After years of warnings from science fiction writers, it seems androids may finally be taking over the world.

For now, their influence is limited to mobile phones, in the guise of Google’s hugely popular operating system.

Mr Schmidt said that 300,000 Android-based phones are being activated each day, and more than 170 Android compatible devices are on the market.

• Centre of attention
• Fragmented market
• Sweet dreams
• Joint forces
• Elephant in the room

What will Microsoft allow Nokia to do that will differentiate the first Windows Nokia phone?”

[Read Full Article]

Press Release Source: Tapjoy, Inc. On Wednesday February 9, 2011, 9:00 am EST

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Tapjoy, Inc. (http://www.tapjoy.com), today announced the mobile industry’s first Pay-Per-Action™ app distribution service to significantly improve advertising effectiveness, engagement and reach for brand advertisers, mobile game developers and others looking to grow their mobile social app footprint.

The new service allows iOS and Android app developers to reward users for not only installing and downloading their app but also for completing some type of action within it, such as watching the tutorial, getting past a certain level or any other specific activity. Unlike other advertising methods, Tapjoy’s new Pay-Per-Action service delivers a higher return on investment by tracking actions further along the conversion funnel and guaranteeing a much higher level of engagement and value.

Tapjoy also announced that it has partnered with Apsalar (http://apsalar.com), the most comprehensive mobile behavioral analytics platform on the web. The Apsalar analytics platform defines and interprets conversion funnels in one app or across multiple apps and offers cohort-based segmentation to run life-cycle analysis of app users. Apsalar is the clear analytics choice for developers who want to optimize user monetization and retention. Tapjoy will make Apsalar’s analytics available natively within the Tapjoy dashboard.

“The Pay-Per-Install model has proven extremely successful in driving cost-effective user acquisition for mobile developers. The release of our Pay-Per-Action SDK, however, takes that model to the next level,” said Linda Tong, senior product manager at Tapjoy. “Now, instead of simply awarding virtual currency when a user installs your app, we allow you to incentivize users to get past Level 1, for instance, or do whatever it is you feel will truly engage them in your app and get them to keep using it.”

“Tapjoy is a highly trusted partner for our mobile advertising efforts,” said Steve Hartman, VP of Marketing at GameFly. “They have been very effective in driving installs of our GameCenter app, and with the launch of their new PPA model, we expect our ROI to get even better.  We expect to significantly increase conversions that will lead to acquiring GameFly users who are more loyal and engaged than ever.”

The new Pay-Per-Action SDK ties into Apsalar’s user-level analytics platform, which allows developers to track and analyze their conversion funnels and to manage user retention and monetization by grouping users into cohorts or groups of users who downloaded their apps within a specific week. By identifying the point at which most users tend to stick around and incentivizing users to reach that stage, advertisers and developers can optimize retention and conversions in order to deliver a better user experience, conduct more cost-effective user acquisition campaigns, and increase their app’s revenues and profitability.

“We already use Tapjoy for distribution, and have implemented Apsalar for advanced engagement and conversion analytics,” says Rizwan Virk, CEO of Gameview Studios, makers of popular iPhone games Tap Fish, Tap Ranch and Tap Town. “We think that having both of these companies working together will be great for developers like us.”

Developers or advertisers interested in utilizing the Pay-Per-Action SDK should email info@tapjoy.com.

About Apsalar

Apsalar is the most comprehensive mobile analytics platform for iOS and Android developers. The company’s user-level analytics enable mobile developers and publishers to increase conversion rates, optimize retention & monetization, as well as enhance user experience within their apps. Apsalar’s innovative cohort-based engagement analyses and conversion funnels are helping major mobile applications maximize their revenues. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California and was founded by a team of veterans in user-level analytics and conversion optimization. Investors include 500 Startups and Morado Ventures. For more information, visit www.apsalar.com

About Tapjoy, Inc.

Tapjoy is the leader in monetization, distribution and publishing services for social games, mobile applications, virtual worlds, MMOs and other social publishers. The company’s turnkey alternative payment platform enables developers to significantly increase their monetization rates when selling virtual goods or premium digital assets, while its cross-platform distribution services provide massive reach and cost-effective user acquisition on the leading social, mobile and gaming platforms. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Investors include Rho Ventures, Interwest Capital, North Bridge Venture Partners, and D. E. Shaw Ventures. For more information, visit www.tapjoy.com.

iPad 2 vs Android

News of Apple’s (AAPL) production plans for its next iPad model comes at an interesting time in the tablet industry’s growth, stealing a bit of the thunder that Android has been reveling in lately. With a camera for videoconferencing, the upcoming iPad 2 will reportedly be thinner and lighter, giving Android tablets running Honeycomb 3.0 a lot to think about. No word yet on the exact date of the iPad 2’s availability, but the mere suggestion of its production is enough to make consumers think twice about their first (or next) tablet purchase.

Android in the business world?

Mobile technology company Myriad has announced new software called Alien Dalvik which will allow Android applications to run on non-Android phones. The software will be demonstrated live for the first time next week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Although Myriad may not be a household name, the company is also the maker of virtual machine software called Dalvik Turbo, which was introduced last year as way to speed up the performance of Android applications by up to three times, while also improving battery life on Android phones. This latest release builds on top of that technology and will be available for the MeeGo platform later this year, with other platforms to follow.

What’s Mobile Virtualization?

Sophos is working on a management console that will allow enterprises to apply security policies to mobile devices, the company announced Feb. 7.

Enterprises can use the Sophos Mobile Control console to handle password management or to restrict certain functions, such as cameras, and to control which applications can access the corporate network, Sophos said. The platform would secure all mobile devices, including Apple’s iOS devices such as the iPad and iPhone, Android phones and tablets, Windows Mobile products and Symbian devices, according to the Sophos.

Over the past couple of days several major mobile blogs have received news from well trusted sources who have come through accurately in the past, corroborating that HTC is working on a dual core device that could be headed to Magenta as early as Q2  If these tipsters are correct, then it’s possible that HTC and T-Mobile are getting ready to release the device T-Mo customers have been waiting for, for quite some time.  It looks like my age old question is about to be answered, hopefully, and that is, where the heck is my “T-Mobile Evo-like device?”

Zynga is continuing to push mobile games. The company is rolling out “Words With Friends” to Android-based phones and tablets.

“Zynga is dedicated to making its games available anytime and on any device regardless of platform,” David Ko, Zynga’s senior vice president of mobile, said in a statement.