A May 2012 study by Nielsen Research indicated that the average number of applications (apps) downloaded per smartphone has jumped by 28 percent in the last year. Android (News - Alert) and iOS users currently account for 88 percent of all app downloads alone.

In addition, the usage of apps has also increased by 10 percent. Consequently, the demand for app-recommendation-tools has increased as well.

Cashing in on this trend, C Spire Wireless – a wireless provider in the U.S. offering consumers and businesses a suite of personalized wireless services – has launched the SCOUT personalization tool to provide customized app recommendations to users.

The wireless provider has taken the app and entertainment personalization to a new level with its latest release, SCOUT 3.0.

The latest release of the SCOUT personalization tool, SCOUT 3.0, not only provides personalized app recommendations, according to C Spire, but personalized movie, book and music recommendations that can be downloaded from iTunes, Amazon.com (News - Alert) and more.

With SCOUT, users can browse personal app recommendations; browse movie, book and music recommendations; share apps with friends; receive expert advice from other SCOUT users and earn PERC Points for downloading and reviewing apps.

The SCOUT 3.0 personalization tool is currently available for all C Spire Wireless customers and any other wireless Android or Apple (News - Alert) smartphone users interested in personalizing their experience.

Offering a highly personal and engaging customer experience, SCOUT 3.0 works with the help of C Spire experts – or Star Users – who review apps and other content each week and recommend their favorites. Star users can even rate apps and write reviews about SCOUT’S personalized recommendations.

Star users can also: participate in the critic’s program and write reviews, and share their reviews about favorite apps and entertainment on cspire.com or social networks like Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert).

Interested customers can register for SCOUT by simply signing up online on the company’s website, via their wireless device or in any C Spire retail location.

According to C Spire, it has powered the SCOUT 3.0 tool with Rovi entertainment data. Rovi has a rich database of information on entertainment content, collected over more than 20 years and powering many service providers such as C Spire Wireless and CE manufacturers.

“Why should wireless users have to search endlessly and purchase apps and entertainment in a trial and error fashion, never really having all of the apps and entertainment that they could be enjoying?” said Suzy Hays, senior vice president of personalization and brand management for C Spire Wireless. “At C Spire, we are all about helping our customers receive the perfect wireless experience just for them, which is why we enhanced our SCOUT personalization tool to include books, movies and music, in addition to apps – delivered in the palm of their hand.”

“With more than 80,000 participants signing on in just six months, SCOUT is already a success by all accounts. But we’re taking it to an entirely new level with 3.0,” added Hays. “SCOUT 3.0’s new features like book and movie recommendations and new benefits for Star Users are all a part of C Spire’s continued efforts to make the wireless experience personalized and unique for each individual.”

Recently, C Spire announced the grand opening of its new 3,000-square-foot prototype retail store in Olive Branch.