Smartphone apps are nothing new. They’ve been around for a number of years, but it is only recently that they have exploded onto the scene. From Windows Phone 7 to Android, everyone is loading up their devices with all kinds of third-party software. Some of these apps are free and some of them are paid, so which strategy makes the most sense for the developer?

One interesting case study to consider is Rovio and Angry Birds. The mobile game has become incredibly popular across several different mobile platforms, but Rovio has taken distinctly different strategies. While the iPhone version is a paid app that users must purchase, the Android version is a free download. That’s because it is ad-supported.

Well, taking a look at some of the Angry Birds stats that have just been released, it seems that both models have done well for the company. Rovio has sold over 12 million copies of the game, but over 30 million copies of the free game have been downloaded.

The kicker is that while the paid version typically sells for 99 cents, the free version is generating over a million dollars a month in mobile advertising revenue. It seems to have greater potential, in that regard, but the paid version makes more money up front. What this means is that if you are developing a smartphone app, there is money to be made either way. The hard part, of course, is creating and marketing an app as popular as Angry Birds in the first place.

Pocket camcorders have come a long way since the original Flip Video hit the scene. They’ve been upgraded with high-definition video quality, but audio still leaves something to be desired. The Zoom line from Samson Tech tried to rectify that, but its first outing only did SD video. That has now been corrected too.

The newly released Zoom Q3HD is a full HD pocket camcorder that not only does 1080p full HD video, but it also offers true HD audio as well. This is accomplished using the same 120-degree X/Y microphone that we’ve seen in previous Samson pocket camcorders.

This allows for much better stereo audio quality (24-bit, 96kHz). There is also a larger aperture on the camera, allowing for improved low-light performance too. There’s even a concert mode, as that lighting situation can be challenging with even more advanced digital camcorders.

More information about the Zoom Q3HD can be found on SamsonTech.com. It is set to retail for $299.99 and comes with two AA batteries and a 2GB SD card. Both of those can be upgraded on your part.

All kinds of people choose to host their websites with BlueFur for a myriad of different reasons. One of these people is Cynthia Clement, who you may almost consider as a modern day Jane Austen.

That’s because she is an author of “historical romances.” While her work is completely fictional, she definitely draws inspiration from real life encounters and real life experiences. Clement was born in Stratford, Ontario and is the eldest of six children. She has degrees in biology and anthropology.

The biggest work by Clement is The Seduction of Sarah. This novel follows the tale of widow Sarah Wellsley as she “delights in her daily swim.” She is then discovered by an “imposing stranger” who mistakes her for a harlot.

Do you use BlueFur to host your websites? Let us know and we can feature you in a future blog post. Send an email message to blogfeature@bluefur.com with your name, website URL, and a brief description of what you’d like to see highlighted.

Before all the guys in the audience rush out to the closest chocolatier and florist, don’t worry. It’s not February 14 yet, but there is an interesting WordPress theme that goes by the familiar name of Valentine.

Although it shares the connotations of love and romance, the Valentine theme for WordPress doesn’t (by default) have a spot of pink on it. Instead, it’s just a well-designed three-column WordPress theme that could be suitable for any number of different blogs and websites.

Developed by Martijn Kremers of XpressZo, Valentine features a modern CSS3 layout, a fixed header and footer, and plenty of embedded fonts and widgets. The primary color scheme is blue and grey, though you can likely change that to suit your palette preferences.

Check out the Free Themes Directory on WordPress.org for a screenshot, live preview, and free download link.

What were the bloggers blogging about this week? Let’s take a snapshot with this selection of posts.

Chris Bibey gets asked fairly often by his readers how they can earn more money as freelancers. Chris says there are two solutions: increase your rates or take on more work. How’s that for a reality check?

Simon Mackie helps us determine the costs of co-working. For many people, using a co-working space sure beats the home office, but it can come at an added expense of $150 to $300 a month. Some places in the UK charge $51 for a desk per day!

Christine Syquia has a special article up on Entrepreneur’s Journey, giving some advice on how to choose a company name. It helps to have a little charm, but more importantly, it needs to be memorable. “A name should be different, yet familiar.”

Scott Young has noticed that, as a species, our “incubation period” is getting longer. It wasn’t that long ago that 15-year-old girls having children was the norm, but more and more people are staying in school for much longer these days. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Leo Babauta doesn’t necessarily want to be depicted as a Scrooge, but he does have some “Bah! Humbug!” moments in his post the case against buying Christmas presents. He brings up some very strong points, though, reminding us that it should be about quality time and not throwaway commercialism.

Trademarks and copyrights have become an increasingly touchy subject on the Internet. In an age filled with piracy and “borrowed” content, it is becoming even more difficult for trademark owners to defend their intellectual property. However, under some circumstances, it may be in their best interest to simply let the Internet have its way.

For example, you may have noticed that there are several YouTube videos from regular individuals that use licensed music as the background to their clips. Depending on the record label, several different things can happen when the YouTube algorithm recognizes that the embedded music matches copyright material. Sometimes, the video is removed until the uplaoder changes the audio track. However, more and more, something different is happening.

Instead of taking the video away from public consumption, the video is allowed to stay up and live. The difference is there is an iTunes link embedded by the video description. When a web visitor goes to view the video, he or she will also see the name of the artist and the track below. If clicked, the web visitor then has the opportunity to buy the song. This serves as a revenue source for Google (YouTube), Apple (iTunes), and the song artist. For the artist, it can also help to increase brand awareness and popularity.

Sometimes, bending copyright laws and letting some “trademark infringement” fly might be a good idea. This isn’t true under all circumstances, to be sure, but all industries should avoid using blanket policies when it comes to “borrowed” content on the Internet.