I found an interesting list of the most downloaded mobile games in the UK.
Top 10 mobile games downloaded in the UK in July:
1. Tetris - EA Mobile / Blue Lava Wireless
2. Sonic the Hedgehog: Part One - Sega/Glu Mobile
3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 - EA Sports / EA Canada
4. Worms - THQ / Kiloo
5. My Dog - I-play / I-play
6. Street Fighter II - Capcom / Capcom Mobile
7. The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo - I-play / I-play
8. The Sims 2 - EA Mobile / Ideaworks3D
9. Ms Pac-Man - Namco Mobile / Namco Networks
10. Blockbusters - Player X / Qbranch Wireless
source: http://www.moconews.net/uk-top-10-mobile-games-july.html
Top 10 mobile games downloaded in the UK in June:
1. Tetris - EA
2. Worms - THQ
3. Sonic The Hedgehog - Sega/Glu Mobile
4. FIFA World Cup Germany - EA
5. The Sims 2 - EA
6. Who Wants to be a Millionaire 2nd Ed - Glu Mobile
7. Championship Manager 2006 - Eidos
8. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift - I-play
9. Block Breaker Deluxe - Gameloft
10. Monopoly - Glu Mobile
source: http://www.moconews.net/uk-top-10-mobile-games-june.html
Pocket Web from 1&1 - first (affordable) Mobile Flatrate in Germany
Today we received an interesting newsletter from 1&1 Internet AG, a German ISP. 1&1 now offers a Pocket Web Flat for 9.99 EUR per month (powered by Vodafone). There are no time or volume limitations and no additional basic fee, the offer is valid until 30 September 2006.
The service comes with a mobile handset that lacks the ability to make regular phonecalls, except if you are using a bluetooth headset (and pay from 0.29 EUR/Minute) and can therefore be best described as a PDA with phone abilities. However it supports push E-Mail and sports a webbrowser which is “optimized for the mobile internet”. It also has a calendar and a contact manager installed. There are no further information available about the platform or the software, so we will probably have to buy one of these to get more info.
Probably this whole offer is Vodafone’s way to get real-life data about people using the mobile internet and to figure out if they could offer a mobile flatrate within their own data plans. At the moment what you get from Vodafone for 9.95 a month is 30MB and that’s not a lot and quite a difference to a real flatrate or other offers - BASE offers a mobile flatrate for 25.00 EUR / month, but only if you are a BASE customer which makes another 25.00 EUR / month for the voice service (also flat).
So let’s hope the test works well and we’ll see the mobile flatrate available as regular data plans soon.
For more information see http://pocketweb.1und1.de
The service comes with a mobile handset that lacks the ability to make regular phonecalls, except if you are using a bluetooth headset (and pay from 0.29 EUR/Minute) and can therefore be best described as a PDA with phone abilities. However it supports push E-Mail and sports a webbrowser which is “optimized for the mobile internet”. It also has a calendar and a contact manager installed. There are no further information available about the platform or the software, so we will probably have to buy one of these to get more info.
Probably this whole offer is Vodafone’s way to get real-life data about people using the mobile internet and to figure out if they could offer a mobile flatrate within their own data plans. At the moment what you get from Vodafone for 9.95 a month is 30MB and that’s not a lot and quite a difference to a real flatrate or other offers - BASE offers a mobile flatrate for 25.00 EUR / month, but only if you are a BASE customer which makes another 25.00 EUR / month for the voice service (also flat).
So let’s hope the test works well and we’ll see the mobile flatrate available as regular data plans soon.
For more information see http://pocketweb.1und1.de
The Market for Mobile Services - Status Quo
What is the current level of usage and consumer interest for data services?
What is important to consumers, both for mobile and voice services?
What implications can be drawn from usage differences between segments, geographies or even between the distinct customer bases of operators and device manufacturers?
These questions were examined in the 2005 A.T.Kearney Mobinet study, which is an assessment of global consumer trends in mobile usage. By interviewing mobile users in 21 countries the company researched the degree to which consumers are adopting mobile data services.
Mobile phones - only for making phone calls?
Nearly 60% of the customers expect to use their mobile phone to make the majority of their calls over the next year. Only 4% of consumers expect to use VoIP for the majority of their calls next year. Alarmingly a significant number of consumers are not convinced that their mobile operator should offer anything more than basic voice service. The majority (80%) of the 65-year olds (or older) reject data services compared to 25% of the under 24-year olds. Probably one reason for this is, that older people are more afraid of new technologies/services.
Another important aspect is the price. 70% of mobile phone users see the price as the primary factor in choosing operator.
What is the current level of usage and consumer interest for data services?
