labs

EMDR, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, helps patients to recognize and control the effect of traumatic events. A patient’s response to light and sound are key to this approach. EMDR Elite offers the widest range of light and sound settings available for a maximum level of individuality. These tailored settings can be saved for future sessions to allow for consistency in treatment. This app provides state of the art nuances in sound and light that can be easily modified as treatment progresses or stalls. It is very possible that use of this app in session creates a less clinical atmosphere for the patient and contributes to a friendlier, more productive environment.
Credits: Chanda Camden, LCSW, Chanda Camden Interactive Therapy; GoMeals(R) app by Intouch Solutions for Sanofi

GoMeals, originally developed to track glucose levels, expanded to a lifestyle approach to living with Diabetes. You can track your activity, calorie intake, read about healthy living and join in discussions. Log your personal data from any device and the app’s cloud sync technology will update all your devices. You can generate reports that collect and visualize your data and your overall progress toward a healthier life. The Restaurant section is a gem within this app and would be helpful to all who want to control their calorie intake when eating out. You can find a restaurant near you, see the GoMeals recommendations, make a reservation and alert your friends to join you.
Credits: Director of Devices, Sanofi - Lynn Crowe Kim Bishop - Vice President, Client Services Kate Phillips - Account Director Debbie Fenemore - Account Director Katie McNerney - Account Administrator Tomek Weber - Creative Director Mike Synovec - Art Director Anthony Tackett - Art Director Yusuf Yaman - Director Technical Architect Namrata Mayanil - Team Lead - Mobile Applications; Healthspek by rabble+rouser for EaseMD

Healthcare management is most effective with patient involvement, a necessity in controlling costs and treatments. Healthspek makes it easy to keep track of your medical history and allows continuous updates between you and your health providers. The end result is avoidance of redundancy and the ability of all your health providers to be on the same page. Medication reminders and prescription information are also included for daily maintenance and to avoid dangerous drug interactions. The benefits of this service are obvious for those who have health issues, but it is also helpful to keep track of immunizations and to build a medical history that can be used as a benchmark.
Credits: Randy Farr, President, EaseMD Systems. Ben Brough, Manager of Development, EaseMD Systems. Bruce LeFew, Chief Operating Officer, EaseMD Systems. Scott Schroeder, Principal, rabble+rouser. Lee Payne, Vice President of Client Service, rabble+rouser. Nicci Shaw, Account Executive, rabble+rouser. Chris Armijo, Interactive Creative Director, rabble+rouser. Patrick Hefner, Director of Application Development, rabble+rouser.

Multicultural Media App: Around The Way by Around The Way for Around The Way

Around the Way is the 1st mobile app that locates the nearest Black-owned businesses based on current location. The application uses the built-in GPS and plots the businesses on the map. Black-owned businesses have unique challenges such as access to capital and other issues, this app helps solve some of the community issues by empowering those business by connecting them with the local community.
Credits: Janine Hausif, CEO, Around The Way Sian Morson, CTO, Around The Way Eric Hamilton, CMO, Around The Way; Dove Gifting by SapientNitro Shanghai for Mars / Dove Chocolates

Gifting is a big cultural trend in China. But with growing affluence in China, Chinese consumers have grown so used to giving and receiving gifts that there is now little meaning behind each gift. Dove wanted to remind customers that gifting is an act that comes from the heart, so they decided to create an app to accomplish this goal. The Dove Gifting App is the first 3D customizable Augmented Reality mobile online gifting platform, which allows each Dove chocolates gifting purchase to be a fully personalized one. Customers can create virtual e-card messages, select 3D objects, flash animations and upload pictures to accompany every Dove chocolates gift purchase for free on mobile.

Credits: Creative Director: Kestrel Lee, Chanthani Satjatham, Hueylu Ho Art Direction: Chanthani Satjatham, Jerry Kurniawan, Andrew Kupresanin Technology: Amy Hu, Costa Zhu, Elvin Chen, Sinisa Spasojevic Copywriting: Lydia Wang, Nancy Cui Account Servicing: Freddie Laker, Ashley Wu, Gary Zhao Project Management: Liz Chng, Pride Fang

Music: Jam for iPhone by DreamWalk Interactive for Jam for iPhone

Ever dream of becoming a rock star? Your dreams can now come true with the Jam for iPhone app. This app allows anyone to sing into the microphone and turn their voice into an original musical masterpiece. After picking a genre, tempo, and speed, the app adjusts the voice recording to the tune of the genre you picked. Within a week of launching, it rose to the number 1 spot on the free music app list and reached a quarter of a million users.
Affiliated Agency: Appency - Specializing in App Marketing & Public Relations
Credits: GENERAL MANAGER - JOSEPH RUSSELL MUSIC/TECH DIRECTION - SAM RUSSELL CREATIVE DIRECTION - JOE RUSSELL JAM ENGINE - DANIEL RODRIGUEZ UI/GAME MECHANIC - THIAGO CAMPEZZI UI DESIGN - EDUARDO FONTENELE ILLUSTRATION/ANIMATION - ROBERT KOH USER INTERFACE - RICHARD LEE BACKEND DEVELOPMENT - SHAUN BURRIS BACKEND DEVELOPMENT - JOSH DOMOGALA VIDEO INTEGRATION - JERROLD POH; Mibblio by Mibblio for Client

