Skyhook released a report today detailing the results from a survey of Android LBS app developers.  The survey revealed a common dissatisfaction with the platform, mostly due to low download volumes, poor marketplace design and an ineffective billing system.  The numbers supporting this feeling were substantial:

82% of those surveyed indicated that the design of the Android Marketplace makes it difficult for apps to be noticed; 57% of Android developers are not satisfied with the profits to date. Google Checkout is a major concern for developers, 43% report that they would sell more apps if Android used a carrier billing or another simpler billing system; and only 10% of Android developers are currently serving ads.

Another huge concern was fragmentation of the market.  With over 50 new Android devices rumored to be coming out, 46% of developers were certain that different versions of Android would make development more difficult.

These feelings represent a small sampling of a big consensus among Android developers.  They are not generating real revenue from apps on this platform.  Overall, developers don’t want to invest time and effort into apps that do not pay off: 68% of those surveyed are somewhat or not likely to put further work into their apps, compared with when they were first developed.  While most developers are certain that Android will take off and eventually become a source of profit, it is clear the platform faces serious challenges. In order to retain developer enthusiasm and maintain the production of new and popular apps, Android must develop effective methods for app monetization. Otherwise, developers will lose interest in the platform and focus their resources elsewhere, and the platform will no longer stand out as go-to spot for innovative apps.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

This week the App Store got three great new apps that will both aid and entertain users of all types.

Urban Quiz by Tobias Basedow is a unique location based quizzing app. This app provides relevant trivia based on your current location. These questions are user submitted and only accessible to other users if they find themselves in the same location in which the question was submitted. This app creates a new sense of immersion for users as they are forced to interact with their environment in depth as they search for the right answer to these questions.

Kluckr by Kluckr Communications is your solution to the constant dilemma of finding the best chicken wings possible in your area. This app uses your current location to provide listings for nearby chicken wing restaurants, while additionally providing Kluckr’s ratings, reviews, and filtering options to aid in your wing selection process.

Phresheez by Michael Thomas is a useful app for the skiers and snowboarders this winter. This app will track your location throughout your day on the mountains, automatically upload pictures and videos to phresheez.com, and show your friends’ locations on a map of your resort. Phresheez will also geotag your photos and videos so you can see exactly where you were when they were recorded.

Last week the Apple App Store released three new location-aware apps to help you decide where you’re going, how to get there, and some ideas on what to do once you arrive.

Going by AOL is a great app to find things to do, covering many of the top cities in the U.S. based on the popular website Going.com. Using the power of location, Going shows you what your friends are up to right now, and where they’re planning to go later.

Before heading out to your chosen destination, it’s always important to make sure you’re looking your very best. Luckily, Holiday Gift Guide by NearbyNow provides a great way to check out the latest fashion styles. NearbyNow can even contact stores located near your location to reserve any particular item you happen to like.

Now that you’ve got some nice clothes to go out in, if you’re in Boston for the weekend (or for life like we are), just launch the Open MBTA app by Daniel Choi to gain access to public transportation data including the bus, commuter rail, subway, and boat schedules and make sure you arrive on time.

Skyhook released Maps Booster for Ovi today, an app that dramatically improves the speed and accuracy of location results on any S60 Nokia handset.  The app serves as a fix for both Nokia Maps, and any app that uses location on the devices.  Nokia Maps often takes up to a full 60 seconds to pinpoint location, while Maps on the iPhone loads location almost instantly. And when Nokia devices finally do determine location, the results can often be very inaccurate.  Maps Booster replaces Nokia’s location platform with Skyhook Wireless’ location software. This superior location system quickly feeds quality location data to Nokia Maps and all other applications that use location like I Parked Here, Google Maps, or Lifecasting with Ovi.

Maps Booster will greatly enhance user experience on your LBS apps.  We hope that improved location on LBS apps will result in higher download volumes for developers and  better user satisfaction.

Maps Booster is currently available for the following Nokia phone models: Nokia E71x, Nokia 5730 XpressMusic, Nokia N79, Nokia E55, Nokia N95, Nokia N86 8MP, Nokia N85, Nokia E52, Nokia E63, Nokia N96, Nokia 6710 Navigator, Nokia E66, Nokia N78, Nokia E72, Nokia E71, Nokia E75, Nokia N82, Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, Nokia E51, Nokia N95 8GB, and Nokia 5630 XpressMusic.

We are currently waiting for Ovi store approval for the following S60 5th edition phones: Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N97, Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, Nokia X6, and Nokia N97 mini.

These five phones should be added within a week or two.

