Super Mario Run Has Already Proven To Be More Popular Than Pokemon Go

              
 On its first day of release, Super Mario Run raked in $5 million off five million installs, according to a new report from mobile app insights firm Sensor Tower. These figures put it ahead of even Pokemon Go in terms of first day performance, although it must be noted that Pokemon Go was only available in select regions at first, and that Super Mario Run has only seen an iOS release so far.

               However, with a Super Mario Run Android release coming in 2017, the game definitely stands a good chance of toppling Pokemon Go as the most downloaded and highest grossing game of all time. Nintendo’s first real mobile game (not including Miitomo) was always going to be a hit, and with Mario at the helm the game was guaranteed a lot of launch day attention, just as Pokemon Go was.

              Analysts have already predicted that Super Mario Run will see 50 million installs in its first month of release, which will only be on iOS devices due to Nintendo’s exclusivity agreement with Apple. But when the game eventually lands on Android the install rate will explode.

As it stands, you can only play the first level for free in Super Mario Run, after which you’re required to pay $9.99 to unlock the remaining levels. For Mario fans, this is not even a question. Sensor Tower estimates roughly 10 percent of players will eventually pay to unlock the full game.

 

             But the game’s requirement for a constant Wi-Fi connection has irritated many players. Only those with unlimited data plans can really justify playing on a data connection, with others losing out on a truly mobile game. Likewise, the game’s arguably over-simple mechanics – Mario runs by himself and leaps small enemies and obstacles automatically – has upset more than a few players looking for something a little more complex.

But as we’ve seen before, simple games can often be just as popular as advanced titles, and Super Mario Run is already the most downloaded app in over 80 countries, despite some initial hiccups. Sensor Tower predicts that around 30 million iOS users registered to be notified of the game’s release, but that in many cases the notifications took several hours to appear and several countries had delayed launches, affected its first day totals.

At this rate it looks like Super Mario Run will meet the expectations placed on it for near-term performance but it will only be when the game is available on Android as well that it will witness its true potential. Install numbers will soar, but we’ll have to see just how many Android owners are willing to fork over ten bucks and how many will attempt to circumvent Nintendo’s paywall and need for a constant data connection.

When do you think we’ll see Super Mario Run on Android? Would you pay $9.99 for the full game?

Samsung will kill remaining Note 7’s in the US on Dec 19 (update: Europe implementing similar move)

Update 2: In addition to rolling out an update that will prevent US devices from charging, Samsung is taking a similar move for the European market. In these markets the update will limit the battery to just 30% capacity. This is basically enough to make it usable in emergencies, but it’s a pretty crippling update that will make the phone’s battery life so puny that it will be rendered unusable for most users.  More details can be found here. 

Update: Samsung has now confirmed that starting on December 19th, it will roll out an update that will prevent US Note 7 devices from charging, or working as mobile devices. You can find more details here.

Original post: A new report claims that all remaining Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in the US will basically become useless on Thursday, December 15.  The company may potentially release an update to the phone that could disable the battery from charging.

The report comes from The Verge, which states that a Note 7 owner on the US Cellular received the following message on his device:

As of December 15th, Samsung will modify the software to prevent the Galaxy Note 7 from charging. The phone will no longer work.

So far, US Cellular has not issued a comment on this report, and Samsung declined to comment. However, it certainly follows the pattern the company has followed to encourage people who still own the Galaxy Note 7 to turn in their phones, following its recall in October due to many of the devices exploding. Wireless carriers in Australia, New Zealand and most recently Canada have announced plans to cut off access to the Note 7 on that date as well.

Samsung previously released an update to the Galaxy Note 7 that restricted its battery charging to 60 percent of its full charge in the US. The company also stated that about 85 percent of US Note 7 owners have already turned in or traded the device as part of the recall order. It would appear that the few remaining holdouts will soon have a very expensive paperweight.

Are you still holding onto your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and, if so, will this reported move to disable the battery make you finally trade it in?

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will jump straight to Android 7.1.1 Nougat

The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will forgo Android 7.0 and be upgraded straight to Android 7.1.1, Samsung has revealed. Samsung made the announcement in a response to a member of the Galaxy beta program who suggested that it upgrades the phones to the latest Android software, and provides a double-tap-to-wake function.

Samsung launched the beta program for the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in November to gather feedback on early builds of Android Nougat. The devices are currently running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, but Samsung is expected to officially update them to Nougat in early 2017.

Android 7.1.1 Nougat is the latest version of Android, announced by Google on December 5. The update – which delivers new features like app shortcuts and new emoji – is currently available for Nexus and Pixel devices, while third-party manufacturers now have access to the source code via the Android Open Source Project.

Meanwhile, Sony announced yesterday that it planned to be the first manufacturer, other than Google, to deliver Android 7.1.1 to one of its smartphones.