Mibblio turns your iPad into a library of musical stories. This app is designed perfectly for children, encouraging them to learn, read, and sing along to the Mibblets. The illustrations are captivating and bright and the music is uplifting and cheerful. The stories are accompanied by a musical rainbow keyboard and various interactive instruments so the child to play along with the story. With easy navigation, colorful illustrations, and engaging activities, Mibblio will keep any child singing and reading all day.
Credits: Co-Founders: Sammy Rubin, Creative Director David Leiberman, Business Director; The Shazam App by Shazam for (n/a)

Shazam, one of the top ten most downloaded iPhone apps of all time, is accurately named for its magical powers. This simple app can provide the song title and artist name as well as album and history, just by holding the phone near the speakers. After a search, Shazam produces links for the user to purchase and download into iTunes. Shazam is accurate, quick, and very useful for any fan of music.
Credits: Founders: Chris Barton, Philip Inghelbrecht, Avery Wang and Dhiraj Mukherjee Current Executive Team: Andrew Fisher, CEO Jason Titus, CTO Avery Wang, Chief Scientist Keith Lovell, CFO Doug Garland, CRO David Jones, EVP Marketing

News: News360 by News360 for News360

Even before its redesign, the News360 app provided one of the best news-aggregation experiences on any platform. After it, the app is more or less peerless. What makes it so useful is its balance: users can tweak the News360 app to deliver their desired doses of personalized news (about teams, bands, etc.) and "important" news (world headlines, weather). At the same time, the News360 app suggests new topics on a semi-regular basis, getting smarter and more accurate as it learns from the user's in-app behavior.
Credits: Roman Karachinsky, CEO and Co-Founder Nina Grigorieva, COO and Co-Founder; The Week Magazine US by THE WEEK for THE WEEK

Unlike many other news and opinion publications, The Week didn't rush an app onto the market during the heady days immediately following the launch of the iPhone. When the magazine's app finally arrived last year, however, it did so fully formed, headlined by an exclusive "Daily Briefing" section designed to keep readers coming back between weekly issues. Design-wise, The Week's app is as easy to navigate as the print publication itself, eschewing large bricks of content in favor of tablet-optimized navigation.
Credits: William Falk - Editor-in-chief, THE WEEK Brian Kroski - GM, Digital, THE WEEK Alex Watson, Head of App Development, Dennis Publishing; NYTimes App for Android by The New York Times for The New York Times

One of the media world's eminent providers of content finally has an app capable of showcasing that content. The new NYT Android app unveiled last December represents a leap forward from what preceded it, with more than 25 sections worth of Times content and the ability to display slide shows and other multimedia material on screens big and small. For the first time, the Times offers text-to-speech functionality, courtesy of Google's voice engine. Plus the design automatically adjusts to accommodate the size of the screen, whether smartphone- or tablet-sized.
Credits: Paul Werdel, Assistant Editor Digital Platforms, The New York Times Howard Goldestein, Android Dev Lead, The New York Times Farah Assir, Android Design Lead, The New York Times Kate Harris, Mobile Product Manager, The New York Times

Photography: Magic Moments by Magic Moments Media for Magic Moments

Ever wonder how you can make money from photography? Meet Magic Moments, which turns amateur shutterbugs into online entrepreneurs. A three-step process transforms any shot — animal, vegetable or mineral — into a design opportunity. Smack that photo onto various accessories, hats, magnets, mugs, T-shirts, for personal use or upload to Facebook, Twitter and the Magic Moments community and sell them. Billed as the first mobile social marketplace, photographers make 5% on all orders. Partnered with CafePress.com, the app is quick, easy and engaging. Grandparents eat this stuff up.
Credits: Blake George: Co-founder, Magic Moments Media Sanford Nelson: Co-founder/Business Development, Magic Moments Media Trevor George: Co-founder/CEO, Magic Moments Media; flayvr by flayvr for flayvr

Flayvr has a wacky spelling but a nifty use: The app organizes your photos and videos into interactive albums for easy access. It’s great as a handy tool to catalog your photos or share with others. Given the sheer number of shots taken for any vacation or event, which the app identifies automatically, it doubles as a visual library of your life. Unique technology permits an instant display of albums in real-time. CNN named it one of seven social networks to watch in 2013.
Credits: Ron Levy, CEO and Co-Founder Adi Ashkenazi, CTO and Co-Founder; Walgreens by Walgreens for Walgreens

