Top 10 Countries For The Mobile Web

Pakistan ranked the lowest among those surveyed, with just 4% of smartphone users going online with their devices. In fact, the overall number of smartphone owners using their phones to go online is low, at a median 26% in the 18 countries surveyed.

Why not more? Data plans in most countries can still be costly, and neither is 3G and 2G reception always reliable. Several of the issues Scott Karp put in his 2007 article, “Five Reasons Why The Mobile Web Sucks” are still around today, including the hidden costs of public WiFi access and slow wireless carrier networks.

Assuming wireless speeds and infrastructure improve, there should be a flood of people starting to access the internet through their smartphones over the next year or so in emerging markets. Smartphones are getting cheaper, with more than 50% of smartphones sold in 2017 set to cost less than $150, according to another recent study by research group Informa. Many smartphones that run on Google Android, like Samsung’s Galaxy range, start at $200. Yet even those price points have yet to capture the huge growth of smartphone users in emerging markets.

Hence why Chinese smartphone and tablet makers like ZTE are making cheaper smartphones, along with India’s Datawind, which claims its $40 Ubislate 7ci is the cheapest tablet in the world. Datawind aims to sell its tablet to students for $20. CEO Singh Tuli has said prices for most tablets will tank next year as factories in China ramp up production of cheaper LCD touch panels, which are used for tablet screens.

The bottom line: around five billion people in the world have a cell phone subscription, but only 2 billion people are connected to the Internet. Once they can get an affordable device and data plan, they’ll be online. too

Walt Disney Imagineers Explain How Technology Brings New Fantasyland Magic To Life

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida — Walt Disney Imagineers are like the rock stars of the Walt Disney Resorts. These technology wizards are responsible for bringing to life the magic that guests experience as they visit resorts and parks around the world. Their latest creations are on display at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The theme park just opened its new multimillion dollar Fantasyland, which is the largest expansion project in the Orlando park’s 41-year history.

Gone is the dated 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine ride and in its place a plethora of new attractions inspired by more recent animated classics like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. There’s also a reimagined Dumbo ride and circus experience. There are also two new castles and Goofy’s Barnstormer rollercoaster was remodeled.

The Imagineers behind these new rides, restaurants and experiences talk about the role new technology, especially tablets, have played in turning concepts into reality in the videos throughout this post.

Located just past Cinderella Castle, which is adorned in ice for the Christmas season, the new Fantasyland is divided into two areas — Storybook Circus, which is home to the expanded Dumbo experience, and Enchanted Forest, which features attractions featuring Disney Princesses Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

Disney has done something really cool with Dumbo. Anyone who’s visited any theme park has experience long lines. While things like FastPass definitely help guests schedule their rides throughout the day, lines are still part of the experience. The new Dumbo experience, which now features a pair of rides, has a giant Big Top next to it. But this tent isn’t just to keep guests shaded from the Florida sun. It’s an air-conditioned experience filled with interactive areas for kids and parents to play in until their pager goes off and they head straight for the ride. Walt Disney Imagineer David Minichiello talks about the new Dumbo attraction in the exclusive video interview.

Just next door to the Dumbo area, which also features a separate tent filled with delicious chocolates and other goodies, is the new ride that brings guests face-to-face with Ariel. Under the Sea — Journey of the Little Mermaid is what Disney Imagineers call a “dark ride,” which whisks families in clam shelled carts through the movie experience. Walt Disney Imagineer Chad Stachnik talks about the technology behind the new ride in the exclusive video interview.

Visitors will walk from one Oscar-nominated movie to another with Beauty and the Beast, located right next to The Little Mermaid. The new attraction here is Enchanted Tales With Belle, which is a walk-through experience that offers a magic mirror that transports guests from Belle’s cottage to the Beast’s castle. Once there, kids can interact with characters from the movie as they take part in a live action play featuring Belle.

