Twitter yesterday announced a couple of new functionalities for its Twitter Cards platform that are of particular interest to mobile app developers. The two new functionalities allows mobile app developers to add links at the bottom of their Tweets featuring Twitter Cards that either prompt users to download their app from a mobile app store or deep-link into their own app (for users who already have a particular developer’s app installed).

Both of these new Twitter Card functionalities — app installs and deep-linking — work across iPhone, iPad and Android. Developers can implement Twitter Cards with these functionalities by adding a new set of markup tags, which Twitter details here.

Twitter Cards, which more than 10,000 developers already use, allow developers to embed rich media — videos, images, story summaries and more — in Tweets that are generated from the link within a Tweet’s text.

First, mobile app developers can add these new footer tags to their markup, so they can specify to users who haven’t downloaded their app to do so. The Twitter Card will have a link that reads “Get the app.” For developer’s that have an iPhone app that’s not iPad optimized, they should include the iPhone app ID, name, and URL, for both iPhone and iPad related tags. When no value is provided for iPad, the Cards will render a “View on web” link directing to the value in twitter:url.

Second, If a user has a particular developer’s app installed, a developer can specify a deep-link into the relevant resource within their own app. The text prompt in the embedded Twitter Card in a Tweet reads “Open in app.” If a user taps the link, Twitter will send the user out of Twitter and into a developer’s app. For example, instead of viewing a photo from Flickr within the Twitter app, a user can click the “Open in Flickr app” link to hop out of the Twitter app an into the Flickr app to view the photo.

“With mobile app deep-linking, users will be able to tap a link to either view content directly in your app, or download your app, depending on whether or not they have your app installed,” explains Twitter’s Jason Costa in a blog post.

These new functionalities tear down the barrier between app-to-app communication. Instead of pulling up an in-app browser like Twitter used to do, which the Facebook app still does, a user can hop out of Twitter and to another app. These new Twitter Card functionalities also provide a huge potential for app developers to drive downloads and app discovery. Since many developers promote their apps on social networks or implement social sharing features within their apps, they can now use these new Twitter functionalities to encourage users to download their app or re-open their app to increase retention and decrease churn.

Union Square Ventures managing partner Fred Wilson said in a blog post that the deep-linking functionality is helpful for ecommerce apps. Instead of directing a user to a mobile web page where they may not be logged into a particular ecommerce company’s website, they can now be sent to an ecommerce company’s mobile app where a user is generally logged in with their payment credentials. Essentially, ecommerce businesses can use this new Twitter Card functionality to help with driving transactions rather than just page views.

For developers interested in learning more about how to enable app install prompts and deep-linking, head here.

Artfinder is a new iOS app from Art Discovery Limited, designed as a companion to the Web-based service of the same name. It’s available now as a free download from the App Store, and is currently featured on the App Store front page.

The Artfinder service as a whole has two main purposes: to educate people about art and the value thereof through magazine-style articles, interviews and other features, and to allow people to purchase works of art easily. The overall aim of the service is to enable users to discover their own tastes in visual art, and be able to satisfy those tastes by purchasing works that appeal to them.

The Artfinder app itself is split into two main components, accessible once the user signs in using either Facebook or their email address. The Home page shows what’s new on the service, including new works available for purchase, new articles and features on specific types or art or individual artists. The Magazine section, meanwhile, is split into a number of distinct sections including a daily “Art of the Day” feature, feature stories, “60-second interviews” with artists, art collections, guides to styles and trends, and educational articles.

When browsing through articles and art collections, users may add any works that catch their eye to their wishlist, which is accessible via their profile page. Individual articles or works may also be shared via email, Twitter or Facebook, or a link copied to the clipboard for sharing in other places. In cases where works of art may be purchased, the price is clearly displayed, and purchasing is a simple matter of tapping the “Buy Now” button. Full details of the work are shown to the user prior to purchase, including its country of origin, whether or not it is signed, whether or not it is framed and its dimensions. Some brief biographical information on the artist is also provided, along with information on the partner organization that has made the particular work available for purchase where applicable.

To actually purchase a work, the user must fill in a form including the country they are in, at which point shipping costs are calculated. The user’s full shipping and billing information must then be filled in manually, and payment is handled via Artfinder’s site rather than in-app purchase. Prices are shown in local currency after the user has selected the country they would like to ship to.

