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Pocket Gamer has announced its second Pocket Gamer Connects Global Mobile Games Conference, which will be held June 16 -17 in Helsinki, Finland.

The event, which is highlighted by "A Very Big Indie Pitch," packs in networking opportunities with two content tracks: East meets West global publishing stage and the Indie Rock Stars game creation stage. There will also be world class speakers, interactive workshops, an exhibition area, and a Pocket gamer Party amongst other events and displays.

Host company Steel Media's chief, Chris James, is clearly excited. "Pocket Gamer has spent 8 years doing everything in its power to help the mobile games industry grow and to help the amazing people inside it to achieve the respect and success they deserve," he says. "PGC2014 is the next natural step in that journey and I think it’s going to be the best thing we’ve ever done.”

Interested persons and parties may register now at the conference website; prices start at $75 for students.

If you are interested in speaking at PG Connects, please contact [email protected].

Appsfire is bringing it's AppStories conference to San Francisco for the first time. The half day, super cheap, super awesome conference focuses on bringing in the best from the industry to do short talks about what they know best. "Secrets straight from successful mobile app developers" is the tagline, and it should deliver.

148Apps is happy to be one of the media sponsors for the event and we'll be there looking for the latest and greatest. Tickets are on sale right now -- hope to see you there.

We're heading towards the holidays, and this week at 148Apps.com we premiered a new Gameloft contest for the ultimate holiday gift - a brand spankin' new iPhone 4S. To enter, just become a 148Apps and Gameloft Facebook fan – www.facebook.com/gameloft and www.facebook.com/148apps.

Or you can follow both of us on Twitter as well at www.twitter.com/148apps and www.twitter.com/gameloft. Then, write the following public tweet: “Upgrade to a 4S yet? Follow @Gameloft & @148Apps & RT for a chance to win an iPhone 4S! Gameloft gaming on the 4S: http://glft.co/uIR3Y1″

For a link to the official rules, plus more information, read the full article on 148Apps.

Our GiggleApps sister site featured a new review of Transport Jigsaw Puzzles 123 for iPad from writer Amy Solomon. She writes, "Transport Jigsaw Puzzles 123 for iPad is the terrific sequel to the original app, Farm Jigsaw Puzzles 123 for iPad. Seven scenes are included here that wonderfully introduce many vehicles and means of transportation, both traditional and unique, as well as a very fun, puzzle experience with the choice of using 2 to 16 puzzle pieces per scene and include hints if needed. There is also an iPhone version of this app available with 5 puzzle scenes included."

Read the full review on GiggleApps.

Finally, on 148Apps.biz, site founder Jeff Scott recapped his recent visit to the Sprint Open Solutions Conference, saying, "During the keynote from CEO Dan Hesse, he mentioned many times how great it was to have the iPhone on Sprint now (and to no longer have to answer the question of when they would get the iPhone). The addition of the iPhone 4 and 4S should allow Sprint to have their best year ever this year. Needing to have just one million adds to reach that record level. The iPhone should easily help them retain users and gain new ones."

Read the full recap on 148Apps.biz.

We're done for this week! As always, check our Twitter and Facebook feeds for the latest news, reviews, contests and giveaways. See you next week.

148Apps founder Jeff Scott posted this news update over at 148Apps.biz:

The first HTML5 Developers Conference is set to launch next week. And just announced they will be hosting a hackathon with a special focus on mobile gaming.

Everyone is talking about HTML5 — it’s the future, right? Developers from all over the world are getting together to learn more about HTML5 and those ubiquitous plans next week in San Francisco.

For the full story, head on over to 148Apps.biz.

TED, if you haven't heard of it, is a global collection of conferences that was originally focused on new and innovative ideas in the realm of technology and design, but now has spilled over into great ideas in any field. Starting in 1984, TED was created to provide a platform for "ideas worth spreading", and has since had famous speakers including Bill Gates, Al Gore, the founders of Google, and (huh?) Sarah Silverman.

Because of its astronomical ticket prices (upwards of $5,000 a pop), most of the fans of TED view the conferences either through the TED website or via podcast. According to a Wikipedia stat, the conference is hugely popular, having been viewed by more than 290 million people worldwide, and the number is growing at a rapid pace.

Since TED started as a tech influenced conference, it comes at no surprise that they have released their very own iPad app, available for free in the App Store. The app lets you view all the TED videos (in hi or lo res), create playlists, get recommendations on things to watch, and even download videos for offline viewing.

