1）独立游戏设计师Adrien Duermaël在2010年制作了一款利用智能手机加速计功能的手机游戏《Doodle Grub》，他与法国著名漫画家Laurel结婚后，又借助后者的漫画图像使这款游戏获得成功。该游戏目前在iOS、Android和Facebook平台已收获300万用户，每日活跃用户为20万，并跻身美国、法国、德国App Store免费游戏前10名，Android Market免费游戏前25名。

Pixowl(from venturebeat)

这对夫妇几个月前刚成立了手机游戏工作室Pixowl，现在正准备将该游戏移植到WP7平台，并称看好平板电脑游戏市场，将针对这一平台用户创造更丰富的游戏体验。

2）据New York Post报道，传说中的亚马逊平板电脑或将于今年9月初问世，其售价将比苹果iPad“便宜数百美元”。

Amazon tablet(from intomobile)

有媒体称，从最近因大幅降价而被迅速售罄的惠普TouchPad来看，用户对平板电脑的需求量实际上非常之大，售价是他们的主要消费考虑因素。传闻称亚马逊平板电脑将分为两种型号，即7英寸和10英寸两种版本。其中的7英寸将采用Nvidia Tegra 2处理器，总体上与Nook Color更为接近，其售价很可能是200至250美元左右，但并非iPad的直接竞争对手。

10英寸的亚马逊平板电脑将运行Android操作系统，并且是首款采用Kal-EI四核处理器的平板电脑，该设备将比iPad便宜数百美元。

3）应用广告及盈利解决方案供应商Tapjoy日前宣布任命Larry Berkin为公司亚太业务副总裁兼总经理。Berkin之前曾任Symbian Foundation全球联盟高级副总裁，东京ACCESS公司业务发展副总裁。

4）Nextpeer是一款支持手机游戏开发者向单人游戏快速添加多人游戏模式的工具，开发者利用Nextpeer的竞争和社交SDK，就可以为游戏用户提供更多个性化功能，以便他们在游戏中体验实时、社交竞赛。

在此之前，开发者要创建多人模式游戏，唯一的选择就是一开始就设定多人游戏模式，但使用Nextpeer却可以在原来的单人模式基础上直接添加多人模式。

playing game with Nextpeer(from techcrunch)

对玩家来说，Nextpeer的操作理念也非常简单，他们进入游戏后只需要点击“在线竞赛/多人模式”按扭，注册使用Facebook Connect，就可以进入多人游戏模式。在游戏中获胜的玩家可以得到其他玩家的Nextpeer虚拟货币，使用Nextpeer技术的开发者将与Nextpeer进行90：10的收益分成。除此之外，开发者还可以在Nextper应用及其网站推广游戏。

Nextpeer SDK目前仅限使用于iOS平台（不久将发布Android版本）。Netxpeer公司联合创始人及首席技术官Daniel Shir之前是Fring公司开发者，另一名联合创始人及副总裁Itamar Mula还与人合伙成立了手机游戏工作室Social Expeditions。

5）手机游戏工作室Red Robot Labs近日向Android Market发布了首款游戏《Life of Crime》，其iOS版本也将在未来45天之内发布，竞争对手包括Zynga游戏《Mafia Wars》、Playdom游戏《Mobsters》以及Booyah的《MyTown》、Foursquare、Gowalla、《Shadow Cities》等其他签到游戏。

Life of Crime(from venturebeat)

这款基于地理定位的手机游戏使用的一项重要开发工具是R2 Gaming Network平台，游戏可以自动为地图上的建筑覆盖一个“游戏层”，将每一个地点都转化成一个游戏中的犯罪点。玩家如果要完成任务，就得在指定地点500米的范围内执行操作，他们可以占领某建筑，抢劫其中物品，或在其中搜索相关信息。玩家还可以组创建小帮派，通过购买衣物个性化装饰自己的虚拟形象，通过不断升级提高自己的威信。

该公司由前Playdom元老Ouye，以及EA、索尼资深游戏开发者Pete Hawley在今年初成立，其宗旨是开发硬核类Android手机游戏，他们相信这是个有待挖掘的市场。Red Robot Labs已通过Rick Thompson（Playdom前董事长）、Chamath Palihapitiya（Playdom前董事会成员）融资200万美元，目前团队规模已达18人，预计今年将增长至50人。

6）尼尔森最新数据表明，女性用户更偏爱电子阅读器，男性用户则更青睐平板电脑，而智能手机在这两个群体中同样受欢迎。

women prefer eReaders(from nielsen)

