1）意大利应用工具开发商AppsBuilder最近面向专业及业余开发者，以及第三方推出了仅通过三个步骤，就可将任何一个网站转变为iOS、Android应用，或者网页版应用的在线开发工具。

该工具提供了含广告条幅的免费版本，以及一个每月需支付15欧元的付费版本。据该公司创始人Daniele Pelleri所称，这个工具的测试版本于2010年11月份上线，首月便吸引了2400名注册用户，他们使用该工具创建了1800个应用程序。另外值得一提的是，该工具还针对WordPress开发了一个插件，也就是说全球3000万个以上的WordPress网站都可以使用该工具转变为原版应用程序。

2）据Distimo数据显示，三星TV Apps目前下载量已达500万次，也即每月下载量超过33万次。不过Distimo博客也指出，苹果App Store仅游戏产品一项，每天在七个国家中的下载量就超过了500万次，而三星TV Apps却已在120个国家，并且上线时间已达15个月之久。Distimo认为连网电视应用程序毕竟是新事物，多数用户更新手机的频率也比更换电视更高，所以电视应用程序的下载量发展并不迅速的这种结果也在情理之中。该博客还指出，基于电视平台的应用程序平均售价高达2000美元。

3）手机游戏开发商Fluid Entertainment最近宣布《Office Jerk》在苹果App Store发布1个月内实现了600万次下载量（游戏邦注：该游戏发布头四天便创造了160万次下载量），也就是说该游戏平均每周下载量将近150万次，目前在50多个国家的免费应用榜单中居于首位。该公司称将于不久后推出更新内容，并准备发布Android版本。

4）诺基亚宣布Ovi Store将更新至2.8版本，推出可向用户通知应用程序更新信息的功能，Symbian^3平台的用户可首先体验该服务，但这项服务未来还会覆盖Series 40等更多手机设备。除此之外，Ovi Store还进一步优化了其应用排名算法，并推出了其他应用搜索工具，支持用户根据自己的喜好、地理位置和手机型号搜索相关产品。

5）韩国游戏开发商Nexon宣布其免费赛车游戏《跑跑卡丁车》（KartRider Rush）自3月份登陆iOS平台以来已突破200万下载量。该游戏在发布首周便实现了100万下载量，但历时数月后才实现了第二个百万下载量。它问世首周曾跻身应用商店的免费应用的前5名，但后来逐渐下落到200至300名之间。该游戏在应用追踪网站App Annie的排名则是800至1000左右，主要通过99美分至1.99美元的额外角色、汽车和赛道等付费内容盈利。据Nexon所称，他们不久将推出更新内容以及Android版游戏。

6）微软宣布Windows Phone 7.1更新版本将支持开发者创建可在背景运行的音频应用、可访问罗盘和陀螺仪的应用，访问用户所采用运营商的服务网络，读取用户联系人列表和日历数据等新功能。

7）手机游戏工作室Astro Ape Studios宣布将于6月份推出博彩类Android手机游戏《Vegas Strip City》，这也是首款绑定DeNA旗下社交平台Mobage并投放于美国市场的游戏。该免费游戏开发时间仅6周，支持玩家通过游戏体验拉斯维加斯的赌城生活，主要通过游戏内置付费功能创造收益。

8）迪士尼旗下的手机游戏工作室Tapulous最近发布了一款基于Lady Gaga音乐专辑的iOS游戏《Born This Way Revenge》。该游戏目前已在苹果App Store发布，支持粉丝通过游戏与Lady Gaga互动，并下载与其相关的内容，目前售价是4.99美元。

9）Unity Technologies公司宣布采用Unity 3D游戏开发引擎的开发者已超过50万，比上一年增加了两倍。在这些注册开发者当中，有15万属于Unity开发工具的每月活跃使用者。该公司还宣布，Unity浏览器插件的安装量也超过了6000万次。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）AppsBuilder launches app-building platform

by Tim Green

Online tool can turn turn any website into an iOS, Android, tablet or web app in three steps.

