Wondering who has the best wireless industry IQ? On Oct. 17 we unveiled our 2011 FierceWireless Ultimate Industry Quiz and promised that the first person to answer all the questions correctly would win a $50 gift card from Amazon. I'm happy to announce that out of hundreds of quiz takers, Pablo Alvarado was the first to answer all the questions correctly. Congratulations to Pablo and thanks to everyone who participated in the challenge.
In between our coverage of 4G World with Sprint's announcement of plans to deploy LTE-Advanced in 2013 and Nokia World with Nokia's unveiling of its first Windows Mobile devices, you might have missed some of the thought-provoking features that the Fierce team brought to you this week. Here's a rundown of the top features of the week.
- Mobile apps will remain a universal obsession only as long as they continue to captivate, surprise and entertain consumers. Fortunately, the app ecosystem shows no signs of slowing up: Innovative and immersive mobile experiences are entering app stores every day. In this feature, FierceMobileContent spotlighted the best mobile apps of October.
- Former paging executive Roger Linquist, the chairman and CEO of MetroPCS (NYSE:PCS), has seen a lot of trends come and go in the wireless industry. But he feels strongly on his company's decision to leapfrog 3G data and go directly to deploying LTE. Read my interview with Linquist here.
- The name of the game these days is growing network capacity by upgrading to faster data technology. HSPA+ has been successfully bumping up data speeds and giving W-CDMA-based mobile operators more capacity to work with--even as they deploy LTE networks. But for CDMA, moving beyond today's 1xEV-DO Rev. A networks isn't as clear cut. This FierceBroadbandWireless feature delves into the various options CDMA operators have to enhance voice and data coverage.
- Just in time for Halloween, The PlayForge mobile gaming startup just released Zombie Life, the much-anticipated sequel to its tongue-in-cheek iOS blockbuster Zombie Farm. Launched on Oct. 13, Zombie Life topped the App Store's Free Apps countdown days later, also serving its one millionth session within its first 40 hours of release. Founder and CEO Vince McDonnell talks with FierceDeveloper about his transition from console gaming to mobile and building a business around freemium downloads.
I hope you enjoy all our coverage. Look for more creative and interesting content from the Fierce editorial team. I'll be bringing you news from the Open Mobile Summit in San Francisco next week. --Sue