• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, June 3, 2013

One of the fastest-growing mobile ad networks of 2012 went bicoastal this weekend in announcing the rollout of its newest SDK and milestones in its reach. Airpush, which achieved dubious fame in Android circles with its “push” form of advertising into the app notifications window, was present at both Boston’s AnDevCon and the SF AppShow to make multiple announcements.

Airpush says it is now resident on 90,000 apps and that it pays out $4 million a month to developers in ad revenue sharing. In its live stats on the Web site, Airpush actually shows over 96,000 apps with a claimed 91.4% fill rate from just over 7,000 campaigns.

In order to increase app monetization, Airpush has added new units and upgraded existing ones in the Version 6.0 SDK. A new banner ad now allows for standard ad exposure when an app is being used. Airpush’s original value proposition for developers had been its Push ads that gave an app ad exposure even when the app was not open. The existing SmartWall full page in-app interstitial units get rich media enhancements that support MRAID 2.0 specs. Analytics tools have also been enhanced.

Many app developers credit innovative ad networks like Airpush and Tapjoy with helping the monetization picture for that OS improve substantially this year. But add innovations like Push Notification ads do not come without controversy. Some users continue to regard this format as intrusive “adware” that invades what otherwise is considered the personal space of a phone’s home page. Airpush argues that opting out is an easy process.