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What do games tell us about Apple’s future?

mobmshare — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 14:10:59 +0000

For app developers, gaming is proving to be the best way to make money, and what’s becoming increasingly apparent is that mobile devices are becoming the next big gaming platform. While traditional consoles and gaming handhelds still remain important and are capable of delivering experiences that mobile devices simply can not match, this gap is steadily eroding.

In September 2013, a Gartner report showed that revenues of mobile app stores had risen from $18 billion in 2012, to an estimated $26 billion. At the start of this year, Apple announced that customers spent over $10 billion on the App Store in 2013, including over $1 billion in December alone.

The bulk of this, Gartner estimates, comes from games. According to 148apps.biz, games are the most numerous category of apps as well, with 1,95,415 games currently available for download. This is nearly 60 percent more than the nearest category, education, which has 1,15,469 apps available for download.

And while mobile gaming conjures visions of Flappy Bird and Candy Crush Saga, Apple’s trying to make it clear that there’s more to the platform than just casual games to play while on the commute.

Here come the hardcore
Since February 26, Apple has been running a sale curated with the name “Amazing Hardcore Games”. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it is a collection of 12 new games that should appeal to the so called “core” gaming audience. Games like Infinity Blade III, The Room Two, Limbo, Badland and more are available for 50 percent or less of their usual price.

These are all premium games, and none of them has gone free even now – some, like Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion normally sell for Rs. 550, and are now discounted to Rs. 170. Others, like Shadow Blade, normally sell for Rs. 110, and are now priced at Rs. 55. The discounts are pretty big, but by not going free, a clear line is being drawn, differentiating these paid, premium games from the large number of casual friendly, free to play titles that are crowding the app store.

What’s particularly interesting is that these are all titles that are very “finger friendly” – games that are either designed with mobile interactions in mind, or were ported in such a way as to make them very user friendly on the platform. In many ways, these games are a showcase of all that’s best about Apple’s iOS devices as a gaming platform. In other words, these games are a great way to get the casual gamers to move on from the 5000 match three or Flappy Bird clones, and get them invested in gaming. What’s the upside to that though?

There’s another side of hardcore games on the App Store which this list has glossed over. Games like Bastion, Lego Harry Potter, Orc: Vengeance are all beautiful games that offer polished experiences. However, while the developers have worked hard to make the interactions user friendly, the experience is compromised compared to what a player on a console with a gamepad will enjoy. But gamepads are coming to iOS.

No more virtual buttons
A January report by mobile data-intelligence firm App Annie suggests that gamers world-wide are picking their smartphones over handheld gaming devices like the Nintendo 3DS and the Playstation Vita. Combined, iOS and Google Play spending on games was three times the amount spent on titles on the handheld gaming consoles in the third quarter of last year, according to the report, which didn’t provide absolute figures. Overall, there were 15 percent more yearly app downloads from Google Play than the App Store in 2013, but iOS generated double the app revenue of Google Play.

As per the report, the number one mobile game was Candy Crush Saga. At the same time, iOS 7 added controller support, and you now have the Logitech Powershell and the Moga Ace – controllers that you can clip onto your iPhone. The Powershell is available in India with an MRP of Rs. 8,995; it’s a high price for what feels like a really cheap plastic controller. But it’s only the first one.

Moga has recently teased a new controller, and from the small image which the company made available, the design of the controller seems to be very similar to the Xbox 360 controller, which is definitely a good thing. Aside from the asymmetrical thumb-sticks, you can see the D-pad, and the face buttons seem to be in the familiar Xbox layout as well. Next to the left thumb-stick, there’s something like looks like a pause button, and also a Bluetooth button a little higher up.

Steelseries has also recently revealed the Stratus, in January, a palm-sized Bluetooth controller which can work with your iPhone, iPod or iPad. Also in January, Signal showcased the RP One, a full size controller that looks like the Xbox 360 gamepad, but uses the thumb-stick placement of the Playstation controllers.

