Nokia Publisher Successes

How do you develop the ultimate music app? We talked with the team at Soundtracker to find out.

Soundtracker Radio makes it easy to discover and play music in real-time with your friends and neighbors. With 12 million tracks available, users can create and discover unique personal radio stations, and play them in real-time with friends via Facebook, Twitter as well as with anybody nearby directly from a Nokia phone. 

The free Soundtracker Radio app was developed in 16 weeks using various technologies including GPS, cell ID, Nokia Maps API, and in-app advertising for use on Nokia devices. “With the higher usage of Soundtracker by Nokia users we have experienced growth in ad revenues,” explained Daniele Calabrese, founder and CEO. “We also expect to see an increase in effective CPMs over the course of the year.”

The Soundtracker service is available in 10 languages worldwide including: Italian, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian, with support for 10 additional languages currently in the works.

Soundtracker on Nokia Series 40 phones

Soundtracker is available for all of Nokia’s phone types, including Series 40, Symbian (S60 and S^3), Nokia Lumia with Windows Phone and soon a Qt-based version will be available, too. In addition to the Nokia devices that support Soundtracker, the music service is also available on Android, iPhone and Bada, as well as in HTML5 on the web, Google TV and Samsung TV.

With stiff competition from other music services, the Soundtracker team knew they had to make a splash with the launch of their new music service. Soundtracker had a leg-up on the competition, giving consumers access to 12 million tracks, the largest catalog in the world for Internet radio and 10 times larger than its nearest competitor. By distributing their app in the Nokia Store, Soundtracker Radio was able to reach a massive global audience across 60 Nokia phones, ranging from  Series 40, S60 5th Edition, and S^3, as well as the latest Symbian Anna and Symbian Belle-based phones, and reached a milestone of 700,000 downloads in just five months.

Using Soundtracker on Windows Phone, an individual can buy concert tickets for artists in their music library by using in-app billing via PayPal. Soundtracker expects to enable operator billing with Nokia later this year. Also, in partnership with musixmatch.com and songkick.com, users get song lyrics while listening to music and can also check messages from their friends and followers in the Soundtracker inbox. These features will soon be available in the next version of the Soundracker app for Nokia’s Symbian smartphones built using Qt.

To continue building momentum for the mobile app, Soundtracker participated in a Nokia Store global marketing campaign in early January that ran for one week and generated 140,000+ additional downloads, and they just wrapped up  a second marketing campaign that garnered 95,000 new downloads. The results of these Nokia marketing activities and in-app advertising, in partnership with Inneractive, have been amazing. “We increased our user base three-fold in just four weeks, we increased user retention by 45%, and increased our revenues by 80%” said Calabrese. “With the level of access we have been given to develop for Nokia, including support from Nokia Beta Labs and Nokia Developer PRO, it has been a much easier experience than developing for other platforms where the only access is an online community of practice.”

Calabrese called the announcement of the Nokia-Microsoft partnership an “eye opener” and shared, “I was amazed by the fact that the two companies would work together, and I really wanted to be involved from day one.”

The Soundtracker team is in the process of developing a Qt-based version of their app that is scheduled to go live in Nokia Store by the end of Q1. With its unique multiple-platform availability, Soundtracker is giving consumers around the world a compelling music-sharing experience, setting Soundtracker Radio apart from the competition.

To learn more about Soundtracker, watch this Nokia Developer video with CEO Daniele Calabrese:

We first wrote about Pico Brothers in March 2011, around the time they hit the 20 million download mark for their Symbian^3 and S60 apps in Nokia Store. Since that time, the Finnish Pico Brothers team, Niklas Karlström and Kristian Engsjö – along with house dog Viggo – have continued to tick off milestone after milestone, hitting 30, 50, and then 80 million downloads in the Nokia Store from customers in more than 200 markets worldwide.

Niklas and Kristian focus heavily on app design, aiming to create simple, easy-to-use applications that look great on a variety of Nokia phones. Nokia’s Qt helps the developers go from idea generation to finished application quickly. Using Qt Quick and QML, developing an application can take anywhere from a couple of hours to one month. “The ability to develop apps quickly is a big part of our current success,” said Kristian.

Pico Brothers initially chose to develop for Nokia given the huge potential to reach millions of consumers around the globe – in just one online store. In their ongoing hunt for the killer app, they’ve released approximately 100 games, tools and lifestyle applications. “Our biggest measure of success is happy customers,” said Kristian. 

A number of Pico Brothers apps are offered for free and supported by advertising, while others are sold as paid downloads in the Nokia Store. The company has successfully monetized their apps in the UK, France and Germany; and they’ve also experienced success by creating localized versions of some of their apps.

