More marketers connect with consumers through mobile apps - USATODAY.com

CANNES, France — Marketers of everything from beer to couture are dialing up mobile-device applications for their brands.

As people have become enamored of how the software works for them without having to go to a mobile browser, they've made more than 1 billion downloads of free and paid "apps." Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has led the way: In less than a year, the number of iPhone apps available went from zero to 50,000...