1）IDC最新报告预测今年中国智能手机市场份额将达26.5%，超越美国（占比17.8%）成为全球第一大智能手机市场；基于Android操作系统的低端智能手机仍将是中国市场主力军。

top five smartphone markets(from IDC)

但在未来增长速度最快的国家是印度，该国今年智能手机市场份额仅占2.5%，不过未来数年增幅将超过57%。预计到2016年其智能手机市场份额将达8.5%（游戏邦注：IDC指出印度是亚洲地区智能手机覆盖率最低的国家之一）。

除了印度之外，巴西智能手机市场增幅也将超过中国，达到44%，但目前智能手机市场份额仍仅超过2%。

与此同时，英美等发达地区的智能手机市场增幅将低于12%，因为这些地区的智能手机覆盖率已经趋于饱和。

2）据Neowin报道，Epic Games日前宣布虚幻引擎3将与Windows RT平板电脑兼容（Windows RT是微软将于10月26日发布的平板电脑操作系统），Windows RT现在已向Epic被授权商开放代码。

windows RT(from venturebeat)

3）据insidemobileapps报道，Double Fine日前宣布推出其首款iOS管理模拟游戏《Middle Manager of Justice》。

Middle Manager of Justice(from insidemobileapps)

玩家在游戏中需扮演一个Justice Corporation公司的中层管理人员，负责招募、培养和派遣超级英雄与恶势力作斗争。玩家还可以创建一个拥有不同房间的基地，让这些英雄养精蓄锐，时机成熟时就让他们上街收拾坏蛋。

这款游戏采用免费增值模式，将允许玩家使用虚拟货币加速游戏进程；目前尚未公布具体发布日期，但其开发者Kee Chi已在Twitter宣称将于未来数周在加拿大发布游戏。

4）Millennial Media最近委托comScore执行的一项调查结果显示，47%智能手机用户曾购买电影、电视节目、音乐或电子书等数字内容。

types-of-purchases(from comScore)

37%用户曾通过手机购买服装或饰品，35%用户曾使用手机购买电影、音乐会、剧院或体育赛事的入场券。

63%受访者表示，使用方便是他们使用手机购物的最主要原因。

调查还发现从2010年12月至2011年12月，人们使用移动设备获取娱乐内容的比例增长了82%。

5）据Touch Arcade报道，近日有多个消息源声称手机游戏开发商ngmoco已裁减其纽约工作室Freeverse成员规模。

Freeverse(from knowyourcell.com)

这个30人团队于2010年2月被ngmoco所收购，在App Store发展初期曾推出《SkeeBall》、《Flick Fishing》等热门游戏，其创始人Colin和Ian Lynch Smith已在上周离开工作室，并且将裁减其中多数成员，而剩余成员则将继续开发《Quests & Sorcery》和《Monster Tracker》等ngmoco游戏。

6）据pocketgamer报道，亚马逊日前宣布旗下平板电脑Kindle Fire已“售謦”（但该公司从未公布具体销售数据）。

kindle-fire(from digitaltrends.com)

观察者认为，仅限美国发售的Kindle Fire之所以会卖完，最可能的原因是亚马逊在数月前就已停产该设备，而该公司作出这一决定有可能是为即将问世的Kindle Fire 2做铺垫。

7）Mobile Future最近发布信息图表显示，2016年美国连网设备将达30亿部，相当于平板每个男性、妇性和儿童用户都持有9部连网设备。

自从2007年iPhone问世以来，美国运营商已在无线基础设施中投入1130亿美元。

Wireless Spectrum Demand(from Mobile Future)

（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）IDC: Android-Crazy China Passes U.S. As Smartphone Leader, But India’s Growing The Fastest

Ingrid Lunden

The latest figures out from IDC confirm that this is the year that China will overtake the U.S. as the world’s biggest smartphone market, with its 25.5% share a significant lead over the U.S.’s 17.8%. The tipping point has been a long time coming: China is the world’s most-populated country, so it was only a matter of time before it would overtake the U.S. But the trend has been accelerated in the last couple of years with the rise of cheap sub-$200 devices built on Android.

But when it comes to growth, it’s another booming Eastern economy that is leading the pack: India, which this year will only account for 2.5% of all smartphones shipped and sold, is growing at a rate of over 57% in the next several years: but that still will only give it an 8.5% share by 2016. IDC notes that India has one of the lowest smartphone penetration rates in the region.

The trend for cheap, Android-based devices will continue to drive growth at China, too, which will see its share expand at a rate of 26.2%.

If anything the price is going to come down ever more: “Near-term prices in the low-end segment will come down to US$100 and below as competition for market share intensifies among smartphone vendors,” writes Wong Teck-Zhung, senior market analyst, Client Devices, IDC Asia/Pacific.

He believes that carrier subsidies and strong domestic vendors will continue to persist as trends in the market, too, and he believes 4G will be “another growth catalyst.”

Those cheap Chinese handsets are not just for Chinese, though. They are also making their way to other emerging markets like Brazil, which will see a much higher rate of growth than China, at 44% — although like India its share is just above 2% of all shipments at the moment.

In contrast, developed markets like the U.S. and UK will see growth at under 12%. In countries like these, the main trend will continue to be current feature phone handset owners upgrading to smartphones, but these countries are also much closer to smartphone saturation — with smartphones already in many cases outnumbering feature devices in current sales. Many analysts already note that the U.S. and UK are tipping into a smartphone majority. In the UK, the eventual launch of LTE will also be a driving force for sales. The first LTE services could launch as early as this year.

