Mobile Gaming, News and Stocks

[PennyStock Alert]

My wife's coming home from a weeklong family visit tomorrow so I parked in front of the tv and played Rayman Origins for a while and sucked down a nice IPA. I don't often get to spend much time in front of a game before my better half tells me to go do something useful ;) ...so I'm actually not far in the game even though i bought it around 6 months ago.

[Bob22701]

EA - Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello leaving

News Link

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

FRZT - Freeze Tag Announces Launch of Game Based on Classic Locked Room Mystery

News Link

GLTA
Bob

[Namaste Charting]

FRZT is a must dd stock, an opportunity to be on the ground floor of something truly great! this post will give u everything u need to know, it is a must read all. the price level of entry is also an amazing deal. all the best folks and thanks for sharing it Bob :) $FRZT

http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=85203545

[Bob22701]

FRZT - Freeze Tag Games website:

freezetaggames

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Gaming Industry's Latest Idea: Free Games

News Link

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Ex-Zynga developers raise $1.4M to fund new studio and casino games

News Link

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Will It Be 'Game Over' for Videogame Makers This Holiday?

Link to article

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Zojoi website:

http://www.zojoi.com/index.htm

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Keep an eye out for Castle Hill Holding LLC and Zojoi, Inc.

They are both new companies (startups) that could make a splash in Mobile Gaming.

GLTA
Bob

[Bob22701]

Mobile Gaming Market Sees Opportunity for Major Growth as Number of Smartphones Expected to Reach 2 Billion by 2015

News Link

GLTA
Bob

[iPickle]

http://www.apps-world.net/europe/agenda/tracks/gaming-apps

Noticed Freemantle Media speaking.

[iPickle]

MEDL Mobile Expands Its App Library Through Acquisition
TCBB:MEDL)


Today : Tuesday 28 August 2012

MEDL Mobile, Inc.(OTCBB:MEDL.OB), a pioneer in the creation, development, marketing and monetization of mobile apps, has found a way to spin gold out of the challenge facing developers across the apposphere by rolling quality independent apps into a cross-monetizing network.

New apps are added into the existing MEDL network simply by installing a few lines of code through a proprietary MEDL SDK. Once the SDK is installed and the app is live on the store, MEDL is able to cross promote the new app to it's millions of current users.

MEDL acquires these apps from independent developers or publishers -- who in exchange retain a percentage of all future revenues. In addition to cross-marketing applications among the network, MEDL is also able to monetize these new apps through a proprietary optimized advertising platform.

In the last month, MEDL has acquired 38 new apps for the library and plans to accellerate acquisition and roll up in the months ahead. Ultimately, the company plans to hold a library of 5,000 applications which are cross promoting among a network of 100,000,000 users.

New titles include apps such as:

E.G. Chess, a 4-star, 3D animated chess game that can be played over GameCenter, Bluetooth or locally against friends;

GrooFoto, a social meda platform for live sharing of photos via private albums called "Pouches";

Roaming Browser, an ingenious and simple application that saves bandwidth and roaming fees by allowing a user to view the web without loading bandwidth intensive content or images. On the 100 top websites, the app cut data consumption by an average of 80%;

Zombie Blast, a 4-star zombie game which the Company believes will appeal to its million plus users of Boxhead, Zombie Wars;

and Dog Park:Top Dog, a 4.5-star game where you build a pack of dogs and strategize to take over new neighborhoods.

"There are tens of thousands of great apps out there that have never found an audience," said Dave Swartz, MEDL's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. "And behind those apps are thousands and thousands of developers who collaborated with friends, invested their dollars, rolled up their sleeves, built great apps, but never saw a return on investment. We're here to help those apps find a significant audience and to share in that success."

MEDL also has relationships with celebrities, athletes, and famous individuals who's names and likeness can be attached to an app -- bringing significant social media attention along with it.

For example, last year MEDL brought a relatively unknown iPhone game into the network. MEDL attached DJ Pauly D, changed the hairstyle for the hero of the game, added some of Pauly's music and now, Pauly D's Beat That Boardwalk generates more downloads from a single tweet from Pauly D than it did prior in an average month.

About MEDL Mobile

The Company develops, acquires and publishes a growing library of mobile applications which perform specific functions for the user on the Apple and Android platforms. The Company licenses its technology and performs custom development for key clients such as Monster.com, New York Times Company, Teleflora, Telefonica and Medtronic, allowing the company to grow the overall library of technology greatly extending the potential reach of the Mobile Brain. The Company enters into partnerships to mobilize and monetize IP with such notable names as Encyclopedia Britannica, MTV's Pauly D, Cheech & Chong, Rampage Jackson and Marlee Matlin. The Company is establishing a business model in which it expects to generate multiple revenue streams, including development fees, download and in-app purchases, advertising, sponsorship and licensing of technology. User analytics are collected by the Company's growing Mobile Brain which processes user data in order to create better distribution and monetization of mobile applications. The Company's Software Development Kit (SDK) consists of a growing suite of tools which have been designed to help developers to better market and monetize their mobile applications.

