1）Fiksu公司最新分析结果表明，由于用户下载的iOS应用数量减少，今年8月应用开发者获取每名忠实用户（游戏邦注：这里指下载后至少访问三次应用的用户）的营销成本上升，从7月份的1.2美元增长至1.54美元。

cost per loyal user index(from Fiksu)

iOS应用商店8月份的下载量已从7月份的425万次降至406万次，下载量减少的原因尚不明朗，但Fiksu猜测这个现象可能与不少用户希望等到购买iPhone 5再采取行动的心理因素有关。除此之外，用户购买iPhone 4的消费意愿可能也会因iPhone 5而受到影响。

App-Store-competitive-index(from Fiksu)

据Fiksu观察，App Store中的自然下载量已减少30%，苹果取缔非自然下载现象措施已开始产生相关效应。

2）亚马逊于日前宣布将于11月份发布其7英寸平板电脑产品Kindle Fire，售价199美元，比原先媒体报道预测的价格还少50美元。

Kindle Fire(from gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com)

另一个让人意外的情况是，亚马逊还专门针对该平板电脑开发了自己的网页浏览器Amazon Silk。该浏览器是一款平板电脑应用程序和亚马逊云服务器的合体，亚马逊服务器将检索网页内容，并在将其发送至Silk应用时通过压缩文件大小、改变布局等方式优化移动浏览体验，其功能与Android和iOS平台的Skyfire、Opera浏览器相似。

观察者认为，亚马逊的这种做法似乎是多此一举，因为现有浏览器已经足以满足用户需求，而且亚马逊也并非需要通过Silk制作出售产品的特殊应用；另外，此举还会涉及用户隐私安全问题，用户可能会担心自己的个人数据被亚马逊服务器所掌握。

3）移动广告网络InMobi最新智能手机用户调查结果表明，将于10月4日发布的iPhone 5备受用户期待，有41%的北美用户（游戏邦注：其中包含52%的黑莓用户）有此意向。

InMobi抽样调查了美国、墨西哥和加拿大手机用户，多数受访者表示自己理想中的手机应该具备“更长的电池寿命、更快的处理速度、更高质量的屏幕分辨率和更强大的电话服务”这四个特点。

iphone (from idevicenews.org)

RIM的黑莓手机在InMobi的调查结果中最不乐观，有52%用户表示将把下部手机更换为iPhone 5，51%的原iPhone用户表示计划购买iPhone 5，有27%的Android用户有意选购iPhone 5。

但该调查还指出，假如iPhone 5的功能只进行了一些微调整，例如只是将3G升级至3GS，那就只有不到15%的手机用户会购买iPhone 5；假如iPhone 5的技术标准仅比iPhone 4略强一些，那就只有28%的黑莓用户打算购买iPhone 5。

4）据pocketgamer报道，澳大利亚开发商Halfbrick日前与Spry Fox（《Steambirds》开发商）达成合作协议，将于10月份为后者发行下款iOS回合制游戏《Steambirds:Survival》，这种现象表明Halfbrick正向发行领域全面进军（游戏邦注：在2010年11月发布的《Steambirds》现在的全球用户已经超过1200万）。

Halfbrick_Logo(from logos.wikia)

两家公司尚未透露具体合作细节，目前只知道Halfbrick将以该游戏发行商的身份将其推向App Store，这是Halbrick首次替第三方发行游戏。

5）据pocketgamer报道，中间件供应商Unity将推出的开发工具Unity 3.5包含三大法宝：社交、分析和IAP功能。

其社交API支持开发者针对多个平台创建积分排行榜、好友列表和成就系统，据Unity所称，他们将发布一个堪比苹果Game Center、Facebook，甚至是PlayStation Network的通用版API。

Unity logo(from marketwire.com)

Unity 3.5的分析工具可助开发者观察玩家在哪个游戏环节退出或者死亡，哪个区域最容易闯关，玩家与他人的互动方式等，它支持开发者快速修改游戏，通过其自身的反馈服务器减少小型开发商的经济负担。

Unity 3.5使用同一个API支持开发者在多个平台中植入IAP功能，并绑定其他分析工具，观察用户最喜欢购买哪件道具或虚拟商品。

6）据insidemobileapps报道，美国开发商Backflip Studios最将刚推出的新游戏《DragonVale》已迅速跻身App Store营收榜单前列，排名甚至超过了《愤怒的小鸟》和《蓝精灵村庄》。

DragonVale(from insidemobileapps)

这个含用IAP功能的免费游戏是一个iPhone、iPod touch和iPad的通用版本，风格与多数庞物管理游戏一样，但它的任务是让玩家在一个飘浮的小岛上饲养龙，并且可以结合不同种类的龙，培育出新品种的动物。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）User Acquisition Costs on iOS Rise as Consumers Hold Off on Downloads For Next iPhone, Fiksu Says

By Kim-Mai Cutler

The amount that mobile developers had to spend on marketing to get a loyal user rose in August as consumers downloaded fewer iOS apps, according to Fiksu.

