By
Administrator on April 28th, 2006
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Filed in archive Mobile Games by tom on April 25, 2006
Pokémon, the wildly popular trading card, computer game and TV series from Japan, is coming to mobile handsets thanks to a deal between Nintendo and developer Square-Enix.
This marks another uptake in the firms’ relationships, ollowing a nadir in the two company’s interactions during the Nintendo 64 era. Both publishers have since begun to work together again, with Square Enix publishing Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles on the GameCube and a number of portable releases from the series’ history. The company is also working directly with Nintendo properties for the first time since collaborative effort Super Mario RPG on the SNES, in the technically advanced Nintendo DS title Mario Basket 3 on 3.
The Pokémon mobile application will be part email and part cirtual-pet game.
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Administrator on April 27th, 2006
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The Da Vinci Code mobile game is based on the highly-anticipated The Da Vinci Code film by Oscar winning director Ron Howard, which is based on Dan Brown’s best-selling novel. Dan Brown’s critically-acclaimed book “The Da Vinci Code” is the best-selling novel of all time and has spent more than two years on the New York Times best-seller list. It has also been translated into 42 languages. To date, there are more than 38.6 million copies of the novel in print, averaging more than two million copies sold each month. For the first time the paperback will be released with 5 million copies shipping to stores the end of March.
The Movie
While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (’Tom Hanks’) receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. Solving the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci - clues visible for all to see, and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion - an actual secret society. In a breathless race through Paris, London and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who appears to work for Opus Dei - a clandestine, Vatican-sanctioned Catholic organization believed to have long plotted to seize the Priory’s secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory’s secret - and a stunning historical truth - will be lost forever.
The Mobile Game - Available at Mobile Active in Australia From 16th April!
Race against time to uncover the biggest conspiracy in the history of mankind in The Da Vinci Code: The Quest Begins action-adventure. Play the role of either Robert Langdon or Sophie Neveu as you follow the mystery of The Da Vinci Code. Race through multiple, stunning, locations collecting clues and unlocking puzzles; all the while being pursued at every turn. A top down, isometric view gives you a clear view of the action while giving you the maximum control for puzzle solving.
COMING SOON AT MOBILE ACTIVE!
* DaVinci Code - 3D Mobile Game 25th April ‘06
* DaVinci Code - Light Puzzle Mobile Game 3rd May ‘06
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By
Administrator on April 27th, 2006
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The worldwide mobile phone market showed continued strength in Q1 2006 with total shipments of 226.7 mln units, representing 26% growth over Q1 2005, according to IDC. Although the market experienced a sequential decline of 7.3% when compared to the record Q4 2005, much of this was due to expected seasonality. Much of the worldwide growth has been attributed to developing markets, which have not only seen an influx of entry-level devices for first-time users, but an increasing interest in mid-range and higher end devices.
* Nokia. The Finnish giant started 2006 much in the same way it closed out 2006 – as the undisputed leader of the worldwide mobile phone market. Growing 39.6% year over year, Nokia marked yet another quarter having wrapped up more than thirty percent of the worldwide market. Thanks to the success of its higher-priced models, average selling prices increased, stemming the trend of steady decline for the past several quarters.
* Motorola. The U.S.-based company continued its string of quarters of year-over-year growth, this time posting a 60.6% gain to begin 2006. Motorola continues to leverage its tremendously popular RAZR model with different colors and form factors in the PEBL and SLVR, and its sustained shipments into developing markets helped propel sales and shipments even further.
* Samsung. With shipments increasing 18.4% year over year, Samsung remained firmly in place as the number three worldwide vendor. With shipment improvement to Latin America and Asia/Pacific, the company pushed even closer to the thirty million unit mark. At the same time, while Samsung increased its shipments from a year ago, sales had a slight decrease.
* LG Electronics. Standing pat in the number four position is LG Electronics, whose first quarter shipments resulted in a 40.5% increase from a year ago. This was the first post-holiday quarter during which LG Electronics’ shipments stayed solidly above the ten million unit mark. The combination of a decrease in shipments, higher marketing expenses, and product mix deterioration led to a decrease in sales this quarter for the company, which ultimately resulted in an operating loss.