[iPickle]

Hardcore gamers are getting a taste of the future of online games today, as Electronic Arts unveiled its new free-to-play Command & Conquer online gaming with cool 3D graphics. The game looks like a console title in terms of the quality of its graphics, and it taps the same Frostbite 2 technology used in EA’s high-end Battlefield 3 game.

The title will ship in 2013 and sign-ups for a closed beta test begin today. Command & Conquer Generals 2, previously announced, is being transformed to being part of this new digital experience. EA says gamers will get “complete access to the cutting-edge visuals, sound and destruction of a full AAA strategy game — for free.” The game will be part of a larger Generals Universe that will have many free-to-play titles within the Command & Conquer franchise.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/08/15/ea-unveils-free-to-play-command-conquer-online-game-with-high-end-graphics/#.UCu8TbNQzwc.twitter

[iPickle]

Zyngapocalypse Now (And What Comes Next?)


http://www.gamesbrief.com/2012/08/zyngapocalypse-now-and-what-comes-next/

[iPickle]

10 secrets of casual game design

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/aug/08/popcap-secrets-of-game-design

[iPickle]

8K On August 2, 2012, Glu Mobile Inc. (“ Glu ”) completed the acquisition of GameSpy Industries, Inc., a California corporation (“ GameSpy ”) and formerly a wholly owned subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“ Parent ”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “ Merger Agreement ”) by and among Glu, Galileo Acquisition Corp., a California corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Glu (“ Sub ”), Parent and GameSpy. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Sub merged with and into GameSpy in a statutory reverse triangular merger (the “ Merger ”), with GameSpy surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Glu. GameSpy, which is based in California, provides technology and services for multiplayer and server-based gaming.

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, (a) Glu issued to Parent, as GameSpy’s sole shareholder, in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding shares of GameSpy capital stock, a total of 600,000 shares of Glu’s common stock, of which 90,000 shares will be held in escrow for 15 months to satisfy certain indemnification claims under the Merger Agreement; and (b) Glu, GameSpy and Parent entered into a Transition Services Agreement, pursuant to which Parent will provide to Glu and GameSpy certain backend data center transition services related to GameSpy’s private cloud storage infrastructure. The Merger Agreement contains customary representations, warranties and covenants of each of the parties.

On August 2, 2012, Glu issued a press release announcing the Merger, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 99.01 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

[iPickle]

Good read here Kirk: Glu Acquires GameSpy Technology to Expand Connected, Cross-Platform Mobile Leadership
GameSpy will help enhance Glu's long-term product roadmap with robust, highly-scalable multiplayer functionality

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 02, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Glu Mobile Inc., a leading global developer and publisher of freemium games for smartphone and tablet devices, today announced that it has acquired GameSpy Technology from IGN Entertainment. GameSpy is one of the leading providers of technologies and services for multiplayer and server-based gaming across a wide array of platforms.

GameSpy services power online features that players now expect from games in a world of ubiquitous connectivity: multiplayer matchmaking, player statistics, individual player profiles, in-game buddy lists, leaderboards, and storage of game media, including screenshots, gameplay videos, and playable content.

"Our acquisition of GameSpy brings Glu industry-recognized leadership in online, cross-platform technology infrastructure," said Niccolo de Masi, Chief Executive Officer of Glu. "GameSpy's battle-tested team will enable Glu's product roadmap to include robust and highly scalable multiplayer and social functionality. We expect that the acquisition of GameSpy will be earnings neutral in the near term. However, GameSpy team and technology is expected to help us drive higher monetization and lifetime value in Glu's titles from 2013 on."

GameSpy is already integrated in Glu's Gun Bros Multiplayer on Android - launched in Q1 2012. In this update, players co-operate on missions and also compete in real-time head-to-head combat with their friends and other Gun Bros players. GameSpy functionality will be utilized in a number of Glu titles from 2012 and beyond.

Founded in 1997 and based in San Francisco, CA, GameSpy was acquired by IGN Entertainment in 2004. GameSpy's technology has been licensed and integrated into more than 1,000 games. There will be no disruption in service to GameSpy's current customers and contracts as a result of this acquisition by Glu.


http://www.marketwatch.com/story/glu-acquires-gamespy-technology-to-expand-connected-cross-platform-mobile-leadership-2012-08-02

[iPickle]

Gameloft: In-app purchases, ads fuel 60% of mobile gaming revenues
July 27, 2012 | By Jason Ankeny

Gameloft posted record second quarter revenues of $62 million, crediting the surge to the continued growth of its mobile gaming efforts.

Gameloft revenues increased 35 percent year-over-year and 12.5 percent quarter-over-quarter. In addition, second-quarter sales on smartphones and tablets jumped 119 percent compared to a year ago and now represent more than half of the publisher's total sales. (By comparison, Gameloft posted year-over-year smartphone and tablet sales increases of 59 percent in the first quarter of 2012, with mobile titles then accounting for 40 percent of its total sales.) The firm expects total 2012 sales to exceed $240 million.