Thinking beyond mobile
Apple has thus proven that they have a range of powerful gaming devices which can handle everything from the casual game you play for two minutes while on your commute, and also the high-end game which will keep you glued to the screen till the battery runs out.

Apple is also reportedly working on television next – recent acquisitions such as PrimaSense, which developed the sensors that Microsoft used for its voice and motion based Kinect technology, and Matcha.tv, a recommendation engine for TV shows – seem to point in this direction.

With a strong gaming ecosystem already present, and a growing number of hardware partners emerging to support it in this segment with controllers, a powerful new Apple TV could also be a strong gaming platform.

At the launch of the third generation iPad in 2012, the then president of Epic Games Mike Capps had said: “It is quite easy to imagine a world where an iPad is more powerful than a home console, where it wirelessly talks to your TV and wirelessly talks to your Bluetooth controller and becomes your new console.”

At the same time, Kristoffer Waardahl, a Crytek studio manager said, “As more people come to these platforms, we have to follow our fans.”

Closing the loop
With the iPad and iPhone becoming more powerful, using them to run high-end games that can be mirrored to your TV screen is already happening, albeit in a very limited fashion. That’s because a mobile game requires you to look at the screen to see what buttons you’re pressing.

The big advantage that a Logitech Powershell brings is that you can play a game mirrored to your TV without having to look at the phone. The mobile experience and the games tailored to that form factor won’t go anywhere, but there will be a possibility now for Apple’s platform to bring in a whole new segment of games.

At the same time, if you don’t have an iPad or iPhone, a future version of Apple TV could still bring you into the fold as a gamer. A future version is almost certainly coming, and reports are that it’s going to be a major update.

It is being suggested that Apple will be tying up with companies like Time Warner and other content partners, and in this scenario, a greater focus on gaming as another type of content that’s well suited to television makes sense.

Once you have an Apple TV and a controller, making your next smartphone compatible with your library of games and accessories makes sense. Imagine playing XCOM: Enemy Unknown with a controller and your Apple TV, and then, when it’s time to go, picking up the same game thanks to a cloud save, and taking it with you on your iPad?

Both the mobiles and the TV could reinforce each other and reduce the cost involved in buying into Apple’s ecosystem. Developers have long made it clear that they will go where the fans are. And while the first few Bluetooth controllers were not very well received because of price and build quality, they are proof that a strong third-party ecosystem can help fill the gaps Apple leaves behind. Between all these factors, it’s clear that Apple TV will be about a lot more than just television.

Original article: What do games tell us about Apple’s future?

Watch iTunes m4v movies on Kindle Fire HDX

mobmshare — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 06:26:30 +0000

Description: How to transfer iTunes movies to Kindle Fire HDX? Follow our tips to get rid of DRM protection and record your iTunes video to Kindle Fire HDX.

Amazon’s tablet lineup for 2013 is now complete, following the release of the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, a bigger version of the new 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX that launched last month.

Big Screen, Light Bodyfor get movie more portable on it

I’ve grown to become more accustomed to the tiny tablets, but in this case, I like the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 a little better than the 7-inch model. It has all the same design schemes, but it’s incredibly light for a full-sized tablet. At 0.82 pounds, it’s only slightly heavier than Apple’s iPad Mini with Retina display, and noticeably lighter than the new one-pound iPad Air.That’s my favorite part about the tablet. It gives you the full-sized experience, yet it’s light enough to use anywhere — in bed, on the couch, on the train — without feeling the weighty burden of other big tablets. Yes, part of the reason why the HDX 8.9 is lighter than the iPad Air is because it’s slightly smaller, but I didn’t miss the extra 0.8 inches of screen. That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

And the screen is gorgeous. It’s technically sharper than the one on the iPad, but you probably won’t notice a difference. One study said the Kindle Fire HDX has the best screen of any tablet. (I think the screen is great, but I’m not about to go through and count every pixel like others have. Just know you’ll be happy with it.) Just like other high-res displays these days, images, text, and graphics look like they’re printed on the glass. Movies, games, and everything else look great.

