1）成立于去年8月的手机游戏公司Motiga近日展示其首款游戏《The LeftOvers》。这是一款实时多人模式游戏，将于今年秋季登陆iPhone和iPad平台。为了在资源有限的情况下快速开发实时多人手机游戏，其开发团队创建了可延展的云手机游戏服务器技术Motiga Infinite Context Engine（MICE）。

The LeftOvers(from venturebeat)

该公司团队由传统在线游戏元老Chris Chung和Rick Lambright组建，前者曾在NCsoft任职8年，原先曾是Trion Worlds首席战略官，后者之前是Gazillion Entertainment总设计师，在游戏领域已有16年工作经验。

Motiga至今已融资190万，主要投资者包括Mark Moore、Nick Lawler、Alesia Pinney、Neowiz。

2）针对苹果最近宣布将限制开发者访问用户UDID一事，手机游戏平台OpenFeint日前宣布推出“OFUID”（OpenFeint用户身份系统）功能，支持第三方开发者使用该功能追踪用户有关情况（游戏邦注：UDID是指独立手机用户身份帐号，开发者可通过该帐号快速获取用户访问历史记录，以便推出交叉推广等活动，但苹果已打算在iOS 5中取消UDID这一设置）。

openfeint(from venturebeat)

当用户开始该问一款植入OpenFeint系统的游戏或应用时，系统就会请求用户是否愿意在线体验游戏或应用，如果用户给出肯定回答，OpenFeint就会令其登陆，并允许应用开发者获取这些用户的匿名数据和历史记录。

据OpenFeint所称，目前共有1.15亿用户登录植入OpenFeint功能的游戏，已有6800款游戏引进了OpenFeit系统。

虽然OFUID并不能完全取代UDID功能，它仅适用于登陆OpenFeint系统的用户，但至少可让OpenFeint开发者从中获得便利，免除了他们自己寻找出路解决苹果取缔UDID的烦恼。预计OpenFeint的这项新服务将于今年秋季发布，开发者可免费获取该功能。

3）三星日前发布bada 2.0版本SDK，支持开发者使用bada 2.0的多任务处理、三个用户界面导航风格、NFC和Wi-Fi功能。该版本还添加了一个应用内置广告API，以便开发者在应用中添加条幅和文本广告，此外还支持信息推送功能，优化了对Flash和HTML5的技术支持。开发者可通过bada 2.0，使用JavaScript Framework、HTML5和WAC API等网络技术创建整款应用。

bada(from mywave525.blogspot)

4）据市场调研公司IHS（原名iSuppli）预测，2011年全球智能手机出货量将达4.78亿部，2015年将增长至10.3亿部（智能手机目前占32.5%的市场份额）。

smartphone shipments(from gigaom)

IHS报告指出，由于锁定中国和拉美低端市场，今年第二季度三星智能手机销量增长率达600%；另一家调研公司IDC则表明，三星在今年第二季度的智能手机销量为1700万部，预计在今后一年内将上演苹果和三星智能手机大战。

5）Skype日前也加入手机应用商店大战，向第三方推出了一系列可添加至网络电话服务的应用。该应用平台的多数产品锁定的是商务人士，仅有少数属于个人用户产品，目前推荐举的应用数量不足25款，多数应用包含通话记录、屏幕共享和与第三方服务绑定等功能。

skype(from shtion)

该平台目前下载频率最高的是VodBurner Video Call Recorder，其他罗受欢迎的应用包括Qik、InnerPass Screen Sharing和Zaplee等。

6）EA旗下工作室Firemint最近效仿《愤怒的小鸟》“通关神鹰”的做法，在《Spy Mouse》这款游戏中添加了内置付费功能（IAP）“Kiska The Cat”，支持无法闯关的玩家购买这种IAP以扫清闯关障碍，让游戏中的特工鼠顺利偷到奶酪。

Kiska The Cat(from pocketgamer)

与“通关神鹰”相同的是，玩家在每一关也只能使用一次“Kiska The Cat”，而且不得在24小时内连续使用这种99美分IAP。pocketgamer报道称，尽管这种设置的利润并不像免费增值模式那么高，但却有40%的《愤怒的小鸟》新用户会付费购买“通关神鹰”这一IAP功能。

7）针对业内近日热议的乔布斯辞去苹果CEO一事，科技博客gigaom发布了一张关于乔布斯及苹果大事纪的信息图表，以下译文仅截取部分内容（详见下图）。

该图表显示，苹果电脑公司成立于1976年4月1日，据传其联合创始人乔布斯和Steve Wozniak摘取了Atari（雅达利）首字母将其命名为Apple，主要是为了记念二人曾在Atari工作的日子。

