Report: Panasonic handheld jungle ACEs

The jungle reportedly was cut and burned.(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

If you were hoping to get their hands on Panasonic's jungle, you need to settle for something else.

Panasonic chose to discontinue his efforts on handheld gaming, announced today the Reuters. Apparently, the company announced it had "decided to suspend further development due to changes in the market and in our strategic direction," he told Reuters.

The jungle handheld was first revealed at the end of last year. The device was intended to compete with the Nintendo DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable. However, Panasonic has had an idea a little different with the jungle. Rather than allow developers to create titles and have the players to buy in-store, the jungle had to play only games online games and massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Panasonic said at the time who believed he was doing something unique in the market for portable gaming.

"We know that other companies out there are traditional handheld game", Panasonic said in an e-mail in November. "We are doing something very different."

But the Panasonic device with a clamshell design, and included a keyboard and touch pad, it was facing the same competition last year as this year.

The Nintendo 3DS, which launched (and subsequently sold out) in Japan over the weekend, has two screens and the ability for players to play titles in 3D without special glasses. Will be available in the United States for $ 249 on 27 March. And at the end of the year, Sony plans to refresh its lineup of portable-game with next-generation handset, which promises to PlayStation 3-like graphics and dual thumbsticks.

In a nutshell, those new products could provide more than could the jungle. And Panasonic, with his recognition of the "changes in the market," seemed to understand pretty clearly.

Now that the jungle was apparently clear, we can not say what the future looks like for Panasonic Cloud Entertainment Co. This Division was established as a subsidiary of Panasonic, when the project of the jungle before being hunted.

Panasonic has not immediately responded to the request of CNET for the comment.

Media decoder: DreamWorks Animation higher profits and report of Imax

Two small but important Hollywood company, DreamWorks Animation and Imax, reported quarterly financial results significantly improved on Thursday.

DreamWorks Animation fourth profit jumped 95 percent, to $ 85.2 million while profit at Imax was 54.2 million, up from $ 4 million the previous year. Both companies benefit from hefty tax breaks, so that the results were pretty misleading as a sign of general health.

Despite its growth, DreamWorks Animation has had lately a tough go of things. The sale of tickets for his latest release, "megamind," fell well short of the expectations of investors and DVD sales for "Shrek Forever after" were soft. The company's operating results reflect the operating losses of approximately $ 35 million related to an online virtual world business and touring production of "Shrek: the Musical."

The company takes out plans to release consistently three films animated feature film a year instead of two. "We're going to remain kind of flexible about it", Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation, told analysts on a conference call.

"Today we would probably say no movies before his time," he added.

On a brighter side, Mr. Katzenberg noted that demand for animated film was "robust" and DreamWorks Animation had its biggest year ever at the box office worldwide — about $ 1.6 billion from "How to Train Your Dragon," "Shrek Forever after" and "megamind." Expectations are high for the next release of the company, "kung fu Panda 2", on 26 May.

IMAX benefited from growth in its network of theatres of large format films and the strong presence for Imax screenings of films like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: part one" and "Tron: Legacy." IMAX 54 Theatre installed systems, up to 38 a year before, in the fourth quarter. The Imax plans next year, to add 80 to 90 new theatres.

Rivals Munch in revenue for Apple App Store, report says

Apple in its huge advantage in the global mobile applications last year thanks to its simple billing system but will most of the Earth by 2014, market research firm IHS Screen Digest said in a report.

The Apple App Store, which opened in 2008 and sells mostly iPhone users, earned more than $ 1.8 billion in 2010 to 82.7% of the total market despite hardware moves from the makers of rival smartphones, according to the report published Wednesday. The total market of apps was worth $ 2.2 billion last year, up from 828 million in 2009.

"Apple ... was able to maintain the advantage by exploiting its ecosystem is tightly controlled," IHS media mobile analyst Jack Kent said in research note.

A "trusted, integrated and simple service through iTunes, billing" is situated in the Centre of this ecosystem, Kent said.

Release of Apple's iPad last year boosted revenues as applications for the tablet that PC cost more than those sold for iPhones, says the report.

But the sharing of applications for Apple's mobile devices declined to 92.8% in 2009 as competitors via ate market. This trend will continue, leaving Apple half the market share as soon as 2014, based on Los Angeles IHS said.

Applications--essentially mobile device software--for Nokia, Research in Motion BlackBerry and Google Android models led the market Apple last year. Ranked No. 2 RIM and Nokia came in third place.

"Apple's competitors, despite their struggles, you managed to do some market share inroads in 2010," says the report.

Android market saw revenue climb a percentage 861.5 particularly steep last year to take share 4.7 percent revenue application store for mobile devices, said IHS.

Verizon iPhone 4 sales Underwhelm, report says

Consumer demand for a Verizon iPhone 4 can be less enthusiastic than first expected. Blog Tech Boy Genius Report is reporting that iPhone first week 4 sales do not meet the expectations of Apple and Verizon Wireless.

Citing unnamed sources at Apple, BGR sent units total sales allegedly by five Apple stores, including two positions "very, very prominent". The numbers show iPhone Verizon Wireless and AT&T 4 Verizon sales during the first five days iPhone availability (Thursday, 10 February):

Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539

Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680

Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471

Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701

Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618

The figures indicate a rush early sales of iPhone 4 Verizon that quickly dissipated. Sunday, 13 February, Verizon iPhone sales were only slightly higher than that of AT&T. online pre-orders for iPhone Verizon 4 totaled approximately 550,000 units, BGR reports.

If the consumer response to the iPhone Verizon is pretty disappointing, what is the most likely reason? You can take your pick of possible explanations, including a period of cold through the eastern half of the United States that has reduced foot traffic to brick and Malta positions at Apple, or how many sane Verizon iPhone online preorders.

Or maybe iPhone enthusiasts are more experienced and more menial. Many have probably heard that the iPhone 5 will arrive this summer. Revelation! It is smarter to wait a couple of months and get the latest iPhone Verizon (assuming it is available), rather than commit to a two-year contract with last year's model.

Oh, one other interesting tidbit from BGR on who bought iPhone Verizon so far: 30 percent were Android users; 25% migrated from BlackBerry; and only 14% were AT&T iPhone owners. The rest didn't have a smartphone or other mobile phone or simply didn't say.