1）澳大利亚开发商Halfbrick新游戏《Jetpack Joyride》发布一周就收获35万次下载量。

jetpack_joyride(from applenapps.com)

值得注意的是，《Jetpack Joyride》是一款原创付费游戏，售价0.99美元（游戏邦注：其中还含有0.99至12.99美元的IAP付费选项），假如不计IAP营收，扣除苹果30%的分成，该游戏目前至少已创收24万美元。

2）comScore最新数据显示，谷歌Android现在已成为欧洲第二大智能手机操作系统，目前市场份额达22.3%，超过iPhone，仅次于Symbian（游戏邦注：Android今年初在美国智能手机市场份额已达40%）。而在去年，Android在欧洲市场份额仅占6.1%，欧洲Android用户自去年来已增长44%。

Android-Handset(from itechfreak.com)

当地多数Android用户使用的是HTC和三星手机，这两种Android手机用户比例达66%。苹果和RIM在欧洲市场份额有所增长，但Symbian和微软却出现下滑倾向。

3）市场调研公司Ovum最新报告预测，Android应用下载量在今年将达81亿次，超过苹果iOS应用的60亿次下载量。

苹果去年的应用下载量是27亿次，Android去年则是14亿次，预计今年所有应用下载量将增长144%。

android-apps(from digitaltrends.com)

不过该公司指出，Android应用市场的发展得益于大量用户和移动设备制造商的支持，以及GetJar和亚马逊等第三方应用商店的推广，苹果iPhone平台仍将是付费应用的主导力量，预计2016年其应用营收将达28.6亿美元，而Android应用同期的营收为15亿美元（届时Android应用下载量为218亿次，而iOS应用则是116亿次）。

Ovum分析师还指出，由于现在的用户更为挑剔和谨慎，再加上这一市场竞争激烈，开发者推出“巨作”的难度日益扩大，科技达人用户更愿意花高价购买“非有不可”的应用。

4）美国运营商威瑞森多媒体商店V Cast近日宣布更名为Verizon Apps，并绑定应用搜索引擎Chomp，支持用户方便快捷地找到自己所需应用。

verizon-logo(from mobiletor.com)

该应用商店客户解决方案主管Todd Murphy表示，他们调整应用商店设计的部分原因是为了提高智能手机应用曝光率，Verizon Apps将在今年秋季预装到多款Android新手机。

5）应用分析工具Apsalar日前融资500万美元，其支持者包括Thomvest Ventures、Battery Ventures和DN Capital。该公司在之前的种子轮融中已筹得80万美元。

Apsalar-logo(from may25sfappshow.eventbrite.com)

Apsalar主要为开发者提供用户手机型号、地理位置、使用次数、回访频率等基本数据服务，此外还提供跨应用分析服务，支持拥有多款应用的开发者通过一个仪表板追踪所有用户情况，观察他们在不同游戏、应用中的操作行为。

6）据gamasutra报道，苹果App Store日前移除了一款名为《Phone Story》的iOS游戏，原因是其内容违反了苹果应用审核政策。

该游戏的设计主旨是强调苹果iPhone设备供应和生产链中的工人利益，其开发商是意大利团队MolleIndustria（代表作包括《Every Day The Same Dream》），游戏含有一系列让玩家对“刚果矿工受虐、中国外包工人跳楼自杀、巴基斯坦电子废弃物、西方消费主义”等现象产生“强烈负罪感”的迷你小游戏环节(如下图所示）。

Phone Story(from kotaku.com)

《Phone Story》于近日在App Store发售，但随后其开发商立即通过Twitter称游戏因违反四项应用商店审核政策而被移除，该游戏所谓的这四项“过错”包括：“涉及暴力或虐童内容”、“包含有异议或粗鲁的内容”、“包括虚假、欺骗性的误导内容”，以及“违反所有的法律要件”。

苹果App Store政策还禁止应用包括宗教批判、过度涉黄/暴力、“攻击性或狭碍的评论”等内容，但通过iTunes发售的书籍、电视和电视节目却无需遵从同样的条款。苹果在2010年重新拟定App Store政策后，清除了约5000款涉黄应用。

MolleIndustria之前已承诺将把《Phone Story》这款游戏70%的收益捐赠给多家慈善机构。

7）市场调研公司Newzoo最新数据表明，在线游戏、手机游戏和微交易免费游戏的崛起，促进了全球游戏玩家的迅速发展。

Newzoo预测，巴西玩家今年在游戏中的总投入将达20亿美元，他们向在线及手机游戏的投入时间占68%，投入金额占51%。

巴西玩家在Facebook和谷歌社交网站Orkut游戏中的开销占11%，在休闲游戏网站的投入占15%，MMO游戏开销占16%（约3.2亿美元），手机游戏占9%（约1.8亿美元），掌机游戏占34%，但多数资金流向了旧款和盗版游戏。

巴西用户在盒装PC、Mac游戏中的开销与数字下载游戏不相上下，约有4800万美元流向了旧款和盗版盒装游戏，导致游戏发行商无所收获。在2300万曾下载游戏的巴西人中，64%用户承认自己下载过盗版游戏。