The Boston-based company, which mediates between different ad networks to find the cheapest way for mobile developers to get new users, analyzed downloads on the iOS platform last month. It found that the cost of getting a loyal user — or a customer who opens an app at least three times — rose to $1.54 from $1.20 the previous month.

Downloads in the iOS app store fell to 4.06 million in August from 4.25 million the previous month. While it’s hard to ascertain exactly what caused the drop, Fiksu’s theory is that consumers are holding off on app downloads in anticipation of the iPhone 5. Consumers have also probably slowed down their purchases of the iPhone 4 as they wait for the next model, so that means fewer brand-new users are coming on-board.

“That data is definitely subject to interpretation,” said Fiksu chief executive Micah Adler. “We certainly don’t know of anything else in the ecosystem that would have this kind of effect on people’s behavior within the app store.” Adler said the company saw a 30 percent drop in organic downloads, or the kind where consumers seek out apps themselves in the store instead of installing them through ads or cross-promotion.

Adler also said that the company is still seeing the effects of Apple’s crackdown on incentivized downloads, where users can get virtual rewards in exchange for installing other games. Conventional display ad networks are still continuing to benefit as developers move away from doing offer wall-type promotions on iOS.（source:insidemobileapps）

2）Surprise! Amazon Also Has A New Browser For Their Tablet

By Frank McPherson

As expected, today Amazon announced their new tablet called the Kindle Fire. As we reported earlier today, the Kindle Fire will cost $199, and will be available in November. The price of the Fire is $50 less than earlier reports, so that was a pleasant surprise. Other surprises from Amazon include three new additional products to the Kindle family that have e-Ink displays, one with an e-Ink touchscreen and the other with 3G connectivity. However, the biggest surprise to me is that Amazon has developed their own web browser for the Kindle Fire, called Amazon Silk.

Silk is the combination of an app on the tablet and servers running on Amazon’s cloud infrastructure. The servers will retrieve the actual web content, optimize it for mobile browsing by compressing the file size and changing the layout, before it is sent to the Silk app on the tablet. If this functionality sounds familiar to you that is probably because it is already provided the Skyfire and Opera browsers that are available for Android and iOS.

While I understand why Amazon is selling tablets and eReaders because they are basically mobile retail platforms that will help Amazon sell more products, I don’t understand why Amazon felt the need to create their own browser. First off, the browser isn’t needed to sell products as Amazon has created different apps that sell products, and existing browsers are certainly good enough for browsing and buying products from Amazon. Perhaps they preferred to not use the built-in Android browser, but they certainly could have bundled one of the existing browsers such as Skyfire, Opera, or even Firefox and Dolphin HD.

Furthermore, there privacy concerns with having everything that you see on the Internet passing through Amazon’s servers before getting to your device. Will people be comfortable using Silk to access their bank accounts or login credentials for other shopping web sites? If I am buying a product from one of Amazon’s competitors will they then starting sending me ads for those products, or even interrupt my purchase to offer me a better price on that product? Amazon’s cloud infrastructure has gone down before, what if the Silk servers go down, will average users think the Internet is down because they can’t open a web site?（source:socialtimes）

3）Study: 52% of BlackBerry users plan on switching to iPhone 5

Sean Ludwig

Mobile consumers are hungrily awaiting the launch of the next Apple iPhone. So hungry, in fact, that 41 percent of mobile consumers (and 52 percent of BlackBerry users!) in North America plan to purchase an iPhone 5, according to a new study by independent mobile ad network InMobi.

Many people are anticipating Apple will unveil an iPhone 5 at its just announced Oct. 4 event, so anticipation is running especially high for the device and details about its features. Analysts predict that Sprint will become an iPhone carrier and the phone will feature a larger screen, a faster processor, an 8-megapixel camera and a powerful virtual assistant.