To Pico Brothers co-founder Niklas, the most rewarding thing about being an app developer is “being able to decide on our own day – to go snowmobiling or fishing on the ice. We have a lot of fun, and it’s nice to be out here, close to nature and the sea. You get inspired not just from an office, but from your surroundings.” See for yourself in this new Nokia Developer video why Niklas and Kristian believe developing with Nokia is “the most fun thing in the world.”

For more information about Pico Brothers apps, please visit: http://www.picobrothers.com/.

Digital Chocolate has rapidly emerged as a leader in new digital media and social games, best known for their engaging mobile games like Millionaire City, Zombie Lane, Army Attack, Rollercoaster Rush and Tower Bloxx. In 2010, Digital Chocolate was one of the fastest-growing publishers of Facebook social games with virtual goods.  Focused on original brands and technology for a wide variety of platforms, the company has created more than 100 different award-winning games and applications available in the Nokia Store with more than 30 million Nokia Store app downloads from consumers in 200 countries.

The company developed the mobile version of its smash hit Facebook game Millionaire City to allow a wider audience to enjoy the game.  With the challenge of creating an original game in the best quality without exceeding costs, a solid team of 10 developed the first version of the game for the mobile platform in 16 weeks. “We are particularly pleased by the short time to market of our apps – the games go live in the Nokia Store very soon after being submitted,” said Miikka Kukkosuo, VP Regional Sales.

The mechanics of Millionaire City combine real-time and strategic developments that bring a new edge to mobile games, making them closer to social games than ever before with unique graphics and a friendly user interface.

Players are challenged to build a personal urban empire from the ground up by creating luxurious houses, crowded commercial skyscrapers, gorgeous decorations and unique world wonders. Millionaire City is a free app, but with the in-app billing feature, players can buy in-game currency via PayPal or other payment providers and purchase exclusive items in the game to advance faster. Using the convenient in-app billing model, Digital Chocolate has tens of thousands of paying customers and the team is very happy with the results of this model.

Developed using J2ME, Millionaire City is available for free in the Nokia Store in six languages including English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese; and it is available for the Nokia N95, N97, N73, 6270 and other compatible phones.

Inside each app, Digital Chocolate also includes a “Get More Games” option, which features other games with screenshots and a direct link to the Nokia Store download page. “We have been cooperating closely with Nokia since 2002 and have been uploading our games to the Nokia Store since its launch. It’s been a long and fruitful relationship, and we’ve been happy to see the Store grow,” said Kukkosuo.

“Some of our best customer reviews come from the Nokia Store,” said Kukkosuo. “Developing for Nokia is always a good experience as the support and reactivity of their team is always excellent.”

Digital Chocolate has two games currently available on Windows Phone 7, Tower Bloxx New York and 3D Brick Breaker Revolution, and the company plans on launching more of their social games for the Windows Phone platform in the future.

Digital Chocolate is a three-time winner of Mobile Entertainment’s Best Game Developer Award; GDC Online Innovation Award nominee; AlwaysOn OnMobile 100 Top Private Company List; and is among PocketGamers’s Top 50 game publishers in 2011.

INdT is an independent and non-profit Research and Development Institute based in Brazil, founded by Nokia and focused on the generation of new concepts, products and solutions for areas related to mobile technologies and the internet. INdT develops exclusively for the Nokia ecosystem and currently employs 270 people focused on innovation in the mobile space.

INdT partners with research entities, universities, companies and business investors to create application solutions that apply to the needs of consumers all over the world. To date, they have created and deployed over 75 mobile applications through Nokia Store.

Turning research into applications

INdT development revolves around what they call their “Application Framework,” a broader project focused on the quick and innovative development of applications. The Framework studies mobile technologies such as Windows Phone, Qt, Symbian, J2ME, and Web Runtime to find out how they can be used in applications available in Nokia Store.

INdT’s multidisciplinary team also has a partnership with the Federal University of Amazon to test new applications with their student body. The project has spawned a series of successful applications, including the award-winning Facelock; Amazon Jewels; The Happy Birthday application; and Vacinas among others. Using Qt , INdT is able to create and implement  applications quickly and easily, typically taking its 13-person developer team only 20 days to create and launch a new application. INdT distributes all of their applications for free in Nokia Store and encourages users to provide detailed feedback to help improve their apps.

“We’re very happy with our use of Qt , which speeds up the overall development process for our team,” said Ângelo Nicolay, Technical Manager of Internet Services for INdT. “The applications developed by INdT have helped to consolidate the ecosystem of Nokia Brazil, improving and growing the amount of applications available in Portuguese and in the Brazilian market.”

