If you are a sucker for the “Dash” games brought to us by PlayFirst, then it is no wonder why the company has hit a milestone of sorts. Today, PlayFirst reportedly hit the 5 million download mark, something which was just waiting to happen and not really surprising.

PlayFirst is famous for such games such as Diner Dash, Wedding Dash, Doggie Dash and Diner Dash 2. And while we can easily play the flash game based on the PC, its transition to the mobile phone niche has really become something to marvel at. And to date, don’t be surprised if a lot more people download the “Dash” games. They are certainly something worth having on the mobile phone, particularly the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

PlayFirst works with a number of industry partners to distribute its games on mobile platforms including Glu Mobile with whom it has partnered since 2005.

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Tags: 5 million, Apple, diner dash, flash game, games, industry partners, iPhone, iPhone, iPod Touch, milestone, mobile phone, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, playfirst, sorts, transition

Mobile searching just got better with the release of the beta version of the Searchme mobile app. The new app is compatible with Windows Mobile platforms, specifically for the devices that make use of touch-screen interface.

What makes this Searchme mobile app appealing is that it is not limited to the usual worded links. In fact, you may be surprised that you can get actual images, videos, music and products, similar to the options you have when you do search queries from a standard PC or laptop.

“Since launching our mobile app a few months ago, we had an overwhelming response from people who love the idea of a richer, more visual search experience on their phones. We’re very excited that we’re now able to introduce millions of Windows Mobile users to this superior mobile search experience that delivers quick page loads and immediate access to relevant information,” said Randy Adams, Searchme Founder and CEO.

The app is now available for download at the tools section of Searchme.com. It is likewise available at the iTunes App Store, Nokia Ovi Store and the Android Market.

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Tags: Apple, beta version, Images, iPhone, iTunes, laptop, market source, mobile platforms, mobile search, Mobile Software, mobile users, Nokia, nokia ovi, overwhelming response, search experience, search queries, searchme, tools section, touch screen interface, videos music, visual search

For iPhone owners who want to record their voice, Spin Vox has announced the launch of the first SpinVox-enabled application to be available through Apple’s App Store.

Using the SpinVox API (Application Programming Interface) nFinity has been able to rapidly develop a new feature for nFinity’s QuickVoice Pro, the latest version of the award-winning voice recorder that instantly became a Top 100 product in Apple’s App Store when it was released in July 2008.

With QuickVoice you can already conveniently record voice notes, reminders, dictations, meetings, interviews, shopping lists, to do lists, and even entire lectures and multi-session seminars. With the new enhancement, QuickVoice Pro users will be able use their iPhones for the first time to record voice messages which will be automatically converted to text by SpinVox and sent to the email inbox of the user’s choice.

SpinVox API leverages SpinVox VMCS, the world’s largest commercial speech platform– a Cloud service which already has over 30 million users and is growing fast - to enable Speech 2.0 applications to be built and launched quickly. It enables SpinVox to collaborate with third parties to foster further innovations in voice and expand the Speech 2.0 market.

Over 400 developers have already registered interest in SpinVox API and, of these, 20 have been selected by SpinVox to be part of the co-creation programme. Those selected include business efficiency, personal productivity, games and social networking applications on Apple iPhone, Nokia Series 60, and Microsoft Windows Mobile platforms.

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Tags: Apple, Apple iPhone, application programming interface, Business, business efficiency, Cell Phones, commercial speech, iPhone, iphones, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, networking applications, nfinity, nokia series 60, personal productivity, pro users, record voice notes, shopping lists, social networking, speech platform, spinvox, voice messages, voice recorder

Initially, Zoho Mobile was made for the iPhone only. However, Zoho has expanded the compatibility of this software to cater to other platforms as well. Now Zoho Mobile is compatible with the Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Symbian mobile platforms. Now, users can access Zoho’s on-line collaborative productivity applications from any of these mobile devices.

“Mobility is an important aspect for on-line applications like Zoho. With Zoho Mobile, we want to provide access to your data on your preferred mobile device,” said Raju Vegesna, Zoho evangelist. “All our current and future mobile initiatives will be available under Zoho Mobile as we expand mobile support for all our upcoming applications.”

Zoho Mobile is available now, free of charge.

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Tags: Apple, BlackBerry, Cell Phones, compatibility, initiatives, iPhone, iPhone, mobile device, mobile devices, mobile platform, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, mobile support, platform device, productivity applications, zoho

There is something about this new iPhone app, the Tuner2.com that will make it one of the reliable and quality applications available at the Apple app store. It carries the Fraunhofer’s High Efficiency Advanced Audio Codec decoder library, promising better audio quality for iPhone owners.

Modulation Index and Tuner2 have chosen MPEG-4 HE-AACv2 (aka eAAC+) for its ability to deliver high quality stereo at only 32 kbit/s over 3G networks. Fully compatible with the 3GPP and 3GPP2 standards for audio streaming, the Modulation Index iPhone app uses RTP streaming for a more reliable mobile listening experience.

The iPhone app also supports HE-AACv1 and mp3 SHOUTcast as well as Icecast2 streams, instant song purchase, song tagging, album art, shake random station selection, station search, and e-mail/Twitter stream now playing information. Each custom iPhone app has its own dedicated directory service dynamically configurable by the radio network customer.

Available on hundreds of millions of cell phones around the world and streaming about 25 percent of all Internet radio stations, MPEG-4 HE-AACv2 is part of a large family of audio codec libraries available from Fraunhofer IIS for the iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) and other mobile platforms. Amongst the SDK licensees are radio stations, service providers and media player manufacturers.

Fraunhofer’s audio codec offering for the iPhone SDK also include mp3 & AAC encoders/decoders, as well as MPEG Surround binaural decoders for surround Internet radio on the move or in the rear-seat of a car.

