ReadWriteWeb magazine highlights four classes of mobile apps that have become popular in 2010:

• Geo-location
  
  
• Internet of Things
  
  
• Augmented Reality (AR, in the picture above)
  
  
• Mobile Social Networking

In Geo-location using mobile service Foursquare as an example has become the hot new status message type online. "Where you are" is an added value to "who you know" Facebook-style social networking sites. 

The Internet of Things trend is about including barcode scanning on your phone, using it as an RFID tag and reader, and using it a proximity sensor. The iPhone has a built-in accelerometer, which is basically a motion detector. This is used for re-sizing the display from portrait to landscape and for game control. The iPhone's microphone can se used as a noise sensor, a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor.

Augmented Reality offers a new marketing and product paradigm for a high impact and high value customer experience. More than 1,000 campaigns were kicked-off last year. There iPhone apps are Junaio, Layar and Wiktude. 

Mobile Social Networking is "a do-anywhere activity" and now it's been unchained from the PC. More people are using the mobile web to socialize, either it is posting comments, connecting with friends, sharing content o photos with others. It does not require people make time for it; it captures people's attention whenever they have free time.