FierceMobileContent

Does portable gaming have a future?

Sandhya Raman — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:31:02 -0500

Later this month, Sony Computer Entertainment will release the follow-up to the PlayStation Portable, its first newly redesigned device since the PSP debuted in 2004. But the PlayStation Vita has a lot more riding on its shoulders than the PSP did almost eight years ago. Sales of portable consoles like the PSP and the Nintendo DS have been decreasing just as the sales of smartphones balloon.

In the past three years, Nintendo and Sony have taken a beating in terms of market share according to a report released by mobile analytics firm Flurry last year. And both Sony and Nintendo have also seen drops in revenue, with combined revenue for Nintendo and Sony dropping from $2.2 billion in 2009 to $1.4 billion in 2011.

Is the mobile industry to blame? Are sales of smartphones cutting into the market for portable gaming consoles like the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS? If so, should Nintendo and others bring their gaming franchises into the mobile industry in order to stem the bleeding?

FierceMobileContent examines the decline in portable games and the rise of the mobile gaming industry in this special report.

Click here to get started.

Study: iOS apps crash more often than Android apps

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:03:23 -0500

Applications written for Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS platform crash more frequently than apps developed for Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) rival Android mobile operating system according to new data published by app diagnostics platform Crittercism.

Click here to view all of the charts from the study.

In studies conducted during the final weeks of 2011, Crittercism determined that iOS apps crashed after 0.51 percent of launches, compared to 0.15 percent for Android; in the second quartile, iOS apps crashed in 1.47 percent of cases versus 0.73 percent for Android, and in the third quartile, iOS apps crashed 3.66 percent of the time, compared to 2.97 percent on Android. Crittercism adds that iOS 5.0.1 was the source of most iOS crashes at 10.62 percent, with Android 2.3.3 responsible for 24.76 percent of crashes on its side of the balance sheet.

Crittercism blames app crashes on a number of culprits, including hardware issues like GPS services or cameras, as well as Internet connection problems, language support challenges and device memory limitations. Third-party advertisements or analytics solutions also can pose problems. "It can be a mix of both hardware and software issues that developers may or may not be responding to," Crittercism CEO Andrew Levy told Forbes.

While the Crittercism data shows that iOS apps crashed more commonly than Android apps during the study period, Levy suggests that the numbers could change as the new Android 4.0 Ice Cream expands to more devices. Apple's iOS 5 was just a few weeks old at the time of the study but supported across a large number of iPhones under analysis. "I expect as Ice Cream Sandwich just launched and the new Nexus S phone launched (during the study), we'll expect the same situation to occur (with Android) as what happened (with iOS)," Levy said.

For more:
- read this Forbes article

Google Wallet support expands to AT&T's Galaxy Nexus

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:28:09 -0500

AT&T (NYSE:T) subscribers with Android-powered Galaxy Nexus smartphones can now leverage the Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Wallet tap-and-pay application following an Android Market device compatibility update issued earlier this week.

Droid-Life reports that Galaxy Nexus devices running an AT&T SIM card now support the Near Field Communications-based Google Wallet service, which enables consumers to make purchases and collect or redeem offers by tapping their Android smartphone at 300,000-plus MasterCard PayPass-enabled merchant terminals. The specifics behind the update are not clear: Android Market reports only "Small changes for device compatibility."

Droid-Life has also identified a method of installing Google Wallet onto Galaxy Nexus devices optimized for the Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) network.

Late last year, Verizon stated it would ship the Galaxy Nexus without preloading Google Wallet: "Recent reports that Verizon is blocking Google Wallet on our devices are false. Verizon does not block applications," Verizon Wireless spokesman Jeffrey Nelson said at that time. "Google Wallet is different from other widely-available m-commerce services. Google Wallet does not simply access the operating system and basic hardware of our phones like thousands of other applications. Instead, in order to work as architected by Google, Google Wallet needs to be integrated into a new, secure and proprietary hardware element in our phones. We are continuing our commercial discussions with Google on this issue."

Google Wallet first launched across Sprint Nextel (NYSE:S) Nexus S smartphones running Android OS version 2.3.4. For now, only PayPass-enabled Citi MasterCards may be loaded to Google Wallet--consumers may also fund the Google Prepaid Card with any existing payment card. Debit cards are not eligible for Google Wallet at this time.

