Why crowdsourcing firms see gold in mobile app ideas

Crowdsourcing, a way of tapping into the collective wisdom of the crowd to create new products, services and breakthrough ideas, is finding favor in the mobile applications market. One example is Applits LLC, which is gearing up to launch the first week of voting in what promises to be a monthly competition among an online community to choose the best of a series of submissions to its website. Crowdsourcing has been picking up steam in the mobile app space ever since last year, when Nokia (NYSE:NOK) introduced its IdeasProject portal at the annual South by Southwest conference. Like Applits, IdeasProject offers ongoing challenges and encourages anyone to submit contributions, though it is obviously centered on Nokia's own devices. How is crowdsourcing changing mobile? Find out in this FierceDeveloper special report.