"The ability to hold onto some videos for offline viewing when I’m on a plane or train, or otherwise offline, is awesome." said Matt Drance, developer of the TED iPad app. "I never thought I’d learn so much staring at my iPad for hours at a time!"

With more than 700 TEDTalk videos to pour through (and more coming every week), the TED app will certainly keep fans of the conference captivated for quite some time. Pick it up for free in the app store today.

[Source: Mac Stories]

[img id="appnation-300x225.jpg"]Registration is now open for the inaugural APPNATION to be held in San Francisco September 12-13 at the Moscone Convention Center.

APPNATION is a conference and expo focused on the burgeoning consumer applications economy. The goal is to focus the discussion at the conference on making application development profitable for everyone involved. And while the conference isn't focused on just the iOS platform, I would expect it to be the majority of the conversation as it is the majority of the market.

APPNATION is thrilled to welcome Ilja Laurs, Founder and CEO of GetJar; Smule Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer Dr. Ge Wang and Igor Pusenjak, Founder of Lima Sky and creator of Doodle Jump, as keynote presenters. Mr. Laurs will also be one of the APPNATION award winners to be honored during the conference. APPNATION is equally pleased to welcome a stellar roster of speakers and presenters from across the consumer applications ecosystem.

Head on over to 148Apps.biz for the current list of speakers and more info on the conference.

[img id="MB2010.300x250.jpg"]MobileBeat 2010 kicks off on Monday in San Francisco and we'll be there covering it. VentureBeat’s third annual conference on the future of mobile this year asks the question who will profit from the "Superphone?" The talks cover every angle of the mobile industry from hardware to advertising to community building. In addition to the talks there will also be 20 startups competing in the Startup Competition for the coveted Tesla Prize.

Head on over to 148Apps.biz for more details.

If you are interested in learning more, head on over to the MobileBeat site. 148Apps readers can use promo code “VB-148Apps” to get 15% off of a ticket purchase!

148Apps is a proud media sponsor of MobileBeat 2010.

Read More at 148Apps.biz

The third MobileBeat conference, VentureBeat's two day conference for mobile industry executives, investors, startups, and developers is rapidly approaching. MobileBeat 2010 will take place in San Francisco's Palace Hotel on July 12-13. It's one of the must-attend events for the mobile industry and brings together innovators and investors for great networking opportunities and great discussions.

One of the biggest events during MobileBeat are the pitches from startups. Twenty startups are chosen to present to the crowd and pitch their company to the 500+ attending the conference. This year, the chosen startups will be presenting on the coolest ideas for the coming 4G world.

The goal of this year’s startup competition is to showcase the top 20 companies with the coolest mobile ideas for the coming 4G world. If you have a startup or product that’s going to shake up the mobile ecosystem around 4G, this is the perfect opportunity to make your pitch to over 500 mobile industry executives, investors, journalists and fellow entrepreneurs.

Eighteen startups have already been chosen, but you can help chose the remaining two at the MobileBeat Startup Competition page. Voting is open through June 21st.

If you are interested in learning more, head on over to the MobileBeat site. 148Apps readers click here and use promo code "VB-148Apps" to get 15% off! Hurry though. Tickets are going fast.

148Apps is proud to be a media partner for MobileBeat 2010.

[img id="Picture-5-300x151.jpg"]Just 40 days before the start of WWDC, Apple has finally announced the dates for WWDC, their annual developer conference. And there are some major changes this year.

WWDC will be held in San Francisco, at Moscone Convention Center West from June 7th-11th. The ticket price has risen this year to $1599 and are available through the Apple Developer portal.

The big changes this year are a definite slant toward the iPhone OS and the iPhone/iPad devices. Last year, sessions were split between Mac OS, Enterprise IT and iPhone OS sessions. This year there's hardly anything but iPhone OS. Though a few of the sessions do apply to Enterprise IT, they are iPhone focused.

Read More at 148Apps.biz

The 2010 Game Developers Conference is rapidly approaching. GDC is again this year focusing a special track on iPhone game development, and we're expecting a bunch of iPhone developers to attend.

If you're going to be in town for GDC, make sure you hit up the iPhone Developers Union / IUGO party at the Marriott Wednesday night. The party last year was a great time and a wonderful way to meet up with iPhone game developers from all over the world.

