Apple Inc said on Thursday that it had removed "a few" applications from its App Store, expressing its concern that the security of some users' personal data could be compromised in certain circumstances.

In a world where the average consumer is hit with about 5,000 marketing messages every day ? and growing, the requirement for ways to cut through the clutter of interruptive and irrelevant advertising and communications has never been greater. 

Did you know that nearly 70 percent of smartphone shoppers will switch to a competitor's site if the checkout process takes too long? That's one of a handful of stats Google has released in a new report about how brands like Walmart and Red Roof Inn are moving the sales needle with mobile marketing.