* Sony Ericsson. The 50/50 venture began the year with an impressive 41.5% year-over-year improvement, and also marked the first time that Sony Ericsson’s post-holiday shipments remained firmly above the ten million unit mark. At the same time, after trailing LG Electronics by just a hundred thousand units last quarter, Sony Ericsson saw the difference increase to 2.3 million units. Three new flagship models were announced for music, imaging, and enterprise-focused consumers, and spanned the full spectrum of price points.
Mobile Statistics
10.8 mln mobile subscribers in Bangladesh
11 mln mobile subscribers in Pakistan
125.8 mln mobile subscribers in Russia
13% of US wireless customers consider their service excellent
15% of US mobile users use mobile Web
2.5 bln mobile subscribers by the end of 2006
2.75% of mobile subscribers use virtual operators
20% of Australian phone users ready to cut the cord
207.9 mln wireless users in the US in 2005, 69% penetration
226.7 mln cell phones sold in Q1 2006 globally
24% of cell phone users feel they have to answer a call no matter what
27% of Japanese mobile consumer use bar code readers
3.8 mln of British mobile users had some SMS-related injury
33.32% of US mobile users sent or received text messages
36% of US wireless customers have been shocked by their wireless bills
37% of mobile households have checked e-mail on their phones
41% of Americans fill in their free time with calling someone on their wireless phone
41% of mobile phone owners are interested in videos
420 mln mobile users in China
44 mln cell phones sold in Japan in 2005
54.1 mln Americans use Cingular, 51.3 mln - Verizon
6% of US households rely exclusively on cell phones
610 mln mobile subscribers in China by 2009
825.5 mln mobile phones sold in 2005, 16.7% growth
86.2 mln Brazilians have mobile phones
9.32 mln mobile subscribers in Hungary
90 mln mobile subscribers in India
930 mln mobile phones to sell in 2006
Average cell phone conversation lasts 3 minutes 15 seconds
Cell phone exam cheating in England up 27%
Cell phone penetration in Mexico reached 46% in 2005
Central and Eastern European mobile subscription revenues up 13.5% in 2005
Ireland is at 100% mobile penetration
Japanese cell phone market up 11.4% in January 2006
Japanese kids generated $275 mln for wireless industry in 2005
Men more likely than women to drive and talk on cell phones
Mobile phone market share for Q1 2006: Nokia - 33.1%, Motorola - 20.3%, Samsung - 12.8%, LG Electronics - 6.9%, Sony Ericsson - 5.9%
PIM freaks spend 13% more on wireless bills than average cellular users
Revenues per mobile user down by 11% in Finland in 2005
UK mobile services industry to generate $100 mln by 2008
US is at 70% wireless penetration
US wireless penetration reaches 70%, 200 mln subscribers
Wireless revenue from US businesses will grow to $52 bln in 2010
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Administrator on April 27th, 2006
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Mobile Monday - Breaking News: 2006 will be the year of one billion shipped mobile phones
Nokia and Motorola took 53% of the market
2006 will be the year of one billion shipped mobile phones
Timo Poropudas
20 Apr 2006 at 15:06
Motorola Rokr
Motorola Rokr Mobile phone shipments will reach one billion milepost this year, predicts Strategy Analytics. The research company upped it growth after impressive 229 million mobile phones were shipped worldwide in Q1 2006.
The annual growth rate for January-March was 31 percent. This was the first time sales have exceeded the 200 million barrier during quarter one.
Motorola was the star performer, reaching 20 percent global market share for the first time since 1998. Nokia also surged, as the top two megavendors tightened their grip on the competition. Sony Ericsson sold more than 2 million Walkman music phones and outgrew the overall market. Meanwhile, Samsung continued its recent slower growth trend.
Following a strong flow of upbeat forecasts from tier-1 mobile players, Strategy Analytics predicts 1.00 billion units for the full-year 2006, up 22 percent from 817 million sold in 2005.
Nokia and Motorola, who account for a record 53 percent combined, are starting to run away with the global handset market, at the expense of most other players below them.