Since I'm based in SF, I'll be around all week and available to meet up. I would love to meet up and see what you are working on, talk iPhone and iPad gaming, or just grab a beer. If you'd like to meet up, please contact me at jeff.scott {at} 148apps.com.

360iDev, if you are unfamiliar, is a fantastic, informative, and very cheap iPhone (and iPad) developer conference. They year they have 40 sessions divided into four different tracks (Business of iPhone, Sights, Sounds and Interactions, Development Tips, Hands-on), all presented by the people that have actually done what they are presenting about. The conference, while extremely well organized, has a very grass roots feel to it. Much more community-like than the now humongous WWDC. Not to mention it's a fraction of the price.

Some of the features of the conference this year:

• 40 sessions, 3 panels, 5 hands-on training sessions all included
• Touch Arcade Game Jam - hack session where games are created overnight
• All meals included and there will be meet and greets every night
• Aurora Feint hosting a session and a game bar showcasing great OpenFeint games

Take a look at the full schedule for session details. Looks to be an interesting line up. If you are involved or even interested in iPhone development and are based in the Bay Area, this conference is not to be missed. I was lucky enough to attend the first 360iDev and I really can't stress enough how great of an event this will be for the beginning and experienced iPhone developer.

Want to save on the conference? Use code 148readers to get a discount off the already cheap $599 price here.

The next few weeks are going to be exciting for the iPhone community. First up we have E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo in LA. This huge video game conference is where all of the great hardware and games get announced for the year. While the iPhone isn't going to play a major role in this show, it will likely make a larger showing than any other mobile phone has in the past. We'll be reporting from the show any fantastic things we come across.

The week following that, WWDC will be in San Francisco. This yearly developers conference hosted by Apple is where all the big iPhone news comes out. Or at least it has in the past. While rumors are mixed, we could see the release of the 3.0 OS, and maybe even a new iPhone or two. We'll keep you posted.

148Apps will be a sponsor the the second iPhone Developers Union meet up at WWDC. The event will be held at Jillians in the Metreon on Monday night, June 8th at 7pm. For more information, see the @iPhoneDevUnion Twitter stream.

If you're an iPhone developer, we'd love to meet up with you at either conference and see what you are working on. Just let us know what time is good for you. Send us an email or hit us up on Twitter.

If it's one thing that GDC taught me it's that the iPhone has a long way to go as a game console. It's still a tiny little player in the whole gigantic video games world. But in the nine months since the app store launch, it has made some great strides.

For one thing, the iPhone totally dominated the Independent Games Festival Mobile awards. Not only did they will all the categories, they had most of the nominations as well. The iPhone is now, as far as most are concerned, the best mobile phone platform to develop on. As one developer put it, finally a mobile platform that doesn't suck.

This past week we did get many clues about what 2009 will bring for iPhone games. First, this will be the year the big boys go full force after the iPhone market. EA, Chillingo, Glu, and others have announced some huge portfolios of games coming out this year.

We will also see an explosion in backend community systems, think XBox Live for your iPhone, and probably some consolidation of those services as well. Consumers aren't best served by having multiple community systems, everyone knows that, but who will win out as the best? With GameSpy announcing they are bringing over their backend that already powers many console and desktop titles, they will likely start out in the lead. Then ngmoco announced they were opening up their platform to third party developers, another strong contender, but no release date announced. Then you have the underdogs such as OpenFeint, ByteClub, and a new contender, Agon. Then there's also the Facebook Connect for iPhone that many systems are using. It's not purely a gaming system, but many have adapted it. A force for sure, with Facebook having over 160 million users.

We also were fortunate to meet with some really cool developers and get a sneak peak at some of the great games coming out in the not too distant future.

Real Racing from Firemint
Release Date: Late April, 2009 at an unknown price
Without a doubt, the best we saw was Real Racing from Firemint. Real Racing is a racing game just short of a racing sim. It's ultra-realistic and features some amazing community and asynchronous multiplayer modes. You even have the ability to publish hot laps to YouTube, automatically. The controls by default work great and are very responsive. This is one to watch for. Firemint are being close to the chest with the price on this one, but it will be released late April.

Touch Pets from ngmoco
Release Date: unknown
I'll have to admit I was originally nonplussed on Touch Pets. But after spending some time with it I can see what the excitement it about it. For one this, this game is deep. There's lots to do, lots of things to collect, there are missions to go on, there are achievements, tons of stuff. But above all, this game has a social aspect that could set it apart from all of the other virtual pet type games. This all ads up to a game that will be very enormously engrossing to many people, maybe even me.

