Handango Announces 2009 Handango Champion Awards Winners

Handango, the world's leading provider of multi-platform smartphone apps, today announced its 2009 Handango Champion Award winners recognizing the most innovative and outstanding mobile apps and developers.  For the first time in the history of the Champion Awards, consumers were invited to participate in the selection process choosing favorite apps across different platforms and a multitude of categories including Developer of the Year, Best Business App, Best Social/Messaging App and 2009 Groundbreaker.
 
SPB Software led the Champion Awards this year, winning a grand total of six awards for apps developed on both the WindowsMobile and Symbian platforms. Another standout included EA Mobile, which dominated the best casual gaming category with SimCity and Bejeweled.
 
“This year, we wanted to give consumers the opportunity to vote for their favorite apps,” said Alex Bloom, CEO of Handango. “It is a great honor to recognize the leading developers in this space, as well as congratulate the masterminds behind some of the most creative, cutting-edge applications in this continuously evolving marketplace.”    
 
The winners of the 2009 Developer of the Year awards are:
·      EA Mobile (for Android)
·      e-Mobile Software Inc (for BlackBerry)
·      Lonely Cat Games (for Symbian)
·      SPB Software (for WinMo)
 
The winners of the 2009 App of the Year awards are:
·      SimCity Metropolis, EA Mobile (for Android)
·      TetherBerry, TetherBerry (for BlackBerry)
·      LCG Jukebox, Lonely Cat Games (for Symbian)
·      SPB Mobile Shell 3, SPB Software (for WinMo)
 
Innovative utility apps made a wide sweep across numerous categories.  These apps provide such relevant services as tracking children via a device’s GPS capabilities or facilitating theft recovery by leveraging GPS capabilities to locate a device.  Theft recovery apps also enable the ability to lock lost devices or remotely erase data from a device. Another GPS-powered utility app offers parental controls that disable SMS and email while a teen driver’s device is in motion. Other winning utility apps include social media and voice-enablement apps in addition to apps that easily connect laptops to wireless networks through users’ mobile devices.
 
Innovative Utility Apps
·      Mobile Pocket Finder
·      Roblock Blackberry Theft Recovery
·      sMobile Anti-theft
·      Textecution
·      TetherBerry
·      WalkingHotSpot
 
The 2009 Handango Champion Award winners are:
 
Android:
·      2009 Groundbreaker: MobilePocket, Finder, Location Based Services
·      Best Business App: Voice on the Go, Voice on the Go, Inc
·      Best Social / Messaging App: Storyz, Storyz Pty Ltd
·      Best Casual Game: SimCity Metropolis, EA Mobile
·      Best Action / Adventure Game: Samuria Puzzle Battle, Vivid Games
·      Best GPS / Map: Mobile Pocket Finder, Location Based Services
·      Best Travel / Entertainment App: The Weather Channel, The Weather Channel
·      Best Organization / Wellness App: Textecution, eLYK Innovation, Inc
·      Best Personalization App: Business Professional Ringtones, ExecTones
·      Best Phone Tool: sMobile Anti-theft, SMobile Systems

Blackberry:
·      2009 Groundbreaker: TetherBerry, TetherBerry
·      2009 Rookie Developer of the Year: Vlingo Corporation
·      Best Business App: TetherBerry, TetherBerry
·      Best Social App: Mundu Messenger, Geodesic Limited
·      Best Casual Game: Bejeweled, EA Mobile
·      Best Action / Adventure Game: Crazy Penguin Catapult, Digital Chocolate
·      Best GPS / Map: Garmin, Garmin International
·      Best Entertainment App: BerryTunes, VirtualViews.com
·      Best Health/Fitness App: Ascendo Fitness, Ascendo Inc.
·      Best Personal Organization App: e-Mobile Planner, e-Mobile Software Inc
·      Best E-mail/Messaging App: IM+, SHAPE Services GmbH
·      Best Weather App: MyCast Weather, Digital Cyclone, Inc
·      Best Personalization App: PhoneFace Photo Speed Dial, Electric Pocket
·      Best Phone Tool: Roblock BlackBerry Theft Recovery, Dexterous Infoway Pvt Ltd

Symbian:
·      2009 Groundbreaker: WalkingHotSpot, TapRoot Systems
·      2009 Rookie Developer of the Year: SPB Software
·      Best Business App: Worldmate, Worldmate
·      Best Social App: IM+, SHAPE Services GmbH
·      Best Casual Game: Micro Pool (206895), Botond FM Bt.
·      Best Action / Adventure Game: SkyForce Reloaded, Infinite Dreams
·      Best GPS / Map: Google Maps with Latitude, Google
·      Best Entertainment App: LCG Jukebox, Lonely Cat Games
·      Best Health/Fitness App: Diets, Mobile Systems
·      Best Personal Organization App: Safe Deposit Box, Melon (formerly WebGate JSC)
·      Best E-mail/Messaging App: Advanced Blocker, Melon (formerly WebGate JSC)
·      Best Weather App: Handy Weather, EPOCWARE
·      Best Personalization App: Handy Shell, EPOCWARE
·      Best Phone Tool: X-plore, Lonely Cat Games

Windows Mobile:
·      2009 Groundbreaker: WalkingHotSpot, TapRoot Systems
·      2009 Rookie Developer of the Year: Iconsoft.com
·      Best Business App: Voice on the Go, Voice on the Go, Inc
·      Best Social App: IM+ for Skype, SHAPE Services GmbH
·      Best Casual Game: SPB Brain Evolution, SPB Software
·      Best Action / Adventure Game: Resco Guardians, Resco.net
·      Best GPS / Map: Google Maps with Latitude, Google
·      Best Entertainment App: WunderRadio, Jeyo, Inc
·      Best Health/Fitness App: HealthFile Plus, WakefieldSoft, LLC
·      Best Personal Organization App: Pocket Informant, WebIS, Inc.
·      Best E-mail/Messaging App: Jeyo Mobile Extender, Jeyo, Inc
·      Best Weather App: SPB Weather, SPB Software
·      Best Personalization App: SPB Mobile Shell, SPB Software
·      Best Phone Tool: Resco Explorer, Resco.net

All nominees and winners are available on Handango.com and will be on sale through the end of the week. A list of all winners is available at: www.handango.com/content/Champion_Awards_Landing <http://www.handango.com/content/Champion_Awards_Landing>

About Handango
Handango is the leading provider of smartphone applications globally for the BlackBerry®, Palm®, Windows Mobile®, Symbian OS®, and Linux platforms. Leveraging its 140,000+ apps, network of 23,000+ content partners, and vast distribution network, Handango delivers top-selling mobile applications including games, business and entertainment apps and productivity tools to millions of consumers. Applications can be downloaded via www.handango.com <http://www.handango.com/> , partner Web sites, SD cards and Handango's proprietary on-device catalog, InHand, the industry's leading content delivery platform that allows consumers to purchase mobile apps directly from their smartphone and download them over the air. Handango's unparalleled content expertise has attracted numerous mobile industry partners including Microsoft, Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile, Alltel, AT&T, 3UK, LG, SoftBank, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Best Buy, The CarPhone Warehouse, CNET, and AOL. For more information, visit http://corp.handango.com <http://corp.handango.com/> <http://corp.handango.com/ <http://corp.handango.com/> > .
 
Handango is a registered trademark of Handango, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Subject to change without prior notice. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Subject to change without prior notice.