The InMobi study talked to a sampling of mobile device users in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Participants said their top four most-desired additions to the phone were “improved battery life, increased processing speed, higher-quality screen resolution and stronger phone service.”

Research in Motion appears to be the biggest loser from InMobi’s study, as a staggering 52 percent of BlackBerry users plan to switch to the iPhone 5 with their next phone purchase. Fifty-one percent of current iPhone owners plan to pick up the iPhone 5, while 27 percent of Android owners plan to switch.

However, InMobi’s study indicates that if the iPhone 5 is only a minor update, similar to the bump from the 3G to 3GS, less than 15 percent of mobile consumers will be likely to buy the phone. If the new iPhone is only a minor spec bump from the iPhone 4, 28 percent BlackBerry users still plan to make the switch, indicating many BlackBerry unsatisfied users.（source:venturebeat）

4）Halfbrick makes move on publishing as studio partners with Spry Fox on Steambirds: Survival

by Keith Andrew

Officially positioned as a partnership, a new deal between Halfbrick and Steambirds developer Spry Fox suggests the Australian studio may be taking steps towards becoming a full blown publisher.

The two parties will come together for the launch of Spry Fox’s next game, turn-based aerial combat release Steambirds: Survival, which will launch on iOS in early October.

Not doing things by halves

“Steambirds: Survival is the ultimate dog-fighting tactical aerial combat game,” said Halfbrick CMO Phil Larsen.

“The game showcases the talents of both Halfbrick and Spry Fox and delivers an experience that is sure to be another huge hit among iOS players.”

Neither party makes it expressly clear, but it appears Halfbrick will be listed as the game’s publisher when it hits the App Store. Halfbrick has published its own games on the platform, but such a move would represent the first time the outfit had handled a third-party release.

Steambirds: Survival’s predecessor, released in December 2010, has been played by over 12 million players worldwide.（source:pocketgamer）

5）Unity 3.5 bringing universal achievements, analytics and IAP into play

by Damon Brown

The upcoming Unity 3.5 update from the mobile-web middleware provider is bringing a trifecta of strengths: social, analytics, and in-app purchases into play.

The Social API aims to make ever-popular leaderboards, friends, and achievements easier to implement across multiple platforms. According to Unity, there will be one universal API comparable with Apple Game Center, Facebook, and even the PlayStation Network.

Easy does it

Secondly, analytics focus on easier game A. The dynamic stats give insight into where a player quits or dies most often, what areas are the easiest, and, eventually, how a player interacts with others.

Unity will provide zero-day insights, which means games can be modified quickly. It will host the feedback servers itself so developers (particularly smaller ones) don’t have the financial burden.

Finally, Unity 3.5 will support in-app purchases, again using one API for multiple platforms. It plans to tie the in-app data to other analytics too, such as where or when a player is most likely to purchase an item.

The result should be games which are better suited to their audience and more profitable.

Unity 3.5 is going into beta shortly. （source:pocketgamer）

6）Backflip Studios Tries a New Breed of Animal-Raising Game on iOS with DragonVale

By Randy Nelson

Backflip Studios has established itself as a developer with a diverse repertoire, with hits in the casual space like Paper Toss and more hardcore titles like Army of Darkness Defense. The developer recently entered the free-to-play casual space with games like Backflip Solitaire, but has gone all-in with DragonVale. It’s similar to some already-available pet management games, with a couple of big, fire-breathing differences.

Players are in charge of their own wild animal park located on a floating island. It’s up to the player to populate it with dragons, who must be fed and cared for. Players purchase dragon eggs, habitats and the supplies necessary to grow treats. True to the genre, everything the player wants to produce takes time, but can be sped up using a premium currency called gems. Gems can be purchased through in-app transactions for real money. They can also be used to purchase premium items and decorations for the player’s park.

The real standout feature of DragonVale, though, is the dragon breeding. Various breeds can be combined to produce hybrids, which creates a fairly robust collection mechanic akin to what several of the earlier zoo games have done. Dragon breeding takes some time, although most of the resulting beasts can be purchased from the game’s shop. The dragons can also be entered into challenges at the game’s stadium and serve as attractions that make players (virtual) money.

Speaking of revenue, DragonVale quickly reached the top of the App Store’s top grossing game charts, surpassing Angry Birds and Smurfs’ Village. The game offers several in-app purchases, from virtual cash and gems to food for players’ dragons. The app itself is free and universal for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.（source:insidemobileapps）