Because the penetration of data-enabled, multimedia phones has increased to 53%, more consumers across all age groups are adopting mobile data services. Most of them (56%) use it
What is important to consumers, both for mobile and voice services?
What implications can be drawn from usage differences between segments, geographies or even between the distinct customer bases of operators and device manufacturers?
These questions were examined in the 2005 A.T.Kearney Mobinet study, which is an assessment of global consumer trends in mobile usage. By interviewing mobile users in 21 countries the company researched the degree to which consumers are adopting mobile data services.
Mobile phones - only for making phone calls?
Nearly 60% of the customers expect to use their mobile phone to make the majority of their calls over the next year. Only 4% of consumers expect to use VoIP for the majority of their calls next year. Alarmingly a significant number of consumers are not convinced that their mobile operator should offer anything more than basic voice service. The majority (80%) of the 65-year olds (or older) reject data services compared to 25% of the under 24-year olds. Probably one reason for this is, that older people are more afraid of new technologies/services.
Another important aspect is the price. 70% of mobile phone users see the price as the primary factor in choosing operator.
What is the current level of usage and consumer interest for data services?
Because the penetration of data-enabled, multimedia phones has increased to 53%, more consumers across all age groups are adopting mobile data services. Most of them (56%) use it
.mobi time frame
Ourhosting company (Schlund) informed us about the .mobi time frame:
Sunrise Phase 2 (Trademark Sunrise)
=================================
Start/End: 12 June - 22 September 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
Landrush Phase (Live Registration with increased pricing)
=====================================
Start/End: 26 September - 10 October 2006
Deadline: 26 September 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
Live Phase
==========
Deadline: 11 October 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
For more information see our earlier post.
Sunrise Phase 2 (Trademark Sunrise)
=================================
Start/End: 12 June - 22 September 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
Landrush Phase (Live Registration with increased pricing)
=====================================
Start/End: 26 September - 10 October 2006
Deadline: 26 September 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
Live Phase
==========
Deadline: 11 October 2006
Duration: at least 2 years, after that yearly renewal
For more information see our earlier post.
d.construct 2006 has started
Jeff Barr of Amazon has just finished his talk about all the APIs and web services of Amazon and Alexa. That means d.construct 2006 has officially started.
For those who saw Jeff’s presentations at e.g. Xtech earlier this year, there was not much new stuff to be heard, except maybe the EC2 service of Amazon. The EC2 is sort of a root server providing on demand offered by Amazon for 0.20 $ per hour. This would mean you pay about 144 USD per month for a decent root server. Not really cheap, but since the service works on a on-demand basis and you only have to pay when you are actually using the server it might be an interesting alternative to renting a real server.
The service is in beta testing still and Jeff mentioned that it might be hard to get in right now, but he promised the situation will improve soon. Maybe we’ll give it a try.
For those who saw Jeff’s presentations at e.g. Xtech earlier this year, there was not much new stuff to be heard, except maybe the EC2 service of Amazon. The EC2 is sort of a root server providing on demand offered by Amazon for 0.20 $ per hour. This would mean you pay about 144 USD per month for a decent root server. Not really cheap, but since the service works on a on-demand basis and you only have to pay when you are actually using the server it might be an interesting alternative to renting a real server.
The service is in beta testing still and Jeff mentioned that it might be hard to get in right now, but he promised the situation will improve soon. Maybe we’ll give it a try.
MapQuest Mobile: Top Mobile Application in US
According to Telephia MapQuest Mobile (21.9 %) was the top revenue-generating downloadable mobile application in the first quarter of 2006. In second position came The Weather Channel (5.7 %) and in third the Verizon Superpages 2.0 (5.3 %). Two music applications, Music Choice and Sirius Music, rounded out the top five with revenue shares of 5 % and 4.8 %.
“Local maps/directions and up-to-date weather are well-suited to delivery via mobile phones because they are information needs characterized by immediacy, location-specificity, and time- sensitivity,” said Kanishka Agarwal, Vice President of New Products, Telephia. “Downloadable mobile applications present a significant opportunity for higher ARPU [Average Revenue Per User], with more than 3.3 million mobile consumers downloading these applications during the first quarter of the year.”
(Data does not include revenue for mobile TV and mobile game applications which is reported separately)
Another interesting fact is, that maps/directions applications drive repeat purchase revenue, while entertainment applications claim highest revenue share for first-time purchases:
Maps/Directions and Weather applications are leading in repeat purchases. In contrary, nearly 30 % of first-time purchase revenues were driven by the Entertainment category, with streaming music mobile applications, Music Choice and Sirius Music, securing the highest new purchase revenue share at nearly 9 % and 8 %.