调查发现，今年第二季度有61%的电子阅读器用户是女性（游戏邦注：去年第三季度是46%），平板电脑男性用户同一时期的比例是57%，但比去年第三季度的61%份额有所下滑。男女用户的智能手机使用情况较为持平。

demographics of tablet and eReader owners(from nielsen)

该调查还指出，去年第三季度约有23%的平板电脑用户年龄不低于45岁，但现在这一年龄段用户所占比例已达37%；去年同一时期约有40%的电子阅读器用户年龄不低于45岁，而现在的这一比例则是51%。这组数据表明平板电脑和电子阅读器对年长者更有吸引力，但平板电脑和电子阅读器问世的时间还比较短，所以这两者的用户结构现在还不可轻易定论。

7）据pocketgamer报道，诺基亚Ovi Store最近每日下载量已达900万次。该应用商店在13个月前每日下载量为170万次（当时包括应用、铃音和其他内容），去年11月份每日下载量为300万次，今年2月份为400万次，4月份为500万次，7月份时已增长至700万次。

nokia-ovi-daily-downloads(from pocketgamer)

Ovi Store目前已向90个地区，使用32种语言开放服务，其运营商计费系统合作伙伴超过120家。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）King of Code Finalist: Adrien Duermaël blends mobile games with comic art

(The King of Code contest is sponsored by Windows Phone and is open to developers on any mobile platform.)

It all started with a snake.

In 2010, independent game designer Adrien Duermaël set out to make a simple mobile game that would take advantage of smartphone accelerometers and that anyone could play. The result was Doodle Grub, a game where you direct a snake to eat apples and avoid enemies just by tilting your phone.

Lucky for Duermaël, he’s married to one of France’s most famous comic book illustrators. His wife Laurel was more than happy to supply charming cartoon graphics for the game.

Released last June, the free game is an incredible success, garnering more than 3 million users and 200,000 daily active players across iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android and Facebook. It’s rocketed onto top download lists around the world, including the Top 10 Free Games in the U.S. Apple App Store, Top 5 Free Games in the France App Store, Top 5 Free Games in the German App Store and Top 25 Free Games in the Android Market.

“With the combination of accelerometer controls and the cartoon graphics from Laurel, we had the first version of the game,” Duermaël says. “Then we regularly updated it, adding new themes — each with its own enemies and obstacles — multiplayer game modes and more.”

The couple, which now collaborates on several similar projects, is busy porting Doodle Grub to Windows Phone 7. It’s already up and running seamlessly on Zune devices, Duermaël says. To manage Doodle Grub updates and his other projects, he’s founded mobile game studio Pixowl, which has taken off in just a few months.

While the bulk of Duermaël’s experience lies in video games, the mobile platform is definitely growing on him. He says phones are the perfect devices for casual games, allowing users to carry a game with them and play for short periods of time. It’s also much easier for him to distribute updates rapidly and easily, keeping users satisfied.

“We think mobile phones have made possible the creation of games for the whole family as never before,” he says. “We love to think parents and kids can compete using their phones. They bring people together more than other platforms.”

Duermaël and Laurel are especially interested in the future of tablet games, because they may one day become central to family life — much like board games. In the future, they want to create more games that players can experience with the people around them.（source:venturebeat）

2）Amazon tablet could be ‘hundreds less’ than iPad

By: Marin Perez

A new rumor coming from the hit-or-miss New York Post suggests that the much-rumored Amazon tablet could be coming out as early as September and it could be “hundreds less” than the Apple iPad.

The move makes a lot of sense because even stellar iPad competitors like the Galaxy Tab 10.1 haven’t been able to replicate Apple’s success in the tablet market yet. The recent super-cheap HP TouchPad shows there is a hunger for tablets but only if it is significantly cheaper than the Apple tablet. I mean, most people want an iPad and will buy that if there’s no compelling reason (read: price) to buy an alternative.

Of course, an Amazon tablet could be hundreds less than an iPad and still not even be in the same ballpark, as we’ve heard rumors that it will have two tablets: a 7-inch version and a 10-inch device. The 7-inch tablet is expected to have an NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor but we’ve heard that it will be more of a Nook Color competitor than an iPad competitor. This version could easily be sold for $200 or $250 but wouldn’t likely be a direct competitor to the iPad.

The 10-inch Amazon tablet is expected to run Android and to be one of the first tablets to rock the Kal-El quad-core processor. That means it should be a powerhouse but I wouldn’t expect that cutting-edge technology to be cheap. Amazon could eat some of its profit margins to try and make this thing popular but I have a hard time believing the 10-inch version with a Kal-El chip could come out hundreds of dollars cheaper than the iPad and still be a really good product.

