According to analytics site Flurry, the Apple iPod Touch/iPhone continues to see strong growth in the handheld gaming market, taking chunks of market share away from the DS, but more so from the PSP.

Using data from the NPD and Apple, Flurry says that iPhone/Touch games accounted for only 5 percent of the whole portable market in the U.S. in 2008 but that number has grown significantly to 19 percent now. On the declining side, the DS/DSi dropped from 75 percent to 70 percent and the PSP saw a giant drop from 20 percent to 11.

The overall portable gaming market is estimated at $2.55 billion, as of the end of 2009. That leaves iPhone/Touch game revenue accounting for about $500 million in 2009.

"Our main finding is that iPhone (and iPod touch) is a gaming platform to be reckoned with," says the site.

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Verizon Wireless and Skype today have announced Skype Mobile will be available to Verizon subscribers beginning tomorrow, the 25th of March.

The service, reads the press release will "use the Verizon Wireless voice network for the wireless connection of the Skype-to-Skype calls, providing Verizon Wireless customers with a superior experience and top-notch call quality."

Skype Mobile will be available for devices running Android as well as BlackBerrys either at www.verizonwireless.com/skypemobile or at www.skype.com/go/mobile. Visit the latter link through a PC and enter your mobile number to receive a text with a link. Both Android and BlackBerry users will also be able to download the app via their respective app stores.

The main advantages of using Skype Mobile are the following:

* make and receive unlimited Skype-to-Skype voice calls to any Skype contact around the globe;
* send and receive unlimited instant messages with other Skype users;
* manage the Skype contact list directly from the mobile application; and
* call international phone numbers at competitive Skype calling rates.

Says Russ Shaw, general manager of Mobile for Skype: "Skype mobile will deliver an unparalleled experience for Verizon Wireless customers. It will be the best way to enjoy unlimited conversations with Skype contacts all over the world at no extra cost. In addition, Skype mobile will allow people to easily and inexpensively make calls to landlines and mobiles abroad at Skype rates."

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Albert Gonzalez, the 28 year-old hacker convicted of stealing and reselling over 170 million credit and ATM card numbers, was being paid $75,000 by the U.S. Secret Service to work undercover informing on other credit card thieves before he got arrested.

The new revelation comes from Stephen Watt, Gonzalez's best friend and convicted accomplice. Watt was convicted of creating the sniffer program that Gonzalez used to hack into the corporate systems.

The Secret Service would not comment on the pay or identity of informants.

Former federal prosecutor Mark Rasch adds: "It's a significant amount of money to pay an informant but it's not an outrageous amount to pay if the guy was working full time and delivering good results. It's probably the only thing he was doing -- other than hacking into TJX and making millions of dollars."

For pleading guilty to identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud and conspiracy, Gonzalez is expected to receive over 20 years in prison when he is sentenced later this week.

If true, the $75,000-a-year payout would be a new high for computer crime informants with most other high profile informants saying they got paid $200-350 per week.

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The once-popular Sony handheld PlayStation Portable has turned five years old today, with Sony announcing that the many revisions of the handheld have sold 60 million units worldwide.

"It's been a resounding success," adds Peter Dille, Sony's senior vice president of marketing.

17 million of the sales have been in the United States. In comparison, the PSP's biggest rival, the Nintendo DS/DSi has sold 125 million units globally, with 40 million in the U.S.

Dille says the latest PSP hardware revision, the Go (which removed the UMD drive) has "met our expectations," although sales have notably been low.

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In the first month since Microsoft created the "browser ballot box" as a way to end the EU's antitrust case against them, Internet Explorer's market share has dropped, as much as 2.5 percent in some nations such as France.

Data from StatCounter says IE market share dropped 2.5 percent in France, 1.3 percent in Italy, and 1 percent in the UK, not giant numbers, but definitely notable. Opera has reported that downloads of their browser are 200 percent higher, while Mozilla says: "We have seen significant growth in the number of new Firefox users as a result of the Ballot Choice screen."

The ballot box gives Windows users a chance to choose between 12 different browsers.

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The Japanese Nikkei has reported on some more still-unconfirmed details of the Nintendo 3DS, which was just announced yesterday.

So far what is confirmed is that the 3DS will not require special 3D glasses, will have full support for DS and DSi games, and will be officially unveiled at the E3 event in June.

The Nikkei adds, via CrunchGear:

- Nintendo says the 3DS will be the first device of its kind.

- It will be sold, probably in Japan first, in the latter half of this year.

- Nintendo considers giving the 3DS a 3D joystick, force feedback and an accelerometer.

- The company already secured patents for several 3DS-related technologies last year.

- Compared to its 2D-based predecessors, the new device will feature improved wireless communications speed and battery life.

- The screen will be not be larger than four inches (the DSi XL's screen is 4.2 inches).

The price is still up for debate, as is when it will become available in the U.S.

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Yesterday we reported on the launch of the official standalone 250GB HDD for the Xbox 360.

The price is $129.99 and will be available starting on March 28th.

At the same time, Microsoft has announced the price drop of the 120GB standalone model, which will be slashed to $99.99 "while supplies last," meaning there probably aren't too many left.

The 250GB model is an infinitely better deal, however it is important to note that both versions are very overpriced when compared to HDDs you can buy from e-tailers.

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This week at the CTIA 2010 event, Sprint has unleashed the first 4G/WiMAX for the U.S. market, the HTC EVO 4G. The device had long been rumored as the "HTC Supersonic," and the device will run on the Android 2.1 firmware alongside the most powerful specs seen on a smartphone yet.

The full specs:

* 4.3 inch WVGA capacitive touchscreen display (with pinch to zoom)
* Android 2.1 with Sense UI
* Google Search, Google Maps, Google Talk, Gmail, Google Goggles, YouTube, Google Calendar syncing
* Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and 3G/4G Mobile Hotspot capability for connecting up to eight Wi-Fi enabled devices
* GPS with Sprint Navigation
* Digital compass
* Bluetooth 2.1
* 3.5mm headset jack
* FM radio
* Amazon MP3 store
* Qik video sharing
* Kickstand for hands-free viewing
* 8MP autofocus camera with dual LED flash
* 1.3MP front-facing camera
* HD video recording (720p)
* HDMI port
* 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
* 1GB ROM, 512MB RAM
* 8GB microSD card in the box
* 1500 mAh battery



Hands-on via Engadget:

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