Remember when people framed photographs? Now they shove a smartphone in your face and you have to pretend to recognize Tahiti or the drunken groom as the shots slide by. For those with iPad2 or higher, QuickPrints provides two key tools in the Walgreens app: edit photos and upload smartphone and Facebook images. The app boasts a clean design and simple instructions for one-stop photo shopping. Turn those endless e-shots into prints, posters or canvas art. Then pick up at your local Walgreens in about an hour. Old-school results married to Apple efficiency.
Credits: (all folks Walgreens) Andrew Tidy - Director, Mobile Experience Tim McCauley - Sr. Director, Mobile Technology Joe Rago - Sr. Mobile Product Manager Jon Turkington - Mobile Product Manager Kate Paduchowski - Mobile Product Manager Mark Shaffer - Mobile Business Manager Kartik Subramanian - Mobile Product Manager Zach West - Social Media Manager

Privacy/Online Security: Hotspot Shield by AnchorFree for Hotspot Shield

The Hotspot Shield lets users secure their mobile communications while also saving money on data plans. The apps automatically encrypt users' Web visits, transforming HTTP sites into HTTPS. The app also blocks malware, phishing and spam threats. Plus, it allows users to anonymously access content and services -- like Skype or YouTube -- that might be blocked by foreign governments or employers. The app uses data compression technology to minimize the amount of data that users' consumer via their plans. By the end of last year, the mobile app had garnered more than 3 million downloads.
Affiliated Agency: LaunchSquad, PR agency
Credits: David Gorodyansky, CEO and Co-founder, AnchorFree and Eugene Malobrodsky, CTO and Co-founder, AnchorFree; Ghostery for iOS by Evidon for Evidon

Ghostery enables users to manage data collected about them as they navigate the web on mobile devices. The app detects trackers, web bugs, pixels, and beacons placed on web pages by more than 1,200 ad networks, behavioral data providers and publishers. The app also enables users to learn about those companies, visit their privacy policies, learn of opt-out options and block scripts. The app's opt-in feature, GhostRank, sends Ghostery servers information about trackers in order to improve the feature and report on online tracking. Users can download Ghostery anonymously, without providing registration data.
Credits: Andy Kahl, Director, Data Analysis, Evidon Alex Catighera, Software Engineer. Evidon; Norton Mobile Security by Norton by Symantec for Norton

Norton Mobile Security helps people recover lost or stolen mobile devices, while also preventing strangers from accessing the data in the phones. The app's "scream" alarm helps users find lost phones even if the volume is set to mute. The app also gives people the ability to remotely lock phones, while the Android version can remotely wipe data on the device. When phones are reported lost or stolen, the app activates the device's Webcam to take a photo of anyone using them. The app offers protection against sites, apps or memory cards that can result in malware infections.
Credits: Dave Kim, senior product manager, Norton by Symantec

Productivity: Note Anytime by MetaMoJi for Note Anytime

With no shortage of note-taking apps available, Note Anytime stands out in the category for its versatility and sophistication. It use of vector imaging allows for any text or sketches to be moved, rotated, or scaled on screen. Besides capturing writing, it also includes innovative features such as PDF annotation, calligraphy pens, inserting and annotating photographs, pulling in Web content and creating presentations. You can do everything from using your finger as pen to writing music scores through the app.
Credits: Kaz Ukigawa, CEO Hatsuko Ukigawa, EVP; Slice by Slice for N/A

For online shopaholics and small businesses, Slice offers a convenient way to stay on top of spending. By syncing with your email inbox, the app consolidates and organizes e-receipts for easy tracking. It can also be used to monitor new orders, outbound shipments, and purchase history. Other features include price-drop alerts on items just purchased, notifications about deliveries, and product details. Instead of eye-glazing spreadsheets, Slice presents that data with clear graphics and plenty of color.
Credits: Scott Brady - Co-Founder, CEO, Slice Harpinder Singh Madan - Co-Founder, VP Product & Marketing, Slice Eric Botto - Co-Founder, VP Engineering, Slice; Fleksy by Syntellia for Fleksy

As mobile users, we’re all familiar with the so-called “fat finger” problem. Fleksy eliminates that issue altogether by providing an alternative smartphone keyboard designed to help the blind and visually impaired type accurately. The app uses state-of-the-art predictive technology to discern what a user wants to write, fixes errors and even speaks back words to insure they’re correct. The system lets users tap where they think each letter is, rather than pressing buttons precisely on the screen. With a replacement keyboard for Android devices launched at CES this year, Fleksy developer Syntella is rewriting the book on touch-typing.
Credits: KOSTAS ELEFTHERIOU FOUNDER & CEO IOANNIS VERDELIS FOUNDER & COO JOHN F. MCGOWAN Senior Engineer VADIM MAXIMOV DEV NINJA GREY SKOLD DEV PIRATE BILL RAPPOS UX NINJA