Artfinder is a simple but well-designed app that performs its functions well. It would have perhaps been nice to see a search facility to allow users to look for specific information on an art style or artist, but by browsing through the information rather than jumping straight to a specific section, there is the possibility of discovering interesting new things — which is, after all, what the service is supposed to be all about. Social features are relatively limited — there’s no facility to “like” or comment on individual articles within Artfinder itself, but to be honest, this feature isn’t really missed. If users want to discuss art, there’s nothing stopping them sharing the article or work on Twitter or Facebook and discussing it there, though it would be good to see a broader spectrum of supported services — Pinterest would seem like an ideal match, for example. Instead, by omitting unnecessary features, the app gives the user a much more streamlined experience that focuses entirely on professionally-curated content rather than community features. This is ultimately to the service’s benefit, as it places the attention firmly on the opinions of Artfinder’s experts rather than a community whose credentials and reliability cannot necessarily be relied on.

You can follow Artfinder’s progress with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social apps and developers.

Apple Passbook mobile commerce app has more than tripled the number of Major League Baseball stadiums available. Now there are 13 American baseball options compared to last season’s four. The tickets are through the iPhone MLB At Bat app.

Packaged with last fall’s iOS update, Apple Passbook streamlines several retail apps into one user interface. In MLB’s instance, it makes digital game day tickets available on the iPhone lock screen. As with American Airlines, United and other ticket-based Passbook items, the MLB ticket appears a few hours before the purchased event.

The 2013 additions are the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.

MLB was one of the few brands to launch on Passbook. It obviously getting support from the baseball organization, as well as other sports-affiliated brands like eBay’s StubHub.

The show of support assuages initial concerns that Passbook would actually take away customers from native apps. As we wrote in September, Apple’s design turns Passbook into a one-stop shop for individual retail apps, but lacks the deeper interactivity offered by the apps. Despite the limitations, Starbucks, Target and other early adopters saw a big uptick in their app downloads and, presumably, their number of users.

Amazon is launching Amazon Coins, a virtual currency to purchase apps and buy in-app goods on the Kindle Fire. Announced this morning, Amazon says they will be available in May.

According to the Amazon Coins FAQ, an Amazon Coin has a one-to-one relationship to an American penny, so developers will receive the same royalty payments as credit card purchases. Users will be able to purchase everything but subscription-based services.

At May’s launch, Amazon promises to give away “tens of millions of dollars worth of Coins” to customers. Amazon is investing significant money in the giveaways, but users will need to purchase a Kindle Fire to redeem their gift or, at the very least, visit the Amazon App Store and risk purchasing more than just what the Amazon Coins are worth.

Furthermore, we can imagine future Amazon gift cards not being redeemable in the entire Amazon marketplace, but tailored, via the Amazon Coin, to be redeemed just within the Amazon App Store.  The Amazon Coin is another serious run to lock users into the Amazon ecosystem, specifically the Kindle Fire one.

Amazon has certainly been looking at Facebook’s issue with its own Credits system. As Inside Facebook reported in 2011, Facebook eventually let developers use their own in-app currency systems because the translation between currencies was too confusing.

To be involved in the launch, app developers must sign up for Amazon Coins by April 25. Amazon Coins will only be available in America at launch.

iDon’tQ is a new iOS and Android app from the U.K.-based organization of the same name. It’s available now as a free download from the App Store and Google Play.

The principle behind iDon’tQ is to allow its users to have a more comfortable experience at bars and clubs through a streamlined, smartphone-based ordering service. Rather than waiting in a crowd around the bar, iDon’tQ users are able to make use of the app to order drinks, bar snacks and food and have it delivered directly to their table by the venue’s waiting staff.

Using the app first requires that the user register or sign in, which may be done using Facebook if so desired. iOS 6 users may log in using Facebook without leaving the app. Once this is done, the app checks the user’s GPS location and searches for the nearest venues, with the nearest one — assumed to be the user’s most likely current location — highlighted at the top of the list. If the list is not showing the results the user is looking for, they may instead search by location on a map or search by name.

Once a location has been selected, the user may read information about the venue, view its website, call its phone number or browse the menu. Items from the menu may be added to a shopping basket, and on checkout the user is able to add additional information to their order such as their table number and special instructions if necessary. Payment may then be handled through the app, too, and saved card information can be protected using a PIN — which the app specifically recommends is not set to the same as the actual card’s PIN for added security.

At present, the selection of venues supported by the app is somewhat limited, with only a few scattered locations around the U.K. presently making use of the service, most (though not all) of which are around the more affluent south coast and London. Early user reviews have been positive, however, so as the word gets out, it’s entirely possible that the app will become more widely-supported; at present, though, it is all but useless anywhere other than the U.K. due to the lack of supported locations.