The magic of Beauty and the Beast, which is one of my favorite Disney animated films, comes to life the moment you step into the castle of the Be My Guest restaurant. The huge main ballroom area features the ornately detailed painted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the a snowy landscape (complete with always-falling snow). The West Wing area is home to the shredded portrait of the prince and the rose with its falling pedals. And the East Wing room features a giant dancing Beauty and the Beast in the center of the room, which also has beautiful paintings adorning each of the walls.

Guests can eat in any of these themed areas during the day with a counter lunch. The restaurant switches to a sit-down dinner experience in the evening, which is a first for a Disney park. The food is straight out of the French countryside setting of the movie, and even includes the gray stuff (it’s delicious)

The great thing about the Disney parks is that they’re always evolving.This summer at Disneyland’s California Adventure, the Cars Land expansion opened to bring John Lasseter’s movie world to life with three new rides and a re-created Route 66 featuring shops and restaurants. The new Art of Animation Resort at Walt Disney World Resort features a Cars theme, which offers up some of the same Radiator Springs buildings (including Sarge’s Surplus Hut and the Cozy Cone Motel) and full-scale cars on the outside as the theme park in California. Inside, the suites’ walls and floors come to life with Mater, Lightning McQueen and other beloved characters from the movies.

Considering the success that Walt Disney Animation Studios is having with the video game homage, Wreck-It Ralph, one could see those characters becoming part of Disney rides and attractions down the line. Toy Story Midway Mania and Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin are great examples of computer-generated film franchises turning into interactive rides where you shoot aliens with laser guns. I can’t wait to see what the Disney Imagineers dream up next.

The World's Most Popular Kids Site Takes Its Games Mobile

Roblox has mixed news for parents who wring their hands over their children rotting away from video games: your little monsters never have to unplug now that they can keep playing the site’s games on their iPads and iPhones.

                  Roblox gamers can use an iPad to keep building and exploring--or just, you know, fight.

Some comfort, however, should come in the fact that Roblox, the top entertainment site for kids according to ComScore, doesn’t just go in for frenzied adrenaline jolts:  users customize avatars and can actually create their own games. Roblox founder and CEO David Baszucki, with a background in 3D simulation, developed the platform as a way for kids to self-create. His editing tool, Roblox Studio, allows users to build out 3D games using virtual blocks not so different in appearance from a structure in Lego or Minecraft. That’s not to say there’s no violence, though. Showing off the iPad app with a chaotic shooter game, Baszucki died twice in such rapid succession he could barely demonstrate the easy touch controls.

Fighting games are among the most popular on Roblox, but the simplicity of its engine means kids can go at each other without the gore of a console game like Call Of Duty. And with 9.6 million games overall, many of the 29 million hours of gaming each month come from non-shooting offerings such as “Live Rich and Famous!” or Risk-type strategy games. As FORBES’ Alex Knappwrote in January, the massive game library can teach computer science and structural design while getting kids’ feet wet in the world of e-commerce through Roblox’ dual virtual currencies.

The majority of that learning (and shooting) will remain on computers for now, as Baszucki admits that his core user base—young kids, especially boys between 8-14—trails older demographics in smartphone and tablet ownership. But Baszucki claims that 3 out of 10 Roblox users right now already have access to tablet devices through parents, gifts or hand-me-downs. The site itself presently has 30 million user accounts and 10 million monthly unique visitors, making it the top kids entertainment site according to comScore. That 30% thus would mean a tablet base already in the millions.

Roblox hopes this added connectivity boosts already strong growth for the year: the company says the equivalent of $5 million in its ‘Robux’ virtual currency, and Roblox will generate over $20 million in revenue for 2012. Roblox operates a freemium model; its premium club memberships suppress banner ads seen by free users while allowing the trade of more virtual items. Roblox also works with retailers like Lego for immersive ad campaigns that include special games and items alongside the typical banner ads.

Gamers will be able to sign up to download the iOS app for free. As Roblox determines how to monetize its app, Baszucki says the company may limit the game selection on iOS devices to a selection of its new and popular choices, charging a fee to reach the full long tail of the ecosystem.