While visiting with a friend the other day, the topic of mobile software pricing came up.  While agreeing that the usefulness of the application best determined the price, with more functional software rightfully claiming a higher asking price, we disagreed as to what a “fair” pricing scheme was.  She tried to argue that $10 was expensive, with $9.99 being the most she has actually paid for a title (she’s an iPhone user).  Looking at it from my perspective, being a Windows Mobile user, $9.99 is relatively cheap.  My question to you, dear JAMM readers, is two part:

- What is the most that you have paid for a program for your mobile device?  Being nosy as I am, what program was it and how much did you pay?

- What is the high end you would pay for a program that functioned exactly as you wanted?

For me, if memory serves, DataViz’s Docs To Go Premium for Palm OS takes the cake, at $49.99.  Let us know in the comment section below!

Let the fun begin for Symbian S60 mobile users, as Handmark announced today the release of two new titles for S60 phones, including the new Nokea 5800, as well as N97 touch screen mobile phones. Both Titles are available from Handmark for $9.99 each. The press release follows immediately below.

KANSAS CITY, MO (USA) and LONDON, UK – Aug. 21, 2009 – Handmark(R) has today released its award-winning Astraware Sudoku and Casino games for S60(R) phones, including the new Nokia 5800 and N97 touch screen devices.

Recognized as one of the best Sudoku games for smartphones, Astraware Sudoku is packed with features, including its popular Puzzle of the Day which allows players to compete against other players worldwide to post the best time for that day’s puzzle, in addition to an integrated Puzzle Builder which creates billions of unique puzzles. The game offers a range of different options to help players solve puzzles including manual or automatic pencilmarks, a smart hints system and the hold and highlight system which can display an overlay for a specific number or pencilmark helping players to see where to look and what to look for.  Astraware Sudoku is suitable for all levels of players and includes six levels of difficulty.

Astraware Casino features 11 of the best-known games found in casinos around the world, including Texas Hold ‘Em No Limit Poker, Roulette, Slots, Craps, and Blackjack. The game includes full instructions on how to play each of the 11 games and gives players $1,000 in a virtual wallet to begin playing. Higher stake tables and games unlock as players progress. Astraware Casino also includes a fun achievements system – the ‘Souvenir Suitcase’. During the game players will unlock different ‘Souvenirs’ to place in their suitcase to mark special achievements in the game. Souvenirs include special chips, fluffy toys, and fun items of clothing.

Astraware Sudoku and Astraware Casino are both available now at www.handmark.com for S60 3rd Edition and later devices as well as several other smartphone platforms. For more information visit: http://www.astraware.com/sudoku and http://www.astraware.com/casino

About Handmark
Handmark delivers an engaging, personalized experience for your mobile phone with the industry’s best connected information services, games, lifestyle applications and more to help make your phone your own. As one of the leading developers and distributors of mobile content and storefronts for 10 years, the company has established itself as one of the premier developers for top-quality mobile content, as well as a trusted mobile content partner. For more information, visit www.handmark.com.

(c) 2009 Handmark, Inc.; Handmark(R), Astraware(R), and the distinctive hand design are registered trademarks of Handmark, Inc. in the U.S. and other territories. All rights reserved. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

Way back in 1997, husbandthefirst and I came out to California on holiday (ok, ok, vacation!). We stayed a few days in San Francisco, and before heading out for dinner one night we had the TV on in our hotel room, and it was tuned to MTV.  Suddenly, our ears perked up at the sound of a young girls voice and so we swivelled our heads to see who this marvelous sound was coming from. There on the TV was a young woman aged about 25, and 4 male band members….and they were THAT GOOD!

The band in question was No Doubt, and it was the lovely Gwen Stefani singing Don’t Speak.

Fast forward to 2009 and the Orange County Fair; No Doubt came back to their roots for 4 sold out shows (they are from Anaheim, CA). I got lucky enough to score tickets and took my friend with me. Ever since that day in San Francisco, I’ve loved the band, even Gwen’s solo stuff so it was with great glee and anticipation that my friend and I arrived at the venue. We were treated first to Katy Perry rocking out and singing something about kissing girls – she was awesome, by the way!

And we waited 10 minutes in between bands, and the crowd was hollering and cheering and then THERE THEY WERE and we were all up on our feet, screaming like young girls at a Beatles concert and belting out hit after hit along with the band! It was probably the best concert I’ve ever been to and after 22 years, they still brought the house down.

The Palm Pre App Catalog is not even official yet, and it has already reached 41 apps with the release of six new apps today.  We will take a more complete look at these as part of the 30 Apps in 30 Days series.  For now, though, I just wanted to mention the six new apps (actually, three apps and three games). 

• Word Ace: A unique combination of word building and betting strategy
• Mileage Monitor: Track the miles per gallon you achieve while driving
• Bubbles: The classic Windows Mobile color matching game
• ESPN Zoom: Find the subtle differences between sports themed photos
• Kosher2Go: Locate Kosher establishments in over 50 countries
• Shabbat Shalom: Quickly and easily identify the times for lighting candles, havdalah, and parsha around the world.

In addition to these new games, the App Catalog also received updates for Blackout and Citysearch.

We all knew that Microsoft had big plans to take on all comers (Android, iPhone, WebOS, among others) with its much rumored Windows Mobile 7, which is planned for sometimes next year.  In the meantime, Microsoft has been not-so-quietly pushing Windows Mobile 6.5, with most of us assuming that would fade away once Windows Mobile 7 was released.  Apparently, that is not the case at all.

According to Digitimes, Microsoft plans to keep Windows Mobile 6.5 on the market after the release of Windows Mobile 7.  The plan is to lower the price of Windows Mobile 6.5 devices to compete with the Android OS.  The higher priced Windows Mobile 7 devices will compete directly with Windows Mobile 7.  No word, though, on how non-touchscreen devices play into this strategy.

I think this is a really interesting approach.  Rather than trying to come up with an all-in-one solution, Microsoft is using different packages to target different markets and users.  Whether it will be successful, only time will tell.  But it is nice to see that there is still some life in the old dinosaur.

[via: Gear Diary]