Newzoo调查还发现，墨西哥用户今年在游戏中的投入将达12亿美元，其游戏喜好和消费习惯与美国用户相当，手机/在线游戏占其游戏投入时间的60%，占游戏开支的31%。

俄罗斯用户2011年在游戏中的总投入将达15亿美元，MMO和PC游戏占56%的开支，休闲、社交和手机游戏占49%的游戏投入时间。在3800万俄罗斯玩家中，女性用户占49%。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

gamers in Brazil(from newzoo)

1）Jetpack Joyride does 350,000 iOS sales in launch week

by Jon Jordan

Gaining 350,000 downloads in a week might not sound like much in a world where Rovio is doing over 1 million Angry Birds downloads a day.

However, the two big pluses from Halfbrick’s announcement about Jetpack Joyride’s launch week performance is that it’s an original IP and is only available as a paid game.

Okay, so it’s only 99c, but that’s $240,000 net of Apple’s 30 percent, and not taking into account the various in-app purchase options, which range from 99c to $12.99 depending on how many in-game coins you want to buy.

Gimme more

“We knew we had a great game with Jetpack Joyride, and we’re glad 350,000 people agree,” said Phil Larsen, chief marketing officer at Halfbrick.

“To show all of our Halfbrick fans our appreciation for making this game a #1 hit around the world, we have already added a new content update and are committed to adding content on a regular basis.”（source:pocketgamer）

2）Android, the Fastest Growing Smartphone OS in Europe, Zooms Past iPhone

By John Paul Titlow

Google’s Android operating system for smartphones has seen dramatic growth in Europe, where it now ranks as the second most popular smartphone OS on the continent, according to the latest numbers from ComScore.

Symbian still leads the pack, but Android blew past the iPhone to grab 22.3% of the market in Europe. Just last year, Android commanded only 6.1% of that market. Android’s popularity has contributed to a huge growth in smartphone adoption in Europe, where the number of smartphone owners has grown by 44% since last year.

“Network operators, publishers and advertisers looking to effectively reach the European mobile audience must pay close attention to the continued growth of Android in the region, as it will likely have far-reaching implications for the mobile media landscape,” said Jeremy Copp, ComScore’s VP for mobile in Europe.

The majority of these Android-power handsets come from HTC and Samsung, who collectively make up about 66% of the handsets running Google’s mobile OS. As Android surged forward in Europe, Apple and RIM did each grab about a percentage point more of the market, while Symbian and Microsoft saw decreases.

Android’s growth is not limited to Europe. In the United States, it became the most widely used mobile operating system in June. It now powers 40% of U.S. smartphones in particular, having beat out iOS earlier this year. （source:readwriteweb）

3）Android to overtake Apple in app downloads

By: Roger Cheng

Android could notch 8.1 billion app downloads this year, compared with 6 billion for Apple’s iOS devices. That marks an explosion of growth for both platforms; Apple had 2.7 billion downloads and Android recorded 1.4 billion last year. The total number of application downloads is expected to grow by 144 percent this year, Ovum said in a report issued today.

“Consumers’ seemingly insatiable demand for mobile applications is set to continue this year, with downloads from app stores increasing around the world,” said Ovum analyst Nick Dillon. “The outlook for the longer term is also positive, with consumers set to continue to use apps to add new features to their phones and to access their favorite services on the go.”

Android’s rise comes in lockstep with the surge in popularity of the platform, both with consumers and electronics manufacturers. A wave of companies have been attracted to the free mobile operating system, which powers smartphones and tablets. Carriers have also put their marketing dollars behind the smartphones, luring in millions of consumers. As a result, Android has seen its market share jump over the past few months.

Android also benefits because other application stores such as those at GetJar and Amazon have sprung up to provide alternative sources for mobile programs.

Apple, which began the apps craze with the launch of its App Store, can’t compete with such diversity, but still leads in the value of its apps. Ovum said that the iPhone will continue to dominate the market for paid applications, with app revenue expected to reach $2.86 billion in 2016, compared with $1.5 billion for Android. That’s despite Android taking a near two-to-one lead in app downloads by that time, with 21.8 billion Android app downloads vs. 11.6 billion iOS downloads.

Despite the growth, Ovum said it is tougher to create a breakout hit as consumers get more selective and discerning and more applications arrive on the market.

“App-savvy consumers are less willing to pay a high premium for anything but ‘must have’ apps,” said Ovum analyst Eden Zoller. （source:cnet）

4）Verizon drops V Cast to launch new Android app store with search specialist Chomp

by Keith Andrew

Though US carrier Verizon’s multimedia store V Cast stretches beyond apps to include TV and video content, the firm has announced it is to drop the brand in favour of a new marketplace, simply dubbed Verizon Apps.

The store, embedded on its Android handsets, is being produced in conjunction with viral search specialist Chomp, with the firm’s technology enabling users to search for app via categories as well as names.