Italy-based AppsBuilder is targeting professional and amateur developers, plus third parties who can deliver the service trough APIs to their customers.

The platform is free for users who choose to host an ad banner run by AppsBuilder. The ad-free version is 15 euros a month.

Daniele Pelleri, founder of AppsBuilder, said the beta version went live in November 2010, with 2,400 users were registered in the first month, and 1,800 applications created.

Intriguingly AppsBuilder has developed an plugin for WordPress, which means that over 30 million WordPress sites could in theory be turned into native apps, ready to be published in app stores.

AppsBuilder was founded by Daniele Pelleri and Luigi Giglio, with support from two Italian angel investors: Massimiliano Magrini, founder of Annapurna Ventures and Mario Mariani, founder of The Net Value and partner of Annapurna.（source:mobile-ent）

2）Samsung TV apps hit 5 million downloads, but take up still painfully slow reckons Distimo

by Keith Andrew

As easy as it is to get lost in the numbers firms detail figures in the millions, Distimo claims Samsung’s announcement that it’s seen downloads of 5 million TV apps to date is nowhere near as impressive as it sounds.

Having rolled out at the end of February 2010, that means apps are currently being downloaded at a rate of just over 330,000 a month.

Mainstream medium?

“It’s no surprise that these applications would be at the top of the lists globally and regionally,” said Samsung’s senior VP of the firm’s Media Solution Center, Kang-hyun Kwon, in a press statement.

“The TV is a family-based device and people want to lean back and enjoy their time in front of the TV.

“These apps are the entry point for consumers to discover other experiences on their TV like gaming and social networking as well as the limitless possibilities being created by our third-party developers.”

But, despite what’s clearly a recent acceleration – Samsung SmartTV having hit 1 million downloads back in December – Distimo believes these numbers are acting as a smokescreen for a medium that’s yet to prove a success with the majority of consumers.

Devil in the downloads

“To put this into perspective; Apple sees over 5 million downloads of only games in a selection of seven countries a day, compared to the 120 supported countries for Samsung TV Apps during the timeframe of 15 months,” countered Distimo’s Vincent Hoogsteder in a post on the firm’s bog.

“Downloading apps on a TV is brand new for consumers, and it takes a while for new supported devices to enter consumer’s homes.

“Most people will probably renew their phone more often than their TV, so getting consumer reach with apps enabled TV’s takes more time than for phones and tablets right now.”

Hoogsteder also attests that the price of app-supported TVs is simply too high, with the average RRP coming in at $2,000.

Chicken and the egg

The resulting slow start has meant that many of the apps delivered are quick fixes, acting as glorified webpages rather than fully functioning TV apps.

“The Samsung App Store now boasts 550 different apps, which demonstrates that developers are not massively jumping in, considering the same timeframe of 15 months.”

Nonetheless, Hoogsteder maintains things will improve, with Distimo’s projection suggesting developers will come in droves once app supported TVs reach a critical mass of consumers.（source:pocketgamer）

3）Fluid Entertainment’s Office Jerk hits 6 million downloads in less than a month

by Keith Andrew

The App Store is hardly short of free releases clocking up downloads in the millions, but there’s no denying that any title that hits 6 million in less than a month deserves the plaudits.

Office Jerk, which hit iOS at the end of April, made headlines shortly after launch when it hit 1.6 million downloads within four days of going on sale.

It’s now back in the limelight, having amassed a further 4.4 million within the following three weeks.

On to Android

That’s a pace that brings its average weekly download rate in at just under 1.5 million, with Office Jerk topping the free app rankings in more than 50 countries, according to the firm’s own stats.

It’s a milestone that Fluid has decided to celebrate by rolling out an update, dubbed Office Jerk 1.2.

