iPhone Pushes Mobile Gaming To $5.4 Billion

Apple's smartphone is leading the pack, as developers and mobile gamers are attracted to the App Store and its business model, according to one research firm.


Mobile gaming was once simple games like "Snake" that were meant to kill time, but the market is rapidly becoming a lucrative business. Thanks to smartphones like Apple's iPhone 3G, mobile gaming rose 20% and hit $5.4 billion in 2008, according to a new report from JupiterResearch.

The report said overall game downloads were flat in the U.S. and Western European markets, but volumes rose in developing markets like India and China. While Java-based games saw a steep decline, those volumes were offset by a sharp increase of iPhone game downloads.

"The combination of iPhone and the Apple App Store has galvanized the mobile games industry," said report author Dr. Windsor Holden in a statement.

"Apple has provided an innovative device which enables developers to create smooth, compelling, visually attractive games for the mobile users, together with a business model offering a highly competitive revenue share for developers."

The touch input, robust hardware, and graphics capabilities have given the iPhone an advantage over its rivals on the mobile gaming front. Users of the iPhone also download apps at a higher rate than other phone users, and the platform has drawn high-profile developers like Electronic Arts and Sega.

One of the advantages the iPhone has over its competitors is the tight integration of the App Store. This makes browsing, buying, downloading, and installing games over the air easier than on most rival platforms. Additionally, users with an iTunes account already have a credit card on file, which makes buying games easier than on other platforms. For example, Google's Android Market uses Google Checkout, and Research In Motion will use PayPal for its BlackBerry App World.

The report also said that more than half of games downloaded by 2012 will be funded by advertising. This could drive additional business opportunities for the likes of Medialets, which has a rich media ad platform for iPhone apps.

PocketSurfer2: World's fastest handheld Internet device

If simplicity is what you’re looking for when doing internet on the go, then PocketSurfer2 from DataWind could be your solution. The bonus is that the product, launched by DataWind — a company set up by Indo-Canadian entrepreneur Suneet Singh Tuli — comes at a competitive cost and is bundled with free net usage of 35 hours per month for a whole year.
Dubbed as the world’s fastest handheld Internet device offering free mobile Internet access, the product addresses the common problems of slow bandwidth, small screens, insufficient memory and low processing power. The screen size is comfortable. The gadget is somewhat low on looks, but the functional advantages to some extent make up for the lack of it.
The 640-pixel full-colour wide screen is definitely better than most mobile phones when it comes to surfing on the move. There’s full HTML, graphics, Java-Script, Ajax, Frames and other web functional support. Moreover, the keyboard is bigger than most other handhelds that are used for surfing.
Besides the 35 hours of free usage per month for a full year that is bundled into the product, an unlimited usage plan is also available at just Rs 99 extra. The second year of service comes for Rs 999 with 35 hours per month for the year. While the free high speed Internet access is valid anywhere in India, the company can also upgrade the device with an international service at extra global roaming costs.
Priced at Rs 11,990 including taxes, the product definitely comes at a competitive cost. And while the device does not have multifunctionality, it’s simplicity could become an advantage for people who need to use the internet often on the move. It offers freedom from complex multifunctional mobile phones, which are very expensive and come with lots of bells and whistles.
And even for people who travel with their laptops, the PocketSurfer2 could come in handy in small spaces such as restaurants and counters. The fact that the connectivity is through a GPRS network also makes the device ubiquitous since WiFi networks are still very limited in India. The backend technology of the device is robust and the web experience is fast.
In fact, one of the features that it offers is location-based information on graphics rich maps with directions through its GPS support. The battery life of this gadget is four hours on active usage and four days on standby. It takes three hours to recharge completely. At 174 gm, the weight is just about manageable in a coat or jacket pocket.

Samsung debuts Omnia touch phone in Middle East

Samsung Electronics has launched its top selling Omnia touch phone in the Middle East.
“The Samsung Omnia is everything you could ever wish for in a mobile phone. Whether its surfing the net at high speeds, listening to your favourite radio station whilst navigating to your destination or sending high quality photos to your friends, whatever it is this phone does more,” said Sandeep Saihgal, general manager of Mobile Phones Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics.
“We are pleased to be able to offer the Omnia touch phone in both English and Arabic and hope that this feature will further solidify Samsung’s prominence in the full-touch market.”
Samsung’s cutting-edge smart phone Omnia is emerging as the hottest-selling model in major European smart phone markets, he added.
'We’re seeing a major shift towards smartphones, like the Omnia, in the Middle East and research findings show that more than one in four handsets will be a smartphone with more than 1.5 billion being sold in year 2010.'
'This growth will be driven by applications that enable the consumer to enjoy accessible and relevant mobile phone and internet browsing.” Saihgal said.
With Samsung’s patented TouchWiz the user interface makes entering data and text simple.
The phone's high resolution touch-sensitive screen uses intuitive tap, sweep, drag and drop operations as well as an on-screen keyboard.
The wide 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD screen makes the Omnia great for viewing videos and slide shows in high-resolution and advanced audio capabilities, he explained.
The phone also comes equipped with a five-megapixel CMOS camera with the latest value-added features and the handset’s generous internal memory (available in 8GB or 16 GB capacity options and extendable slot for additions) ensures ample storage space for digital assets like music.
Samsung Omnia also offers GPS, including navigation and geo-tagging capabilities.
Based on the most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, the Omnia offers access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word. Users can also send and receive email and manage their appointments in Outlook while on the go.