Mobile Games Make Money!

Posted on February 7th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

In some circles discussing games for cell phones invites derision and ridicule, particularly from the hard core. Certainly, relative lack of processing power, small screen sizes, limited audio and memory, and tiny keypads are valid arguments against the merits of mobile phones as a game platform. Yet the weight of these factors has diminished over time as newer models are increasingly raising the bar of performance and capability, and developers are pushing the envelope of what can be done on a hand-held device. Indeed, combined with the true strengths of cell phones - mobile ubiquity and deployed volume - EA reports making more profit from their mobile phone games than from either PS3 or PSP games. This from a mocked gaming platform?

Becoming a Mobile Games Company Insider

Posted on February 6th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

Mobile games are projected at over $1 billion in revenue or roughly 5% the size of the standard video game industry. Clearly mobile isn’t just for fun - it’s business. What does it take to join the ranks? What are the top companies looking for? Read on.

Mobile Game Revenues Predicted to Surge

Posted on February 5th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

A new Juniper Research report predicts the North America mobile phone game market will grow from under $800 million in 2007 to over $3 billion by 2012. While this growth is attributed to several factors, key amongst them are:

2008 - Where Are Your Mobile Games?

Posted on February 4th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

Some changes happen rapidly while others flow and ebb with glacial speed. As we enter 2008, one of the standard predictions is that this year is the demise of carrier portal domination and the rise of off-carrier deck sites and free choice. It would sound promising, except that this claim has been raised for each of the last 5 years.

Certainly, you can find games off-portal. Over 1.25 million free mobile phone games are downloaded each month from MobileRated, a leading off-carrier deck mobile entertainment site. Other companies are moderately successful selling games directly, but their revenues are dwarfed by that obtained on the carrier decks. The reasons remain the same too.

Elements of Success in Making Mobile Phone Games

Posted on January 31st, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

The mobile phone games industry has grown to become a viable business and yet most involved lament the lack of widespread usage amongst customers. Indeed, by some accounts, only 2.7% of US mobile phone owners have downloaded a game. Furthermore, a sense of stagnation has emerged, a feeling that the mobile games market may just be that small. As with so many one-time promising innovations, mobile phone games have lost the eye of the carriers, who look to mobile tv and other innovations as the new holy grail. What went wrong?

Benchmarking Mobile Phone Services

Posted on January 30th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

The Mobile Entertainment Forum has released a report revealing customer awareness, usage, and interest in mobile phone services. Few would be surprised to find that customers were most aware of ringtones, but it was perhaps surprising that mobile phone games ranked second, ahead of wallpapers & logos. This is both good news and bad news for the mobile phone games industry. Good news, because 97% of survey respondents were aware of mobile phone games and 23% were actively using them. Bad news, because these numbers suggest a market saturation, where 47% of people remain disinterested and 27% are fairly indifferent - has the industry peaked or are consumers waiting for better product, prices, or delivery options?

MobileRated outdownloads Orange 3:1

Posted on January 29th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

Think carrier decks are the only place to download mobile phone games? Think again! Mobile phone carrier Orange revealed they are averaging nearly 250,000 mobile phone game downloads per month. An impressive number, but as of June 2007, MobileRated, an off-deck mobile phone games portal is averaging nearly 750,000 downloads per month - three times as many game downloads!

How to Install Mobile Phone Games

Posted on January 28th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

For a ubiquitous device loaded with useful features, most people don’t know how to use their mobile phone for more than voice calls. Many people can figure out text messaging which, for all the complexity in the implementation, is trivially easy to use - the hallmark of a good service offering. Games for mobile phones exist in great numbers and variety and are readily available - yet uptake is poor. Why? I think for two related reasons - people are reluctant to spend money without knowing what they will receive for it and it is very difficult to understand how to go about getting the games. Your phone company wants to restrict your access to those games offered on their “deck” at prices they control. This article will discuss how to find and download games for free to your mobile phone.

Mobile Phone Game Piracy

Posted on January 25th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

The internet makes many things easier than ever before, including piracy of goods. The topic has been discussed widely when it comes to music or film, but what of mobile phone games?

In an infant industry where, by some estimates, less than 5% of mobile phone users have even attempted to download a game for their cellular handset, is piracy a big deal? Consider that many people cannot figure out how to download games legitimately - would these people steal games? Well, perhaps they would, if it was easier to do than purchasing games.

BlackBerry - Business or Pleasure?

Posted on January 24th, 2008 in Mobile Ubiquity by Muse

Wildly successful as a business tool, the BlackBerry created a new category of mobile device. With the additional of the Pearl model, Research in Motion (RIM), creator of the BlackBerry, is now aiming at regular consumers. Is the BlackBerry tasty enough for casual users?

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