“The update includes all new items to hurl at that office mate you love to hate,” the company said in a statement, adding that at Android version is also set to make its debut “later this week”. （source:pocketgamer）

4）Nokia adds app update alerts and discovery tools to Ovi Store

by Keith Andrew

One of the risks of signing up to support Windows Phone is the potential for Nokia to lose its identity.

It’s little wonder then that, aside from the obvious monetary benefits, the Finnish firm is so keen to keep platforms such as the Ovi Store going, even if its name is set to be cast aside in the coming months.

Such loyalty can be sampled in the updates Nokia continues to roll out onto the marketplace, with the latest including several new additions, including a new system that allows users to be notified when apps are updated.

Update for updates

“After updating to Store 2.8, when you launch the Store client and sign-in, it automatically checks if any of your downloaded apps have an update available,” Nokia’s Tiina Suvanto says on the Ovi blog.

“If there are updates, you will see a green flag in the corner of your screen by your ‘account’ tab.

“This feature is initially available to Ovi Store mobile client users on Symbian^3; we will be bringing this feature to new web properties and operating systems, like Series 40, in the near future.”

Day for discovery

Joining the new update system are additional discovery tools that Nokia believes will push apps out to new audiences.

“We have further optimized our algorithm for the top free and best seller lists to make discovery even more relevant to your interests, your location, and your device,” adds Suvanto.

“Specifically, we have made the calculation of what is ‘top’ or ‘best’ much more precise by country and by device.”

The Ovi Store will now also list ‘related’ apps when users browse releases via the platform’s web portal, compiling a collection of titles that were downloaded by those who plumped for the app in question.

Nokia claims Ovi Store 2.8 will start hitting devices “over the next few days”, the company claims, with some users receiving the update before others.（source:pocketgamer）

5）Nexon KartRider Rush Breaks Through 2 Million Downloads in 10 Weeks

By Kim-Mai Cutler

South Korean game developer Nexon said its free racing game KartRider Rush has surpassed 2 million downloads since its launch in March.

Considering that the app isn’t paid, two million installs in ten weeks isn’t necessarily a huge number. But this does give a sense of the volume a downloads a top 200 free app might see over the course of a month or two. KartRider Rush did its first million in the first week, so the second likely came over the span of nine weeks when the app had a lower ranking.

When the game originally came out, we said it was amusing and quite similar to Mario Kart but that it was sorely lacking without a strong multiplayer mode. It rose to the Top 5 among free apps in its first week and then gradually declined into 200 to 300 range over last month. On the grossing charts, it has hovered between 800 and 1000, according to app tracking site App Annie. The game monetizes through in-app purchases of bundles that include extra characters, cars and tracks for 99 cents to $1.99.

Nexon, which has been around since 1994, released the iOS app as a way to extend its KartRider franchise, which has more than 200 million registered users for the PC online version of the game. The company says it will release new features for the game and an Android version shortly.（source:insidemobileapps）

6）Microsoft unveiled a raft of new features and capabilities for Windows Phone developers today when it previewed a major forthcoming update to the OS dubbed Mango. The slew of new capabilities include additional sensors, direct camera and gyroscope access and faster switching between applications.

Microsoft says the new features include background processing, a brand new profiler and emulator for testing, and links to apps from notifications and live tiles (or those brightly-colored, interactive squares on the home screen that represent apps).

More specifically, new abilities for developers in the  7.1 version of Windows Phone include:

* Scheduling actions for a future time, which can run in the background.

* Building audio applications that can run in the background.

* Creating apps that can access the compass and gyroscope sensors.

* Initiating file downloads in apps that continue even if the user navigates away.

* The ability to access information about the network and network interfaces like the user’s mobile operator.

* Better access to the camera including the ability to pull raw frames in real-time. This will help developers create scanning and augmented reality applications.

* The live tiles will have two sides and can flip periodically, letting users see more about their apps.

* The ability to measure the use of system resources such as CPU and memory over time in an app.