1976年7月，苹果推出了第一代苹果电脑，当时售价为666.66美元，因为乔布斯和Steve Wozniak俩人都喜欢重复性的数字。

1985年乔布斯被苹果公司驱逐后，自主创建了NeXT，针对苹果起诉NeXT一事，有评论称“身价20亿美元，拥有4300成员的大型公司居然不敌6名身穿蓝色牛仔裤的小团队，这真是令人不可思议”。

1988年NeXT推出了其首部电脑设备，1997年乔布斯重返苹果大本营担任CEO。

2007年1月9日，苹果推出iPhone；2010年1月27日发布iPad，2011年6月6日推出了iCloud。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.ocm编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

ode to steve jobs(from gigaom)

1）Game veterans form startup Motiga to make social mobile games

Dean Takahashi

A team of online game veterans has formed Motiga, a startup dedicated to making cloud-based mobile games.

The Bellevue, Wash.-based company is unveiling its first mobile game, The LeftOvers, today at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle. It’s not easy to make such games fly in an age of hundreds of thousands of mobile games.

To improve its odds, the small developer has created a scalable cloud-based mobile game server technology called the Motiga Infinite Context Engine (MICE). It enables small teams to develop real-time mobile multiplayer games quickly and with fewer resources.

The LeftOvers is a free-to-play, real-time multiplayer game co-developed with Tinfoil fez. It will launch this fall on the iPhone and iPad. Motiga was founded last August by online game veterans Chris Chung and Rick Lambright.

Lambright said it usually takes a big team to create the server infrastructure for a real-time multiplayer game. But he said MICE simplifies the process and noted that a team of just three developers created The LeftOvers.

Chung was previously the chief strategy officer of Trion Worlds and he spent seven years at online game firm NCsoft. Lambright was formerly chief architect at Gazillion Entertainment. He led technical teams for Marvel Super Hero Squad Online and Lego Universe and has 16 years of experience in the game business.

Motiga has raised $1.9 million to date in a convertible note through a number of angel investors including Mark Moore, Nick Lawler and Alesia Pinney. Another corporate investor is Neowiz.（source:venturebeat）

2）OpenFeint’s single sign-on for social games to replace Apple’s UDID (exclusive)

Dean Takahashi

Apple caused panic among app developers last week when it announced that it would phase out an identification system for users on its mobile devices such as the iPhone. Mobile gaming company OpenFeint says it will help solve the problem created by the elimination of this feature by offering its own “single sign-on” identification system for app developers.

Apple’s announcement caused fear among developers because many use this unique device identifier (UDID) number to identify a user in order to quickly access that person’s history and offer cross promotions. Apple decided to “deprecate” the UDID, meaning the company will phase out the use of the feature and no longer support it at some point in the future. Apple gave no explanation for the deprecation, but some speculated it was to end concerns about privacy.

“Developers have been panicking to some extent,” chief executive of OpenFeint, Jason Citron said. “That is why we decided to do this product.”

OpenFeint, which is owned by Japan’s Gree, said it already has 115 million users logging into games that use the OpenFeint mobile social gaming network for online play and leaderboards. Third-party app developers can now use the OFUID (OpenFeint user identification) to identify users in the same way that Apple did with UDUDs.

When a user starts playing a game or app with the OpenFeint system built-in, OpenFeint asks them to sign into their account. It asks the user if they want to access online play. If the user answers yes, OpenFeint signs them in and the app developer can get access to the player’s anonymized data and history, Citron said. OpenFeint has more than 6,800 games using its platform.

That’s certainly better than the alternative, where developers would have to create their own identification system requiring users to sign in with a username and password before playing a game. OpenFeint removes some of the potential hassle with a more streamlined sign-in system.

It isn’t a perfect replacement for UDID, which was able to log every time a user started a game. The OFUID can only gather information when the user logs into OpenFeint. That doesn’t happen every time a user plays a game. But Citron said this was the next best thing, as “the user can opt in with just one click.” The user has to have the OpenFeint app in order to sign in. However, to play online, users often have to download the OpenFeint app anyway.

The OFUID will give developers access to information such as what games are installed on the user’s phone, their usage of games, and what offers they have taken before. Developers would have otherwise had to figure out a way to do this on their own. To create the workaround, Citron said OpenFeint engineers had to figure out a way to do the single sign-on without using UDID numbers. Citron said that developers who use OpenFeint can learn how to better monetize their users with better targeting.

OpenFeint also announced an “install trade program” for developers that use the new sign-on process. OpenFeint will guarantee developers 1.5 new installs for every new install of Game Channel, an app that is needed for users to enjoy the benefits of single sign on. Game developers will be able to offer incentives for users to use the sign-on process, said Ethan Fassett, senior vice president of product at OpenFeint.

