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Sep. 19, 2008

According to the Handango Yardstick, for the first six months of the year, mobile games were increasingly popular in the U.S.

The games category moved from fourth place at the end of 2007 to the second spot, behind the entertainment category, for the first time.

This is taken by some as an indication that categories focused on killing time are now surpassing the categories known for saving time, such as business and productivity apps, in unit sales, Handango said.

Strong sales of popular titles from brands such as EA Mobile and Capcom Interactive are helping the games category.

In a separate survey that measured consumer smartphone behavior and opinion, 86 percent of respondents agreed that smartphone content makes their lives easier, while 76 percent agreed that it made their lives more enjoyable.

In the first half of 2008, Handango added more than 370 developer partners to its roster of more than 23,000.

Handango’s catalog now exceeds 140,000 mobile applications spanning categories including entertainment, games, productivity, business & professional, utilities, travel and health & fitness.

Number 4 last year, business and professional applications moved up to third place, suggesting smartphone owners are now using their devices as mini-entertainment centers in addition to the traditional business use, Handango said.

Productivity applications, such as address book and calendar, took fourth place.

Research In Motion's BlackBerry 8830 and BlackBerry Curve were the top two devices adding software in the first half of this year.

The BlackBerry Curve moved up from the No. 4 position in the second half of last year. More than 1,000 new mobile applications were added to the BlackBerry catalog during the period.

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Source: Handago Inc.