software

Taptitude developers getting over 1 million ad impressions per day, earns $100,000 in Windows Phone Marketplace

April 18, 2012 | By Surur

Taptitude is a game by 4Bros Studios which consists of a collection of mini-games that the developer regularly updates with extra mini-games, and which are tied together by in-game upgrades and achievements, which keeps current users engaged with the app.

It seems their development strategy is doing pretty well, with the team seeing an exponential increase in their ad impressions in recent months, seemingly related to an influx of new users to Nokia’s new handsets.

This has seen the team recently cross the $100,000 revenue mark from their game, and at the moment are earning around $1400 per day.

The team notes:

Windows Phone is a rapidly growing market where indie developers can be successful. We are looking forward to an even better second year as indie game developers, and can’t wait for Windows 8!

Read more about their success at their blog here. Taptitude can be found in Marketplace here.

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“EBay for Latin America” Mercado Livre app hits Marketplace

April 16, 2012 | By Surur

While some platforms are losing apps, the Windows Phone Marketplace are gaining them at a rapid pace.

Recently Mercado Livre, the largest e-commerce site in Latin America, released an application for Windows Phone 7.

The application is free and provides a list of items available for users to buy, sell and trade. You can use it to find good deals and prices, check the qualifications of the seller, ask questions and even buy directly from the application.

The app has the following features:

Quick Search
Ordination of the best products
Description of products with photos
Qualification of the seller
Questions and Answers

The app is free and can be found in Marketplace here.

Via Touchnokia.blogspot.com.br

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Viber coming to Windows Phone “very soon”

April 16, 2012 | By Surur

Viber is a cross platform mobile app that lets you make free phone calls (VOIP) and send text messages to anyone who also has the application installed, using your current list of contacts, much like Whatsapp.

We last posted on this software in February, when the company told us they would release a Windows Phone app as soon as their Blackberry app is out of the way.

There is still no sign of their Blackberry app yet (maybe the dying platform was placed on the back burner) but now reader Gurmit has forwarded an email to us from Viber support, suggesting the wait is nearly over.

It reads:

Thank you for contacting us.
You will be pleased to know that Viber for WP7 is coming very soon. Please stay tuned within the following week.
We will be announcing its publication, system req. and more, at that time.
Stay tuned for release updates, visit us on Facebook and Twitter:
http://facebook.com/viber
http://twitter.com/viberApp

Viber is already popular on the iOS & Android platforms and its great news to hear Windows Phone will soon also be able to take advantage of another messaging network.

Thanks Gurmit for the tip.

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Xbox Live price reduction permanent

April 14, 2012 | By Surur

Microsoft recently reduced the price of popular but old Xbox Live titles like Angry Birds to only $0.99, well below the $2.99 Xbox Live price barrier.

Now MobilityDigest has been told “This is a permanent reduction designed to provide more options for mobile gamers.”

Hopefully this will establish a new low price tier which will help to address the accusation that Windows Phone top tier games are a lot more expensive than on other platforms.

Via MobilityDigest.com

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Nokia releases Nokia Highlights tips and tricks app for Lumia owners

April 13, 2012 | By Surur

There is going to be several hundred thousand new Nokia Lumia Windows Phone 7 owners over the next few weeks, and to help those people have a good experience Nokia has released a new exclusive app for Lumia owners, Nokia Highlights.

According to the app’s description the app is a “starting point where you can find useful tips and tutorials and the latest news about great app and great accessories for your phone”.

The app can be found in Nokia’s section of the marketplace or in Marketplace here.

Via Plaffo.com

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 coming to Windows Phone in July 2012

April 13, 2012 | By Surur

Sonic The Hedgehog II: Episode 2 will be the fist game which allows Windows Phone players to continue their game on the Xbox 360 console.

Its arrival will therefore be a very exciting development for Windows Phone and Xbox 360 integration. Pocketgamer has been able to pin down the release date of the game with Sega.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II will arrive on iOS and Tegra-powered Android devices in May. Owners of other Android gadgets will see the game in June, with Windows Phone punters able to get their hands on it in July.

We look forward to seeing this feature coming to more games in the future, to finally fulfil one of the promises of Xbox Live gaming.

Verizon beats Premier Partner AT&T to 8107 update roll-out

April 12, 2012 | By Surur

Verizon, who is not what one could call a friend to Windows Phone 7, has beat AT&T, Microsoft’s Windows Phone Premier Partner, to the punch in rolling out a post-Mango update.

Of course, to be fair, Verizon only had one phone to test the software on, the HTC Trophy, while AT&T has had about 8 Windows Phones on their network so far.

Either way, Verizon has finally delivered update 7740, 8107 and also a firmware update to the HTC Trophy, with users receiving toast notifications that the software is available.

Each update is being delivered as a separate Zune download, so expect to spend at least an hour in front of your PC.