Hopefully, Amazon proves me wrong, as I would love an awesome Amazon tablet that retails for about $300 or so. Heck, as long as we’re dreaming, let’s hope Amazon will even subsidize some of the 3G. What do you think, friends? （source:intomobile）

3）Tapjoy names Larry Berkin as new vice president and general manager of Asia-Pacific

by Matt Sakuraoka-Gilman

App advertising and monetisation outfit Tapjoy has announced the addition of Larry Berkin as vice president and general manager of its Asia-Pacific operations.

He will be responsible for expanding Tapjoy’s operations in the region, working closely with key partners to grow its ad-funded model for the distribution of free apps.

Berkin joins Tapjoy having most recently served as the senior vice president of global alliances at the Symbian Foundation.

Previously he was vice president, ecosystem and corporate business development for Tokyo-based ACCESS, best known for the NetFront mobile browser used in a billion devices.

“Tapjoy is an incredible growth engine and an important global revenue platform for the rising tide of free, ad-supported mobile applications,” said Berkin.

“The Asia-Pacific region has some of the most sophisticated mobile markets in the world and is full of entrepreneurial talent brimming with growth potential. I’m excited to lead Tapjoy’s efforts there.”（source:pocketgamer）

4）Nextpeer Lets Mobile Developers Turn Single-Player Games Into Multi-Player Games

Sarah Perez

Nextpeer is a newly launched mobile developer toolkit that lets game developers quickly and easily add multi-player gaming to their single-player games. With Nextpeer’s tournament and social SDK (software development kit), developers can add customizable features that enable their game’s users join real-time, social tournaments where they compete against other users for top scores or achievements.

The idea is so simple, it’s surprising it hasn’t been done before. People like mobile games and they like playing games together, but until now, the only way developers can build a multi-player gaming experience is by building a multi-player game from scratch. With Nextpeer, however, any game can become a multi-player game.

How It Works

For users, Nextpeer is easy to use, too. Gamers launch the app, tap the “online tournaments/multi-player” button and sign in using Facebook Connect. This takes them to a screen displaying which live tournaments are available to join – an experience similar to joining a table on Zynga’s Texas HoldEm, for example.

The player then places a bet to join the tournament. (This part is optional, and will depend on the game).

When the tournament starts, the gamers aren’t playing alongside each other in the sense that all their characters are on the screen together. Instead, the user plays the game as usual, but receives real-time notifications regarding their status, e.g. “You’re in 3rd place! Hurry up!” or “Daniel is about to win!” Depending on the game, the goal may be to be the first to reach a certain number of points, earn an achievement, complete a task, etc.

When the session time completes, the players re-join the table, the winner is announced, and if a wager was involved, the winner takes all the other players’ virtual money, in the form of Nextpeer currency.

A Standalone App for Finding Nextpeer Games is Next

Nextpeer currency will be available for purchase in the accompanying Nextpeer mobile application (not out yet), which will also feature the games that use the Nextpeer technology. Company Co-founder and CEO Shai Magzimof admits that the details for how the revenue share will work haven’t been worked out yet, but it could be something like 90/10 (developer/Nextpeer).

But revenue share isn’t the main reason why developers would use Nextpeer technology, Magzimof says. More importantly, Nextpeer will allow developers another avenue for distribution and opportunities for marketing, both within the Nextpeer standalone app and its website. Access to more players, especially more engaged, regular players, means an increased opportunity for generating revenue through the game’s own monetization mechanisms, whether that’s a virtual economy, advertising or paid downloads. And Nextpeer promises to stay out of whatever that in-game revenue stream may be.

Join the Beta!

The Nextpeer SDK is initially available for iOS only (Android will come later), and the company already has a few games in testing. It’s also in talks with other developers, both big and small/indie. (And by “big” we mean really, really, really big.) Interested developers can sign up now to join the private beta here. The Nextpeer app will go live in a couple of weeks.

Magzimof previously participated in the Y-Combinator program on the startup that later became Greplin. Co-founder and CTO Daniel Shir was formerly a developer at Fring and Co-founder and VP Itamar Mula also co-founded mobile game studio Social Expeditions. Nextpeer is the pivot from Android app Innobell, which made phone calls social. The company has raised $300,000 from angel investor Morris Wolfson.（source：techcrunch）

5）Red Robot launches Life is Crime game with location-based play (exclusive)

Dean Takahashi

There’s got to be more to location-based mobile games than checking in. That was the thinking behind the game startup Red Robot Labs and its first game, Life of Crime.

The game debuted on the Android Market yesterday, and it’s one example of the growing number of game developers who are targeting Google’s mobile operating system first before launching an iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) app. Life of Crime uses what Red Robot believes is going to be its critical asset: the R2 Gaming Network platform for making location games.

