Multi-platform smartphone content provider Handango Inc. has released its 2008 Handango Yardstick, a proprietary global trend index offering insight into the smartphone content industry.

Handango's Top Ten list identifies the top 10 downloaded applications across all operating platforms and devices and sold through Handango's multiple distribution channels. In 2008, Handango added an impressive 1,300 new content providers to its network with almost 10,000 new applications across all categories with an overall average purchase price of almost $20 per application.

"More and more people are using their mobile phones, ?smart' or otherwise, to surf the Internet, stay connected through social sites, watch videos and TV, listen to music, and more," said Alex Bloom, CEO of Handango, Las Colinas, TX. "As people spend more time on their mobile phones, they spend less time watching TV or reading publications -- traditional advertising mediums.

"If marketers and advertisers want to catch the attention of the mobile population, they have to find a mobile solution," he said. "Obviously, the options are limited on a mobile phone, so integrating into apps that people use frequently is a great way to get in front of a potential customer."

Handango is a third-party smartphone application retailer with multiple distribution channels, including the consumer Web site at http://www.handango.com and the on-device client Handango InHand. It operates more than 1,000 content partner storefronts and has a network of 23,000-plus content partners whose apps it sells.

Also, Handango has more than 50 channel partners, including Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Alltel, AT&T, Best Buy and AOL.

Handango has been aggressively expanding its games offerings through strategic partnerships with mobile game publishers including EA Mobile, Capcom Interactive, Glu Mobile, Digital Chocolate and iPlay.
"A small percentage of our catalog consists of ad-supported or pay-per-download content," Mr. Bloom said. "We do have a significant number of subscription-based apps in our catalog.

"The subscription model tends to be popular with newer smartphone users, who may have transitioned recently from a feature phone, where subscription fees for ringtone services, horoscopes, etc. are popular," he said.

The Handango Yardstick compiles and analyzes consumer activity from each of these channels, creating an industry index of smartphone content trends across leading platforms and most major devices.

A full version of the Handango Yardstick is available at http://www.handango.com/marketing/Yardstick/Yardstick_2008_YearEnd.pdf.

"The purpose of the Yardstick is simply to provide a smartphone app consumption index for the mobile content industry," Mr. Bloom said. "Our unique position of being in this business for over 10 years, providing content for multiple platforms across multiple channels and partnering with an extensive list of industry leaders, enables us to provide valuable information about what kind content is selling, across which operating systems and on what devices.

"The growth of the games category and personalization apps gaining in popularity indicate that the typical smartphone user is beginning to change," he said. "We are starting to see a more broad demographic of people purchasing smartphones and, in turn, they are purchasing more mainstream apps like games, device personalization and entertainment apps.

"Another indicator of the changing demographic is the decrease in the average selling price of an app -- in 2008, we saw a 4 percent drop in the average selling price."

Best Selling Apps of 2008 (across platforms):
1. Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4 (today screen plug-in) - $29.95
2. MobiTV (streaming television) - $9.99/month
3. Ringtone Megaplex (ringtones) - $19.95
4. Spb Backup 2.0.1 (file backup) - $24.95
5. Spb Pocket Plus 4.0.2 (today screen plug-in) - $29.95
6. Pocket Informant 8 (today screen plug-in) - $29.95
7. Spb Phone Suite 1.3 (phone features) - $19.95
8. VoiceControl (voice command) - $6.00
9. Colour Your Trackball (trackball customizer) - $4.95
10. eWallet Professional Edition (PIM manager) - $29.95

Mobile games continue to grow in popularity
Following the trend from the first half of 2008, the mobile games category continued to experience double-digit growth.

Games accounted for 11 percent of top category sales in 2007 and grew to 19 percent of top category sales in 2008.

Best Selling Games of 2008 (across platforms)
1. Spb Brain Evolution 1.2 (puzzle game)
2. Aces Texas Hold'em® - No Limit (card game)
3. Tetris (puzzle game)
4. Guitar Hero 3 Mobile (music game)
5. Bejeweled (puzzle game)
6. Aces Solitaire Pack (card game)
7. The Sims 2 (strategy game)
8. Jewelrumble 2 (puzzle game)
9. Sudoku Puzzle Pack (puzzle game)
10. Solitaire Buddy Gold (card game)

Research In Motion's BlackBerry
Research In Motion's BlackBerry was the big winner in 2008, seeing dramatic growth in smartphone application purchases and accounting for five of the top ten devices adding content.

