1）教育及益智游戏开发商EnsenaSoft最近宣布，公司已成为苹果Mac App Store上线以来首家实现100万次下载量的开发商。Mac App Store在今年1月份开业，该公司的31款应用程序每天平均下载量为7000次，其最热门的游戏包括《Doodle Hangman》、《Fantastic 4》、《Mahjong Deluxe》和《Ultimate Word Search》。该公司总裁Blanca Valencia表示Mac App Store为中小型开发商创造了与大型公司一决高下的机会，让他们收获了超出自己预期的用户数量。

Mac_App_Store

2）Asymco公司最近公布的2007至2010年第二季度全球手机市场份额数据图表显示（详见下图），目前智能手机出货量约占整个手机市场的27%。该公司表示，智能手机平台的市场份额仍然落后于低端功能性手机，不但微软WP7智能手机销量不容乐观，谷歌和苹果也仍有较大空间尚未挖掘。

mobile market share

市场调研公司Gartner最近发布的报告也指出，2011年第二季度智能手机份额仅占23.6%，智能手机销量在该时期仅超过1亿部（游戏邦注：该季度全球手机销量总共4.28亿部）。

3）市场调研公司In-Stat最新报告表明，平板电脑和电子阅读器等非手机移动设备将为运营商带来更大收益。该公司预测到2015年，平板电脑将成为3G/4G网络覆盖率最高的便携式计算机设备，约有78%的平板电脑将采用3G/4G移动网络服务。与此同时，2015年全球约有65%的电子阅读器将采用3G/4G模式。

In-Stat其他调查结果包括：

2010年采用3G/4G网络的全球移动计算机设备数量约1600万；

2015年超过50%的3G/4G平板电脑将使用LTE WAN网络；

到2015年，52%的亚洲移动便携式计算机设备将采用GSM网络，亚太地区将迎来3G/4G便携式计算机设备的高速增长时代。

4）移动分析公司Zokem最近发布的报告表明，智能手机和平板电脑的应用程序使用率超过网页浏览器。智能手机用户使用应用程序的频率比网页浏览器多6倍，不过在平板电脑上应用与网页使用对比悬殊并没有这么明显。

face time breakdown for app and web usage

该调查执行于2011年4月，其调查结果用户对智能手机应用程序的使用率占85%，而网页浏览器仅占15%。平板电脑应用程序的使用率为61%，网页浏览器的同一比例为39%。该报告还指出，比起智能手机，平板电脑的大屏幕更有利于提供良好的网页浏览体验，而智能手机相对较小的屏幕，则是其应用程序使用率更高的原因所在。

该公司在今年初发布的报告显示，智能手机用户每月使用应用程序的时间达667分钟，仅次于短信服务（平均每月使用时长达671分钟），而使用网页浏览器的时间则排在第四位，平均每月仅442分钟。

5）据Guardian报道，Lodsys公司宣称iOS应用开发者侵犯其应用内置付费功能专利权一事尚未落幕，最近又有一家公司MacroSolve宣称许多开发者所采用的通过网络调查问卷搜集数据的系统，也属于侵犯其专利权的行为。

这家公司已起诉10家应用开发商，但并不仅是针对iOS应用开发者，不少Android应用开发者也在其起诉名单之列，据其所称涉及侵犯该专利权的应用程序多达上万款。业内观察者表示，如果该公司成功向iOS和Android应用开发者索赔，那么这一事态还将扩散至微软Windows Phone等多个手机平台。对于中小型开发商来说，不论是与该公司对簿公堂，还是向其妥协支付赔偿费用，都不是一种最理解的解决方案，他们目前只能寄希望于苹果、谷歌和微软三大巨头介入此事，捍卫其手机操作系统生态圈的开发者利益。

Games for Cats

6）猫粮公司Friskies最近推出了一系列为小猫制作的iPad和Android平板电脑游戏，它们分别是《Tasty Treasures》、《Party Mix-Up》和《Cat Fishng》这三款带有多彩物体的游戏，小猫若点击屏幕，游戏界面就会出现小鱼、饼干等物品的画面。

7）以色列社交游戏平台Skiller宣布推出自己的Android SDK，支持开发者在游戏中植入该平台的社交功能，多人竞技模式（如锦标赛等）等多项功能。

Mark Zuckerberg

8）据Facebook首席运营官Sheryl Sandberg所称，Facebook创始人马克·扎克伯格将于今年再度访问中国，但并未透露此次访华的目的，仅表示Facebook的宗旨是联通整个世界，他们无法想象如果忽略了中国这个最大的市场，Facebook还将如何达成使命。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Mac App Store’s First 1 Million Download Developer Appears

by M.H. Williams

EnsenaSoft, a developer of educational and puzzle games for Mac OS, has announced today that it is the first developer to reach 1 million downloads on the Mac App Store.  Apple opened the new store in January, and since then EnsenaSoft has averaged almost 7,000 downloads per day across 31 applications.  The company’s most popular titles include Doodle Hangman, Fantastic 4 in a Row, Mahjong Deluxe and Ultimate Word Search.