The single sign-on with OFUID will launch later this fall. Citron said that OpenFeint does not make money on this feature. On Android, Citron said that there are fewer restrictions related to the use of a UDID. But OpenFeint also offers its own single-sign-on process there.（source:venturebeat）

3）Samsung releases bada 2.0 SDK, now with multi-tasking, push notification and in-app ads

by Jon Jordan

Originally planned for July, Samsung has now released the bada version 2.0 SDK.

The proprietary OS, which is designed for low and mid-range smartphones with a resolution of 240×400, 320×480 or 480×800, has become more strategically important to the company following Google’s acquisition of Motorola and subsequent uncertainties over Android.

It’s particularly popular in India where Samsung hopes to gain 30 percent market share.

Moving forward

Bada 2.0 features several significant improvements including multi-tasking, three possible user interface navigation styles, support for near field communications, and direct wi-fi communication between devices without the need for a hotspot.

There are plenty of off-device features too.

One important addition is APIs for in-app advertising so you can add banners and text ads into your applications. Push notifications and enhanced supported for Flash and HTML5 are welcome enhancements, while developers also get better performance analysis and profiling tools.

And, from bada 2.0 onwards, developers can build their entire application using web technologies such as JavaScript Framework, HTML5 and WAC APIs.（source:pocketgamer）

4）By 2015, smartphones will rule the mobile planet

By Om Malik

Tweet inShare54Smartphones will represent around 54.5 percent of the mobile phone market by 2015, according to a study from research firm, IHS (formerly iSuppli.) They are forecasting global smartphone shipments of 1.03 billion in 2015 vs 478 million smartphones shipped in 2011. At present, smartphones have about  32.5 percent share of the market.

The big growth is obviously going to come from low end of the market, and that’s going to help companies like Samsung (which owns its own Bada OS) to become a larger player in the market. IHS notes that during the second quarter of 2011, Samsung’s smartphone sales grew 600 percent sequentially, thanks to its low-end products targeting China and Latin America. IDC, another research firm, estimates Samsung sold about 17 million smartphones during the second quarter of this year. It’s good to see that the rest of the folks are beginning to realize what we have been saying for nearly a year: The smartphone battle is between Apple and Samsung.（source:gigaom）

5）Skype Launches an App Store

By John Paul Titlow

Jumping on the app store bandwagon, Skype has launched a directory of third party applications that can be added to the Internet telephony service.

Most of the apps are geared toward businesses users, while a few are for personal use. The directory features just under 25 apps, whose functionality includes things like call recording, screen sharing and integrations with third party services.

The most frequently downloaded app at the moment is VodBurner Video Call Recorder, a free app that captures high-quality recordings of Skype video chats and lets users edit them using a built-in production console.

Naturally, Qik, the mobile video app Skype acquired earlier this year, is included as a “featured” app in the directory. Qik is not offered as an add-on to Skype, but rather its listing links off to the iTunes App Store where users can download it for iOS.

Other popular apps include InnerPass Screen Sharing and Zaplee, a cloud-based phone system for businesses that forwards Skype calls to phones, routes calls and handles voicemail.

Developers who use Skype’s API to build applications can submit them by generating an XML file of their content, hosting it somewhere and sending Skype a link to it for consideration.（source:readwriteweb）

6）Firemint’s SPY Mouse is its first game to employ in-app purchases

by Jon Jordan

Demonstrating that where Angry Birds’ developer Rovio breaks ground, other developers will surely follow, EA-owned Firemint has implemented its first in-app purchase.

As with Angry Birds’ The Mighty Eagle – effectively a 99c cheat to complete a level you’re stuck on – Firemint’s just released iPhone game SPY Mouse has Kiska The Cat, who “can help you pass levels”.

Buying the IAP removes all the patrolling cats from a single building, ensuring the mouse – agent squeak – can steal the cheese and make his getaway onto the next level.

Tipping a toe

Significantly though, as with The Mighty Eagle, which can only be used once (the level has be solved normally to gain a further use), once used the 99c Kisha is locked for 24 hours.

Obviously not as lucrative as the freemium model where users can spend as much money as they want to progress through the game, nevertheless in March Rovio revealed that after The Mighty Eagle was introduced into Angry Birds, around 40 percent of new users bought the IAP. （source:pocketgamer）   http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Spy+Mouse/news.asp?c=32752

7）Infographic: An ode to Steve Jobs

By Darrell Etherington

Earlier, I wrote about Steve Jobs’ time as CEO by the numbers, but now here’s a visual look at his time in that role. The infographic below presents a history of the most memorable moments and products in Jobs’ career, as well as a selection of some quotes that sum up a lot of his feelings about their design, the competition and the computing landscape.（source:gigaom）