A couple weeks ago, we wrote a post detailing why there needs to be some sort of iPhone app recommendation system. Just like iTunes has its “Genius” feature for music and movies, with over 50,000 apps now in the App Store, there needs to be a way to filter out what you don’t want and find what you do. If you have a lot of friends with iPhones or iPod touches, AppsFire may offer just that.
The service, launching in private beta today, allows you to share your favorite apps with anyone. Now, to be clear, I don’t mean actually share the apps themselves, but rather share the names of the ones you like and give others one-click access to download them also, from the App Store. So, say I have 100 apps on my machine, but I only really would recommend 15 or so, I would select those 15, and could send them out to friends on the various social networks.
AppsFire is actually an application that you install on you machine. Right now, it only works on Macs, but it’s coming for PCs soon. And there will event be an iPhone app, we’re told. Once the software is on your machine, it scans your iTunes folder to find your apps. It then opens a personal webpage on the AppsFire site and places the icons for your apps in front of you, asking you to choose your favorites. Once you do that, you can share them using the social networks, via email, in a widget, or simply get a link back to your AppsFire page. For example, here’s the link a co-founder of AppsFire, Ouriel Ohayon’s page.
It’s hardly a perfect system. First of all, the sharing mechanisms are a little clunky. And this isn’t a way to get personally tailored app recommendations based on what apps you already have an like. But it is a way to potentially find some new and interesting applications based on what people you know enjoy using.
The model for this is straight-forward: Affiliate links (through LinkShare and Tradedoubler), though Ohayon promises a “surprise” in that regard soon.
The limited private beta will be open to about 1,000 users at first, we’re told. You can sign up here.
Disclosure: AppsFire co-founder Ouriel Ohayon is a former member of the TechCrunch family, and still contributes from time to time.
This is so cool. I always thought there should be a product like this. I still haven’t used it yet so I don’t know how the experience is. Love the concept though. I would like a Facebook Connect system in order to share apps with friends and see what they are using.
I like some of the ideas, but not the execution. First of all, launching this with mac only access is a HUGE pitfall. I wonder how many iPhone owners only have Windows. Just a thought.
Really great product. Now iPod and iPhone users don’t have to spend too much time looking for good apps at the App store. Appsfire will make searching good apps a lot easier.
Great idea. I’m surprised no one hasn’t done this already. If nothing else, it should light the fire under apple’s rear.
This is a cool idea, but it is not indexing all the apps on my device…unfortunately – including our own (beamME mobile networking) apps. Strange!
If the developer is reading these comments, I’d gladly troubleshoot this with you.
Gabe Zichermann
beamME CEO
Hi Gabe,
Could it be that your application is one that you compiled locally? Basically, the only apps that are listed are the ones that have an exact match on the App Store.
Yann.
Mmm, Firefox is giving me a !UNTRUSTED CONNECTION warning when going to the “personal” appsfire page:
http://skitch.c...sted-connection
Anybody else experiencing this?
Hi Jan, Yann here.
Is it working properly for you now?
The new DNS parameters should be refreshed “worldwide” by now.
Best,
Y.
@jan we are fixing the bug right now. thanks
@gabe you need to give a few seconds for Appsfire to scan your iTunes apps. Note that it can have some issue with Jailbroken iPhones
“Yoooooouuu, your app is on fire!”
Great idea, but I don’t really install software on my machine anymore. Why can’t this be done on a site?
MG, you are right about the problem, I hope someone has a good solution soon!
Hi Scott,
Each iPhone application lives in its own sandbox. Hence, using standard coding guidelines, an app cannot know what other apps exist on the device.
In this particular case, the work-around has been to poke into the iTunes backup trail…
Hope this makes sense!
(we would have done it 100% in-app had we been able to)
Y.
Glad to see them taking a swing at this. Downloadable software distribution is a tough path, but Last.fm was able to pull it off in music and maybe these guys can do it in apps.
We (AppStoreHQ) looked at the friction in downloadables and took a different path, integrating with Amazon’s Wniversal Wish List: http://blog.app...mazon-universal
This approach is nowhere near as sexy as AppsFire, but it has the advantage of piggybacking on Amazon’s existing distribution and feature build. Like AppsFire we’re also building a native iPhone app to deliver real social sharing, but we’re still a few weeks away from running code.
Lots of cool innovation in this space – thanks for spreading the word about this one.
Wow…anyone proof read this mess?
Great idea. Crashed my system preferences. Feedback button didn’t work.
I doubt that its going to work. The only way it to work is if it collects analytics of all the apps I use which Apple, I hope, is doing. If its a manual system and a user has to add/modify it regularly, its worthless in my opinion.
Unless it is like netflix, in which they keep track of how long a person kept what dvd and what other dvds’ they bought along with manual recommendation system, its not going to be much useful.
Apple can do it right, and no one else can.
human recommendation beats analytics. This is just the first layer of our service. Appsfire updates automatically your profile page so you don t have to populate your list manually each time.
Apple can certainly do a lot, but what they are not doing is building a social layer around app distribution.
Damn if the the thing didn’t bomb out upon installing on my Mac. It said something about needing to install something else and then kaplooeee… That’s why they call it “beta.” Great idea though.
what was the problem? contact us at contact at appsfire dot com
I like the concept but it continually crashes my preference pane. I can’t even get past Step 1
we have a few known bugs we are working on (mainly Appsfire only works with Mac OS 10.5+ for now) check them here http://is.gd/1jD5I
This is a fantastic concept.. I just wish this was on Windwoes….
I mean Windows..
Brant Isom ,I agree with you !
If the developer is reading these comments, I’d gladly troubleshoot this with you.
This is a cool idea,