Gameloft cited increasing consumer demand for freemium gaming experiences as the catalyst behind its upswing. The company now boasts 55 million monthly active users, with in-app purchases and mobile advertising driving more than 60 percent of its smartphone revenues.
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In a recent interview with FierceMobileContent, Gameloft's VP of Publishing for the Americas, Baudouin Corman, said the publisher will continue supporting both premium and freemium pricing models in the future. "We believe the mix of free-to-play and premium games is really our way to grow our base inside this business," Corman said, noting that some premium Gameloft titles also include freemium elements: For example, racing title Asphalt 7: Heat delivers a "full experience" at its 99-cent download price, but consumers can further enhance gameplay via additional in-app purchasing options.

Read more: Gameloft: In-app purchases, ads fuel 60% of mobile gaming revenues - FierceMobileContent http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/story/gameloft-app-purchases-ads-fuel-60-mobile-gaming-revenues/2012-07-27?utm_campaign=twitter-Share-NL&utm_source=buffer&buffer_share=81981#ixzz21qxS9srJ
Subscribe: http://www.fiercemobilecontent.com/signup?sourceform=Viral-Tynt-FierceMobileContent-FierceMobileContent

[iPickle]

GLUU, nice surge yesterday afternoon with the update.

[snowgeek]

Yeah, I was trying to figure out if anybody else saw this and had any thoughts on those boards. Could either be good or bad I guess, and we won't know until next year so I guess it's a moot point. I'm holding some GLUU so it's got me intrigued.

Maybe they bought out a 'small' competitor from the UK and don't want to tell anybody LOL ;)

[iPickle]

What is going on with GLU? CT order? GLUU sure has active posters on yahoo finance.

[snowgeek]

Interesting: GLU, Form CF ORDER just filed...

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
18 July 2012
ORDER GRANTING CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Glu Mobile Inc.
File No. 1-33368 -- CF# 28425
______________________

Glu Mobile Inc. submitted an application under Rule 24b-2 requesting confidential treatment for information it excluded from the Exhibits to a Form 10-Q filed on May 10, 2012.

Based on representations by Glu Mobile Inc. that this information qualifies as confidential commercial or financial information under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4), the Division of Corporation Finance has determined not to publicly disclose it. Accordingly, excluded information from the following exhibit(s) will not be released to the public for the time period(s) specified:

Exhibit 10.01 through March 15, 2013

For the Commission, by the Division of Corporation Finance, pursuant to delegated authority:
Timothy S. Levenberg
Special Counsel

[iPickle]

Tapjoy and Kontagent Form Strategic Partnership, Benefitting Entire Mobile App Industry


SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Tapjoy, Inc. (www.tapjoy.com), a mobile advertising and publishing platform, today announced a strategic partnership with Kontagent (www.kontagent.com), the leading provider of enterprise user analytics for mobile application developers, marketers and producers. The partnership signals a coming together of two of the industry's most prominent players, and will result in new products and services that are true industry game changers.

"Tapjoy is excited to partner with Kontagent, the leading enterprise analytics solution in the market," said Mihir Shah, Tapjoy CEO. "We know that it's becoming more difficult to monetize users in the increasingly competitive mobile economy. That's why we're thrilled to partner with Kontagent to be able to provide more solutions to help developers improve user acquisition, retention and monetization—and ultimately improve their bottom lines."

"As the leading enterprise analytics solution for the mobile developer industry, we couldn't be more pleased than to partner with Tapjoy, another leader in the mobile space," said Jeff Tseng, Kontagent CEO. "We've developed a best-in-class analytics offering for the biggest names in the space, and with this partnership, we look forward to continuing to build innovative new solutions for our customers."

The partnership will give Tapjoy customers the insights they need to optimize user acquisition campaigns and maximize efforts at monetization. For Kontagent, the relationship is a strategic move to gain a stronger foothold in the mobile app space, building on the momentum they've garnered over the past year since launching kSuite Mobile Analytics for mobile developers.

More details about the partnership and the product offering's release date will be announced in the coming weeks.

About Tapjoy
Tapjoy is a mobile advertising and monetization platform whose Mobile Value Exchange model allows users to select personalized advertisements with which to engage for virtual rewards or premium content. Tapjoy helps unlock mobile joy by empowering users on more than 600 million devices to watch videos, subscribe to services, install applications and participate in other types of advertisements in exchange for virtual rewards they can use in their favorite apps. Tapjoy's turnkey in-app advertising platform helps developers to cost-effectively acquire high-value new users and monetize their applications, while its powerful advertising marketplace lets brand advertisers reach a global mobile audience spanning more than 10,000 applications. Tapjoy is backed by top-tier investors, including J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Rho Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, InterWest Partners and D.E. Shaw Ventures. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Santa Barbara, Atlanta, Paris, Dusseldorf, London, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.tapjoy.com.