Geographical issues aside, however, iDon’tQ is a solid idea that makes good use of mobile technology to streamline what is still one of the most inefficient processes in brick-and-mortar establishments. The app is well-designed and easy to use — assuming there is good mobile or Wi-Fi signal in the venue, of course — and will hopefully help make life considerably more convenient and efficient for both business operators and customers alike as it expands its operations further afield. For now, a solid framework is there and the app is worth looking at to see how such a simple but effective idea is implemented, but it remains to be seen what the take-up rate will be in venues across the world, not just in its native U.K.

You can follow iDon’tQ’s progress through the App Store and Google Play charts with AppData, our tracking service for mobile and social apps and developers.

It has been a phenomenal year for mobile social commerce, according to Flurry Analytics. CEO Simon Khalaf shared strong stats at the company’s Source 13 conference this past weekend, including nearly triple growth in e-commerce participation.

Flurry found that time in mobile shopping apps went up 247 percent between December 2011 and December 2012. The stats shared only include iOS and Android apps, so the impact of smaller players like Windows 8 or Blackberry, particularly in developing countries, is unclear.

Overall, users spent 132 percent more time using apps over the past year. Shopping was the third biggest jump behind social (387 percent) and media & entertainment (268 percent).

The fastest growing iOS and Android markets belong to China at 293 percent growth, Vietnam at 269 percent and Colombia at 260 percent. Inside Social Commerce predicted Colombia’s growth last October when we visited Bogota for the Colombia 3.0 expo.

America and China still outstrip other countries in iOS and Android customers, representing 181 million and 167 million active devices, respectively.

When it comes to e-commerce, retail apps are where most users are spending more than one-fourth of their time (27 percent). They spend one-fifth of their time with online marketplaces (20 percent), followed by purchase assistance (17 percent), price comparison (14 percent), daily deals (13 percent) and other miscellaneous categories (9 percent).

The stats show that users are still very interested in branded retail apps, but we think they will expect more from retailers in 2013. We can see the stats shifting more towards third-party online marketplaces if retailers don’t improve their apps to meet higher user expectations.

Khalaf shared stats in gaming and other mobile areas during his presentation. The PowerPoint is available online at Slideshare.

Applicasa raises $1M in seed funding — The Israeli mobile backend service provider turned mobile game management platform secured $1 million in seed funding from the founders of casino gaming company 888.com.

Samsung to “wait” on a Windows RT device in the U.S. — Samsung’s senior vice president Mike Abary told CNET at CES 2013 that the Korean electronics manufacturer will not be releasing its Qualcomm-powered RT device in the U.S. quite yet, saying the company does not see enough demand for the device. Abray did not rule out releasing a different Windows RT device in the future.

Groupon Payments now available on Android — Daily deal company Groupon has added its mobile payment and Square competitor Groupon Payments to its Android Groupon Merchants apps. Groupon Payments, which was already available on iOS,  uses a credit card reader attachment to allow merchants to charge their customers on their mobile devices.

Amazon introduces availability badges — Amazon announced new badges with which developers can identify the availability of their apps. The badges, which are available in German, Spanish, Italian, French, Japanese and English make clear whether an app is “Available at Amazon” or “Available on Kindle Fire.” Developers can find out more on how to use these badges to promote their apps here.

Hothead Games launches Big Win Basketball — Game developer Hothead Games announced the launch of its latest mobile game Big Win Basketball, the latest in its lineup of Big Win sports games, available now on the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

eBay iOS app update streamlines selling, buying — The significant update to eBay’s iOS app will now assist sellers in choosing the right category and price for their items. The app also offers better photo editing tools, speedier checkout, search enhancements and more. You can download the app here.

Fitocracy now running on Android — Fitness app Fitocracy which tracks your workouts, shares your results and more is now available on Android via Google Play.

Aeria Games launches Immortalis — Browser and mobile game developer Aeria Games announced the launch of its role-playing and card collecting mobile title Immortalis. The game is a licensed and localized from developer Pokelabo’s (recently purchased by GREE) Japanese Guardian Battles which has been a top 20 grossing game since it launched in late November.

Samsung and HTC Windows 8 devices coming this summer — Microsoft announced that U.S. carrier Sprint will sell Windows 8 Devices from manufacturers Samsung and HTC.

HTC reports 91 percent drop in income year-over-year in Q4 2012 — The Chinese phone manufacturer reported an unaudited net income of $34 million for Q4 2012, its lowest profit in almost a decade.