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Tags: 3g networks, 3gpp, 3gpp2, Accessories, car source, Cell Phones, decoders, e mail, eaac, fraunhofer, high efficiency, internet radio stations, iPhone, iPhone, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, modulation index, mp3 shoutcast, player manufacturers, quality applications, quality stereo, software development kit, station search, station selection

For people with mobile phones that run on the Windows platform, here is the latest software brought to you by Spb Software. Spb Software has released Spb Mobile Shell 3.0, the next-generation user interface for Windows phones.

According to Handango Yardstick, Spb Mobile Shell was the world’s number one bestselling application of 2008 among all mobile platforms.

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 accounts for two different smartphone use scenarios: at work and at play. The application offers distinctive ‘professional’ and ‘lifestyle’ desktops, integration of picture contacts with Facebook, account-sensitive email indicators, handsome time and weather screens, widgets, responsive kinetic scrolling, signature 3D animation engine, and other appealing assets that change the way a Windows phone is used altogether.

Previous versions of Spb Mobile Shell were shipped by a number of innovative phone makers, such as Acer, O2, Pharos, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba, have won numerous awards, and have been the choice of millions of customers. “It was challenging to design 3.0, as customer expectations are quite high,” comments Yaroslav Goncharov the Spb Mobile Shell Product Manager and CTO at Spb Software.

Spb Mobile Shell 3.0 is compatible with Windows phones running Windows Mobile 5 and later Professional platforms, qVGA, VGA, Square QVGA, and WVGA screen resolutions are supported. A free, 15-day trial can be downloaded, or Spb Mobile Shell can be purchased for 29.95 USD from http://www.SpbSoftwareHouse.com.

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Tags: animation engine, Cell Phones, customer expectations, generation user, mobile phones, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, screen resolutions, Sony Ericsson, spb mobile shell, windows phone, windows platform, wvga

Blackberry owners can now enjoy better syncing for their mobile devices as a beta version has been released for syncing, sharing, accessing and storing data between a BlackBerry, the Internet, and other computing devices. The new application is available for download today at www.sugarsync.com/BlackBerry.

With this latest release, SugarSync now offers the broadest mobile device coverage for file synchronization — supporting BlackBerry, Apple iPhone, and Windows Mobile platforms. Sharpcast is the only company in this application category to offer support for BlackBerry devices. Combined with the existing laptop, PC and netbook support, SugarSync continues to evolve as a flexible, complete solution for always-connected consumers and busy professionals trying to organize, manage and access all their data across many digital devices.

SugarSync for BlackBerry is the ultimate mobile application for people on the go. Using the BlackBerry, all files and folders can be remotely accessed from home or office PCs / Macs and shared with friends and colleagues. In addition, many file types can be edited in real-time from the BlackBerry* and synced back to the Internet and other devices. Snap photos from the BlackBerry phone and sync and share them instantly.

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Tags: Apple iPhone, beta version, BlackBerry, Cell Phones, colleagues, complete solution, computing devices, consumers, file synchronization, laptop pc, mobile application, mobile device, mobile devices, mobile platforms, Mobile Software, new application, office pcs, Sync

The age of advertising has diverted its attention towards mobile phones, making these devices the mediums of effective marketing and promotion tactics. This trend is expected to grow particularly now that advertisers are expected to dramatically increase their spending on “third-screen” ad campaigns targeted specifically to users of mobile data services, providing a potentially huge new revenue stream for operators of mobile networks, according to the latest report by Pyramid Research.

Pyramid predicts that mobile advertising will boost mobile data service revenues by 10 percent within the next five years, as mobile service adoption rates grow worldwide. Mobile data services are expected to account for more than 33 percent of operators’ service revenues at the global level by 2013, making any driver of this market a strategic component.

The expected growth in mobile data subscriptions will make mobile advertising a robust growth area despite an expected overall downturn in advertising spending over the next two years, notes Jan Ten Sythoff, manager of Mobile Content at Pyramid Research and co-author of the report. “Fixed-line Internet and mobile platforms will take market share away from traditional formats in the short term and grow in line with economic recovery from 2011 onward,” says Sythoff. “Mobile and Internet platforms combined will account for roughly 12 percent of overall advertising spending in emerging markets and 30 percent in developed countries by 2013.”

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Tags: adoption rates, Business, Cell Phones, effective marketing, global level, internet platforms, mobile advertising, mobile content, mobile data service, mobile data services, mobile networks, Mobile News, mobile platforms, mobile service, promotion tactics, pyramid research, revenue stream, robust growth, service adoption, service revenues

Samsung Electronics has taken their mobile phone lineup to another level by announcing their newest full touch product line with DivX Mobile certification. The phone product line with DivX Mobile certification:

Samsung’s Ultra Touch

OMNIA HD

BEAT DJ

These new cutting-edge DivX Certified mobile phone devices offer consumers seamless playback of high-quality DivX video on the go and in the living room. DivX technology produces highly compressed video suitable for mobile platforms that require minimal storage for the highest quality experience possible.

In addition to the three newly DivX Certified mobile phones with Samsung, DivX also announced a new certification profile, DivX Mobile Theater. Now available to DivX IC and OEM licensees, DivX Mobile Theater Profile helps mobile licensees ensure that their phones are certified to support studio requirements for premium DivX video playback, provide true DVD-like quality, and offers an improved user experience.

Products that bear the DivX Certified logo have undergone a rigorous testing program to ensure a high-quality DivX media experience, including reliable video creation and playback, interoperability with other DivX Certified devices and the visual quality users expect from DivX.

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Tags: Cell Phones, DivX, mobile phone, mobile phones, mobile platforms, oem licensees, Samsung, samsung electronics