Star Defense from ngmoco
Release Date: pretty soon at an unknown price
Tower Defense games are filling up the app store quickly. And many are really good. Star Defense takes a slightly different direction and adds 3D to the standard game. So instead of playing tower defense on a flat landscape, you play it on a 3D world. One of the more interesting parts of this is that, in one level, you are playing on a cube instead of a sphere. This basically divides up each level into 6 parts as you have to place defense on each of the sides since the weapons don't seem to work around the corners of the cube. The game itself seems really well done and stable, and should be released soon. We'll give it more playtime when it comes out and get a full review.

Star Trader: Moon Madness from HermitWorks
Release Date: very soon at $0.99
This game is an expanded version of the DopeWars genre that I'm sure everyone is familiar with. But it's set in outerspace and uses the Quake engine to provide a 3D world where you can walk around and barter. The controls are a modified 2 location virtual touch pad as we've seen on other games and works well for movement and changing the angle you are viewing the world. The developers are releasing this at $0.99 and will be raising the price as they add features such as multiplayer in the future.

All in all a fantastic GDC. Had to great opportunity to speak with some amazing people. We'll try to get full reviews of these games up as soon as they are available.

The 360|iDev conference has just wrapped up, and it's been a great one. The three day conference which had ticket prices as low as $200 (a steal!), was attended by roughly 150 developers. Talks were divided roughly into 4 different tracks including business, game development, non-game development, and hands-on. Everyone attending the conference we talked to were very impressed with both the organization of the conference and the quality of the speakers.

360|iDev has a sense of community much more so than most developer conferences. The community feel puts everyone at ease and allows greater participation than a larger conference like WWDC. 360|iDev is put on by a duo of part-time conference organizers, they've done a fantastic job, we're already looking forward to the next one.

"Some of the best and brightest iPhone and Apple development community in one conference. It's fantastic. I'm looking forward to the next one." said Keith Shepherd from Imangi Studios, developer of Imangi and Little Red Sled.

The organizers are looking to have another 360iDev conference in about 6 months, this time on the other side of the Mississippi river. I'd suggest following them on Twitter to keep informed of the next one.

March is loaded with conferences related to iPhone development. There are three major conferences going on in the San Francisco bay area alone. Let us know if you are headed to any of these, I'll be at all three and would love to meet up.

360iDev
March 2 - 4, 2009 - San Jose, CA
More info: http://www.360conferences.com/360iDev/

First up is the 360iDev conference. This conference is a little looser than that most, but it's 100% iPhone specific. Some great sessions are already scheduled. Topics include everything from development specifics, business aspects, even a session on iTunes Connect. On top of that, it's an amazingly cheap conference considering the 3+ days length.

The pricing of the tickets is tiered based on when the tickets are sold. The first 100 tickets at $200, then 200 tickets at $350 and the 100 tickets at $499.  Some of the $200 tickets are still available, grab them now while you still can.

iGames Summit 2009
March 19, 2009 from 12:00 PM - 5:15 PM (PST) - San Francisco, CA
More info: http://www.igsummit.com/

The iGames Summit promises to be a very interesting, though short conference. This 1/2 conference in San Francisco has some real heavy hitters lined up to speak. Scheduled to speak include Neil Young from ngmoco, Andrew Lacy from Tapulous, Ge Wang from smule, Mike Pagano from EA Mobile, and many more. Check out the site for the full lineup.

Tickets are still available for this conference, earlybird tickets are $299 until February 19th. You can save 15% on General Admission Tickets when they go on sale (after 2/19) if you use the code 148APPS at checkout.

Game Developers Conference / GDC
March 23-27, 2009 - San Francisco, CA
More info: http://gdconf.com

The grand daddy of all game developer conferences. This one is huge. While not iPhone centric, game developer centric, there will undoubtedly be plenty of iPhone discussion going on. This 5 day conference is the place to learn about the latest technologies in game development. It includes multiple courses from Business, Audio, Game Design, Production, Programming, and Visual Arts.

I'm going to be at all of these conferences. If you are going to be there and would like to meet up, maybe to show me what you are working on, send me a message via Twitter @148Apps or an email at review dot monkey (at) 148apps dot com. Looking forward to meeting more of the great iPhone developers.