Tapjoy announced the beta launch of what it described as “a new kind of personal marketplace that aims to forever change how consumers find, share and engage with mobile applications.”

It will provide users with customised app recommendations based on likes and dislikes, the apps currently being used, the apps friends are using, and “other factors that predict which apps you'll enjoy the most.”

Tapjoy also said that users can “engage deeper” with apps via its Mobile Value Exchange, where users select personalised advertisements to view in return for virtual currency or premium content.

After creating an account, adding mobile devices, and sharing apps already installed, Tapjoy identifies where virtual currency is available immediately. It functions cross-platform so that users can spend and earn virtual currency on any smartphone or tablet.

The company said that the service supports iOS and Android devices, and can be accessed from any mobile web browser.

Tapjoy has received a lot of attention during 2011, after its core business of offering incentivised downloads on iOS was outlawed by Apple – which said that it represented developers “gaming” the system in order to receive more downloads, and therefore achieve higher chart rankings.

It subsequently launched a US$5 million fund to help developers port apps to Android, as it shifted its focus to the Google-backed platform.

The company also held its US$30 million Series D funding round earlier this year.