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Administrator on April 27th, 2006
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Mobile Monday - Breaking News: Sony Ericsson ships 13,3 million phones in Q1
Sony Ericsson Thursday reported first-quarter net profit more than tripled, thanks largely to the continued popularity of its Walkman-branded music phones and delivery of new advanced phones in Japan.
Sony Ericsson also increased its forecast for the overall market in 2006, to 900 million units from the 860 million.
The company said net profit jumped to EUR109 million in the three months to March 31 from EUR32 million a year earlier. The pretax profit more than doubled to EUR151 million. Sales rose 55 percent to EUR1.99 billion.
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Administrator on April 23rd, 2006
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Oneupweb has just released a white paper on the future of mobile search. “Mobile Search and Its Implications for Search Marketing” is the first detailed report on this exploding marketing channel–it’s challenges, limitations and opportunities.
Oneupweb sees substantial and immediate opportunities in mobile search. The following bulleted highlights show our readers how to best take advantage of the growing potential in mobile search.
* The “mobile web” requires websites to be written in either WML or XHTML.
* SEO / SEM methods should address mobile search’s unique time and space challenges. That means short search terms, short title tags, concise, relevant copy and more.
* The vast majority of current-day mobile searchers fall within the 12-24-year-old range. Increasingly, however, executives and managers are using mobile search; they are the next wave of marketing opportunity.
* Two major factions exist in mobile search: “The Need-It-Now Shoppers” and “The Killing-Time Shoppers.” Each requires targeted marketing efforts.
In short, mobility is changing what it means to “search the web.”
Search’s Changing Landscape
Cell phones, PDA’s and other mobile devices now allow users to gain internet access nearly everywhere. That means you can read the news, check your email or research vacation destinations while walking down the street, while sipping coffee at a café or sitting at airports. There is no longer a “logging off” period where users must forgo internet access.
This “total connectivity” represents the most dramatic shift in information accessibility since the mainstream adoption of the internet via desktop computers at home and at work back in the 1990s. Anticipating the gravity of this shift, Oneupweb, a search engine optimization and marketing firm, just released a first-of-its-kind white paper analyzing the emerging mobile search marketplace.
“Mobile Search and Its Implications for Search Marketing” finds that mobile users are, in great numbers, turning to their portable devices to find web content, products and services. In doing so, two issues become pressing for online marketers: understanding this new technology and understanding this new behavior.
New Technology
According to research cited in the white paper, by 2005, about 200 million cell phones will be in use in the U.S., with the majority of these phones having web capabilities. The mobile web is not, however, just the internet on a smaller screen. Technically, it requires rebuilding websites so they are accessible by mobile browsers, specifically Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). WAP is separate and distinct from the Hyper-Text Protocol (HTTP) that desktop computers use to access Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) pages. WAP browsers can only access pages written in eXtensible Hyper-Text Markup (xHTML) or Wireless Markup Language (WML). Therefore, the “mobile web” is the universe of content written in XHTML or WML.
Search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM) for the mobile web should closely follow the rebuilding of websites. Mobile SEO / SEM approaches are similar to the conventional web. However, there are some unique challenges. Oneupweb found that, given the “on-the-go” nature of mobile search, online marketers should keep content short, relevant and accurate. That means short search terms, landing pages with easy-scroll choices, brief title tags and more.
New Behavior
Understanding the audience (or “search behavior”–broadly defined here as how internet users search via search engines like Google, Yahoo! and MSN) is the goal of everyone involved in the search industry, from the engines themselves to online marketers and SEO / SEM firms. What drives searchers to act is as complex and unruly as human nature itself. However, certain unique mobile search behavioral trends are already beginning to emerge.
The Five W’s of Mobile Search
WHO
For a variety of reasons, early adopters of new technology are almost always the young and hip. Right now, by far the biggest audience using mobile search is the 12-24-year-old age group. As opposed to their older and more diverse desktop counterparts, this group is obsessed by “infotainment”: fashion, sporting goods, music, movies, computer games, ringtones, etc. That means popular culture rules on modern day mobile devices. Here’s the (literal) million dollar question: For how long? As mobile search becomes as common as desktop search, the demographics will, no doubt, be similar to current day desktop search, opening new opportunities for marketers. Executives and managers are already flooding into the marketplace (with BlackBerries in hand). Oneupweb predicts this audience will soon heavily influence the market.
