An ‘Appening Wedding'

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[<p>Didn't I read somewhere that the British royals were once really TV-shy? Either it was Queen Elizabeth's wedding or her coronation, but there was much convincing before they allowed a television crew (TV was new back then) to film and broadcast the event.&nbsp;<br><br>Well, what a far cry William and Kate's wedding is from that. They're saying an estimated two billion people all over the world will "participate" in the wedding; and I can quite believe it. But what's most remarkable is the manner in which they'll do so. The number of apps that have sprung up around the royal wedding leaves you a bit flabbergasted.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Broadcasting organizations, media houses, regular developers and just anyone, have put out a slew of apps out on the Apple store and on the Android market. And if you think these are a total waste of time, let me tell you that thousands seem to disagree as they download these apps and rate them high.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>One app, from Harper Collins, features the popular historian and television presenter, David Starkey. He's presented many riveting documentaries on the kings and queens of England and is wholeheartedly embracing technology today, making the transition to the app world quite happily.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Starkey's and other apps feature timelines, family tree, British royal history and the entire story of the ten-year Kate and William romance. Other apps have a live stream of the event and one extremely popular app has a countdown to the final ceremony. The countdown started when they got engaged, by the way.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Some apps have live wallpapers and beautiful images, constantly updating. &nbsp;There are some that lap up and relay every bit of trivia, from the dress to the car to the public kiss – nothing will be missed. The guest list and news on the many activities happening leading up to the event also make up much of the app content. Some of the apps are games, predictably. Apps also stream content from Twitter and Facebook updates on the subject and pick out interesting content from blogs. &nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>Not all of this is trivial and fluffy. The more attention the royal wedding gets, the nicer it is for brand Britain. This is a time when Britain is reeling under the effects of a faltering economy and the way it conducts itself through this event will be watched and probably admired, throughout the world. That can only help.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br><br>I have a long time fascination for the British royals (specifically the head-chopping Tudors) but it's equally fascinating that apps can today spring up in response to events. Certainly, they'll have a short life, but that's fine; as long as they do the job they were intended to. They could, for example, develop in response to a disaster or a social cause. They could come up in response to political events, letting people participate in different ways. They do so on the social networks to begin with, but on smartphones and tablets, mobility adds a new angle of immediacy. &nbsp;As cricket fanatics, we are of course already familiar with cricket apps which come up in response to our national's obsession.<br>&nbsp;<br>Mala Bhargava is a personal technology writer and media professional. Contact her at mala@pobox.com and @malabhargava on Twitter</p>