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"Fifty-one percent of the apps downloaded during Q1 of 2013 were downloaded from Google Play, according to a report released by Canalys on Monday. \nWhile Google had the majority when it came to the number of downloads, it didn\u2019t earn top honors in terms of revenue. Canalys reported that Apple was the big winner there, taking home 74% of app revenue during the same period.\n\u201CApple\u2019s App Store and Google Play remain the heavyweights in the app store world. In comparison, BlackBerry World and the Windows Phone Store remain distant challengers today, though they still should not be ignored,\u201D Tim Shepherd, a Canalys senior analyst, said in statement.\nSome of the strongest growth over the quarter was seen in emerging markets such as Indonesia, South Africa and Brazil. While those areas saw significant growth in terms of downloads, that didn\u2019t necessarily translate into revenue.\n\"This is a multi-billion-dollar growth market, with more and more consumers around the world now comfortable and confident in finding apps, downloading them and making in-app purchases, on a growing addressable base of smart phones and tablets,\u201D said Adam Daum, Canalys' chief analyst of analytics.\nIn North America where smartphones are commonplace, app downloads were up 8%, with revenue trailing slightly behind at 6%.\nAltogether, the four leading app stores \u2014 Google, Apple, BlackBerry and Windows \u2014 had a total of 13.4 billion downloads during Q1, equaling revenue of $2.2 billion.\nImage via Michael Nagle/Getty Images\nBONUS: 6 Apps You Don't Want To Miss\n\n\nApps You Don't Want To Miss 4/06/2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFinal Fantasy V\n20 years after the popular role-playing game was released in Japan, Final Fantasy V is now available for iOS. Final Fantasy enthusiasts will recognize the epic adventure game, now with added features such as touchscreen controls and Game Center support.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMittens\nDisney launched Mittens this week, a physics-based puzzle game that has you play the part of Mittens, a high-flying feline. Throughout the game, Mittens travels the world attempting to collect milk bottles, balloons and gifts by slicing and dragging objects to optimize his travels.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nUse Your Handwriting GOLD\nA new iOS app called Use Your Handwriting GOLD makes it possible to take notes on your iPhone using your hand. Similar to note-taking apps on other platforms, the app lets you write notes with your fingers on the screen. The page will auto-scroll as you reach the end, and your final note can be emailed to friends or shared on Facebook or Twitter.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBox\nBox updated its Android app this week, adding the option to customize permissions of newly created shared links, and adding a preview capability for audio and video files.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSkyDrive\nAfter almost a year of disputes with Apple over revenue sharing, Microsoft released version 3.0 of SkyDrive for iOS this week.  Not updated since June of last year, the update brings a new look and feel, as well as support for the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. Now you can also  download full-resolution photos from the app to your iPhone or iPad.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDoodle Jump\nPopular mobile game Doodle Jump updated its Android app this week, making the game free. The addictive game has a variety of different and unique worlds to play in -- you\u2019re bound to want to play over and over again.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/04/08/canalys-report/>