WHAT
Mobile technology allows for immediate decision making “on the fly.” Whereas desktop users search the web to make plans, mobile users search to make immediate decisions–directions, store locations, emergency assistance, etc. They are not interested in extraneous details. They want clean design and clear copy–usability is king. This is partially due to the environment in which they are searching (multitasking in meetings, in airports, etc.) and also due to the physical limitations of the mobile devices themselves (small screens, buttons, etc.).
WHERE
Unlike desktop search, mobile searchers can access the internet practically everywhere. As a result, mobile users’ attentions are more likely to be fractured by outside environmental factors–from blaring horns to overheard conversations–making concentrating on detailed web content more difficult.
WHY
Oneupweb has coined the terms Need-it-Now-Shoppers and Killing-Time Shoppers to describe the two main frames of mind mobile searchers have when using their portable devices to browse the web. Need-it-now shoppers are searching for such items as: where to pick up a bottle of wine on the way to a dinner party or where to take the team out for pizza after an away game. Killing-time shoppers are more interested in research and passing time.
WHEN
Mobile searchers can access the internet all the time. Twenty-four hour availability means these users have access to web content exactly when they need it. This not only means increased productivity, it means a much larger window of opportunity for marketers trying to reach them.
New Opportunities
In a Darwinian sense, mobile searchers are the next step in the search evolution, adapting their behaviors to respond to and benefit from the new mobile environment. For online marketers, understanding these behavioral changes is the first step in connecting with this emerging audience. As technology pushes the boundaries of what it means to communicate in the 21st Century, there’s no telling how long mobile searchers will continue to behave in the manner indicated above. But one thing is for certain: The time to reach out to them is now. Technology will continue to change as well, helping to overcome the physical limitations of mobile search with better graphics, larger screens and voice-activated search.
Three Steps to Mobile Search Success
Step One
Know the facts: the technology, the demographics, the behavior, the trends. Stay with OneUpNews for further insight and breaking developments.
Step Two
Build your website in either WML or xHTML so they can be read and indexed by the “mobile web” (WAP). This should by accomplished no later than 2007, depending on your brand’s products and services, your target demographics, and budget considerations.
Step Three
Invest in an SEO / SEM firm that understands mobile technology and how to reach its growing audience. Successful marketing in mobile search, like conventional desktop search, requires a full range of approaches, from natural optimization, paid search marketing, search behavior research and analytics–all integrated with traditional marketing methods.
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By
Administrator on April 7th, 2006
Posted in Mobile Content | 1 Comment »
Mobile Monday - Breaking News: 2006 mobile phone market to grow to 915 million
Nokia outlines industry dynamics at AGM
2006 mobile phone market to grow to 915 million
Timo Poropudas
30 Mar 2006 at 18:29
Speaking Thursday at Nokia’s Annual General Meeting, company CEO Jorma Ollila traced the rapid rise of mobile communications and described the nature of the industry today.
“There is huge diversity between geographic areas and markets in terms of consumer preferences and behavior,” he said.
“In addition to continuous growth in voice communication, other industries like music and digital imaging are quickly becoming more integral to mobility.”
Ollila described how the size, growth and dynamics of emerging markets are increasingly driving demand. He repeated the company’s earlier statements that Nokia expects approximately 80 percent of the next billion subscribers to come from the emerging markets.
Ollila also upped the company estimate for mobile device market volume growth in 2006.
“Due to strong subscriber growth, we have now updated our global mobile device market volume estimate for this year,” said Ollila.
“Nokia estimates that in the year 2006, the mobile device market volume will increase globally 15 percent or more from our estimate of 795 million units in 2005. Previously, we estimated that the global mobile device market volume would grow 10 percent or more this year from last year’s estimate.”
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Administrator on April 7th, 2006
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MobileTechNews - PayPal Launches Mobile Payments
PayPal Launches Mobile Payments
Posted: 06-Apr-2006 [Source: PayPal]
[PayPal makes it official and introduces PayPal Mobile Text to Buy service allowing users to send money from their mobiles.]