“From our view, nobody has cracked location gaming yet,” said Mike Ouye, chief executive and co-founder of Red Robot, in an interview.

A special version of the free-to-play game will be playable at the Penny Arcade Expo starting today in Seattle. The game can automatically put a layer on top of the map that looks and feels like a game (see picture). All of the major locations and landmarks are automatically identified. The map is persistent and it turns everyday places into contested criminal territory.

To perform missions, you have to be within range of about 500 meters or so of the location in question. Then the user can take over the building, rob it, leave loot, or search it for information or health packs. You can also gamble and win virtual currency at a location.

The players can add locations to the map. Users can operate in small gangs and build their reputation, energy, and other stats. You can customize your avatar, or virtual character, by buying clothes. You can level up your character and build your criminal reputation. Ultimately, the top player can become the Don of San Francisco or some other major area. Once you own pieces of territory, those places can generate “protection” money for you.

Ex-Playdom veteran Ouye (pictured left) and Pete Hawley (pictured right), a veteran game developer at Electronic Arts and Sony, started the company earlier this year to focus on making games for hardcore gamers on Android mobile devices. They believe that’s an untapped market.

“I’ve made console games for 15 years and I’ve been frustrated that there isn’t more to do on mobile games,” said Hawley, chief product officer. “We’re trying to drive people to meet new friends and play games with them. It’s active game play, not checking in.”

The company has grown quite fast. In January, Red Robot raised $2 million in funding from Rick Thompson, the former chairman of Playdom, and Chamath Palihapitiya, a former board member at Playdom. Red Robot already has 18 people. Ouye hopes to grow the team to about 50 people this year.

Rick Thompson, co-founder of Playdom, said, “The proliferation of smartphones is the most exciting opportunity in gaming today – always on, location aware and socially connected.  Red Robot Labs is among the first to tap into the full potential of this new platform; and they have nailed it with Life Is Crime.”

Ouye says an iOS version of Life is Crime will likely come out in around 45 days or so. Rivals include Mafia Wars from Zynga and Mobsters from Disney Playdom. Other check-in style rivals include Booyah’s MyTown as well as Foursquare, Gowalla and Shadow Cities. Ouye hopes to launch two more games this year.（source:venturebeat）

6）Ladies love e-readers; guys prefer tablets

By Ryan Kim

Is it too early to assign gender stereotypes to gadgets? New Nielsen data suggests that e-readers are more popular with women while guys prefer their tablets. Smartphones are now equally popular between the sexes.

According to Nielsen’s second-quarter survey, 61 percent of e-reader owners are women, up from 46 percent in the third quarter of last year. Meanwhile, men make up 57 percent of tablet owners, which is down from 61 percent in the third quarter. Smartphones are used equally by women and men.

It’s still early in the growth of both tablets and e-readers, so there’s no telling if the skew will balance out over time. As time goes on and sales pick up, it’s likely we’ll see some more settling. But it’s still interesting to see these gender differences and what seems to be popular with each group, especially as e-readers have shifted to becoming more popular with women.

Does this confirm that women like book reading more, as research suggests, or do they just prefer a lighter device or perhaps a simpler, single-purpose gadget? And do guys just want more horsepower and complexity, or do they prefer more games? I’d be interested to hear your theories.

Nielsen also found that the demographics of tablet and e-reader owners are shifting, bringing in more older users. Tablet owners 45 and older used to be 23 percent of users in the third quarter last year but now constitute 37 percent of owners. Owners of e-readers 45 and older used to be 40 percent of all owners in the third quarter and now represent 51 percent. The numbers show that tablets and e-readers are appealing to older users now while their popularity with younger users appears to be sliding.

Again, it’s still early in the life cycle of both tablets and e-readers, and so we’re going to see a lot of shifts over time as more groups find utility in these products.（source:gigaom）

7）App downloads accelerate for Nokia with Ovi Store’s daily total now 9 million

by Jon Jordan

While its name will be phased out as Nokia pivots with Windows Phone in the coming months, still the company’s Ovi Store app market continues to be lifted by the general consumer rush for content.

13 months ago, the store was operating at around 1.7 million daily downloads of apps, ringtones and other content.

Publicly released figures have seen this on the up with 3 million in November, 4 million in February 2011 and 5 million in April.

Warpspeed captain

Over the past couple of months, things have really started to accelerate however with the current daily download total now revealed as 9 million.

Of course, nothing like the totals being generated by Apple’s App Store or the Android Market; still it demonstrates that Nokia’s not out of the running yet to considered a tier 1 smartphone platform.

Indeed, Ovi Store is available 90 markets in 32 languages and supports operator billing with over 120 partners. （source:pocketgamer）