About Kontagent
Kontagent is the leading enterprise user analytics platform for social and mobile application developers, marketers and producers. Kontagent tracks more than 1,000 applications, over 150 million monthly active users and in excess of 50 billion events each month for customers around the globe. The company's proprietary platform, kSuite, has been built from the ground up to harness deep data pattern visualization and analysis that provides customers with valuable, actionable insights. Armed with this data, and combined with Kontagent's team of data scientists, customers have the power to better measure and optimize their customer economics and build more profitable enterprises. Founded in 2007, the company is headquartered in San Francisco with additional offices in Toronto and London. For more information, visit www.kontagent.com.

© 2012 Tapjoy, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Tapjoy and the Tapjoy logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Tapjoy, Inc. All third party logos and trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Source: PR Newswire (s.tt/1hxwQ)

[iPickle]

Cowen: PC social gaming is at "evolutionary dead end"

By Dan Pearson


Analyst Doug Creutz, of Cowen and Co. has issued a report detailing another month of DAU (Daily Active Users) shrinkage for major social companies like Zynga, EA and Disney.

In the report, Creutz says that PC-based social gaming is stuck in an "evolutionary dead-end and is in the process of being supplanted by gaming on mobile devices."

Creutz and fellow analyst Jason Mueller point to ageing games and accelerating DAU attrition as key delineating factors between the PC and mobile platforms, noting that, whilst more than half of the Facebook top 20 grossing games are over a year old, only three titles in the same bracket on the iOS app store were released over 12 months ago.

"We believe it is hard to construct a model where over half of the top 20 games are shrinking significantly in aggregate but where the total is meaningfully growing," reads the report.

"In contrast, 17 of the top 20 games on the iPhone are less than a year old. We think this is a function of the faster growth of mobile gaming relative to social."

Further to the ageing game population, Facebook's top publishers suffered an aggregate 5.5 per cent m/m DAU shrinkage, with Zynga's DAU dropping by 27 per cent in the last 6 months.

Nonetheless, Zynga continues to dominate the Facebook charts, occupying eight slots in the top twenty but just two in the iOS rankings. EA has two on Facebook and just one on iOS, as does Disney.

[iPickle]

Ouya courts mobile developers with access to the TV



Kathleen De Vere•Jul 10th, 2012
Android, Development, Games

Boxer8, the company behind a new Android-based console called Ouya thinks what mobile game developers really want is access to the television — the screen that until now has been controlled by major console manufacturers.

The company, which launched its Kickerstarter campaign today in order to fund the first production run of its $99 console, is aiming to disrupt the market by bringing the openness of the mobile platform to console gaming.

According to founder Julie Uhrman, Ouya was designed from the very beginning to appeal to developers. “When you talk to developers about bringing games to the living room, it’s incredibly complicated and expensive process,” she explains. The end result of the current game development environment is more and more developers moving to mobile, she says. “You’re seeing a lot of the AAA console developers leave their shops.”

But even with the popularity of mobile gaming, the TV and the living room are still where gamers want to play, says Uhrman. She points out that more than half of all mobile gaming happens at home, and that three out of every four gaming dollars are still spent on the TV. “Now there’s a chance to easily and affordably get your games to television using something you already know — Android,” she says.

Under the hood, an Ouya box is essentially a very good Android tablet, and its design includes several nods to its intended developer community. The system has a Tegra3 quad-core processor, 1 GB of ram, 8 GB of internal storage, and will run Android 4.0. The controller will have a touchpad in order to help developers port existing mobile games to the platform. The custom Android-based Ouya SDK will be free for developers, and every Ouya system will also function as a debug console. Unity Technologies will be a launch partner, a win considering the popularity of the Unity engine among mobile developers. Monetization-wise, all games on the platform will be free-to-play in some way, wether it be through demos, subscriptions or in-app purchases. Developers will take home 70 percent of all revenue, the same deal they already receive from Apple, Google and Amazon.

So far the system received a lot of well-publicized support from celebrity developers like Brian Fargo and Jordan Mechner. However, more importantly mobile developers like Spry Fox’s David Edery, Storm8’s Perry Tam and Madfinger Game’s Marek Rabas have all endorsed the console. For Ouya to succeed in the long term, support from free-to-play experts like Storm8 is likely far more important.

Of course, as a Kickstarter funded project, Ouya’s fate lies in the hands of consumers, but so far the project is off to a roaring start. Since going live this morning at 6:00 am, Ouya has already raised more than $328,000 of its $950,000 goal.


http://www.insidemobileapps.com/2012/07/10/ouya-courts-mobile-developers-with-access-to-the-tv/

[iPickle]

THQ, Inc. Capital Change=shs decreased by 1 for 10 split. Ex-date=07/09/2012.

[iPickle]

EA vows to become a digital-only games publisher


by Zen Terrelonge


Exec says the decision is inevitable.

Just last month, gaming giant EA said it would ditch its premium pricing strategy across mobile franchises like Need For Speed, making freemium games the norm.

Now, EA labels president Frank Gibeau tells GamesIndustry.biz that the firm will make the move to a digital-only future, spurred on as the platform's revenue heads towards $1.7bn for 2012.

