A whopping 95,000 applications that were once part of the Android Market are now no longer available. Android Market, which is now the world’s top app store with 300,000 apps, thus also has the distinction of having the highest attrition rate, of 32 per cent.

Appsfire, an apps discovery service which provided this analysis, said that Apple App Store has a better record in this regard. About 500,000 apps have been published on the Apple App Store so far but only 16 per cent were later pulled back from it.

It was earlier suggested that Android Market may soon eclipse the Apple App Store in terms of number of applications, but they perhaps failed to take attrition rate into account.

Apple itself said at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) that it had 425,000 apps in the App Store, whereas Google said at its own recent developer conference that there were about 200,000 apps in the Android Market. Android Market still has a long way to go before it overtakes Apple App Store.

Appsfire says in the blog post, “They may also be including beta apps or private apps that were never intended to be published in the Market. The Amazon App Store is one such “private” app that is not distributed in the official Market, but it is an exception to the rule. In any case, there are also a considerable number of “private” apps for iOS, distributed through alternative, jailbreak-only stores like Cydia that would also need to be counted.”

Android Market apps are more experimental in nature, says Appsfire. They are just intended to provide more experience to developers, thus they are easier to pull back as well. It’s easier to enter the Android Market therefore less committed developers may also enter it.

Apple App Store, on the other hand, has a development fee of $100 (about Rs 4,500), which means only serious developers who are committed to supporting their apps over the longer term enter the Apple App Store.

Nokia has come out with yet another update to Ovi Store, for its Symbian S60 ^3 devices. Confirming this to ‘The Mobile Indian’, a Nokia spokesperson said that this update is an optional upgrade to the existing application and Android devices will not be pushed this update automatically. However, looking at the number of features and improvements this update brings along, there will be hardly any user left who will not opt for it.

The V2.08.042 update brings update notifications for installed apps, a feature which brought a lot of fame to the Android marketplace. It notifies the user about updates in the My Account tab as soon as they are available. Users also have the freedom to update all their apps in one go or one by one manually depending on their convenience.

Some time back Nokia had released an update for the Nokia Ovi Store application but it was removed after a short while owing to bugs.

Another critical improvement with the new update is the optimisation of application search, and suggestions based on location and device type.

As mentioned earlier as well, this is a voluntary upgrade and users who wish to install it will have to download it from the Ovi Store. This update is a worldwide release but is only available for Symbian S60 ^3 devices at present. No information related to older or newer devices has been released so far.

Nokia has launched a new instant messenger client, which allows you to send messages to anybody else who has the same App installed as well as to people with Ovi Mail account, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and MySpace IM.

The app, called as IM for Nokia, is currently
available on Ovi Store and will come pre-installed on new devices over the coming months.

To use this, all you need to do is to download the app from Ovi Store, load it in the applications menu of your Nokia phone and log in using your Ovi account username and password, the same one you use when downloading from Ovi Store. Press the menu button on the bottom left of the screen and add friends. Type in your friends Ovi email address to add them to your contacts list and when they’re online, you’ll see them added to your Friends list.

You can also log into the other accounts &#151 such as Google Talk &#151 by going through the same process, but selecting the appropriate account.

To chat with a friend you will have to find one of your friends in the list, press their name and your phone will open a chat window. Type your message into the text bar at the bottom of the screen and when you’re done, press the send arrow next to the text box. For smiley press the face button.

After you’ve finished your chat, press the options menu again, scroll down and press the Hideoption. This will keep this app running in the background so that people can still contact you throughout the day and vice-versa without having to log in again.

There is also a home screen widget, which reminds you that you’re online and if you’re chatting to anybody. There is also a Do not disturb button and an invisible mode.

On devices with S40 operating system, the home screen widget is available but do not come with option to change your chat availability.

Volvo has launched a new application to help drivers stay in touch with their cars remotely. The App allows drivers to monitor and check their vehicle from an iPhone handset.

However, the new app is available only for new Volvo models manufactured after 2012. The app helps drivers to easily find their cars by displaying its position on a map and remotely activating the lights and horn if necessary. Drivers can also lock or unlock the doors of their vehicle remotely through this app.

Drivers can also remotely view the vehicle dashboard to read information such as fuel level, range to empty, and average speed, as well as viewing more detailed information such as technical data and logs of recent trips made.

If the car alarm is triggered, a notification is automatically sent to the mobile app. Besides, other safety features such as roadside assistance and automatic collision notification are also included by Volvo.

The application is available for use in Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the UK, Russia, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands and is expected to be available in other countries like India soon.

Volvo’s chief executive officer Stefan Jacoby says that the Swedish brand has “ambitious plans” in the connectivity field, although the automaker is hardly the only one vying for yet more space in drivers’ pockets.

As cellular communications and satellite navigation devices combine with more powerful in-car computers, most major automakers are now looking for ways to safely enhance the driver experience, even when the driver isn’t behind the wheel.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet’s parent brand General Motors revealed that its remote access app, powered by telematics system OnStar, has over 56,000 users, who have completed some 1.3 million interactions with their vehicles.

Winamp has released a major update of its music application for Android platform, bringing in some new exciting features. Winamp for Android is a music player that offers several popular features of the program’s desktop version.

The new Winamp App will let users listen to all new releases from AOL’s Full CD Listening Party website for free and also MP3 of the day. Available for Android 2.1 or higher running devices, the new Winamp for Android 1.1 app is available as free download from the Android Market.

The Winamp app brings several useful features such as wireless desktop sync feature, importing iTunes library and also listen to your favourite genre from thousands of Internet based radio stations using the SHOUTcast feature. Previously the SHOUTcast feature was limited only to Android 2.2 Froyo or higher update running devices.

The recent build brings improved SHOUTcast performance with featured station list and streaming playback functions with its improved native media engine.

The app also brings supports to 14 more languages which include traditional as well as simplified Chinese. It’s one must have music player app for Android smartphone owners. The app doesn’t offer support to play video files for Android platform yet.

Zynga, a social network game developer, has announced the launch of yet another game from its “With Friends” series. The game, named as Hanging With Friends, was created on the lines of the popular classic game of Hangman with added variety.

Hanging With Friends challenges players to take turns creating and guessing words to stump, amuse and impress friends. Players choose their avatar from a line-up of delightfully colourful characters and then join their opponents in a hilarious race to see who can hang on the longest. Guess correctly and survive to play another round. Miss a word, and its one step closer to the end! Players can also grasp at strategic lifelines that offer crucial hints and watch instant replays that provide a glimpse into their opponent’s tactics.

“We took a game that everyone knows and loves and reinvented it for the With Friends platform. Hanging With Friends is a truly social game that puts your creativity and puzzle-solving skills to the test,” said Paul Bettner, vice president and general manager of Zynga With Friends.

Players can connect to Hanging With Friends with their existing With Friends account or utilise Facebook Connect to easily find new friends to take on. In the new game, players move at their own pace, and up to 20 simultaneous games can be enjoyed at the same time.

Push notifications alert players when it’s their turn and in-game chat Messaging invites some serious smack talk. And if a player’s own friends leave them hanging, the random opponent feature will instantly find new challengers.

Hanging With Friends will be available soon as a free or premium download from the App Store on iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, or at www.iTunes.com/AppStore. Initially it will be available in Canada via the Apple App Store and will be available in other regions in the coming days.