Attack of the apps

“Part of the objective with redesigning our storefront is to improve discoverability of applications on smartphones,” said director of consumer solutions Todd Murphy.

“As the number of apps has exploded, app discovery can be a challenge for mobile users. Customers who use Verizon Apps store want to find the apps they want easily and quickly, and by integrating Chomp’s search engine, we’re enhancing that experience.”

Launching across handsets this autumn, Murphy said Verizon is aiming to pitch its rebranded marketplace as a premium alternative to Android Market, populated with only the finest of apps, rather than taking on the bulk.

“Obviously, the Android Market is on every single Android device that goes out the door. We are just at the point of getting our store on every newer Android device.”（source:pocketgamer）

5）Mobile Analytics Provider Apsalar Picks Up $5 Million in Funding

By Kim-Mai Cutler

Apsalar, which is trying to bring a much more sophisticated form of analytics to mobile developers, raised a $5 million round in funding from Thomvest Ventures, Battery Ventures and DN Capital. It adds to the company’s $800,000 seed round of funding from 500 Startups, Morado Venture Partners and Seraph Group. Don Butler, managing director at Thomvest Ventures joins Apsalar’s board of directors.

Apsalar offers several different kinds of analytics from basic data such as the devices or location of users, how many sessions they’ve had and whether they’re returning or new. But then it also offers more complicated data like cross-application analytics — meaning if you have more than one app, you can track all of your users from a single dashboard. You can see how users are progressing through the funnel (or through a series of steps in a game) across multiple apps. A developer can also track whether they’re successfully cross-selling users from one app to another.（source:insidemobileapps）

6）Apple Removes Game Critical Of iPhone Production Process From App Store

by Kyle Orland

Phone Story, an iOS game designed to highlight workers rights issues in the supply chain and production of Apple’s iPhone, has been removed from the App Store due to a violation of Apple’s review guidelines.

The game, from Every Day The Same Dream team MolleIndustria, consists of a series of four mini-games “that make the player symbolically complicit in coltan extraction in Congo, outsourced labor in China, e-waste in Pakistan and gadget consumerism in the West,” according to the official web site.

But shortly after the game was announced and made available for purchase on the App Store earlier this morning, MolleIndustria tweeted that it had been removed for violating four separate app store review guidelines (as noticed by sister site IndieGames.com).

The cited guidelines prohibit apps that “depict violence or child abuse,” “present objectionable or crude content,” “contain false, fraudulent of misleading representations” or fail to “comply with all legal requirements.”

Apple’s App Store guidelines include many other provisions limiting the type of content that’s acceptable in apps, including prohibitions against apps that criticize religion, include excessive erotic or violent content, or that contain “offensive or mean-spirited commentary.”

Other content distributed by Apple, including books and movies and TV shows sold on iTunes, are not subject to the same guidelines.

In early 2010, Apple purged roughly 5,000 “sexy” apps from the digital store after a refinement of the App Store guidelines.

MolleIndustria had pledged to donate its 70 percent share of the app’s proceeds to various charities, starting with Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior. （source:gamasutra）

7）Emerging markets will spend billions on games this year

Dean Takahashi

Gamers are expected to spend billions of dollars in emerging markets this year such as Brazil, Mexico and Russia, according to market researcher Newzoo, based in Amsterdam.

Newzoo’s data shows that gaming is spreading rapidly around the globe, thanks to online play, mobile games, and new ways to pay for games such as free-to-play games with micro-transactions.

In Brazil, gamers are expected to spend $2 billion on games in 2011. Online and mobile gaming accounts for 68 percent of time spent gaming and 51 percent of spending.

“Brazil is leading Western countries when it comes to the popularity of new game platforms and business models,” said Newzoo chief executive Peter Warman. “Even with the current economic growth, paying more than $50 for a game is out of reach for many game-crazy Brazilians.”

The growth in Brazil is due to the uptake of social, mobile and massively multiplayer online games, all of which depend on free-to-play business models, where users play for free and pay real money for virtual goods.

Games on Facebook and the Google-owned social network Orkut account for 11 percent of spending, while casual game sites account for 15 percent. About 16 percent, or $320 million, is spent on MMOs. Mobile devices generate 9 percent, or $180 million. Consoles account for 34 percent of spending, but a big part of that goes to used or pirated copies.

Brazilians spend about an equal amount on boxed PC and Mac games as they do on digital downloads. But $48 million of the boxed spending goes to pirated or used games, which generate no money for game publishers. Of 23 million Brazilians who download games, 64 percent admit to piracy.

By comparison, spending on games in Mexico will reach $1.2 billion in 2011, according to Newzoo. Game preferences there and spending behavior are similar to the U.S. Mobile and online games account for about 60 percent of the time and 31 percent of the money spent on gaming.

In Russia, gamers will spend $1.5 billion on games in 2011. MMO and PC gaming account for 56 percent of spending. Casual, social and mobile account for 48 percent of the time spent gaming. And 49 percent of Russia’s 38 million gamers are female.（source:venturebeat）