The BlackBerry 8830 World Edition and the BlackBerry Curve took the top two positions respectively.

In 2007, BlackBerry accounted for 18 percent of apps sold and increased to 31 percent of apps sold in 2008.

BlackBerry had the most new content titles in 2008, adding 3,365 applications to the Handango catalog.

Personalization was the No. 1 category, while six games made the top 25.

The top-five best-selling applications for BlackBerry in 2008 were:
1. Ringtone Megaplex (ringtones)
2. VoiceControl (voice command)
3. Colour Your Trackball (trackball customizer)
4. BBSmart Email Viewer (email viewer)
5. eOffice 4.5 (attachment viewer)

Windows Mobile Professional (formerly Pocket PC)
WMP had the most new content providers of any platform at 382 and remains the largest platform by units.

Samsung's Omnia and the HTC Touch Diamond were two new devices in the list of top ten smartphones adding content.

The top-five best-selling applications for Windows Mobile Professional in 2008 were:
1. Spb Mobile Shell 2.1.4 (today screen plug-in)
2. MobiTV (streaming television)
3. Spb Backup 2.0.1 (file backup)
4. Spb Pocket Plus 4.0.2 (today screen plug-in)
5. Pocket Informant 8 (today screen plug-in)

Windows Mobile Standard (formerly smartphone)
Video made up 17 percent of top ten category sales, which was the highest of any platform. Additionally, Games category sales grew from 10 percent to 21 percent year over year.

The top-five best-selling applications for Windows Mobile iStandard n 2008 were:
1. MobiTV (streaming television)
2. Ringtone Megaplex (ringtones)
3. SBSH Facade 1.4 (home screen plug-in)
4. eWallet (Professional Edition) (PIM manager)
5. PocketStreamer DELUXE (streaming media)

Palm operating system
PIM and games accounted for more than 54 percent of the top 10 category sales during 2008.

Games category sales grew from 12 percent to 18 percent and PIM made up 36 percent of sales, which is higher than on all other platforms.

The top-five best-selling applications for Palm OS in 2008 were:
1. SplashID Desktop (information security)
2. VoiceControl (voice command)
3. PocketMirror Standard (Outlook synchronization)
4. SplashID (information security)
5. Agendus Desktop Edition (Outlook synchronization)

Nokia's Symbian
GPS was the No. 1 search term on Handango for Symbian devices up from No. 3 in 2007 showing the growing demand for GPS products in the smartphone marketplace.

Nokia's N95 made the top ten list of devices downloading content. Symbian developers added 2,198 smartphone apps to the marketplace and 283 new content providers.

The top-five best-selling applications for Symbian in 2008 were:
1. ProfiMail (email viewer)
2. Handy Weather (weather monitor)
3. Advanced Call Manager (call manager)
4. Quickoffice Premier 5.0 (document manager)
5. X-plore (file manager)

Google's Android
The newest platform offered by Handango, Android applications have the lowest ASP of any platform, with games making up 11 of its top 25 applications and Messaging and Games accounting for 60 percent of the top category sales.

The top-five best-selling applications for Android in 2008 were:
1. IM + All-in-One Messenger (IM consolidator)
2. Tetris (puzzle game)
3. SMobile VirusGuard (virus protection)
4. Mobiola Video Studio (video manager)
5. Monopoly Here & Now (board game)

European revamp
In 2008, Handango revamped its European websites offering users a version of Handango's retail website in four different languages, as well as more content and payment through local currency.

Additionally the sites were redesigned to offer new promotions and a cleaner more streamlined experience.

Microsoft Voice Command and Spb Mobile Shell were the top two most popular applications across Europe in 2008.

Handango's European sites include France at http://www.handango.com/fr, Germany at http://www.handango.de, Spain at http://www.handango.com/es and Britain at http://www.handango.co.uk.

Since its launch, Handango has grown from a single distribution channel -- the Web -- to reaching millions of customers through Handango's InHand on device portal, via the mobile Web and through its affiliates and channel partners.

In 2008, Handango added 1,300 developer partners to its roster of more than 23,000.

Handango's catalog now exceeds 140,000 apps spanning numerous categories including games, PIM, personalization, video, education & reference, news & media, messaging and audio travel.

Handango is a provider of smartphone applications globally for the BlackBerry, Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian OS and Linux platforms.