BWild |
December 24, 2012
Mobile gaming traffic reaching new highs, according to MobileSTAT
MobileSTAT, a leading provider of mobile advertising services, has released a new report concerning mobile gaming. Mobile gaming has become a major part of the game industry, largely due to the prevalence of mobile devices like smart phones and tablets. The report from MobileSTAT highlights the traffic that mobile gaming continues to see and forecasts the gains the industry can see through the introduction of affordable and more advanced mobile devices.
Report highlights promising sectors of game industry
According to the MobileSTAT report, mobile gaming does not appeal only to young consumers. A wide range of age groups enjoy mobile gaming applications on an equally varied array of mobile devices. The report notes that mobile gaming traffic is highest in Washington D.C., with a weekly average of 29 mobile gaming requests per resident, which is five times higher than anywhere else in the U.S. The popular Angry Birds franchise continues to prove that it is one of the most popular mobile games of all time.
iOS preferred over Android
The report shows that gamers prefer the iOS over the Android. Apple devices are some of the most popular pieces of mobile technology in the world. Apple fans have access to a huge amount of mobile games covering numerous genres. The Android platform also boasts of a massive offering of mobile games, but consumers seem to favor their iPads and iPhones over the Samsung Galaxy devices and the Kindle Fire.
Evening hours most popular among gamers
Approximately 68% of mobile gaming traffic occurs in the evening, according to MobileSTAT. This may be valuable information to advertisers that aim to connect with consumers through in-app marketing campaigns. Mobile gaming continues to prove that it can it is not a sector that should be taken lightly, especially among advertisers. The mobile gaming space is filled with potential that has gone largely untapped.
Developers find mobile security flaw with Samsung Android devices
Developers associated with XDA Developers, a mobile software development community with over 4 million users worldwide, have found a serious mobile security flaw in recent Samsung mobile devices. One developer, going by the username “Alephzain,” discovered that many Samsung devices that use Google’s Android operating system. The security flaw allowed Alephzain, as well as other developers, to access all of the physical memory contain within a Samsung device. Developers were able to access this memory because of an exploit that provided then with root level permissions.
Flaw could make information vulnerable to theft
Mobile security has been gaining serious attention lately, largely due to the types of information that are stored on mobile devices. A typical smart phone or tablet contains a user’s personal information, such as name, address, and birth date, all of which can be used in identity theft. Mobile devices are quickly becoming mobile payment platforms as well, which means they can store a user’s financial information, such as credit card and bank account numbers. This information is highly valuable to a hacker.
Galaxy S III among most vulnerable devices
According to XDA Developers, the Samsung devices that are most vulnerable are the Galaxy S III, the Galaxy S II, The Galaxy Note II, and Meizu MX. Devices that make use of the Exynos processor are also likely to have some degree of mobile security vulnerabilities. Several developers associated with the community have informed Samsung of the serious security flaw, with one going so far as to hack several mobile devices in order to prove that the flaw exists. There are no known Android malware applications that exploit this particular vulnerability.
Financial information could be at risk
Samsung’s Galaxy S III is one of the most popular smart phones in the world currently, having become a major competitor against the iPhone 5 shortly after its launch. Part of the reason the device is so popular is because of its use of NFC technology for data sharing and mobile commerce. When used to make payments, the device stores a consumer’s financial information. The glaring mobile security flaw that seems to have slipped past Samsung may have put the financial information of millions of Galaxy S III owners at risk.