“We have incredible talent within our organization. The applications that they developed have become so popular, so quickly, with Mac consumers,” said Blanca Valencia, President of EnsenaSoft.  “The Mac App Store has allowed us to compete with much larger developers and reach out to a much broader audience than we could have ever imagined. Through the store, Mac users throughout the world can now learn from, and experience, our tremendous applications first hand.”（source:industrygamers）

2）Reminder: the real smartphone war is against dumbphones

Devindra Hardawar

Will Android kill the iPhone? Or is it the other way around? It’s tempting to stick with the market share battle mindset when it comes to smartphones, but as Asymco’s Horace Dediu points out, the real question may be, who can tempt away users of dumbphones, or traditional cellphones?

Dediu compiled second quarter smartphone market figures for the past four years (see chart at right), which makes it easy to see just how much potential is left untapped among dumbphone users. His data shows that smartphones now account for 27 percent of phones shipped to retailers.

“What the chart shows is that Android (and phone versions of iOS) have taken share from direct competitors but have taken more from non-consumption,” Dediu writes. “Rather than focusing on rivalry between platforms, minds should be focused on the shape of the smartphone adoption curve.”

Looking at the smartphone market in that light, there definitely seems to be room for entrants aside from Google and Apple to make their mark. For example, even though Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 devices may not be selling like hotcakes yet, there’s potential for the platform to explode if it can properly tap dumbphone users (that definitely seems to be the angle with  its Windows Phone ad campaign). Microsoft’s upcoming partnership with Nokia to create flagship Windows Phone devices could help in this respect.

But it’s definitely not going to be easy for Microsoft, or any other modern smartphone newcomer, to entice dumbphone users. In addition to powering high-end smartphones, Android is well positioned for dumbphone consumers, since it’s versatile enough to run on low- and mid-range hardware.

Research firm Gartner also released its latest mobile device numbers today, which gives us a more granular look at the state of the industry. Smartphones accounted for 23.6 percent of phones sold in the second quarter (compared to last year), according to Gartner, which falls in line with Dediu’s smartphone shipment statistics. Gartner’s numbers show that over 100 million smartphones were sold in the last quarter out of a total of 428 million mobile devices.

Additionally, the firm says that only 1.6 million Windows Phone 7 devices were sold last quarter. That’s a tepid response, for sure, but it’s definitely not enough to scare Microsoft off of smartphones. As I’ve previously argued, Microsoft is in the smartphone market for the long haul with Windows Phone, and I suspect it will work even harder to target dumbphone users over the next year.（source:venturebeat）

3）In-Stat: 78% of tablets shipped to rock a 3G/4G modem in 2015

by Dusan

In its latest study, In-Stat is focused on (non mobile phone) connected devices. According to the research company, mobile operators should benefit from the user interest in devices such as tablets and e-readers. In that sense, In-Stat has found that by 2015, tablets will have the highest 3G/4G attach rate among all cellular-enabled portable and computing devices with 78% of them [tablets] shipping with a 3G/4G modem. At the same time, cellular connectivity will also continue to find its way into e-readers and by 2015, 65% of such products worldwide will ship with an embedded 3G/4G modem

Some other findings from the report include:

There were about 16 million portable and computing devices shipped with 3G/4G cellular connectivity in 2010

Over 50% of all 3G/4G tablets in 2015 will have LTE WAN connectivity.

By 2015, 52% of cellular-connected portable and computing devices in Asia will be GSM devices.

The Asia/Pacific region will experience the highest sustainable growth rate among 3G/4G portable and computing devices throughout the forecast period.（source:intomobile）

4）Apps 6 Times More Popular than Web on Phones, Less Popular on Tablets

By Sarah Perez

Mobile analytics firm Zokem just published a new study comparing mobile application usage on smartphones and tablet computers to the time spent Web browsing. The results are not surprising

- application use is far more popular than using the Web browser on these devices, the firm found.

Also of interest, especially to mobile application developers, are the differences in app and Web usage between tablets and phones. On smartphones, apps are 6 times more popular than Web browsing, while on tablets, the difference is not as significant.

Apps: A Better Experience on a Small Screen

The study, conducted in April 2011, found that on smartphones, apps were used 85% of the time, but the Web browser was used just 15% of the time. On tablets, apps were still popular, but were used just 61% of the time as compared with Web browsing, which was used 39% of the time.

Says Jing Wu, fromZokem’s research team, “it can be speculated that for tablets, the bigger screen and the better overall user experience in browsing contribute to the relatively higher face time for Web browsing. On smartphones, on the other hand, a smaller screen and of course, better availability of apps, contribute to the apps’ dominance.”

Zokem notes that because calling and text messaging features are not available on tablet computers, only applications such as games, entertainment apps, books, office apps and multimedia were compared with Web browsing in this study.

