I know it was only 2 weeks ago that I did a 10 Links post on Mobile but Mobile is so hot right now I could probably do one of these every day.
To narrow my focus *a little* I’m only sharing posts related to Mobile Gaming.
Have a great weekend and if you’re out and about with your mobile phone be sure to participate in our crowdsourced ethnographic research #WERPI.
1 - Why 5 Big Brand Marketing Campaigns are Betting Big on Social Gaming
Skeptics of social gaming for business purposes exist, but that’s not stopping some big brands from disproving those critics’ misconceptions.
Big brands are finding ways to leverage the enormous social gaming population (which is expected to reach 68.7 million players by the end of 2012). They’re jumping into the game — so to speak — with branded virtual goods, integrated ads and offers as well as games that combine digital and real-world incentives.
2 - 4 Ways Mobile Tech Is Improving Education
But mobile phones stand apart in an important way. In United States high schools, 98% of students have access to some kind of smartphone, according to a report by Blackboard and Project Tomorrow.
Students around the world are increasingly bringing their own mini-computers (or some connected device) to class. Whether this creates a distraction or a boon to learning is debatable, but these four uses of mobile phones in education — and countless others — could one day help prove the latter.
3 - Mobile games grow share in digital market
The Online Gaming 2011 report finds that even among those using a console for online gaming, the biggest share of full game digital downloads purchased was for mobile devices, followed by personal computers, consoles and portables.
Still, mobile games appear to be more of a compliment – rather than burden – to the traditional gaming sector, as the majority of consumers are pairing mobile gaming with their console or portable games. Among those who purchased a mobile game in the past three months, 60% indicated that they are still spending the same or more on console and portable games, while 40% reported spending less.
4 - Jon Radoff on Gamification: From Terrorism to Android
“Simply having badges or reputation systems is not ‘gamification,” says Jon Radoff, author of Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Games. “These features are commonplace in most out-of-the-box forum systems, and I think it’s a real stretch to suggest that terrorists are using game mechanics to attract followers.”
5 - Freemium Apps Boom, but New Hurdles Emerge
About 11 percent of all free games in Apple’s App Store have in-app purchase for virtual goods, currency and additional features. But these freemium apps have an outsized influence on the App Store, making up 40 percent of all free game downloads from the store in March,according to a new study by mobile app search firm Xyologic.
6 - EA Acquires Australian Mobile And Online Games Developer Firemint
Electronic Arts (EA) has acquired Firemint, a privately held mobile development studio based in Melbourne, Australia.
Firemint was founded in 1999 (as “ndWare”) by CEO Robert Murray, and will now become part of EA Interactive (EAi), a division of Electronic Arts focused on digital business that includes EA Mobile, Pogo and social gaming outfits like Playfish.
The deal follows in the footsteps of EA’s purchase of Mobile Post Production, a specialist in cross-platform development and porting of games for smartphones.
7 - Nine-year-old boy gets his wish, creates an iPhone game
Most nine-year-old boys dream of meeting sports stars like Ichiro, Matt Hasselbeck or Kasey Keller. Not Owain Weinert. Weinert simply wanted to learn from the masterminds behind Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies. As part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the fourth grader at Loyal Heights Elementary School got a unique opportunity to develop his very own Apple iOS game with help from the experts atPopCap Games.
8 - Sibblingz Launches New Version Of Multi-Device, Social Gaming Platform
Sibblingz allows developers to create games on Facebook as well as iOS and Android devices, allowing players to continue the same social game as they switch between devices. The platform also offers the developers the ability to monetize free-to-play games with virtual goods.
9 - Sales of Xbox and Kinect Help Lift Microsoft Earnings
While Microsoft reported Thursday that its fiscal third-quarter profits were up 31 percent, revenue from the division that includes the Windows operating system fell 4 percent, to $4.45 billion.
The fall was due in part to an overall decline in PC sales worldwide of about 3.2 percent. Analysts have blamed the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, a big market for computers, for part of that decline.
However, revenue from Microsoft’s entertainment and devices, which includes the Xbox 360 video game console and the innovative Kinect game controller that interprets gestures and voice commands, gained 60 percent, to $1.94 billion.
10 - 4 Israeli Mobile Startups to Watch
Israeli innovation met American business know-how (and money) today at the Israel Mobile Showcase. Fifteen of Israel’s best and brightest new mobile startups had the chance to strut their stuff in front of an audience of American investors and tech industry leaders at the Microsoft Campus in Mountain View.
Israel is fast emerging as of the world’s hottest tech markets. The country has more engineers and sees more scientific articles published per capita than any other country in the world (Israel has 135 engineers per 10,000 people; the US has 85). Experts speculate that the strong math and science education and mandatory military service, which puts young people in charge of highly specialized technology, are two contributing factors.
Similar Posts:
- Mobile Should Be Defined By People’s Behavior Not Product Features
- Why My Mom Wants An iPad And I Don’t
- The Cloud Opened Up and Rained Marketing Data [Social Media Dystopia]
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