Tag: Moblio.nl »

The vuvuzela horn, unknown before this year's World Cup, has quickly gained global recognition. And how could it not? The horn's singular call—persistent, loud, and ever-present—is unmistakable, though annoyingly enough it sounds a lot like a swarm of buzzing bees.

The developers at moblio.nl obviously heard something very different in the vuvuzela's call, though: they rushed to create a free app, Vuvuzela 2010, that mimicked the horn's now-legendary sound. Add in a choice of country to support, and Vuvuzela 2010 had everything it needed to rocket to the top of App Store charts worldwide.

Needing to monetize their success, moblio.nl quickly integrated AdMob ads. Vuvuzela 2010 has been downloaded 3.5 million times, and that adds up. The developers claim that they're "earning several tens of thousands dollars per week" via the advertising in Vuvuzela 2010. Wow! Now that the app has iPad support, too, I suspect that Vuvuzela will continue to rake in the dough at least until the World Cup's conclusion.

Of course, Vuvuzela 2010's success isn't just due to its timely arrival. The app itself is well made, if basic; and besides, it's free. If you want to join the World Cup revels with your own pocketable, obnoxious vuvuzela—or if you just want to see what the fuss is about—go ahead and download it. We're not responsible for the resulting torment of younger siblings / pets / significant others / etc, okay?