* Read-only access to the user’s contacts and calendar data.（source:insidemobileapps）

7）Vegas Strip City coming in June, complete with Mobage social gaming installed.

by Andrew Huff a.k.a ExtremeT

Last year a company called DeNA bought another game studio called ngmoco and along with it their Plus+ social gaming network. DeNA already had their Mobage social gaming network as well. This purchase of ngmoco was to help DeNA to expand into the US social gaming market and it looks like that is starting to happen.

Currently released in Japan and other Asia countries for Android, Vegas Strip City is a social game where you have all the fun of gambling in Las Vegas without being in Las Vegas. Obviously you aren’t gambling real money. However, this also marks the first game (as far as we know) slated for a US release that will be attached to DeNA’s Mobage social gaming network. This means there will be millions of people playing this game.

The developers, Astro Ape Studios, didn’t hold back with it either. They brought as much of the VIP experience from Las Vegas into the game where you can earn ‘Comp’ points as you gamble and party the night away in-game. Vegas Strip City features all of the popular card games you would find here in Las Vegas, from Blackjack to Baccarat. Even more interesting though is the fact that this game was developed in only 6 weeks.

“We’re excited about developing for Android and also excited about bringing localized versions of our titles to Japan and throughout Asia,” said Astro Ape CEO Chieh Huang. “We had a tight deadline and developed Vegas Strip City in only six weeks, but our designers fully captured the rich, plush feel of a high-end Vegas experience in vivid detail. The game is all about bringing the glitz and glamour of the high life to everyone, so it’s a perfect pairing with the amazing Android devices now coming to market.”

Vegas Strip City will be available on the US shores sometime this June. It will be free to download as it will most likely follow the Freemium business model so expect the ability to have in-game purchases available to you when it is released.（source:droidgamers）

8）Tapulous launches Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Revenge app for the iPhone

Dean Takahashi

Disney’s Tapulous mobile game division has launched Born This Way Revenge, a music-tapping game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The app is one more sign that singing phenomenon Lady Gaga knows how to use technology to maximize her exposure across the globe. Besides the iPhone, she’s also available via Zynga’s FarmVille social game, Twitter and a bunch of other electronic media as well. Gone are the days when music artists viewed technology only as a threat because of piracy fears.

The app is now available on Apple’s App Store and is timed to match the launch of Lady Gaga’s Born This Way album. The game is the latest in a series of best-selling Tap Tap Revenge music rhythm games, with 17 tracks from the deluxe version of Lady Gaga’s album. The game features access to “Gagavision webisodes” on YouTube and video shorts about Gaga, who calls her fans “little monsters.”

“Lady Gaga is one of the most passionate and creative storytellers in music today,” said Tim O’Brien, vice president of business development and marketing at Disney Mobile.  “Her fanbase is equally as passionate, so it was important that the new Born This Way Revenge features ways for fans to stay connected to all things Lady Gaga, in addition to the ability to interact with her and download content.”

Tapulous has created three apps based on Lady Gaga’s songs now. In the games, you tap the touchscreen of the iPhone in tandem with the rhythm of the song as little objects speed across the screen.

The newest app has social features such as the ability to connect to Lady Gaga’s Facebook page and get game updates from other Little Monsters. You can use the app to access Lady Gaga’s Twitter feed, talk in chat rooms, get official lyrics, and find Gaga events. The app sells for $4.99.（source:venturebeat）

9）Unity Surpasses 500K Registered Developers

by Frank Cifaldi

Registered developer accounts for Unity Technologies and its Unity 3D games engine have surpassed half a million, the company announced Tuesday — more than double where they were a year ago.

Of the 500K accounts, 150,000 are described by Unity as active monthly users, who use the company’s products a combined one million hours every month.

In addition, installations of Unity’s browser plug-in have surpassed 60 million, the company said.

“The combination of Unity’s powerful yet approachable technology has resulted in it being the number one game engine used for both traditional and casual games,” said David Helgason, CEO of Unity Technologies. “It’s exciting to see how our users build on top of Unity to create mind blowing innovation of their own.”（source:gamasutra）