Transfer iTunes to Kindle Fire HDX

Question: I’m attempting to convert itunes movies to Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 inch, but I tried some video converters, none of them worked. Plz help here.

Answer: From apple iTunes official page you will know that iTunes movies, TV shows are all protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management), you can only play them on Apple authorized devices, and the video formats of iTunes movies and music are not compatible with Kindle Fire HDX.

Have you tried Pavtube ChewTune yet? This software aims to help users remove DRM protection from purchased iTunes movies, Amazon Instant Videos, and digital copies with purchased disk combo. I used it for a while, great tool.

Yes, with Best DRM removal tool – Pavtube ChewTune you could easily convert and transfer iTunes M4V videos to Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7 support video. (For Mac users: ChewTune for Mac)

Good news for you, view Pavtube Special Offer page, you can get a big discount, such as:

ChewTune ($29) + Blu-ray Video Converter Ultimate($65) = Only $75, Save $19
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ChewTune for Mac($29) + ByteCopy for Mac($42) = Only $54, Save $17

Now follow the steps below of legally recording and downloading iTunes purchased M4V videos to Kindle Fire HDX tablet.

Tips and preparations:

1. Make sure that your computer is authorized by source iTunes videos, that is to say you can play the source iTunes movies in iTunes without trouble.

2. Allow the audio driver installed during the Pavtube ChewTune installation.

3. Close iTunes before running the ChewTune when converting iTunes M4V movies.

Full guide of transferring iTunes M4V movies to Kindle Fire HDX

Step 1. Load your iTunes M4V video to Pavtube M4V to Kindle Fire HDX converter. You can either browser to file location or drag and drop source iTunes file to the app.

Step 2. Choose the optimized profile for Kindle Fire HDX. If you cannot find the particular profile for your device, don’t worry, Pavtube adds one general profile for Android mobile phones and tablets under Common Video category which are available for almost Android devices.

Step 3. Is necessary, you could set video and audio parameters such as video and audio codec, bitrate, frame rate, etc so that better video and audio quality can be transferred to your Kindle Fire HDX tablet.

Step 4. Hit the “Convert” button to start iTunes M4V to Kindle Fire HDX MP4 recording.

Since Pavtube ChewTune records source DRM videos in 1:1 video and audio quality, it would take as long as the source movie length for the whole DRM video to Kindle Fire HDX conversion process since Pavtube ChewTune records source DRM videos in 1:1 video and audio quality.

Once it completes, open output folder, locate the created MP4 file and transfer the iTunes M4V movies to Kindle Fire HDX tablet for viewing.

How to Transfer Video, Music, Photo, E-Books from PC to Kindle Fire HDX?

Attach the Micro USB end to your Kindle Fire HDX and the USB end to your computer.

Your Kindle Fire HDX should then appear as a drive in Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder. You can now click and drag files from your hard drive to the Kindle Fire HDX or use the copy and paste functions to accomplish the same thing.

Using this process, you can transfer apps, photos, docs, music, e-books, and videos from your computer to your new Kindle Fire HDX tablet. Then, just tap the relevant library (such as Books for e-books and Music for songs) to read or play the content on your Kindle Fire HDX.

You can also upload content to your Amazon Cloud Drive on your computer, and that content will then be available on your Kindle Fire HDX.

Note: It’s easy to purchase or rent content from Amazon, which you can choose to download directly to your Kindle Fire HDX or stream from the Amazon Cloud.

To know detail Kindle Fire HDX media transfer, view the article here.

Watch Blu-ray Movies on Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7/8.9
Play DVD Movies on Kindle Fire HDX 7/8.9
Put Digital Copy movies to Kindle Fire HDX for playback
Get Kindle Fire HDX 7 to Play all 1080p/720p MKV HD movies
Mac Solution: Can Kindle Fire HDX play MKV, Tivo, VOB, AVI, WMV, MPG, M4V and Flash videos?
Put MKV, AVI, VOB, Tivo, WMV, MPG, FLV to Kindle Fire HDX 7 on Windows

Original article: Watch iTunes m4v movies on Kindle Fire HDX

How to Play and Watch iTunes Movies on Android Phone/Tablet

mobmshare — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 02:17:10 +0000

This article aims to introduce an easy way to unlock iTunes purchased movie and convert DRM M4V video to Android OS Tablets & Phones for playback on Windows and Mac.