In October, Google Wallet expanded beyond point-of-sale purchases by introducing support for SingleTap, which enables consumers to redeem coupons and/or earn rewards points with one tap of their phone. Google Wallet users can now enter select U.S. retailer partners including American Eagle Outfitters, The Container Store, Foot Locker, Guess, Jamba Juice, Macy's, OfficeMax and Toys"R"Us to instantly save on in-store offers. Google is also partnering with the state of New Jersey to enable tap-and-pay rail and bus transit purchases at select locations.

AT&T and Verizon Wireless are teaming with T-Mobile USA to mount Isis, a rival NFC-enabled m-commerce network slated to begin commercial trials in early-to-mid 2012. Like Google Wallet, Isis promises services enabling consumers to conduct point-of-sale transactions, redeem coupons and use store merchant loyalty cards via mobile device. Isis has pledged to open its system to all interested credit issuers and banks; in July it welcomed financial services providers Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express to its ranks.

Availability across a diverse array of operator networks and handsets is imperative for services like Google Wallet and Isis to achieve critical mass. Six device manufacturers--HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI), Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), Samsung Mobile and Sony Ericsson--have committed to introducing NFC-enabled devices that support Isis.

For more:
- read this Droid-Life article
- read this TechCrunch article

RIM woos Android developers with free BlackBerry PlayBook tablets

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:31:41 -0500

Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM) is offering a free BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to all developers who convert existing Android applications to the forthcoming BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0.

RIM promises one free 16GB PlayBook to every App World vendor who converts his Android app for use on the PlayBook before February 13.

RIM vice president of developer relations Alec Saunders first announced the PlayBook promotion via Twitter, tweeting "Shh.... Android Devs--submit your Android app to [BlackBerry] App World by Feb 13 and get a free Playbook." A subsequent Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog post from RIM senior public relations and social media manager Alex Kinsella states the device maker is still ironing out the details of the promotion, but confirms registered App World storefront vendors will receive a free 16GB PlayBook for their porting efforts.

The promotion follows days after RIM began accepting Android-based applications optimized for PlayBook OS 2.0, slated to arrive later this month. PlayBook OS 2.0 builds in the BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, enabling developers to repackage existing Android apps to run on the tablet as well as upcoming BlackBerry 10-based devices. RIM offers several different options for porting Android apps, including the BlackBerry Plug-in for ADT, the BlackBerry Packager for Android apps and the BlackBerry SDK for Android apps. RIM urges developers to submit their apps by Feb. 6 to guarantee availability on BlackBerry App World at the time PlayBook OS 2.0 is released.

PlayBook OS 2.0 promises tablet users new tools to improve personal and professional interactions. Highlights include a new unified inbox, multitasking within email, a calendar app touting information about contacts and companies in the user's meeting schedule, a relationship-centric contacts app and expanded productivity features.

RIM launched the first edition of the PlayBook in April 2011. The tablet features two optional "app players" providing a runtime environment for BlackBerry Java applications as well as apps running Android 2.3. RIM also released a native SDK for the tablet, enabling C/C++ application development on its BlackBerry Tablet OS.

BlackBerry PlayBook sales lag far behind more popular tablets like Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad and Amazon.com's Android-based Kindle Fire. RIM sold 150,000 PlayBook units in its third fiscal quarter ending Nov. 26, down from 250,000 shipments the previous quarter and 500,000 in the first sales quarter after the product's launch.

For more:
- read this Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog entry

ComScore: Android closes 2011 with 47% U.S. smartphone market share

Jason Ankeny — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:48:18 -0500

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android and Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iOS dominated the U.S. smartphone segment throughout 2011, ending the year with a combined 76.9 percent market share according to new data published by digital research firm comScore.

Click here to see the changes in smartphone OS market shares during the past three years.

Smartphone ownership in the U.S. market reached 97.9 million in December 2011--smartphone owners now make up 40 percent of all mobile subscribers nationwide, comScore reports. Android devices make up 47.3 percent of the U.S. market, up 2.5 percentage points since September 2011. iOS was the only other mobile platform to exhibit growth during the period, increasing 2.2 percentage points over September to capture 29.6 percent.

Research In Motion's (NASDAQ:RIMM) BlackBerry continues to stumble, slipping another 2.9 percentage points between September and December to make up 16.0 percent of the U.S. market. Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows platform fell from 5.6 percent in September to 4.7 percent in December, and Symbian faded from 1.8 percent to 1.4 percent.

ComScore reports that 74.3 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers sent text messages in December, up from 71.1 percent in September. In addition, 47.6 percent of subscribers used downloaded apps (up from 42.5 percent), 31.4 percent played mobile games (up from 28.8 percent) and 35.3 percent accessed social networking sites or blogs (up from 31.5 percent).

For more:
- read this release