Sources: http://www.cellular-news.com http://www.telephia.com
“Local maps/directions and up-to-date weather are well-suited to delivery via mobile phones because they are information needs characterized by immediacy, location-specificity, and time- sensitivity,” said Kanishka Agarwal, Vice President of New Products, Telephia. “Downloadable mobile applications present a significant opportunity for higher ARPU [Average Revenue Per User], with more than 3.3 million mobile consumers downloading these applications during the first quarter of the year.”
(Data does not include revenue for mobile TV and mobile game applications which is reported separately)
Another interesting fact is, that maps/directions applications drive repeat purchase revenue, while entertainment applications claim highest revenue share for first-time purchases:
Maps/Directions and Weather applications are leading in repeat purchases. In contrary, nearly 30 % of first-time purchase revenues were driven by the Entertainment category, with streaming music mobile applications, Music Choice and Sirius Music, securing the highest new purchase revenue share at nearly 9 % and 8 %.
Sources: http://www.cellular-news.com http://www.telephia.com
China Mobile: World’s Largest Operator
Today I read an interesting post on http://www.mobileburn.com. China Mobile has outranked Vodafone as the world’s largest mobile phone operator. It is really surprising, because Vodafone serves the worldwide market and China Mobile only the Chinese market. Latest figures indicate that China Mobile serves 200 million customers - Vodafone “only” 186.8 million.
This just shows us how big the Chinese market is and how many opportunities it offers. Analysts are predicting that China Mobile will expand their business overseas in the next few years.
Source: http://www.mobileburn.com
This just shows us how big the Chinese market is and how many opportunities it offers. Analysts are predicting that China Mobile will expand their business overseas in the next few years.
Source: http://www.mobileburn.com
Nintendo DS Opera Browser available in Europe soon
Nintendo has finally announced the launch of the Opera web browser for the DS onOctober 6, 2006. In Japan the browser powered by Opera is already available (since July 24, 2006).
Taking advantage of the DS’ built-in Wi-Fi capabilities the browser allows the user to
access the full internet, incl. webmail, online shops or secure bank websites. The browser will be sold as an optional DS card. Users simply insert the card into the Wi-Fi enabled Nintendo DS, connect to a network, and begin browsing on two screens. Users will also be able to apply an optional filter (provided by Astaro) that will block inappropriate content for underage surfers. The recommended retail price is aroundGBP 30 / 40 Euros.
Take a look at the video review: http://www.gizmodo.com
or check out “Tips & Tricks” how to use the DS browser: http://www.opera.com
Sources: http://www.nintendo-europe.com http://www.opera.com
More mobile phones than residents
The number of mobile phone subscriptions in Germany has increased: For the first time there are more mobile phones than residents. 82.8 million mobile phones are currently registered. Most Germans have 2 or even 3 mobile phones. And the trend continues: in Italy there are also more mobile phones than people: 120 phones per 100 Italians.
It would be interesting to know what kind of mobile phones people are using and how WAP 2.0 devices are distributed amongst the whole 83 million in Germany.
Source: http://www.rtl2.de
It would be interesting to know what kind of mobile phones people are using and how WAP 2.0 devices are distributed amongst the whole 83 million in Germany.
Source: http://www.rtl2.de
Review: ONSPEED Mobile browser
Last month I was sitting in the tube in London and saw an ad about ONSPEED Mobile. I have never heard about ONSPEED Mobile. So I was interested and started researching.
ONSPEED Mobile is a mobile web browser. There is a 14 day free trial, after that you have to pay GBP 19.99 per year.
When you request web pages or images via the ONSPEED Mobile browser, it’s sent directly to ONSPEED’s servers where it is then reformated and compressed and then sent direct to your mobile phone. So, the website you visit is an optimised version for your mobile phone (sounds familiar?). The company promises to increase surfing speed by not less than (up to) 10 times and also to reduce the data traffic up to 75%.
The download size of the browser is less than 100KB, but your mobile phone must be Java enabled. You can check out if your mobile phone supports ONSPEED Mobile at http://www.onspeedmobile.com.
ONSPEED Mobile is a mobile web browser. There is a 14 day free trial, after that you have to pay GBP 19.99 per year.
When you request web pages or images via the ONSPEED Mobile browser, it’s sent directly to ONSPEED’s servers where it is then reformated and compressed and then sent direct to your mobile phone. So, the website you visit is an optimised version for your mobile phone (sounds familiar?). The company promises to increase surfing speed by not less than (up to) 10 times and also to reduce the data traffic up to 75%.
The download size of the browser is less than 100KB, but your mobile phone must be Java enabled. You can check out if your mobile phone supports ONSPEED Mobile at http://www.onspeedmobile.com.