Will you track your health data with an app or a device?

I’m not, and the answer for most people out there — probably not.

The FitBit is probably the most well-known dedicated health and wellness gadget on the market, and yes, Amazon has stated that it’s the No. 1 “Most Wished For” gadget in the category.

But can you name any real competition to the FitBit device? The Jawbone UP was supposed to be the disruptor, the one that caused the world to change the way we think about health and wellness devices, but it flopped miserably. Though the FitBit itself is a great device, without much competition, it will struggle to take a step forward.

Says GigaOm’s Stacey Higginbotham:

According to research in November from ABI Research, the sports and health mobile application market will grow to over $400 million in 2016 – up from just $120 million in 2010. Unsurprisingly many of these apps will get an added boost from tying to some of the devices already in or about the enter the market, according to ABI.

While good examples are referenced, there simply aren’t enough app-with-app or app-with-device tie-ins as of yet. The Jawbone UP was supposed to sync perfectly with the iPhone (which logically seems like a great connection), but the constant syncs got in the way of the true experience — and that’s if the user had a device that hadn’t bricked.

It may be another year or two before we start seeing mass adoption of health and wellness gadgets and dedicated apps. While improving, there simply aren’t enough solid choices for the consumer to select one that meets most needs.

Apple and Google mobile grew in 2011, all others shrank

Android and iOS combine to secure a whopping 82 percent of the smartphone market. Apple has 29 percent of the market, while Android has the lion’s share with 53 percent. These two platforms were the only ones to record growth in 2011. RIM’s BlackBerry OS, which has struggled this year, declined to a meager 8 percent of the market share. Newcomer Windows Phone 7 didn’t plummet like RIM, but it didn’t climb either. Throughout 2011, the platform never went above 2 percent.

The NPD has released smartphone market share numbers for the year. They aren’t surprising. Apple and Google continue to lead the way, as Android and iOS were the only platforms that grew.

Windows Phone 7 didn’t move, which is a minor surprise considering that Microsoft seemed to advertise their devices on television fairly extensively. 

An Honest-to-Goodness App Store You Can Walk Into

Openspace has built a physical brick-and-mortar environment around a thing strictly digital: the app. Their “app gurus” help customers discover and identify new mobile apps relevant to them.

The big problem that the store is trying to solve?

Tricia Duryee of AllThingsD:

Developers often complain about how difficult it is for their applications to be discovered, and frequently pay for advertising or third-party promotion. So it’s possible that a physical app store could be one more way to get the word out.

If this is indeed the problem, then yes, a brick-and-mortar app store could be the answer. But there also have to be other ways to streamline the app discovery process. I think it’s a huge area of opportunity for anyone who can identify the best way to solve this problem.

Instagram photo app for Android is under way

It’s about time. The Instagram Android app is in development, and it inevitably means a nice bump in user numbers for the popular photo-sharing iOS app.

But the “casually-late” approach has hurt Instagram. Even just a few months ago, I considered Instagram an app that you would want to purchase an iPhone for (no pun intended). Some fantastic, beautifully-designed apps that compete alongside Instagram have emerged recently — Path, for example. Instagram may be concerned that even though their service continues to chug along, they need to find new, excited, engaged users.

Logically, it makes sense for Instagram to go after avid Android users who have never used the app before. But with Path (and a bevy of other apps) there too, Instagram shouldn’t expect to see as big of an active user bump as they would have seen, say, in October or November 2010.

Better late than never, I suppose.

Big Fish Sells Subscriptions To Its Games On The iPad

A gamechanger? Sure, it’s cliche, but Big Fish Games is pioneering a new way to pay for iPad games. Apple is letting Big Fish offer all of their games to their users for one monthly subscription price.

Big Fish founder Paul Thelen calls it an “all-you-can-eat” service.

iPad app makers rely on app purchases and in-app add-ons to monetize. But the bigger companies that offer multiple games on the App Store will now need to think about how they can best offer their games to users.

Is the subscription model right for all? Nope — Big Fish Games is just one of a few established, recognized companies on the App Store. Regardless, it’s an intriguing new option that will provide app developers with another option to sell their games and build brand awareness and affinity amongst gamers.

Why Apple's iOS Still Beats Android

“Interestingly, our April checks indicated continued strong demand for the iPhone 3GS at AT&T and iPad 1 at Verizon, as these older generation products with reduced prices often outsold new Android products,” Walkley wrote in a note to investors on Monday. “We believe this highlights Apple’s significant competitive advantage, and these older products help Apple offer a tiered pricing strategy at key channels.”

- Canaccord Genuity technology analyst Michael Walkley, on Apple’s older devices vs. newer Android devices