Skyhook also provides an SDK that Symbian developers can integrate into their apps permanently: http://www.skyhookwireless.com/developers/sdk.php

Tweet this:  #Skyhook Wireless releases Maps Booster for Ovi http://bit.ly/U0j9W

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

Skyhook released an upgrade to its publicly available SDK today with feature updates for Symbian and Android.  On the Android platform, the SDK now provides two enhancements for XPS: improved time-to-first-fix and Wi-Fi connectivity interference.  The Android upgrade also adds neighbor cell scanning support when available, for Android 1.5 or later.  Finally, it adds improved cell positioning with more Cell IDs.

On the Symbian platform, the SDK upgrade also provides improved time-to-first-fix, and support for S60 5th Edition.  It also fixes a previous problem for non-English locales, where the lat/long was only available in decimal form.

To download the SDK now and view the complete supported platforms list, including Windows, Windows Mobile, Mac, Android, Symbian, Linux and Maemo, visit: Skyhook SDK

Skyhook announced two more Android partnerships this and last week.  The first was with a popular social networking app called Aloqa.  Aloqa adds a social networking element to its local search capabilities by notifying users to places, events and friends nearest to their current location.  Users get real time alerts of changing content like movies and concerts.  The app also teamed up with Facebook to alert users to the whereabouts of their Facebook friends.

Skyhook’s second partnership announcement with its first app in the Security category: SIM Checker.  SIM Checker is an application that helps recover stolen Android devices. SIM Checker users set a phone number and email address to which SIM Checker will send alerts if a different SIM card is installed in the device. These alerts contain the location of the stolen device. The app was among five other apps nominated for Best Security App in the Android Network Awards last month.

Both of these apps represent innovative apps in some of the most popular app categories on Android.  While Social Networking has established itself as a staple category for LBS apps, security is getting more popular as users are placing more value on their mobile devices.  We look forward to enabling innovative uses of location in additional finance and social networking apps in the future.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnership announcements, follow us on Twitter: @SkyhookWireless

This week we found three new iPhone apps that flow together perfectly to help with any weekend expeditions.

Center’d by Center’d Corporation brings the popular Center’d experience from the Internet to the iPhone. Center’d was created with the goal of helping people decide what to do or where to go without having to spend the time and effort that normally goes into that process. Center’d suggests activities simply based on what type of crowd you’re with (date, group, etc) and what type of mood you’re in. Using location the Center’d iPhone app suggests results closest to you.

Once Center’d helps you chose your next destination, TomTom US & Canada, a new turn-by-turn navigation app by TomTom International B,V will help you get there. Users familiar with TomTom GPS devices can now find a similar high quality navigation experience on the iPhone.

And finally once you arrive at your destination and find that lucky parking spot, A Parking Spot by apalms drops a map pin to mark your car’s location. Once you’re on your way back to that spot the app will trace a line from your current location to where you parked your car. It also displays the remaining distance and the quickest way back to your vehicle in a visually compelling way.

Skyhook announced two more Android partnerships this week: Sherpa, by Geodelic, and TIE Your Money.

Sherpa is the overnight success Android app created by Geodelic.  Sherpa allows users to discover the most relevant information based on their location and preferences. The app learns your likes and dislikes through behavior and user feedback, and prioritizes recommended retailers, restaurants and attractions. Sherpa is an app with high performance standards. The app’s need for excellent location necessitated Skyhook.

Our second announcement, TIE Your Money, was our first in the finance category.  Finance is an increasingly popular category for location-based apps, as consumers are realizing the benefits of being able to track their expenses by the precise locations of their transactions.  TIE Your Money helps users to better manage their money.

These partnerships indicate that developers need better location than Android provides natively. Developers are not willing to compromise the quality of their apps by using the Android location platform.

To get up-to-the-minute updates of Skyhook news and partnerships announcements follow us on Twitter @SkyhookWireless

With the App Store hosting over 50,000 apps, sometimes it’s hard to know what’s worth your attention. That’s why we’re here to tell you about some cool new apps we found digging through the App Store.

Meeting someone halfway is a common way of seeing distant friend without having to travel an excessive amount of time. Middow by Servron simplifies the process of meeting up by telling you the halfway meeting point between any two specified locations.

Increasingly people want real-time information about what’s going on as it happens. City Stream by Metosphere creates a social network of users who upload geotagged pictures of what’s happening wherever they might find themselves. Any user can view all these picture updates on a map and now visually see what might be going on nearby them at any given moment without having to be there.

Every driver has bits and pieces of interesting information about where they’ve been, where they are, and where they’re going. Aha by Aha Mobile helps any user capitalize on this plethora of knowledge by connecting drivers in their own social network. Drivers can post updates on traffic situations, leave reviews for good restaurants, alert fellow drivers to known speed traps, and see any updates fellow users have posted. These updates are all geotagged so you can easily see what location any particular update is referring to. Together drivers can have a more informed travel experience provided in an appealing, easy to use interface.