Gibeau, said: "For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future is going to be a 100 per cent digital company, period .It's going to be there someday. It's inevitable."

This could make physical retailers feel uneasy, but the exec added that the decision would be catered towards the gamer's needs, though the recent demise of UK retailer GAME is a firm example of how the market has changed.

[iPickle]

Apple's plans in motion for iPad Mini, says DisplaySearch

NPD DisplaySearch says Apple has a production plan for a small tablet.

by Brooke Crothers
July 3, 2012 2:54 PM PDT


Apple has plans for the so-called iPad Mini and it may be only a matter of getting production up and running, according to NPD DisplaySearch.

"For the 7.85-inch panel, there's a business plan for it, there's a mass production target for it. And we know that it's for Apple," Richard Shim, an NPD DisplaySearch analyst, told CNET.

"I don't know the name of the product, but I know it's going to be a tablet," he said.

NPD DisplaySearch talks to companies in the "supply chain" -- firms that make the components and assemble products.

And Shim said production is likely imminent. "Everything is getting set up. We know the lines. We know how many panels are going to come out of the sheets of glass."

That said, Shim added that certitude is elusive until he has confirmation that production has actually begun.

"These are supply chain indications. By the very nature of the supply chain, these plans can be altered," he said.

And there were more supply chain indications today in the form of a report on a Chinese-language Web site.

That report says the iPad Mini will use an IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) display, tech that yields thinner displays, among other merits.

Though Shim couldn't confirm an IGZO display for the iPad Mini, he did say Apple is telling its suppliers that it wants to move products to that technology.

Related reports have claimed that the iPad Mini will be priced at $299. Estimates for production runs are about 35 million units in 2013.

[iPickle]

Thanks Bob. Will have a look.

[Bob22701]

MIBI - Mobile Integrated Systems,Inc. might be worth a look.

GLTA
Bob

[iPickle]

THQI Announces 1-for-10 Reverse Stock Split

Company Currently Expects Its Common Stock to Begin Trading on a Split-adjusted Basis on July 9, 2012

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120702005357/en/THQ-Announces-1-for-10-Reverse-Stock-Split

[mart0593]

i've been a loyal mac user my whole life. i was one of the first to adopt the ipod and iphone, but lately apple has become everything they said they did not want to become. i think i'm switching over to the galaxy III soon. android is for more experienced users... if apple does not get with it, they will lose out to android.

[mart0593]

anyone done any research on these other companies.? FRZT looks like it could bounce soon.

[iPickle]

Google Play passes 20 billion app installs



Users have downloaded more than 20 billion apps and there are more than 600,000 apps available in Google Play. Joe Britt, Google Play’s engineering director , revealed the updated figures today at the Google I/O keynote in San Francisco. Britt also revealed more than 50 percent of app revenues in Google Play now come from in-app purchases.

Google also revealed it had introduced new features to make Android apps more user friendly. Users on Gingerbread and above now have access to smart updates, which allows them to download only the parts of an APK that need to be updated. This will reduce bandwidth use for both users and carriers.

[iPickle]

Top Five Android Features That'll Make iPhone-Owning Friends Jealous

http://www.androidpit.com/top-five-android-features-that-ll-make-iphone-owning-friends-jealous?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=NL_270612

We're lovers, not fighters. But when Apple claims that Android is a stolen product, and wants to ban the Galaxy S3 for "slavishly copying" the iPhone, we just have to speak up. Enough is enough. We're not trying to feed the trolls here, but there are a number of features where Android clearly wins over the iPhone. These features may not be the best known to those outside the Android cult, but they should be, because they're really, really great. Here are the top five features that will make your iPhone owning friends red with jealousy.
5. Alternative Keyboards

From text-predictive software like Swiftkey to downright zany keyboard apps like Siine, Android owners are spoiled for choice when it comes to their keyboards (which is nice, because typing on a screen tends to suck). Sure, iPhone owners can download keyboard apps but they don't allow you to replace the system's keyboard and are thus far less practicle.
4. Widgets

Need to know the latest sports scores, weather information and e-mails from your coworkers? You can see them all without leaving your homescreen. While the only thing iPhone owners can see are rows of apps, Android owners have space to experiment with various widgets that bring a whole new level of functionality to their devices. I can see how much data I've used over the past month, all the recent items on my to-do list and more – without opening a single app.
3. Computer Control Over Your Android

Using software like AirDroid, you can send text messages, take screenshots, manage apps and wirelessly transfer files from your computer to your Android. There's simply nothing like it available for the iPhone. Previously, remote droid did the same thing, although AirDroid is even more extensive. You can also text straight from your Chrome browser using a plugin like MightyText. Sure you can use Veency for the iPhone, but the service is much more limited and only works on jailbroken iPhones.
2. Custom ROMs

Android owners can tweak the entire OS, creating unique homescreens that are as busy or minimalist as they'd like. There's the Paranoid ROM, MIUI, Cyanogen Mod and endless other variations, offering a level of personalization unavailable to iPhone owners. Some of these tweaks allow owners to speed up their processor or even install newer versions of the Android OS.
1. Sharing Skillz

Almost everything you do on an Android can be shared with almost any app you'd like to share it with. Want to send a report via Google Docs, or export a photo to Dropbox or Instagram a photo? You don't have to dig around in any menus to be able to do so, as the sharing buttons are everywhere. Even stories you find on the web can be easily shared with reader apps like Pocket, without having to install any browser extensions. Apps are truly integrated into the Android OS.