Facebook advertising company Nanigans ran a Facebook mobile campaign for an ecommerce app developer during the holidays, moving the app’s rank in the Apple Store from the mid-200s to the top 10 in its category, with the use of Facebook’s mobile app install ads.

Within a 10-day campaign period leading up to the holidays, the app moved more than 200 spots from No. 253 spot before the campaign to the No. 5 spot. Nanigans found an average click-through-rate (CTR) of 0.74 percent, reaching as high as 1.5 percent in core segments. The ad delivered more than 32.5 million impressions, with more than 8.5 million in one day. In total, the campaign cost $325,000, with daily spend surpassing $90,000 on multiple days.

Facebook first announced its mobile app install ads coming out of beta in October 2012 for iOS and Android developers that have integrated Facebook into their apps. The ads allow developers to promote their native mobile apps through Facebook’s mobile News Feed, featuring an ad design with a “Install Now” call to action that brings the user to an app’s landing page in the Apple App Store or Google Play.

As a result of Nanigans’ campaign, the ecommerce app acquired more than 24,300 new installs in 10 days, with some days reaching more than 4,500 installs. Install rates averaged 10.11 percent and were as high as 33.33 percent in core segments. The campaign ran at an average CPI that was within the app developer’s target range, and as low as $5.50 in core segments.

Nanigans, who handles Facebook advertising for more than 100 companies including Zynga, Kixeye and Kabam, said the app developer’s campaign targeted iOS-only users in the U.S. The campaign initially targeted the developer’s core audience of females over the age of 22, but extended the campaign reach to a larger audience, adding 900 unique segments that were created through a city-specific strategy coupled with broader age, gender and interest targeting.

Additionally, the advertiser optimized the campaign to reach audiences with low cost-per-clicks (CPC) and who generated high install rates. The campaign achieved an average install rate of 10.11 percent, going as high as 33.33 percent in core segments. CPCs averaged $1.35, while going as low as $0.50 in core segments.

Another Facebook ad optimization company AdParlor recently shared some of its mobile app install ad results from a four-week campaign of an unnamed gaming company. The campaign garnered an average CTR of 0.5 percent and higher. AdParlor also took a peek at the average cost-per-install by region for an iOS RPG title, finding a range between $2.24 and $2.88.

Starbucks announced that Square Register devices will be on sale at 7,000 coffee locations. Starbucks is the latest place where the e-commerce gadget is available alongside Walgreens, Target and other stores.

Like the other locations, Square is actually charging $9.99 for the device with the list price credited to the user’s Square account. In other words, it is free as long as the user follows through with the purchase and follows through with Square. Users have been able to order Square devices for free online since the startup’s launch.

It is a great move for Square as Starbucks is the first natural brick-and-mortar fit for small, mobile purchases. Other retail outfits are either all-purpose big box stores, like the aforementioned Target, or tech-focused chains like Radio Shack and Best Buy.

To Starbucks advantage, any business deals are made over coffee, so entrepreneurs will have an easier time joining Square for an unexpected sale. More broadly, if a person is buying coffee for a group of people, he or she could get paid back via the device.

This will probably be the first of many physical space moves Square will make in 2013. Just last month it launched a gift card program for users to send or to redeem within Square.

Mobile shopping app and website use rose on Black Friday last week, with more than 21 percent of smartphone users comparing prices on apps and 40 percent on websites, according to a blog post today from NPD.

The top app used by consumers was Amazon at nearly 10 percent, with 10 percent from Android users and 12 percent from iPhone users. eBay was the second most used app, with seven percent of users browsing through the online auction and shopping company’s app.

Mobile web was even stronger than native app usage, with 39.5 percent of Android users accessing shopping sites. Amazon was the leading mobile web destination for users, with 13 percent. Big-box stores including Walmart and Best Buy faired well, with mobile web usage of 6.3 percent and 2.5 percent respectively.

Men were more likely to use native apps on both Android and iPhone devices, while women were more likely to use mobile web at 45 percent versus 33 percent of men. Overall, the iPhone was used more as a shopping tool compared to Android at 28 percent against Android’s 21 percent.

Throughout the day on Black Friday, midnight to 4 a.m. saw the least amount of shopping activity, but activity spiked soon after and continued to rise throughout the day.

According to our traffic tracking service AppData, Amazon Mobile cracked into the top 25 in the top free apps category on iOS last Saturday and reached the No. 32 spot today in the top free apps category for Android.