The analytics firm has been tracking the apps vs. mobile Web trend for some time, having released a study earlier this year that found apps, at 667 average minutes of usage per month, were the second-most popular smartphone usage category after messaging (671 avg. minutes/month). Meanwhile, Web browsing was fourth on the list at just 442 minutes per month.（source:readwriteweb）

5）MacroSolve Joins Lodsys in Suing Mobile App Developers

By Sarah Perez

This post is part of our ReadWriteMobile channel, which is dedicated to helping its community understand the strategic business and technical implications of developing mobile applications.

This channel is sponsored by Alcatel-Lucent. As you’re exploring these resources, check out this helpful resource from our sponsors: Cultivating a Developer Ecosystem: Understanding Their Needs

Fresh on the heels of the still unresolved Lodsys matter, a second patent-holding company is now targeting mobile application developers, claiming infringement on its patent for a system that involves collecting data from questionnaires and sending that data to a central server. The company has sued 10 application development firms so far, but claims that this patent covers “thousands of existing apps.”

And unlike with Lodsys, the patent firm is not just targeting iOS developers.

MacroSolve, a U.S.-based firm founded in 1997, describes itself as “a pioneer in delivering mobile apps, technology and solutions to businesses and government.” It operates two divisions called Anyware and Illume Mobile and it claims to have “long-standing” relationships with Apple, RIM, Microsoft and Motorola, The Guardian reports. It also produces its own mobile applications which you can find linked to from this app’s page on iTunes. (Look on the left, under “More iPhone Apps by Anyware Mobile Solutions.” You can also click here to view these apps in the iTunes desktop software).

The patent in question (#7,822,816 entitled “System and Method for Data Management”) was filed in August 2003 and awarded in October 2010.

Currently, the firm is suing the following 10 companies: Canvas Solutions, Kony Solutions, Widget Press, Pogo Corporation, SWD Interactive, Blue Shoe Mobile Solutions, Brazos Technology, On The Spot Systems and Formstack. All are involved in the mobile application development space and use forms.

According to The Guardian, while it’s understood that Apple is looking into the ongoing situation with Lodsys’ claims, it’s unknown at this time if Apple is aware of MacroSolve’s claims.

While so far, Lodsys has only targeted iOS developers, MacroSolve is targeting those on both the iOS and Android platforms. If successful, the company will likely target more developers across more platforms, including Microsoft’s Windows Phone.

The issue with patent claims such as these is that they put developers in a bind -either choose to pay the royalty demanded, or fight the case in court. Both are lose-lose situations.

Royalty payments could put developers out of business, or at least take deep cuts of their revenues. Meanwhile, a long, draw-out legal battle may end up in the developers’ favor, but only after expensive legal fees are paid. Developers can rarely afford to pursue either solution, and are then left nearly defenseless.

The only real hope is that Apple, Google and Micrsoft get involved on the mobile companies’ behalf, and either provide legal assistance (a short term solution) or lobby for changes to the patent system itself. Ideally, they will do both.（source:readwriteweb）

6）Friskies Releases Tablet Games for Cats — There’s an app for everything nowadays, and cat food maker Friskies is adding to that variety with a new trio of iPad and Android tablet games made specifically for cats. The games consist of Tasty Treasures, Party Mix-Up, and Cat Fishing that have colorful objects, food, or fish, for the cat to try and catch (like a laser pointer).（source:insidemobileapps）

7）Skiller Releases Social & Multiplayer SDK for Developers — Israel-based social-mobile gaming platform Skiller has announced the release of its Android SDK this week. With the platform, developers are able to incorporate social features as well as competitive multiplyaer, such as tournaments.（source:insidemobileapps）

8）Zuckerberg Is Planning Another Trip to China

By Erica Ho

The founder of Facebook is coming to China. Time to bust out the fireworks, firecrackers and fanfare… except Facebook is blocked to China (and has been, for a while).

Therein lies the problem. It’s clear the Facebook CEO wants to make an imprint on one of the largest internet markets, but the Chinese population doesn’t have access to the social networking site. Instead, they’ve got Renren and Xiaonei to make up for that gaping need to post incriminating photos of friends.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said Zuckerberg would be visiting the restrictive country later this year, but it’s not clear when he’s going or what for. She’s made it pretty clear, though, that “it’s impossible to think about connecting the whole world right now without also connecting China.” And Facebook wants to connect to the whooole world.

Even better, Zuckerberg is brushing up on his grasp of Chinese. Now that’s an undertaking that makes learning Spanish seem fácil. And we’re not presuming the CEO is headed overseas just to brush up on his chopsticks skills and tour Tiananmen Square.

Well, hopefully China’s netizens will get an inkling of who Zuckerberg is when he visits, and that the CEO is more successful than the giant search engine company whom we shall not name.

Well, if they don’t know Zuckerberg, they do know The Social Network.（source:techland）