The BlackBerry(R) 8830, a newly launched device with GPS capability, led all devices adding software; more new content titles and fewer new content partners were added to the Handango database

HURST, Texas, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Handango(TM), the world's leading provider of smartphone content, today released the 2007 Third Quarter edition of the Handango Yardstick, a quarterly report on the state of the mobile content industry.

Recently launched smartphone models consistently appear in the list of top devices adding software. The BlackBerry 8830 jumped to the number one position as the device driving the most software revenue and units sold, pushing ahead of the top two leading devices from the last two quarters -- the BlackBerry Pearl and the Motorola(R) Q. The BlackBerry 8830, along with other newly launched devices such as the BlackBerry Curve and the Nokia N95, includes GPS hardware. This trend indicates that device manufacturers and customers are increasingly interested in integrating GPS functionality and smartphones. This quarter, "GPS" continued its trend of appearing in the list of top 10 search words on the Handango retail site.

The number of new content titles added to the Handango library grew from 2,159 added in third quarter of 2006 to 3,261 added in the same period of this year. On the other hand, the number of new content partners declined from 236 in Q3 2006 to 149 in Q3 2007. Therefore, fewer content developers are contributing a larger proportion of the applications in the Handango library.

New versions and upgrades to existing applications continue to appear as best sellers across all platforms. Two examples of new product versions are WorldMate(TM) Live Gold Membership and IM+ for Skype(TM). WorldMate Live Gold Membership is a free version of the perennial best seller which offers additional functionality at the Gold membership level. IM+ for Skype offers the benefits of the original product to Skype users. Best-selling upgrades were published in Q3 for Quickoffice Premier, MemMaid and SOTI Pocket Controller.

Spb Software House continued to stand out in the Pocket PC best sellers list with five best-selling phone-optimizing applications this quarter including: Spb Mobile Shell, Spb Pocket Plus, Spb Phone Suite, Spb Time and Spb Backup.

Following are the ten best-selling content titles by operating system, as reported by the 2007 Third Quarter Yardstick:

  BlackBerry(TM)
  1. Ringtone Megaplex
  2. VoiceControl
  3. Ringphonic Lite
  4. IM+
  5. Colour Your Trackball
  6. WorldMate Live Gold Membership
  7. IM+ for Skype
  8. Ringphonic
  9. Crackberry Ringtones Deluxe
  10. Aces Texas Hold'em - No Limit

  Palm OS(R)
  1. SplashID
  2. Agendus Professional Edition
  3. PocketMirror Standard Edition
  4. SplashWallet Suite
  5. Agendus Premier Edition
  6. VoiceControl
  7. PocketMirror Standard Upgrade
  8. Ringo Pro
  9. Agendus Standard Edition
  10. WorldMate Professional Edition

  Symbian OS(R)
  1. Quickoffice Premier
  2. Handy Weather S60
  3. WorldMate Professional S60
  4. ProfiMail
  5. Advanced Call Manager
  6. Ultimate Voice Recorder
  7. IM+
  8. Handy Safe for S60
  9. SBSH Papyrus
  10. IM+ for Skype

  Windows Mobile Pocket PC(TM)
  1. MobiTV
  2. Spb Mobile Shell
  3. MemMaid
  4. Spb Pocket Plus
  5. Spb Phone Suite
  6. SOTI Pocket Controller
  7. Microsoft Voice Command
  8. Spb Time
  9. Spb Backup
  10. PocketCopy

  Windows Mobile Smartphone(TM)
  1. MobiTV
  2. Ringtone Megaplex
  3. SBSH Façade
  4. SmartphoneNotes
  5. Documents To Go
  6. Agenda One
  7. IM+
  8. PocketStreamer DELUXE
  9. HandiTV
  10. Ringo Mobile

The list of top-selling content categories has changed considerably since Q3 2006. Smartphone owners are now recognizing other uses for their devices as evidenced by the fact that Entertainment now ranks second to only Business & Productivity. In Q3 2006, Entertainment ranked seventh behind Business & Productivity, Communications, Databases, Document Management, eBooks and Education.

In addition to the above statistics, the 2007 Third Quarter edition of the Yardstick reported software sales by category, average selling price of smartphone content, and much more. A full version of the Handango Yardstick for Q3 2007 is available at http://www.handango.com/marketing/Yardstick/Q32007Yardstick.pdf.

About the Handango Yardstick

The Handango Yardstick incorporates worldwide data collected from all Handango-powered Web and on-device storefronts and reports trends across major mobile operating systems including Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone, Symbian, Palm OS and BlackBerry. Handango publishes the Yardstick quarterly in the Press Room on its corporate site at http://corp.handango.com/.

About Handango

Handango(TM) is the leading provider of smartphone content globally. Leveraging its network of more than 16,000 content partners and its vast distribution network, Handango seamlessly delivers the smartphone marketplace to millions of consumers on the Web and from their device. Handango's market- leading content delivery platform, Handango AMPP, is the platform of choice for numerous mobile industry leaders including Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, HP, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, AT&T and AOL. By delivering intuitive and compelling consumer experiences, Handango has become the trusted source for millions of smartphone users around the world. For more information, visit http://corp.handango.com/.