Zynga Hires Top Digital Executive Away From Electronic Arts

Zynga has hired away Barry Cottle, the EVP of Electronic Arts’ interactive division, marking the third high-profile steal it has made from the rival videogame maker over the past year.
barry_cottle

U.S. Mobile Game Revenues Expected to Double in 2011

U.S. mobile game revenue has started accelerating, fueled by new game publishers coming into the space and the ability to make more than 99 cents per download through the rise of the free-to-play business model.
capcom_smurfs

EA Shuffles Upper Deck With Three Promotions

Electronic Arts has reorganized its management team to take into account its acquisition of PopCap, once it’s complete, and the departure of COO John Schappert, who left in April to fill the same role at Zynga.
EA_E3 Booth

Developers Finally Get to See Their Handiwork on iPad

Apple’s famous secrecy meant many developers who worked for weeks on iPad software applications didn’t have actual devices to work on. Saturday, then, was their first chance to try out their handiwork on an iPad, instead of on a computer simulation.

Windows Phone 7 Series Even More Impressive Than Previously Thought

Microsoft added a bit more to its Windows Phone 7 Series story at its MIX10 event this morning, revealing some of the mobile operating system’s features and detailing how developers can write software for it. While it’s obviously far too early to make any big declarations about it, the OS certainly seems competitive–and compelling.

Amazon: There’s a Crude Black-and-White App for That

How large is the market for crude monochrome E-Ink apps for the Kindle? We’re about to find out, because Amazon is finally opening up the e-reader to developers. The retailer unexpectedly announced the Kindle Development Kit this morning, inviting software developers to build “active content” for the device.
kindle-app

Yep, Palm’s Coming to Verizon, With a Couple of New Phones

As expected, Palm announced today that its smartphones–two new variations on the Pre and the Pixi, actually–will be available on Verizon Wireless soon. Also coming: Some software updates, including a nifty one that will give existing handsets the ability to record video.
palmplus

Apple’s App Store: 100,000 Apps, “Well Over” Two Billion Downloads

When it launched on July 10, 2008, Apple’s iTunes App Store held just 552 apps. Today, Apple tells us, it boasts more than 100,000. Astonishing, really, when you think about it. The App Store isn’t even two years old yet. Nor is the iPhone SDK.
2315918082_e12530cf73