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To app users, they're a necessary evil at best. For developers, they may be one of the few sure-fire paths to monetization. Marketers, on the other hand, are unlikely to show major interest unless they can be assured their money will be well spent, which is why in-app advertising is about to come under a lot more scrutiny.

Press the button. Flick the switch. Open the file folder. They're all terms we immediately know, but the context is a lot more complicated in a software-centric world. When you hear them, do you think first of handling objects in the physical world or using an app? Your answer will say a lot about how you will respond to interface design. More developers need to think about how their target market will react to this question.

Developers can stop trying to figure out which marketing channel is best for their apps. According to AppsFlyer's Q1 report, social was the hands-down winner. The report was based on data the firm gathered by looking at "billions" of events across various marketing vehicles, countries, categories and other factors.

Jesse Freeman calls it his "Zelda." It was a game he'd created called Super JetDroid, and it required players to complete tasks within a certain time limit while making strategic use of their oxygen, resources and energy. Like anyone who's getting serious about the casual gaming market, however, Freeman eventually reached a point where he took a look at Super JetDroid and asked himself, "Is this casual enough?"

Google was obviously trying to earn some goodwill at its I/O developer's conference when it said it would give out free Chromebook Pixel devices to all attendees. But to developers both onsite and watching from the sidelines, the announcement of a new IDE was even better.

Let's hope security is high on the agenda at Google I/O this week because the level of Android-related malware has more than doubled within the last two years, according to the most recent research from NQ Mobile.

When developers attend Google I/O 2013 this week they will probably have a lot to look forward to--in-depth technical sessions, visionary keynotes and major product and service announcements. As they get bombarded with information it could be difficult to remember everything they learn, just as it's easy to forget about what was announced at Google I/O last year. Which is why, before things get underway, it's worth taking a quick look back at I/O 2012 and thinking about the big promise Google made, and which it failed to deliver. I am referring, of course, to the Nexus Q.

After attending Google I/O in San Francisco next week, many developers may be inspired to give some of their existing Android apps an overhaul. According to a wide variety of media reports, Google is already doing something similar with its Google Maps.

There will probably be a lot of chatter about Babel. Those in the hands-on labs might get a taste of Key Lime Pie. A new Nexus device seems almost inevitable. But for the hoard of developers descending on San Francisco for Google I/O 2013, the focus will surely be on one thing: Making the most of the Android app opportunity.

When developers start creating their apps and games I wonder if they picture how they will be used. Don't just consider what features or functions will prove popular, but keep in mind what people will actually be doing with their bodies--how they will be sitting if they're sitting, whether they'll have use of one hand or two, whether they will hold a phone comfortably in their lap or with their arm stretched out.