By 2013, the smart phone applications market is expected to surpass $15 billion, up from $1.94 billion in 2009, according to research2guidance. The surge will be attributed to the dramatic increase in the amount of smart phone users, which should top 1 billion in 2013.

Plenty of companies are benefiting from this increase in attention, like Glu Mobile makers of original games like Beat It! And Brain Genius toNetSuite who gears its applications towards financial and customer management needs.

The smartphone/tablet app market is easier to break into for startups and provides a quicker route to revenue than many other tech opportunities. We reported on the Atlanta startup, Khush, which has a smartphone app that adds music to your voice when you sing a tune.

Khush CEO Prerna Gupta is among 120 top digital gurus presenting at the upcoming Internet Summit in Raleigh, NC, Nov. 15-16.

There are also niche markets emerging, Vringo, Inc (NYSE Amex: VRNG) recently unveiled its Facetones application via Verizon V CAST Apps. This application creates an automated video slideshow using friends’ photos from social media websites and photo sites and then plays this video slideshow as the phone rings.

Applications are making their way into traditional areas of business as well, The Allstate Corp., which operates in most facets of insurance allows users of their applications to do everything from get policy and claim information to pay their bill and receive accident support.

According to a semi-annual survey, CTIA found that there are 327.6 million wireless subscriber connections, an increase of 9 percent from mid-year 2010, when that number was at 292.8 million. Of that number, 95.8 million are smart phones and wireless enabled PDAs. For the first time, the number of wireless subscriber connections has surpassed the U.S. population.

Related Stories:

• Tablet app market will top $15B by 2015, In-Stat says
• Wireless Association study shows U.S. gets economic boost from wireless broadband
• Four tips on keeping your smartphone secure
• Video ads reached more than half the U.S. population in July
• Deutsche Telekom buying SunCom Wireless for $1.6B

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Tags: Atlanta, CTIA, GA, Khush, NC, Raleigh, research2guidance, Smartphone app market to hit $15B, The Allstate Corp., Verizon, Vringo