For September, Book-Related Apps Overtook Games On iPhone 96
ruphus13 writes "In a sign that ebooks are rising in popularity, a recent survey by mobile analytics company Flurry revealed that users may be using the iPhone for more intellectual pursuits, and not just the visual sizzle. The 'book-related' apps on the iPhone overtook games in terms of new apps released. According to the post, 'Book-related apps saw an upsurge in launches in September ... So much so that book-related applications overtook games in the App Store as a percentage of all released apps. The trend isn't an aberration. In October, one out of every five new applications launching on the iPhone was a book ... from August 2008 to the same month in 2009, more apps were released in the 'games' category than any other and, as a result, the iPhone (and iPod touch) became a new handheld gaming platform, one that impacted the Nintendo DS. '"
Re:No surprise there... (Score:5, Interesting)
Actually, it's because it's back-to-school season. Ask any parent.
Re:No surprise there... (Score:2, Interesting)
If the iPhone was available with a fold-out keyboard like some Android phones (including the HTC Dream, which is what I bought), then my decision probably would have been harder. It's not a sheeple mentality for me, but the iPhone app store does seem to have a lot more of the kinds of stuff I need. (still looking for a port of something like AbiWord to Android... It would be really nice to be able to receive a document by e-mail, make some modifications, and e-mail it back to the person without having to find a laptop with a network connection). That said, I did find some of the coolest apps ever on the Android store... I *love* Google StarMaps, and the GPS Status app. Coupled with Google Maps (which has the ability to center location based on cell tower and GPS location if enabled), who needs a Garmin any more?
As it stands, the fold-out QWERTY keyboard makes a huge difference to my typing speed for things like text messages, e-mails, and instant messenger. I guess it depends on what people are intending to do with their phones, but I got mine to serve the same basic function as a Blackberry (but with GPS and a good camera), so the keyboard was a must. That's functionality that the iPhone just doesn't have, and while not a deal-breaker for most, it is one for me.
On the topic at hand... some people are saying that the small screen is hard to read... I can only guess that those people either haven't used the small screen, or haven't used an app that's specifically designed for the small screen. Facebook mobile is actually very readable on the small screen, especially when you turn it to landscape rendering. There's some scrolling, but not enough to be intrusive or annoying, I think. And that's one that's *not* specifically designed for the screen... get into a reader like WikiMobile, and you'll find that it's actually *very* readable, and easy to follow. If I wanted to read e-books, I'd probably go for an e-book reader for a larger screen (or just use the netbook I already own), but for people who don't have the option of owning more than one device, I'd say that the Android/iPhone isn't anywhere near as bad as some people are making it out to be. :/