Reference: Robots for iPad by IEEE Spectrum for IEEE Spectrum

Robots for iPad is a fun and innovative app that lets users explore the amazing world of robotics. The interactives let users “play” with robots by spinning or moving them through different actions. Dancing humanoids, lifelike androids, and toy robots come alive under the user’s fingertips in a unique, hands-on experience. The app features a vast robotics data catalog, a glossary of robotic terms, and a timeline of robotics and artificial intelligence. Each robot has its own “profile page,” with technical details, fun facts, and related articles.
Credits: Erico Guizzo, Senior Associate Editor - IEEE Spectrum Randi Silberman Klett, Photo Editor - IEEE Spectrum Harry Goldstein, Editorial Director-Digital - IEEE Spectrum Susan Hassler, Editor-in-Chief - IEEE Spectrum Jeff Soto, developer - Tendigi; Ancestry by Ancestry.com for Ancestry.com

The Ancestry mobile app takes the online experience of Ancestry.com and makes it easier than ever before (for new and existing users alike) to make family history discoveries on-the-go. With a simple and user-friendly family tree viewer, users can show off interesting facts, historic documents, and photos all while visiting a relative. Users can also add, edit, or delete profiles of ancestors or relatives on-the-go. Exclusive to the app is a "Shaky Leaf" hinting feature, which uses predictive analytics to suggest possible new information in a users’ family tree.
Credits: Kendall Hulet (VP, Product at Ancestry.com) Josh Bryant (Designer at Ancestry.com) Dan Reneer (Designer at Ancestry.com) Jason Butterfield (Director, Product at Ancestry.com) Aaron Orr (Product Manager at Ancestry.com) Branden Neish (Product Manager at Ancestry.com) Gentry Davies (Product Manager at Ancestry.com) Scott Lewis (iOS Development Manager at Ancestry.com) Matt Peterson (Android Development Manager at Ancestry.com) Gary Mangum (Mobile Architect at Ancestry.com); NGC Coin Details by The Mx Group for Numismatic Guaranty Corporation® (NGC®)

The NGC Coin Details app enriches the coin collecting experience for hobbyists and professionals. To verify a coin’s authenticity, the app lets users scan the barcode label of any U.S. coin or enter its certification number to compare it with data from NGC’s secure servers. Users can expand their knowledge of each coin by viewing NGC price guide values, upcoming auction information from major, independent numismatic auction houses, specifications (such as mintage and metal composition, reference descriptions, varieties of that coin) and more.
Credits: Max Spiegel, Marketing Director, NGC Kevin Coe, VP of Digital Development, The Mx Group Dennis Kerr, Technical Architect, The Mx Group Steve Arnold, Programmer II, The Mx Group Jennifer O'Brien, Interactive Art Director, The Mx Group Peter Sue, Business Analyst, The Mx Group

Retail: ShopAdvisor by ShopAdvisor for ShopAdvisor

Given the explosion of digital deal offerings, the challenge is being able to find the ones you want. ShopAdvisor has come up with an elegant solution, acting as a retail search engine perpetually seeking out the best prices once a user has added a product to their watch list. With 6-12 months of pricing history on more than 200 million items, the app offers depth and breadth along with timeliness. That’s added up to $38 million in potential saving to date.
Credits: Scott Cooper, CEO & Founder; Fandango by Fandango for Fandango

Fandango has become synonymous with movie listings and buying tickets. It’s also been an innovator on the mobile front. Besides expanding its paperless mobile ticketing program to more theaters, the company last year introduced the ability to reserve seats early via the app. It also integrated Passbook, so customers can add store tickets for easy access on iPhones. That’s along with other features like a theater-locator, Facebook single sign-on, and the ability to rate and review movies directly from the app.
Credits: Jessica Yi, Chief Product Officer, Fandango; Walgreens by Walgreens for Walgreens

To an already well-equipped shopping app, Walgreens in 2012 added a rewards program, integration with Apple’s Passbook and photo-editing capability. The pharmacy chain also capitalized on mobile's ability to link the physical and digital worlds by bringing in-store mapping to all 8,000 of its stores through a partnership with Aisle411. In the same vein, a “Find in Store” feature lets customers check whether their local Walgreens has items their looking for in stock. Even with the new options, the app offers intuitive navigation and a user-friendly experience.
Credits: Andrew Tidy - Director, Mobile Experience Tim McCauley - Sr. Director, Mobile Technology Joe Rago - Sr. Mobile Product Manager Jon Turkington - Mobile Product Manager Kate Paduchowski - Mobile Product Manager Mark Shaffer - Mobile Business Manager Kartik Subramanian - Mobile Product Manager