[iPickle]

Mobile 'could kill console gaming'
by Ben Parfitt

'Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo won't produce dedicated hardware beyond the next generation', says Ben Cousins

Ngmoco’s Ben Cousins has become the latest high-profile games exec to predict the death of the console.

Gamasutra reports that speaking at GDC Taipei the former EA, Sony and Lionhead, Cousins stated: "There's a potential for mobile gaming to kill console gaming. I'm talking about a significant reduction of market share with no chance of return.

"I believe that sometime during the next console generation, globally, both the revenue and the market share for games will be larger in mobile than it is for console.

“I believe Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo won't produce dedicated hardware past the next generation. Further, I believe traditional game companies like EA will be purchased by existing digital companies, or close entirely."

Cousins believes that the decline seen in other dedicated hardware sectors – such as camcorders, GPS devices and MP3 players – is evidence of his belief. And that consoles will be next.

[iPickle]

Upwardly Mobile: the rise and rise of smartphone gaming
Mobile gaming’s new frontiers are as exciting as they are troubled, writes Neil Long.

“We are looking at the new arcade, and 99 cents on the iPhone is the new quarter.”

Seamus ‘Father of Xbox’ Blackley’s soundbite on the state of mobile games neatly encapsulates mobile gaming when it’s at its best – snack-sized play, choice, accessibility, excitement and opportunity.

There’s been a goldrush in mobile games over the last few years which has birthed a seemingly endless stream of start-ups, often founded by alumni from the ‘traditional’ dev scene, looking to author the next breakout hit. It's a familiar story. A month after Blackley’s proclamation, Peter Molyneux quit big-budget game development to brave the untamed frontiers of the indie scene. Molyneux’s defection doesn't signal a creative exodus from triple-A - the console market will be just fine without him - but it does feel hugely significant that one of the industry’s most famous visionaries sees his future on PC and mobile rather than any of the mainstream consoles.

The rewards in mobile games, though increasingly difficult to obtain, are clear for all to see. Cut The Rope, Ski Safari and, of course, Angry Birds are powerfully seductive examples of what can be achieved, and the money to be made. Any studio releasing a well-designed, characterful plaything has a chance of becoming the next overnight success. The problem is that quality is no guarantee of sales.

A billion downloads, a huge line of merchandise and a TV series later, even Rovio itself might still stop to wonder quite how it birthed mobile gaming’s own Super Mario Bros. What is it about Angry Birds, of all the many thousands of games on the App Store, that catapulted it into the mainstream consumer’s consciousness?

A simple-to-learn playstyle, a gently addictive sense of progression, and fun, colourful characters all contributed, but you could list plenty of other games on the App Store which meet the same criteria. Yet you won't find many other App Store developers having a theme park built in their game's honour.

It’s this unpredictability, and the sense that mobile is a market still figuring everything out, which lends this expanding space a certain pioneering spirit. A new breed of companies like Gree, DeNA and Tapjoy have swept in to make extraordinary amounts of money where traditional games publishers fear to tread, and where the console business has flirted with true mainstream recognition with Wii, DS, Kinect et al, a small number of mobile games are genuinely achieving it.

Phones and tablets are now the de facto mobile gaming devices for younger players, families and, increasingly, traditional gamers. Anyone in the trade privy to the weekly Chart-Track sales figures can see exactly how many people are happy to pay full price for 3DS and Vita games in the post-smartphone era. Simply put, the game has changed.

There’s been plenty said about the creative malaise in blockbuster console gaming. Does mobile offer the antidote? Mobile studios may be making lower cost titles and smaller-scale game experiences, but the risks are much lower too. Creativity can thrive - providing it can be found, and studios can make enough money out of it.

It’s in unearthing those genuinely new, worthwhile mobile experiences that this fascinating market comes a little unstuck. It's well known that mobile game cloning is a major problem, and one that must be solved quickly, and IAP implementation needs work, too. Some freemium titles barely let you proceed beyond the title screen before asking you to pay up; others could be more accurately described as ‘pay to win’ games.

And too often, console publishers consider their mobile offerings as little more than an afterthought. The nightmarish control schemes found in the recent mobile ports of GTA III and Max Payne demonstrate that even a company with Rockstar’s class and talent can fall victim to the temptation to make a quick buck, rather than truly consider the end user.

