What Is The Deal With This Stupid Lighter iPhone App?
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/26/what-is-the-deal-with-this-stupid-lighter-iphone-app/

Unlike its competitors, it’s effectively leveraging location awareness and social networking/human team building instincts to create a bit of a phenomenon. The result is a viral spread.

Smule uses location and visualization on a map to make their game viral.

You can optionally share your location information with the application, and when you light it you show up on a virtual earth-like globe. France and Japan are going absolutely crazy with users, which you can see quite clearly from the virtual globe and the screenshot to the right. The longer a person keeps the lighter going (I have mine sitting here burning while I write this), the more”KiloJoules” you burn. So why is this working? I told you loyal readers back in August. Unlike its competitors, it’s effectively leveraging location awareness and social networking/human team building instincts to create a bit of a phenomenon. The result is a viral spread.

Smule

Bizarre example of a social app leading to huge viral growth

Everyone keeps talking about Smule’s virtual lighter iPhone application called Sonic Lighter.

Smule has built in social and viral features that are helping this spread like mad, and they also give this ridiculous but effective incentive to use the app all the time. France and Japan are going absolutely crazy with users, which you can see quite clearly from the virtual globe and the screenshot to the right. With 69,000 downloads * .99 cents = US$68310 US$68310 - 30% Apple takes = $47,817