San Jose, CA — PayPal today introduced PayPal Mobile, a text message-based service allowing consumers in the US and Canada to send money anytime, from anywhere, using their mobile telephones.
With PayPal Mobile, users can send money, purchase items or donate to charities from their mobile devices. Using PayPal Mobile’s Text to Buy service, consumers can buy things instantly, such as CDs, DVDs, shoes and apparel, by sending product codes via text message. Already, companies like 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Bravo, MTV, and the NBA Store are offering items for purchase with Text to Buy. PayPal Mobile also enables users to Text to Give to charities such as Amnesty International, Starlight Starbright and UNICEF.
To use PayPal Mobile, customers first activate their telephones by logging into their PayPal accounts at https://www.paypal.com/mobile. After registering their mobile telephone numbers, users must choose a secure Personal Identification Number (PIN) which protects every mobile payment.
PayPal Mobile users make payments by sending a text message to PayPal. PayPal calls the user back to confirm the mobile payment, and then sends the money to the recipient. In the case of a Text to Buy purchase, after the merchant receives the payment, the item is shipped to the address already saved in the user’s PayPal account.
Every PayPal Mobile payment is PIN-protected and backed by PayPal’s state-of-the-art fraud prevention system. With PayPal Mobile, financial information is never shared with the recipient. Each user’s financial information is stored on PayPal’s secure servers, not on the mobile telephone, so even if the telephone is lost or stolen, the user’s PayPal account remains secure.
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Administrator on April 7th, 2006
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Mobile Monday - Breaking News: Mforma takes Hands-On Mobile name
ersonal lifestyle of games
Mforma takes Hands-On Mobile name
Timo Poropudas
6 Apr 2006 at 15:33
Mforma Group, a global publisher of mobile lifestyle, games and personalization products, Wednesday announced at the CTIA conference that the company has changed its name to Hands-On Mobile.
“The decision to change our name reflects the fact that we have become the definitive mobile-entertainment media company worldwide,” said Hands-On Mobile’s President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Sacks.
“Consumers want entertaining, enriching and empowering content at their fingertips, a truly ‘hands-on’ entertainment experience.”
As a result of the emerging demands of carrier partners and consumers of mobile entertainment, the company also announced that it has aligned its business along three product lines: Hands-On Games, Hands-On Lifestyle and Hands-On Personalization. The new alignment reflects the company’s strategy to target all mobile-media market segments.
“With the name change and the realignment of our business segments, we are better positioned to anticipate and capitalize on the emerging trends taking place within the mobile-entertainment industry,” said Sacks. “In the coming weeks, we expect to roll out a diverse and compelling array of products that will meet the needs of our customers, enabling them to customize their mobile-entertainment content to best reflect their own hobbies, beliefs and passions.”
In separate announcements released today, Hands-On Mobile unveiled new mobile-entertainment products.
They include a partnership with Lego Classics to create unique Lego-branded games and Daily Devotions, a product that offers daily inspirations and prayers delivered by Pat Boone, a recognizable Christian leader and the voice of the Christian Radio Network.
Another partnership is with the notorious and legendary rock star Tommy Lee. In the coming months, Hands-On Mobile expects to launch an array of new products that target specific segments of the mobile market, ranging from next-generation games and lifestyle applications to ground-breaking community products.
Founded in 2001, Hands-On Mobile is delivering content to more than 150 wireless operators in 40 countries. Through partnerships with Activision, Atari, CBS SportsLine, Lego, Marvel and others the company provides some of the most popular games in the industry, including Texas Hold ‘Em, Monopoly, Tycoon, and True Crime.
A rapidly rrowing industry
Last year, consumers spent billions of dollars downloading content to their mobile phones. According to a published research report issued by Morgan Stanley in March 2006 the market for mobile-entertainment products is growing rapidly.
There are an estimated 2.1 billion mobile phone users worldwide, with the number of subscribers growing 20 percent annually. Mobile phone users spent USD 1.8 billion downloading mobile games last year, a 42 percent increase over the previous year. Consumers spent USD 19 billion buying mobile-entertainment products such as ringtones, games and applications in 2005.
By 2009, Morgan Stanley said that figure is estimated to reach USD 45 billion annually.
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