@TechLifeSteph: Celebrities with their own Mobile Apps

By some estimates, the revenue generated by mobile apps is expected to increase by approximately 60% between 2010 and 2013. And given the huge popularity of apps like Angry Birds and Instagram, it’s no surprise that celebrities would want to get in on the act with mobile apps of their own.

And who better to take advantage of another opportunity for exposure than the Queen of Marketing herself? Yes folks, Beyoncé has her own app. It’s called #BeyHive and it’s free for iPhone and android. The app integrates your Facebook and Twitter profiles and allows fans to interact with each other and always stay up-to-date on the latest Beyoncé news. The best thing about this for Beyoncé? Zero cost! #BeyHive was actually created by fans as the “semi-official” go to app for all things Beyoncé. So for all you ‘Stans’ out there, here’s another way to profess your undying love for Mrs. Knowles-Carter.

But it’s not just rock stars jumping on the mobile app bandwagon. Social commentator and political activist Tavis Smiley has his own app as well. You can watch the Tavis Smiley Show, listen to his solo radio broadcast, or tune in to ‘Smiley & West’ with Smiley and Cornel West. The app is free, but currently only available for iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

And whether you’re still willing to admit it or not, most of us have some sort of Spades-playing history in our backgrounds. To this day, I have no problem running a Boston, which is exactly what I did with an app launched this year by Kandi Burruss of ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ and Xcape fame. Kandi Koated Spades is available for iPhone/iPad, and it brings an old-school card game into the future by making it mobile. You can play with whoever is online or against the computer and all of the traditional rules for Spades are in effect. Each game goes to 250 points, and overall I thought that it was well above average considering the complexities of bringing this type of game to a mobile device.

So whatever you’re in the mood for, technology and some of our favorite celebrities have you covered. Happy downloading!