Search Tools: Zillow Real Estate App by Zillow for Zillow

Zillow’s free searchable database lists more than 110 million U.S. homes like those for sale, rent and not currently on the market. A tool lets app users define custom search boundaries and setup instant alerts for new listings. It also provides access to financial calculators to determine finance options. Taping GPS on the phone, the app pinpoints the user’s exact location and serves-up values, data and information on surrounding homes while walking or driving walk or drive through a neighborhood.
Credits: Jeremy Wacksman, VP Consumer Marketing & Mobile, Zillow Garrett McAuliffe, VP Engineering, Zillow Jay Al Hashal, Sr. Mobile Program Manager, Zillow Sanjit Saluja, Sr. Software Development Engineer, Zillow Preeti Aggarwal, Software Development Engineer, Zillow; Verizon Visual 411 by Verizon for Verizon

Verizon makes business listings, locations and maps, traffic and coupons searchable with the free Visual 411 app. A click-to-call feature, along with daily updates for coupons and deals, and a “favorites” list connects the consumer from the app to the business. After finding the deals and destinations, consumers can share information via email, SMS, Twitter, Facebook or Google+. An opt-in feature lets merchants push relevant information based on location and interests to consumers.
Credits: David Lobo Group Manager Sherrill Moss Product Manager; Local.com Mobile App by Local Corporation for Local Corporation

Local.com app for iOS- and Android-enabled devices gives consumers local business information about products and services, as well as provides 30 suggestions based on the time of day, location and weather conditions. Type keywords or speak phrases for directions and reviews. Users can personalize their homepage with local maps and weather information, and create custom provides, save favorites, upload photos, and share information through social media sites like Facebook.
Credits: Local Corporation - Product and Technology Teams

Social Sharing: ThankYouPro by Zendoa LLC for ThankYouPro

The ThankYouPro mobile app lets businesses follow-up with customers through a personalized thank you note via U.S. mail, combining old school and new strategies to connect with consumers. The free app lets anyone create custom notes to send anywhere in the world within 24 business hours. Domestic mail arrives in one to three days; Canadian, two to four; and overseas, five to seven. Place images or gift cards in the note from a variety of merchants like Barnes & Noble, Loews, or The Golf Shop.
Affiliated Agency: MobilityPR - PR Agency
Credits: John Testement - President Zendoa LLC; Jam for iPhone by DreamWalk Interactive for Jam for iPhone

Jam turns anyone into a musician by selecting a musical style and tempo, and then click record. The app detects the incoming vocal pitch, musical key and song structure, and automatically tunes the vocal and produces original backing music. The social community has grown to nearly 250,000 and reached No. 1 on the iTunes free music apps chart. More than 15,000 songs have been published and shared through the app and there have been more than 500,000 in-app song plays. Users also earn badges.
Affiliated Agency: Appency - Specializing in App Marketing & Public Relations
Credits: GENERAL MANAGER - JOSEPH RUSSELL MUSIC/TECH DIRECTION - SAM RUSSELL CREATIVE DIRECTION - JOE RUSSELL JAM ENGINE - DANIEL RODRIGUEZ UI/GAME MECHANIC - THIAGO CAMPEZZI UI DESIGN - EDUARDO FONTENELE ILLUSTRATION/ANIMATION - ROBERT KOH USER INTERFACE - RICHARD LEE BACKEND DEVELOPMENT - SHAUN BURRIS BACKEND DEVELOPMENT - JOSH DOMOGALA VIDEO INTEGRATION - JERROLD POH; IED IMPACT iPad App by WillowTree Apps for Shoulder 2 Shoulder, Inc.

Injured Military Personnel Assisting Combat Troops (IMPACT), a social network supporting Walter Reed Army Medical Center, lets “wounded warriors” share their personal lessons and insights with each another, putting men and women virtually back in their tight-knit units. The goal of the app is to provide a connection between active-duty members and families supporting them through text, videos and pictures. The app also allows users to use FaceTime chat, as well as discover new connections based on similar interests and geography.
Credits: Tobias Dengel, WillowTree Apps, CEO Michael Prichard, WillowTree Apps, Founder & CTO Chris Ferguson, Co-Founder, Shoulder2Shoulder, Inc.

Sports: Meet Mobile by ACTIVE Network for ACTIVE Network

Even as we entered the digital age, swim meets remained largely an analog operation, one that employed the same set of organizational tools that it did back in 1982. That changed with ACTIVE Network's Meet Mobile app, which eases and automates the planning process for meet hosts, coaches, fans and swimmers themselves. The app similarly renders the meet-day experience far more simple that it used to be. Participants can check Meet Mobile for heat and lane assignments, while coaches can use its tracking tools to ensure their swimmers are in the right place at the right time.
Credits: Belinda Lu, ACTIVE Network Courtney Ferguson, ACTIVE Network Margaret Ho, ACTIVE Network Andrea Facini, ACTIVE Network Joel Werdell, ACTIVE Network And many more!; BBC Olympics app by BBC for BBC

