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Amazon thinks mobile apps should be sold through a Prime model

Denny | March 26, 2015

The online marketplace’s own Appstore may not yet have the same number of offerings as Google Play, but it is growing.

Amazon may not yet have the same number or quality of mobile apps that are available through the Google Play store, but it hasn’t given up on being able to become an important competitor in the application marketplace.

It could begin offering a service called Amazon Unlocked, which would be built on a Prime-like model.

The idea behind the Amazon Unlocked service would be that consumers would be able to subscribe with a monthly fee and would be able to gain access to a range of different premium paid mobile apps, without any additional cost. Moreover, what may make this offer even more appealing to many consumers is that many in-app purchases would also be included with a monthly subscription to the service. This, according to a report from TechCrunch. This style of service would help users to enjoy the experience they want through their various applications, without racking up a tremendous bill in the process.

The new mobile apps service would also likely be a way for Amazon to push its Fire smartphones.

Mobile Apps - Amazon The TechCrunch report also pointed out a number of other components of the Amazon Unlocked service, which it claims to have seen in the form of slides. For example, beyond included premium apps and included in-app purchases, there were also some large names that were dropped. Among them were Monument Valley and Sonic Dash, which are clearly major titles in the Amazon mobile application arsenal.

That said, at that time, there was no mention made with regards to when the Amazon Unlocked service might begin to become available, nor was any specific subscription price or even a range of prices offered. Moreover, there has yet to be any official confirmation made to the report that was made on this service. That said, as soon as word does arrive, it is certain that this will send the users of mobile devices in droves over to the Amazon app library.

The focus of this mobile apps service, according to the report, will be on simplicity. The goal will be to eliminate the sensation of being overwhelmed by choices and prices with regards to their application selection and usage.

Nintendo mobile gaming alliance formed

Denny | March 23, 2015

The company has joined forces with a Japanese firm called DeNA Co. for developing games for smartphones and tablets.

Nintendo Inc. has been turning its back on the concept that mobile gaming would ever lead to any significant competition, but very recently, a new alliance with a Japanese smartphone based game company, DeNA Co., it looks like the company has changed its attitude.

This new partnership between Nintendo and DeNA will allow the companies to come together for mobile game development.

Nintendo has revealed that some of the best recognized trademark characters from its games, such as Pokémon and Super Mario, could soon be making their way into the mobile gaming environment. Until now, the company has been fiercely holding onto those names, keeping their appearances exclusive to its own platforms, such as the 3DS mobile devices and the Wii home consoles. These two companies have stated that they intend to form a global membership service for a range of different devices that include Nintendo gadgets, PCs, as well as mobile devices such as smartphones.

The plan is to launch this new mobile gaming service by the fall of this year.

Nintendo - Mobile Gaming The two companies have both expressed that the Nintendo mobile games that they will be producing will not simply be reworked versions of the existing titles for that company’s consoles. Instead, they will be mobile apps that are developed specifically for the experience of smartphone users.

This partnership will bring together the game development abilities and intellectual property at Nintendo with the mobile expertise at DeNA. The announcement of this alliance also revealed that Nintendo will be acquiring about a 10 percent stake in DeNA, as it obtains about 15 million shares. DeNA will be taking on about a 1.24 percent stake of Nintendo, thorugh about 1.759 million shares of that company.

The total acquisitions in this mobile gaming deal have an estimated value of $182 million, and the exchange will take place on April 2. This will represent the start of an important redirect for Nintendo as it enters into a space that it had previously left essentially alone.