Android OS Tablets & Phones are rapidly gaining in popularity these days, and it reported lately, the collective recent sales of all Google Android OS tablet exceed those of the iPad in the US for the first time. Google itself, Samsung, Sony, Motorola, HTC, LG and other handset manufacturer offered a variety of Android OS powered phones coming with big screen. With the big screen, watching HD movies on Android tablets & Phones anytime anywhere is a nice choice.

Android Os takes large shares in today’s market. Here in this post, we may share Androis users a little use skill on how to put iTunes videos to Android tablet & phones for playback. So if you want to play iTune M4V movies on Android OS Tablets & Phones, firstly you need to remove DRM protection, and then do a iTunes video recorder to Android compatible formats. In this article, we will introduce the easiest and most reliable way to transfer DRM protected videos to Android OS Tablets & Phones playable format.

With this versatile iTunes to Android Recorder tool, you can easily remove DRM protection and also recorder M4V video to MP4 format as the most compatible format on Android Tablets & Phones. After recording, the output quality is still as vivid as original. Free download DRM Converter for Android tablet & phones, and get your iTunes movie recording process started.

Top 3 DRM Removal Software – Choose Best DRM Removal/Video Recorder For You

Money-saving Trip:

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Tutorials: Remove DRM protection and Record iTunes M4V Video to Android OS Tablets & Phones

Step 1. Load .m4v videos.

Run this Pavtube Chewtune as a top DRM Removal Software and DRM Video Recorder, and add videos. Drag and drop your videos to it directly, or you can click icon to import them as below.

Step 2. Choose format.

Click the drop-down-list besides “Format” and choose “Common Video> H.264 Video(*.mp4)” as the most compatible format with Android OS Tablets & Phones.

Step 3. Change video specs.

Click “Settings” to enter Profile Settings window, you can find settings for video size, codec, bitrate and frame rate. For Moto X, you are suggested to set the Size to 1280*720; and bitrate will be fine from 1500 to 2500k.

Step 4. Start iTunes M4V to Android recorder.

Now click the “Convert” icon to start removing DRM from iTune M4V videos and recording iTunes videos to Android OS Tablets & Phones for playing; this DRM Video Recorder will activate your iTunes automatically and start to play this video. The player windows cannot be removed or closed.

In the meanwhile, it will start to record this video in MP4 real-time. The conversion time is equal to the video length itself; you can do other tasks during the converting the process.

Note: The system volume could turn off temporally during this period; no worries, do not touch it to get perfect DRM removed video.

After the conversion, click “Open output folder” to quick locate the converted video.

Tips:

1. The DRM removing process may mislead your anti-virus software to falsely report virus/worm. Please ignore the report to keep on ripping.

2. This product cannot convert unplayable video (damaged, unauthorized, etc).

How to transfer the converted iTunes M4V video to Android OS Tablets & Phones?

Windows transfer

1. Connect your device to the USB port on your computer. Its USB storage is mounted as a drive and appears on your computer screen.
2. Copy files back and forth as you would using any other external device.
3. When you finish, eject the device from within Windows before unplugging the USB cable.

Mac OS transfer

1. Install Android File Transfer from www.android.com/filetransfer, and follow the instructions there. (If you are using Android File Transfer for the first time, double-click it to open it. After the first connection, it opens automatically whenever you connect.)
2. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable. Android File Transfer starts, if it’s not already running, and opens a window that displays the contents of your device, along with storage space details at the bottom of the window.
3. Work with this window much as you do in the Finder window: open and close folders, create new folders, and drag files to or from it and other Finder windows.
4. Disconnect the USB cable when you finish.

Related settings: To change your device’s USB connection options, touch Settings > Device > Storage > Menu > USB computer connection.

Original article: How to Play and Watch iTunes Movies on Android Phone/Tablet