While NBC trumpeted its on-demand-always-everywhere coverage of the Olympics as the place to be during last summer's games, anyone who viewed the bulk of the festivities overseas knew that the BBC app provided a superior experience. Via 24 live streams, it captured every moment of every event - 2,500 hours of coverage in sum - and added, for good measure, network feeds from BBC One and BBC Three. The BBC app also offered a wealth of supplementary materials, everything from dynamically generated info pages for each competing country and athlete to daily commentaries written by BBC journos.
Credits: Lucie McLean - Executive Product Manager, BBC Claire Johnson - Business Analyst, BBC Myles Hocking - Project Manager, BBC Mike Smith - Tech Lead, BBC Kate Lund - Wed Developer, BBC James Shepard - Senior Developer, BBC David Wilson - Senior Designer, BBC Claire Stocks, Sport Editorial Development Editor, BBC A number of contractors including Richard McIntyre, Ron Walker, Johnny Gibson and James Peel also worked on the project. The team behind the BBC's mobile Olympics website were also closely involved.; NHL GameCenter by National Hockey League for National Hockey League

The NHL's GameCenter app recently faced a threat that hit at the very core of its being: an absence of games, courtesy of a lockout that delayed the start of the NHL season. But when the games resumed, GameCenter again proved a must-have companion for hockey fans. In addition to the expected features - stats and real-time scores - the app includes live-game simulation (complete with shift changes) and a wealth of on-demand video highlights. Both the regular and premium versions of the app are customizable by team.
Affiliated Agency: Developer: NeuLion; Designer: Rosetta
Credits: John Pacino, VP Digital Design, National Hockey League Chris Golier, VP Mobile Marketing & Strategy, National Hockey League

Television/Video App: SnagFilms App for iPhone and iPad by SnagFilms Inc. for SnagFilms

For film viewers, it's tough to identify a more indispensible app than SnagFilms' offering. The SnagFilms library contains around 1,700 films and documentaries, nearly all of which have an indie bent. While that's a huge load of content, the app renders it easy to manage, with an intuitive search function and a host of navigable categories. The viewing experience is similarly user-friendly, automatically saving the place for viewers who need to pause mid-film. Too, they can pick up watching on a device different from the one on which they started.
Affiliated Agency: iCreon Tech
Credits: Manik Bambha - CTO, SnagFilms Jeff Douglas - VP, Product, SnagFilms Sarath Tatavarthi - Software Developer, SnagFilms; Team Coco App by Turner Sponsor Shops for Turner Sponsor Shops

Any number of apps allow TV viewers to access expanded or enhanced content from a program or event they're watching. The genius of the Team Coco app lies in its specificity: it allows Conan O'Brien fans to drill deep, deep down into every episode of the show. As opposed to limiting its interactivity to live viewers, the app syncs with both live and DVR viewing. Plus the bonus content transcends cutting-room fodder, ranging from commentaries and rehearsal footage to the expected engagement tchotchkes (trivia questions). There's also content created specifically for the app, a rarity for a four-times-per-week show.
Credits: Stephanie Chappell- Assistant Manager, Ad Sales Communications; The Shazam App by Shazam for (n/a)

When Shazam first arrived, it was used almost exclusively to identify "that song" - you know, the one that you heard in the bar but couldn't quite place, at least not until you Shazam'd it for quick identification. Give its creators credit, then, for its unexpected evolution into one of the few apps that truly enhances a second-screen experience. Shazam has proven a worthy TV companion, not to mention a marketer's dream: Shazam-enabled campaigns allow consumers to self-identify as interested in a given product or service, and have more information immediately beamed their way.
Credits: Founders: Chris Barton, Philip Inghelbrecht, Avery Wang and Dhiraj Mukherjee Current Executive Team: Andrew Fisher, CEO Jason Titus, CTO Avery Wang, Chief Scientist Keith Lovell, CFO Doug Garland, CRO David Jones, EVP Marketing

Travel & Tourism: JetBlue by ROKKAN for JetBlue Airways

The JetBlue app gives you instant access to flight information, weather alerts and even inflight entertainment guides and snack menus. The moment the app is launched, the details you need automatically appear on the homescreen no matter where you are in your travel cycle, whether pre-flight, day-of, or returning — no extra thumbing required. From check-in to your returning flight, all the features of the app keep you in the know along the way. Book travel, search for flights, check-in — all seamless.
Affiliated Agency: Double Encore - App Development
Credits: ROKKAN Charles Bae, Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Bryan Le, Creative Director Lucas Hearl, Art Director Danny Yoo, Junior Designer Akiko Rokube, User Experience Director Jenna Robles, Senior Producer Lorraine Tobias, Account Director; TripAdvisor City Guides by TripAdvisor for TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor Mobile allows travelers to locate the best rates on airfare, ask questions in the TripAdvisor traveler forums, book hotel stays, and add reviews of their own while experiences are fresh in their memory. It can also be useful during a trip with unique features such as “Point Me There,” which navigates travelers to hotels, restaurants, and attractions, and “Near Me Now,” which lets users discover places nearby. As a bonus, the app is available in 21 languages.
Credits: TripAdvisor City Guides Team; SeatGuru App by SeatGuru for SeatGuru