Another market that gets a mention by IDC, but which still doesn’t make it beyond the “rest of the world” category, is Mother Russia. IDC, in fact, believes it might be, along with Brazil, among the most hotly contested markets of all in the next five years.（source:techcrunch）

2）Unreal Engine 3 will work on Windows RT tablets

Mike Minotti

Gamers like graphics. It’s one of the constants in our weird little universe. Just like monkeys always enjoy bananas or that rabbits always want a bowl of colorful Trix (which I heard may only be for kids), you can always count on fans of interactive entertainment to “ooo” and “ahh” at crisp, shiny polygons.

So it is with joy that we learn that developer Epic Game’s powerful Unreal Engine 3 will be compatible with Windows RT tablets, according to Neowin. Windows RT is a new operating system for Microsoft’s tablets launching October 26.

“By porting the full engine as opposed to a modified mobile version, Nvidia and Epic have made it easy for UE3 developers around the world to bring their best content to Windows RT, Windows 8 and Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor,” said Epic Games vice president Mark Rein on Nvidia’s blog. “Windows RT code is available to licensees from Epic now and we’re excited to see the great games they develop with it.”

Unreal Engine 3 has powered some of the most popular games in recent history, notably the Infinity Blade series, which has run on iOS devices since December 2010.

You can see a demonstration of Unreal Engine 3 running on a ASUS Vivo Tab RT tablet in the video below.（source:venturebeat）

3）Double Fine reveals first iOS title Middle Manager of Justice

Scott Reyburn

Developer Double Fine today announced its first foray on iOS with superhero managing sim Middle Manager of Justice.

Instead of playing the actual superhero, players assume the role of a middle manager at Justice Corporation in charge of managing superheroes. Players recruit, develop and let loose superheroes to fight crime. Players also build their own base featuring a variety of different rooms that focus on the heroes’  specific abilities. Once the superheroes are up to snuff, you can let them loose on the streets to put some baddies in their place.

Middle Manager of Justice is being funded by Steven Dengler’s investment company Dracogen. Dengler previously funded Double Fine’s Psychonauts for Mac and Costume Quest for PC. The game will be free-to-play, but will also feature in-game currency in the form of coins and Superium. Both forms of currency can be earned in-game, while more Superium can be purchased to speed the game along.

The San Francisco-based company will have the title on display at PAX Prime this weekend, which our Inside Network team is attending as well.

An official release date hasn’t been announced, but game creator Kee Chi said on Twitter that the title will release in Canada in the coming weeks and everywhere else right after that.（source:insidemobileapps）

4）Nearly half of smartphone consumers make digital purchases — Millennial Media

Emanuel Maiberg

A comScore study commissioned by Millennial Media finds that outside of paid app downloads digital purchases of entrainment rank highest, with 47 percent of smartphone consumers having bought a movie, TV show, music or e-book.

Clothing or accessories came in at second place with 37 percent having made such a purchase (more about mobile apparel shopping here), while tickets for movies, concerts, theater or sporting events came in at third place with 35 percent.

When asked why they made the purchase using a mobile phone instead of online or in person, 63 percent of participants listed on-the-go convenience as their most important reason.

The study also found that the amount of entertainment content accessed on mobile devices increased by 82 percent from December 2010 to December 2011. Smartphone ownership during that time increased by 55 percent, meaning that not only are there new smartphone users accessing content, but a growing appetite for entertainment among existing users as well.

They study goes on to argue, citing specific mobile marketing campaigns, that entertainment companies need to promote their products on mobile devices to keep up with an audience that is increasingly spending more time consuming media on mobile devices.

The findings are naturally in line with Millennial Media’s interests and the services they provide, but we have heard similar reports from different sources. Most recently, Asian media streaming service provider Crunchyroll told us not only that they see tens of millions of accesses from mobile devices every month, but that the mobile sessions are two to three times longer.（source:insidemobileapps）

5）After founders leave, ngmoco downsizes Freeverse

by Jon Jordan

According to multiple sources, ngmoco has downsized Freeverse, its New York studio.

Bought in February 2010, Freeverse had been a veteran developer and publisher for Mac OS, moving onto iPhone and iPad as they became available.

It had massive success in the early days of the App Store, with games such as Skee-Ball and Flick Fishing.

Looking west

Since deal, however, Freeverse had became more of a support studio for the San Francisco-based ngmoco’s social games.

Founders Colin and Ian Lynch Smith are believed to have left last week, with the majority of the 30-strong studio being laid off today.

According to Touch Arcade, the remainder of the staff will be working on ngmoco games Quests & Sorcery and Monster Tracker.（source:pocketgamer）

6）Amazon prepares for Kindle Fire 2, labelling its original tablet ‘sold out’

by Jon Jordan

There are some facts we know about Kindle Fire – Amazon’s 7-inch Android tablet.

It launched big last holiday season, it’s still only available in the US, and Amazon’s never revealed any sales figures.

Nothing overtly has changed, but the news Kindle Fire is now officially “sold out” does demonstrate that everything is about to change.

Clear the shelves

Most obvious is the only reason Kindle Fire is sold out is because Amazon stopped manufacturing it a couple of months ago, and it’s now sold all its remaining inventory.

Of course, the only reason for that decision is that the much rumoured sequel is due any day.

And given Amazon’s just launched its Amazon Appstore for Android in the key European countries, it seems logical that the new Kindle Fire will also be available in those territories.（source:pocketgamer）

7）Nine connected devices for every American man, woman and child by 2016

by Zen Terrelonge

Infographic looks at the increasing demand for wireless connectivity.

Wi-fi is a platform that forges a bond between PCs, smartphones, and tablets enabling users to connect to the almighty internet for info, entertainment, apps et al.

Indeed, the Irish government has just hatched a plan to introduce wi-fi to the country’s public transport.

Mobile Future has looked at usage of the wireless spectrum in the US to find that three billion devices will be connected by 2016 – that’s enough for nine devices each to every man, woman, and child.（source:mobile-ent）