June 2, 2005

Verizon Wireless customers have downloaded more than 120 million applications during 2004, nearly doubling the number of downloads from the previous 12 months, the carrier announced at the BREW Developers Conference yesterday.

Verizon said the total number of downloads through its Get it Now service is expected to surpass the 200 million mark by the end of June. More than 50 million games have been downloaded since the mobile storefront launched in September 2002.

"This broader market penetration is a direct result of our joint efforts with the developer community," said John Stratton, vice president and chief marketing officer for Verizon.

"While we celebrate our successes, we must anticipate the future; customers are more sophisticated, increasingly savvy about mobile and exhibit much broader and more diverse tastes."

Publisher Jamdat has dominated Verizon's gaming deck so far this year, claiming five of the carrier's top 10 downloaded games through May. Jamdat's mobile version of the classic Tetris franchise was the carrier's best-selling game, and the studio's poker and bowling titles placed second and third respectively.

The Get it Now library currently offers more than 500 games, information services, productivity tools and an instant messaging client.

Source: RCR News