The SeatGuru app provides comprehensive and trusted seat recommendations and airline advice for those taking to the skies. Users receive on-the-go access to more than 700 high-resolution seat maps from nearly 100 airlines. Also featured is the powerful flight search engine from TripAdvisor, which lets users find and compare airfares from the major airlines, low-cost carriers, as well as the leading online travel agencies. Travelers can also view comments and seat photos submitted by other flyers, and share their own images.
Credits: SeatGuru Team and TripAdvisor Flights Team

Utilities/Device Enhancement: iComfort by Lennox for Lennox

With iComfort, homeowners can remotely control their heating and cooling system’s energy usage from the beach, the slopes, or even from the couch, using just about any mobile device. It’s a smarter, more convenient way for homeowners to adjust their thermostat, save energy and money, and make the planet a little more green. Homeowners can adjust the temperature from anywhere, change whether the system should heat or cool their home, put the system into an energy savings away mode when no one is home, and much more.
Affiliated Agency: Mutual Mobile - Application Design and Development
Credits: Bobby DiFulgentiz, Product Manager, Lennox Michael McKinney , IT Manager, Lennox Steve Villarreal, Technical Manager, Lennox Benjamin Simon, Functional Lead, Lennox Android Engineering, Mutual Mobile: Sandeep Asrani, Deepak Bandela, Shilpa Banka, Abdul Baqi, Chamundeshwari Goli, Sameer Joshi, Bhimesh Katta, and Sreekanth Yellavula Design, Mutual Mobile:Brian Benitez, Ganesh Burle, Cassie Clark, Molly Clark, Sean Dellis, Charles Henry, Pankaj Khatwa, and Amanda Klohmann, and Madhavan Mithukaruppan iOS Engineering, Mutual Mobile:Josh Berlin, Sanjana Dua, Sunil Gandam, Swapnil Jadhav, and Ryan Peck Project/Delivery Management, Mutual Mobile: Andrew Cahoon, Laurie Childers, Diane Harvey, Diego Larrea-Puemape, Jennifer Lee, Kate Lockhart, and Jay Willingham Quality Assurance, Mutual Mobile: Anand Amaravadhi and Shyamala Reddy; MyLife by MyLife for MyLife

MyLife provides elegant solutions to issues around sharing, communication, online identity and discovering new connections. The MyLife app allows users to seamlessly connect and manage their Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter accounts in one place - taking the hassle out of having to access multiple apps. The app has a beautiful, well-thought-out interface making reading and sharing messages across different networks quick and easy. The app also provides users with the ability to search for their family and friends, or connect with new people.
Credits: MyLife Mobile Team; Proposal Pro by Rosetta for Helzberg Diamonds

Proposal Pro by Helzberg Diamonds does what no other jewelry app does—it owns the entire engagement process. Proposal Pro doesn’t just teach the 4Cs to young guys, but also walks them through the entire engagement process in a fun and useful way. Guys learn how to ask the parents, get numerous proposal ideas, and get help on finding the perfect location to pop the question.
Credits: Rosetta CCO: Gary Scheiner Rosetta Group Creative Director: Roger Wong Rosetta Creative Director: Brian Clevenger Rosetta Art Director: Rachel Gehrs Rosetta Copywriter: Paula Rogers Rosetta Copywriter: Craig Israel Rosetta UX: Jackie Greenfield Rosetta Solution Architect: Chris Guthrie Rosetta Planner: Lauren Trego Rosetta Mobiel Strategy: Sara Rodriguez Rosetta Developer: Jared Jacobs

Weather: AccuWeather for iPad by AccuWeather for AccuWeather

Beautifully created graphics highlight the experience of this weather app. Attention to detail is evident throughout, and, while there seems to be a large amount of information on the welcoming page, the display makes it easy to take it in. This free app lets users personalize their experience with forecasts translated into many languages, shared via social media and backdrops that go from classic black to artistic design, among many things from which to choose. Incorporating AccuWeather’s RealFeel makes it a most useful tool for daily use. Importantly, the app supports the Retina display on new iPads, too.
Credits: AccuWeather Interactive Media Team; RadarScope by Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. for RadarScope

As climate change brings increasingly more frequent stormy weather, there is no doubt an app that predicts storm tracks comes in handy no matter where one lives. Its specialized display utility allows weather enthusiasts and meteorologists to view NEXRAD Level 3 and super-resolution radar data along with tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings. One tap and you can see an entire list of current warnings throughout the U.S., Guam and Puerto Rico and zoom in on each. Enthusiasts can plot their location by tapping a button and, optionally, reporting it to the Spotter Network. Cool beans!
Affiliated Agency: NOAA - Supplier of live radar products found within application
Credits: Mike Wolfinbarger, VP Mobile Dept - WDT Stdrovia Blackburn, Developer - WDT Ian Stinson, SVP Digital Media - WDT; WeatherBug for Android by Earth Networks - WeatherBug for WeatherBug