As the marketplace develops - and it is developing, at a startling rate - I’m hopeful that the cynics will be found out and quality mobile games will become easier to discover. Edge is doing its bit by hand-picking the likes of Gauge - Game, Saturday Morning RPG and Spellsword and asking its readership to discover these games themselves, but it's still not enough. In this new, regular column, I'll be looking at the business of mobile games - celebrating the successes, offering insight into its problems, and charting the progression of the most exciting (and at times bewildering) spaces in the game industry.

http://www.edge-online.com/opinion/upwardly-mobile-rise-and-rise-smartphone-gaming

[iPickle]

Majesco Announces Partnership With Zynga

Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, has entered into a publishing agreement with Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), the world's leading provider of social game services. Under the agreement, Zynga will publish Mini Putt Park, Majesco's latest social game. Currently available in beta on Facebook, the game is scheduled to officially launch on Facebook and Zynga's destination for social games Zynga.com this summer.

[Bob22701]

Board Marked. Mobile gaming has huge growth potential!

GLTA
Bob

[iPickle]

Apple App Store hits 30 billion downloads
Makes Andy Rubin feel stupid
By Carly Page
Mon Jun 11 2012, 18:23

APPLE CEO Tim Cook today announced that the Apple App Store has seen 30 billion downloads to date, putting the competition to shame.

Speaking at the firm's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco, Cook announced the whopping 30 billion downloads milestone, up from the 14 billion downloads boasted at WWDC 2011.

Following an opening comedy routine from Siri, Cook revealed more impressive stats about the Itunes App Store. He touted that the store now has 400 million accounts signed-up, saying, "This is the store with the largest number of accounts with credit cards anywhere on the internet that we're aware of."

Cook also revealed that the Apple App Store is now home to 650,000 apps, 225,000 of which have been designed specifically for the Ipad. As a sly dig at Google and Microsoft he said, "This compares to just a few hundred from our competition."

It's not just us customers who are happy. Cook also revealed that Apple has paid of $5bn in total to developers, up from the $2.5bn figure announced at WWDC this time last year. µ

Source: The Inquirer (http://s.tt/1e4Rh)

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2183520/apple-app-store-hits-billion-downloads

[iPickle]

Google+ loses two game developers


Rumors of social gaming's death may not be exaggerated.

There's been increasing discussion about the possibility social gaming has finally jumped the shark this year, and Zynga's big drop in daily active users sent investors in the social gaming giant rushing for the exits earlier this week.

And now comes news two of the game developers building games for Google+ are calling it quits. According to Gamasutra, PopCap and Wooga, whose games combined count more than 50m monthly active users on Google's social network, have decided to remove their titles from Google+.

"We're not really up for a conversation on that topic" a PopCap representative told Gamasutra's Eric Caoili. "Certainly, Google is a valuable gaming partner for PopCap and EA, and we'll continue to develop for Google platforms," he added.

As Caoili notes, one of those other platforms is likely Android, Google's mobile operating system. Which provides more evidence that gaming companies are rethinking their social gaming investments and instead starting to focus more on mobile opportunities. And perhaps for good reason: research firm ABI Research predicts in-app purchases will turn mobile gaming into a $16bn per year market by 2016.

Obviously, social gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry in its own right, but there are significant questions about its future. The biggest social gaming platform, Facebook, hasn't yet figured out its mobile platform strategy, leaving game developers unable to tap into its rapidly growing mobile audience. And there are concerns that users are tiring of the world's largest social network, which would obviously be bad news for those operating social games on Facebook's platform.

With this in mind, it's not entirely surprising that some of the developers which jumped on the Google+ bandwagon are reconsidering whether a Google+ investment is really worthwhile.

http://econsultancy.com/us/blog/10121-google-loses-two-game-developers

[Jess44]

Just watching right now. Weasel Rocket's not a bad game but similar to Angry Birds and others so honesty I'm not sure how good it's going to be. I'm starting to realize you really need to have something new and different to make it big with gaming apps. That's why The Naked Gun is in the New and Noteworthy of iTunes. It's different and special. With that bing said I do like the game. Good graphics and sounds effects. At least that's the roomer.

[letsdothis]

Freezetag looks very interesting...anyone in it?

[stocktrotter]

Very interesting article thanks for sharing. The dollars spent per player has dropped year-over-year but the number of players has increased 11M in the last 12 months alone. It's kinda like would you rather have 1,000 people give $5.00 per download or 10,000 people give you $0.99 per download?!!!

I was very pleased to see DNAD do a TNG download special. It just shows that they haven't forgot how to market or they have someone giving good guidence.

[iPickle]

Survey finds tablets boost playtime and spending habits among mobile gamers

Tablets have proven to be a boon for mobile gaming according to the latest survey from EA PopCap and Information Solutions Group, which shows tablet ownership increases the amount of mobile games played, the amount of time spent playing, and the amount of money spent on them.

The survey found 49.7 percent of U.S. respondents had played a mobile game at least once and 38 percent had played a mobile game in the last month. Out of those who did play mobile games, the number of those reporting they played mobile games daily increased 28 percent year-over-year, rising from 35 percent in 2011 to 45 percent in 2012. When polling players who had both a phone and a tablet, that figure increased to 57 percent.

