The deal between the two companies runs through to the end of 2011. Thumbspeak users are being invited to register as Nielsen Mobile panellists, after which they will be instructed how to configure their phone to enable the company to monitor their use of various features, like voice communication, text messaging and web browsing, as well as app usage.

Thumbspeak CEO Dean Wiltse says users of the soon-to-be-released Andriod version of the survey app will also be invited into the Nielsen panel. Both the Android and a BlackBerry version are due to be released before the end of the year.

Wiltse said Thumbspeak on iPhone has seen 100,000 downloads since its release this summer. Users have to create an account and answer a series of attribute questions before they can start taking surveys, and Thumbspeak clients can use this data to target questions at specific types of users.

Version 1.5 of the app, also due to be released before the end of the month, adds the ability for users to manage their profile and update them with additional information to aid the targeting process.

Functionality to enable private, company-branded groups is also include in the new version, with an unspecified “large winery” set to be the first to create such a group, recruited via its customer base, said Wiltse.