It is hard to argue with 121,000 five-star and nearly 50,000 four-star reviews. WeatherBug made everyone happy by eliminating frustrating performance issues as well as outright crashes. Here, it presents just about everything one could want or need to know about current and forecasted weather. Users glide easily from a look at the temperature, wind speed and a five-day forecast to a map showing precipitation and on to a deeper dive into what’s to come, information gathered from what WeatherBug calls the largest nationwide commercial-grade weather and lightning network. Impressive!
Credits: -Andrei Ponomarenko, Senior Android Developer, WeatherBug -Peter Liaw, Android Developer, WeatherBug; The WSBTV iPad Weather App by WSBTV COX CMG for WSBTV COX CMG

The WSBTV iPad weather app is designed with a unique carousel navigation gallery where can quickly access local weather information at home, work or on the go 24-hours a day. When severe weather approaches, the app provides audible alerts and live streams coverage from WSBTV’s meteorologists reaching from Midtown Atlanta to Hartsfield -Jackson International Airport. Not a southerner? Have no fear, the app also includes multi-city forecasting to keep users alerted to severe weather conditions across country.
Credits: Glenn Burns WSBTV Chief Meteorologist Bill Hoffman Executive Vice President Cox Media Group Marian Pittman WSBTV Station Manager Tim McVay VP and GM WSBTV Don Bailey WSBTV Director of News Technology Steve Riley Director of Creative Services Bryan Leavoy WSBTV Web Services Manager Julie Schulman WSBTV Design Director Brad Nitz WSBTV Meteorologist David Chandley WSBTV Meteorologist Karen Minton WSBTV Meteorologist Ray Marcano Cox Media Group Jennifer White Cox Media Group James Greer Cox Media Group Alan Segal Cox Media Group Mike Wolfinbarger Weather Decision Technology Stdrovia Blackburn Weather Decision Technology Ian Stinson Weather Decision Technology Mark Taylor Weather Decision Technology

Wildcard: Mojo Masks by Image Metrics Inc. for Mojo Masks

Mojo Masks is a smart little app that reads a users face and applies a mask to it. Masks look a bit more like greasepaint, which is not to say they don’t work, it’s to say that they are so perfectly applied they look painted onto your skin. The result, for example, is a cat face, vampire face or Mardi Gras mask that moves with your face, smiling, frowning snarling with your every expression as if painted there. It couldn’t be easier to use. Simply select a mask and point the camera at a face. A moment later the mask appears and stays as long as the face stays reasonably inside the frame. Press record and in seconds you have video with sound, ready for sharing. Options include saving to device, email, Facebook and YouTube. It may be silly fun, especially for kids, but it’s also dazzling tech.
Credits: Nick Ramsay, VP Product Management, Image Metrics Kevin Walker, CTO, Image Metrics Dario Ahdoot, Director of Software Development, Image Metrics; Active lockscreen by Celltick for Celltick

Celltick’s Active lockscreen app organizes all your favorite contacts, apps, and recent calls into one easy-to-use screen. It replaces the standard Android lockscreen with an active screen, enabling fast and easy access to any app, making your favorite apps more accessible. You can search and organize contacts, launch an app, and make calls with just a few clicks. And you can customize it with built-in themes like Tron, Retro, and Ocean. You want more? There are plugins you can add like the Facebook plugin, personalized and local coupons, themed video and YouTube channels, Instagram, and more. Users can set up shortcuts to any apps they want or just let the app’s smart algorithm set their commonly used shortcuts for them. They can also set their lockscreen to display personal photos from their phone while their screen is locked.
Credits: App Development Team, Celltick; Seamless Food Delivery & Takeout for iPad by Seamless for Seamless

Hungry? Busy? No problem, grab your iPad, bring up Seamless and your lunch will be there in a jiff -- paid for through your registered credit card, tip included. If you’ve ever used Seamless online, then you already know that the service features menus for takeout and delivery from over 11,000 restaurants across the U.S. and UK. Mobile already accounts for 40 percent of orders Seamless receives from its 2 million members. They already had apps for iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices. During its development, Lizzy Klein, Seamless’ VP of Product, envisioned the iPad app being used in uniquely tablet-centric situations, like on the couch or in-transit. She developed a completely new interface exclusively for the iPad with menus that slide in from the side and options that expand when selected. When opened users are presented with two options: “I’ll have the usual” and “Show me the menus.” “I’ll have the usual” gives members the ability to browse their unified order history (from iPad, mobile, and web) and quickly re-order the same items or visit a favorite restaurant to try a different dish. Browsing the menus is a cinch using the apps food type filters, estimated delivery times, ratings and reviews. Fast, easy food delivery? I’m there.
Credits: Lizzy Klein, VP of Product at Seamless

2012 Finalists

Appy Awards