The survey also found that tablets are becoming more popular than phones for gaming — 58 percent of respondents who owned both a phone and a tablet said they spent more time gaming on their tablets than their phones, and 40 percent reported playing fewer games on their phones. For users that only played mobile games on their tablets, more than a quarter of them had previously used their phones to do so.

The amount of time spent playing mobile games also increased year-over-year, with 22 percent of mobile gamers reporting they spent three a more hours a week playing games on their devices, up from 14 percent in 2011. Once again, gamers who owned both a tablet and a phone spent more time on a weekly basis playing games.

Tablet ownership proved to be a popular entry point into mobile gaming, with the study estimating that devices like the Kindle Fire and the iPad have brought 11 million new players into the mobile ecosystem in the last 12 months.

Finally, although the average amount of money spent on mobile gaming actually dropped year-over-year, falling from $29.21 in 2010 to $21.24 in 2011, the amount of money spent by tablet players increased from $20.37 in 2010 to $25.47 in 2011. Overall gamers who played on both phones and tablets were the most lucrative, reporting they had spent an average of $34.57 on mobile games within the last two years.

http://networkedblogs.com/yM3jZ

[iPickle]

Social games & music
“How the worlds of music and social network games are coming together”
Curated by Kevin Corti

http://www.scoop.it/t/social-games-music

[iPickle]

Freeze Tag Rocket Weasel Trailer:

Pretty good game, maybe even better than Angry Birds? Different challenges. hard to beat the original idea, IMO.

[iPickle]

Mopapp measures app value with all-in-one dashboard



London-based startup Mopapp is looking to make its mark in the competitive mobile analytics space by providing developers with a single dashboard that tracks downloads, reviews, revenues and advertising performance.

Unlike other analytics providers such as Flurry, Apsalar or Kontagent, developers using Mopapp do not need to install an SDK in their apps. The service, which bills itself as a partner, rather than a direct competitor to other analytics companies is a “one-stop shop” for tracking any and every way an app can generate revenue and downloads, according to CEO Alessandro Rizzoli.

To do this, Mopapp pulls data directly from official app stores like iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, the Windows Marketplace and BlackBerry App World, as wells as independent stores like GetJar, Handango and MobiHand. It also taps directly into advertising data from InMobi and AdMob (with more ad networks currently in the works), and displays aggregated analytics data from Flurry directly in a user’s dashboard. It also offers custom APIs for apps that monetize through the sales of physical goods.

Rizzoli explains that by pulling together data from a variety of sources, Mopapp customers are able to track performance in a unified, real-time dashboard and then compare how their app is doing to other apps in the same category.

It’s similar to Flurry’s new Ad Analytics service, which allows developers to see and compare the effectiveness of ad campaigns across multiple networks, but according to Rizzoli, Mopapp’s service covers all aspects of the sales funnel. This he argues, provides a better picture of what an app’s true value is.

“Today, no one can really accurately measure the value of your digital assets — what is the value of an app? Is it downloads? Revenues? A mix? Is it the number of reviews? There are many things you have to take into consideration to build an effective value indicator,” he explains.

Small independent developers can use a basic version of the service for free, and enterprise customers, which are Mopapp’s target market, receive custom setups, have more robust reporting tools and market tracking capabilities. For developers between the two extremes, Mopapp also offers a $9-a-month plan that balances affordability with more advanced analytics.

Mopapp came out of its private beta in May and is currently working with more than 40,000 apps. Rizzoli tells us the company is already tracking two billion data points across half a billion unique devices.

Originally backed by Seedcamp, a European fund for internet technology companies, Mopapp received an additional €1.5 million seed investment from CRIF Worldwide in February.

[iPickle]

Majesco Entertainment and FremantleMedia Enterprises Announce Partnership to Bring American Idol Games to Market


Today : Wednesday 13 June 2012


Majesco Entertainment (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of video games for the mass market, and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME), the commercial and brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, today announced a strategic partnership to develop and produce interactive games based on the Emmy nominated American Idol television series. Under the terms of the partnership, Majesco receives the exclusive rights to publish games in North America.

"American Idol created the reality television singing competition format that defined an entire genre and grew into a massive pop culture phenomenon," said Jesse Sutton, Chief Executive Officer, Majesco Entertainment. "This exciting entertainment brand has a loyal and active fan base that has generated billions of votes since the series launched. That kind of unprecedented engagement offers a unique opportunity for us to introduce new interactive experiences that develop those social connections."

"Majesco's expertise in creating casual and family oriented titles made them the perfect partner for our biggest brand, American Idol," added Naz Cuevas, Senior Manager, Consumer Products, Hardlines, FremantleMedia Enterprises.

American Idol is produced by 19 Entertainment, a division of CORE Media Group and FremantleMedia North America.

Additional details of the American Idol game will be announced at a future date. For more information about Majesco's exciting line of products, please visit: www.majescoent.com.