Analyst: iPhone, BlackBerry Most Popular Mobile Game Devices

Apple's iPhone and BlackBerry Curve have eclipsed more traditional flip phones as the most popular mobile phone gaming devices, claims market research firm comScore. According to data released by comScore, smartphones have seen a significant boost in gaming usage. Game download activity on smartphones rose nearly 300 percent from 2007 to 2008 for the three-month period ending in November. For the same time frame, game download activity on non-smartphones dropped 15 percent year-over-year. A year ago, none of the top ten mobile gaming devices were smartphones -- but the segment now makes up a majority of that list, says analyst Mike Donovan. Previously, the top mobile gaming platform was Motorola's RAZR, now unseated by the iPhone and Curve. The iPhone alone represented 14 percent of all mobile game downloads in November 2008. Nearly a third of iPhone users reporting having downloaded a game in the past month -- more than eight times the average for all phones. Said Donovan, "Over the past year, we have seen mobile gaming expand into a broadening demographic, with strongest growth among teens, who previously eschewed their mobile device in favor of handheld gaming devices, and those 35 and older."