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Having apps ‘featured’ in the App Store could be hugely beneficial for downloads and revenue but isn’t a guaranteed way to find success, according to the latest report from Distimo.

Key stakeholders in the mobile apps industry need to agree on “baseline standards” to ensure customers can know their privacy is being protected, Pat Walshe, director of Privacy at the GSMA, told Mobile Apps Briefing.

Google has made a major hire in the apps space, poaching GetJar’s Patrick Mork (pictured) to become its new Marketing Director for Mobile Applications. Mork has been GetJar’s Chief Marketing Officer for three years and is a high profile figure in the industry. Mork’s new role is likely to ratchet up the war of words between Google and Apple regarding their respective apps strategies.

Telecom Italia published its results for the first six months of 2011, which saw it reporting a loss at the bottom line due to a goodwill writedown in its home market. In a statement, Franco Bernabe (pictured), chairman and CEO, noted that 34 percent of the company’s revenue during the period came from its Brazilian and Argentinean operations.

DeNA announced the long-anticipated international rollout of its Mobage social gaming network, with launches in China and for “English-speaking countries around the world.”

US wholesale operator Clearwire confirmed that it intends deploying LTE technology alongside its existing WiMAX deployments, but noted that this rollout will be “subject to additional funding.” The company made its strategy announcement in line with its second quarter 2011 results, which saw it report a net loss of US$168.74 million.

Telefonica opened its BlueVia developer platform in Germany, stating that “software companies in Germany can register as a developer for BlueVia and O2 customers can download the first BlueVia apps on their smartphones.”