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The iPhone Apps Store will presumably make for a fairly substantial cottage industry in the year following its launch this week. And with applications, whether on the desktop, entirely Web-based, or on mobile devices, the issue of support and development costs are on the agenda. Apple partner KPCB has ponied some $100 million to fund software development, which is quite hopeful news for everyone. But eventually the market will have to sustain itself. And a good portion of those making up the third-party set will naturally delve into advertising for financing.

Particularly those who consider themselves first and foremost developers of Web services. In that case, there will be ample room for Medialets to operate.

The role of Medialets is to deliver display CPC/CPA-type advertising and give its clients the wherewithal to easily manage and observe analytics and tracking data. Which is of course the logical package for such a company to deliver. Something for the small guy to wrap his head around and use effectively to drive and potentially grow a software business.

Will there be enough activity on the iPhone front to make such a network worthwhile? I’d venture to say yes. Several years ago I would’ve undoubtedly called such an effort silly and wasteful. But seeing as how more and more applications and services require an Internet connection to function properly, and how consumers are increasingly interested in managing data out in the cloud due to the outstanding convenience factor, Medialets’ offering for the iPhone class of applications has a strong chance of garnering enough attention among developers.

Let’s remember brands’ and marketers’ evident interest in reaching iPhone owners. Months ago it was made quite clear that the percentage of users of Apple’s mobile device that grew increasingly accustomed to searching the Web and generally interacting with their phone’s data-enabled features was enormous. A virtual sweep, compared to other devices on the market. So if any block of mobile consumers is going to go through with the requisite software installs and fire up their 2.5-3G connections to full effect, it’s Apple’s growing army of enthusiasts and the circle of more casual converts surrounding them. Thus, if we’re to play the numbers game, Medialets has a real shot at success with marketing on the iPhone. As good as it has any place else, at least.

Discover New Music with Muxtape Stumbler

Posted: 09 Jul 2008 03:04 PM CDT

Remember Muxtape, that painfully simple yet really effective way of creating online mixtapes, err…muxtapes? I thought it would only appeal for us melancholy types who still can’t get over the wonderful era of cassette tapes, but it caught on; there are many thousands of muxtapes available right now, and a couple of interesting applications grew from the concept.

One of these is Muxtape Stumbler, which allows you to find muxtapes according to artist or track. The former, unlike the latter, will yield results which don’t necessary contain the artist you’ve searched for. It doesn’t seem like much, but try it out: I swear it’s the best way to discover new music right now.

Besides the search function, Muxtape Stumber also maintains a list of top artists, top tracks and top artist searches featured on the service. It’s fun; the only problem, unfortunately, is that RIAA will probably eventually find out about it.

For alternative ways to search Muxtape see MuxFind, a straightforward but also effective search engine.