Have any of our readers received the prompt? Let us know below.

Via WPCentral.com

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Microsoft drops the price of 6 Xbox Live titles to only $0.99

April 12, 2012 | By Surur

Possibly finally catching up with the pricing system used by the rest of the smartphone world, Microsoft has announced that it has dropped the price of 6 popular Xbox Live titles to only $0.99. Previously the lowest price tier allowed for an Xbox Live tile was $2.99.

The titles consist of:

Angry Birds (Review)
Burn the Rope (Review)
de Blob ®™ (Review)
Doodle God (Review)
IonBallEX (Review)
Max and the Magic Marker, Special Edition(Review)
Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp (Review)

The discount does not appear to be a temporary move, and may indicate a move to a more mainstream pricing system.

Via MyNokiablog.com

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Netflix coming to UK, Irish WP7 Marketplace soon: Update – now availabe

April 11, 2012 | By Surur

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Netflix has long been available in Marketplace in USA, but the service has recently expanded to Europe and Latin America, and now SiliconRepublic reports the Windows Phone 7 apps will follow shortly.

The app will soon be available to subscribers in UK, Ireland and Latin America and will of course allow the streaming of video content over WIFI and 3G.

Users can also select alternative audio tracks or subtitles for their videos.

At last check the app is not available in Marketplace yet, but it is expected imminently.

Update: The software is now available to download here.

Via SiliconRepublic.com

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Sid Meier’s Pirates! now in Marketplace

April 11, 2012 | By Surur

This week’s Xbox Live game, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, is now in Marketplace.

The strategy game is described as below:

All hands on Deck! Sid Meier’s Pirates! is an exciting high-seas adventure that allows buccaneers to helm one of 27 fully customizable ships as they descend upon unsuspecting ports of call to amass a motley crew of seafaring bandits. As a fearless Pirate Captain you will collect hidden treasure maps, undertake daring missions and courageous rescues, and swiftly hand out pirate-style justice to local braggarts at every port. The wild call of the ocean will lure you back to sea where you’ll encounter enemy pirates and engage in mind-blowing open sea battles unlike any other game before on the Windows Phone 7.

Take the helm of 27 ships and customize them with assorted ammo, cannons and other upgrades
The classic adventure by renowned creator Sid Meier, re-imagined for the Windows Phone 7 to take full advantage of touch controls
Use the Windows Phone 7 touch controls to parry, counter and effectively out duel your opponents into submission with lightning quick moves onboard ships, in taverns, and even in the exclusive Governor’s mansion
Challenge and pursue the most famous pirates in history, including Blackbeard, Captain Kidd and Henry Morgan"

The app is $2.99 and can be found in Marketplace here.

Via windowsphoneapps.es

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Next Week’s Xbox Live title–Monster Island by Miniclip

April 11, 2012 | By Surur

Next week’s Xbox Live title is Monster Island by Miniclip. It is basically a cross between Atomic Cannon and Angry Birds, where the aim is to use a variety of monster-themed grenades to blow up an objective. See the iPhone version trailer above for an idea of the game play.

The game comes with five different kinds of monster grenades and four large sets of levels, and will also feature optional microtransactions, allowing players to purchase level skips and solutions with Microsoft Points.

A Flash version of the game is available at Miniclip.com here.

The game is coming to Marketplace on Wednesday, April 18 and will cost $2.99.

Via WPCentral.com

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Ask Ziggy 2.3 update demoed

April 10, 2012 | By Surur

Avoratek have just uploaded this video demo of Ask Ziggy 2.3 for Windows Phone 7.

The update usual brings an increased vocabulary and even more ways you can interact with your Windows Phone.

The current version in Marketplace is version 2.2, but I expect this version will arrive shortly.

The app remains free and can be found in Marketplace here.

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App Review: Who’s Near Me Live

April 10, 2012 | By andrewbares

If you’re looking to meet people on a smaller, new social network, then Who’s Near Me Live is your perfect app.

WNM Live is essentially Facebook, but with a much smaller network of people. You won’t find your friends on there, but you will find other interesting people who you otherwise would have never talked to!

Everything is location-based with WNM Live. This means that you can filter posts and people by their distance from your current location, allowing you to discover what people are saying nearby you. You can also view every single post across the world as they’re written, if you so wish.

The highlight of this app is how well it works. It puts the Facebook app for WP7 to shame! WNM Live is fast, has push notifications that are delivered ON TIME (instead of 7 minutes late like Facebook), and is extremely snappy compared to the laggy Facebook app.

qrcode Overall, there’s hardly any chance of WNM Live ever replacing Facebook. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try out this social network… due to the new nature of the social network, users of the network are likely more technology-minded, and you will typically find a brighter and more interesting mix of people on WNM Live, which makes it worth a try!

Download Who’s Near Me Live in the Marketplace for FREE.

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