If there is an iPhone Hall of Fame, Taylor Oteng wants his portrait to hang on the wall.
Sitting in a computer lab at the New Jersey Institute of Technologyyear-
He wrote an article for the device, old taps on his iPhone glass touch screen, testing software apps or apps.
Auten, selected for his good grades and programming talent, is part of the elite student group for the NJIT iPhone app development course ---
The first such in this country.
The school introduced the class in January and noticed the red color.
The IPhone market is booming and has a good income. -
Up to $200 per hour-
Developers are pulling in.
"With the development of the economy, it will be difficult to find a job.
So I'm looking for new ways to make money, "said Oteng, a senior who lives in Montville.
"If I can live on this, why not ? " Orten is the only student in the course to get Apple's approval, Apple is the company behind the iPhone and sells a program in its online App Store.
He was inspired by entrepreneurs like Steve demite and Ethan Nicholas, who got rich after developing smart apps.
The idea of Orten, known as "the children are gone", is an ultrasonic child deterrent.
It causes the iPhone to go high.
He said, "It's basically a way to get rid of annoying kids.
"Since the app was launched at the end of the day, he has sold about 100 units for 99 cents, shared revenue with Apple and earned about $85 in profits.
In less than a year, the app store has become a potential gold mine for software developers.
Nearly 1 billion apps have been downloaded so far-
Some are free, some as low as $1. -
It is estimated that the store may turn into one billion.
US dollar business within two years.
The entry threshold is so low that developers everywhere-
College students from big companies to dormitories-
They are eager to claim in the market.
Mobile apps are nothing new. Cell-
Mobile companies such as Nokia, Palm and Research in Motion have long charged users with downloadable games and ringtones.
But industry watchers say users are now more willing to pay for Apple's reputation.
With clear sound, powerful graphics and flexible tilt, the IPhone has revolutionized the smartphone market.
The device has become ubiquitous, according to some.
"The mobile revolution has finally arrived," said technical consultant Raven Zachary, who held an annual conference for iPhone enthusiasts in 2007 shortly after the iPhone's initial launch.
He expects the turnout at the event in San Francisco this year to be high.
Zachary added: "We 've been talking about mobile apps for 10 years and it really took a long time for the iPhone to launch and make it a mass market
20 iPhone apps, including one from the Obama campaign.
According to Mobclix, a startup in Santa Clara, California, anyone can play in the App Store now has more than 31,000 products, adding 200 new products a day
, Which helps developers make money from their apps.
The best-selling products are often clever concepts such as converting an iPhone screen into a flashing lightsaber with dueling music.
This frenzy has not been overlooked by gaming companies like Hackensack's Skyworks Interactive, whose bread and butter have been developing video and online games ---
Until the App Store was launched last summer.
"We see this is where the world is moving, so we decided to put our toes in the water," said chief operating officer Gary Kitchen . " He wrote the company's first app, a basketball game called arcade basketball, which sold nearly 100,000 units after it was released last fall.
Just then, the company decided to completely change its business model around mobile applications.
Based on our early success-
"Here we are," said the kitchen.
The company continues to build its iPhone portfolio, which currently has 15 games in the App Store.
Skyworks executives say about 3 million users have downloaded Skyworks games so far, and half of the company's current revenue comes from app sales.
At the same time, Apple has not made much direct profit from the business.
It only keeps 30% of app sales. -
Enough to pay for running an online store--
And the developers keep the rest.
Instead, executives at the company believe apps will sell more iPhones and wireless phones.
IPod Touch devices are supported.
The fact that Apple is dealing with finance has turned the market into a virtual democracy that makes momand-
Pop music developers sell their personal software around the world.
Think about Steve Demeter, who wrote ATM software for a big bank, but it took him a few nights and weekends to create an app called Trism that included aligning rows of colored triangles
After months of training, he released the game to the App Store in last July for $5.
Two months later, he made $250,000. -
Enough to quit his day-to-day job and start a company, demforce, to develop games full time.
People began to pay attention to my story.
Demeter, a 30-year-old living in San Francisco, said: "They think, 'This is a successful person '. ".
"I think the story has surpassed the game and it is now it that drives sales. I even get e-mails from 50-year-
Old ladies who say "Steve, I don't play games, but I like Trism.
Not all apps cost money.
In fact, Mobclix reports that more than 23% of the apps in the App Store are free.
Companies like Princeton's Phanfare
Based on online photos
A shared service that sees it as a way for a smartphone to subvert its core business to ensure survival.
The company has developed a free app called Photon that lets iPhone users take pictures, format, load into albums and share it ---
None of this was tied to the PC.
"They say your best camera is what you carry with you, and you always carry your iPhone with you," said Mark Heinrich, chief technology officer at Phanfare . ".
"Our approach is that mobile photography is the future.
"But even if the market becomes active, the field becomes crowded with similar apps as new inventory comes up every day.
It's getting harder and harder for independent developers to win the iPhone lottery, and big companies think they have the resources to take up most of the market.
"You 've been hit, you 've made a small amount of money, and God bless you," said nasil wajihudin, chief executive of Skyworks . ".
"But in the end, the field will be dominated by professional application companies.
We happen to be one of them.
"Back to NJIT, in a room full of stars --
Students with sharp eyes, Oteng totally disagreed.
"Who would have thought that the iFart app would make $10,000 a day in three weeks," he said . ".
"It's all about unique ideas, and it's also a bright spot for independent developers. "--
Venuri vsiriwardane @ starledger Siriwardane may be reached. com or (973)392-5994.