Award-winning app concepts

In 2010, INdT took the crown at the Nokia World Hackathon, competing with developer teams and ideas from all over the world. The application Facelock was developed by INdT within 72 hours and enables users to lock and unlock their phone based on facial recognition technology, well before similar technology became available on competitor’s phones.  One year before, INdT presented AudioAid, an application that promotes accessibility to help hearing impaired individuals perceive environmental sounds through the mobile phone’s vibration resource. That app easily won the Audience Choice prize at the Nokia Calling All Innovators event held in Stuttgart.

In addition to compelling consumer applications, Nokia Data Gathering, a solution pioneered by INdT to optimize the data collection process has helped the Government of Amazonas reduce Dengue Fever cases in the Metropolitan area of Manaus by more than 90 percent by providing real-time data using mobile phones instead of paper forms, PDAs or laptops. This ability to increase the visibility of critical information quickly and accurately enables a more effective response. The solution has also been applied to agriculture and childhood support areas, and adopted by several countries including: Ecuador, Kenya, Philippines, Liberia, and Indonesia. In 2011, Nokia Data Gathering won the “2011 Just Means Social Innovation Award” for the “Philanthropy: Most Strategic Use of Philanthropic Funds” category, one of the top honors in the field of sustainability, giving recognition to companies who have implemented groundbreaking programs to drive social and environmental innovation.

INdT have published 75 applications to date, including the new, Qt-based Incredible Circus game  that looks like it could be a real hit. They have had very positive feedback from users and media in general, as indicated by user comments and blogger reviews that have been overwhelmingly positive, sighting that their applications are “great” and “every mobile user should be using them.” INdT continues to leverage tools like spotlight within the Nokia Store to promote applications and gather feedback. With an easy forum for users, the Nokia Stores offers developers an effective way to gather feedback and questions from the community. Using this feedback, INdT creates monthly reports based on user comments that aid the R&D team in identifying bugs and tweaking applications to satisfy users.
 

INdT is a perfect example of a company that has used Nokia’s developer platform to create meaningful applications that are changing the way we think about our mobile phones.  For more information on INdT’s mission and their applications, watch this short video about the company, celebrating its 10 years of innovation.

Founded in 2001, Interactive Exchange Company (IEC) is a Singapore-based digital media company. In addition to creating original mobile apps and content, the company also owns the Dokuyi range of animated characters that are available in a variety of themes for use on Nokia phones. Through Nokia, IEC apps and content are distributed to nearly 200 countries worldwide.

“The support we’ve received from Nokia Publish has been outstanding. Since crossing the one million download mark, we’re even more committed to continuing our relationship with Nokia,” said Eleven Ho, Operations Director. “We always receive a prompt reply and support from the Nokia Developer team, and there’s a large amount of information and common solutions available on the Nokia Developer website, which we really appreciate.”

IEC develops Java apps for Nokia Series 40 and S60 phones with a team of 14 developers. Each app takes approximately 90 days to complete. Their top challenges include idea creation, graphical implementation and controlling the size of the application file. Despite those obstacles, the company is continuing to churn out more content in the games category and also extending their Dokuyi brand.

Magician’s Deck

With IEC’s Magician’s Deck app, Nokia users can turn their phone into an instant deck of cards that performs magic. The game is intuitive, quick to learn, and easy to master. Using motion sensing and accelerometer technology, IEC developed the app to turn users into instant magicians. The realistic app is pure entertainment for family and friends.

Magician’s Deck is available in five languages (English, French, Spanish, Simple Chinese and Traditional Chinese) on S60 3.X, S60 5.X, and Series 40 phones. The app is paid in some locations and free in others based on cultural preference.  

A look ahead

Looking ahead to 2012, IEC has an aggressive plan to convert all of their 70+ apps to the Windows Phone platform.  Currently, Magician Deck and several other applications are published in the Windows Phone Marketplace. In addition to Windows Phone, the company plans to explore Qt development.

Other priorities for 2012 include extending the Dokuyi brand and implementing in-app advertising and billing. Based on overwhelmingly positive fan feedback, IEC plans to continue producing Dokuyi themes and will also add a few installments of games – both fun and educational – using the same characters in an effort to extend the company’s educational brand. IEC will also aggressively move toward ad-supported games and adding social, in-app billing elements. All the games that are currently in development are candidates for adding in-app billing functionality.

“As a Nokia developer, we fully support their Windows Phone and Qt plans as we head into 2012,” commented Ho.