iWorld
Mobile gaming to rise in next two years
NEW DELHI: The mobile gaming market is likely to generate revenue of $28 billion by 2016 – a growth of over 38 per cent on the 2014 figure.
A report from Juniper Research issued on 18 June, ‘Mobile & Handheld Games: Discover, Monetise, Advertise 2014–2019’, found that rising disposable income levels accompanying increased smartphone adoption will spur increased in-game purchasing revenues across Latin American, Eastern European and Southeast Asian regions.
The Juniper website also stated that tablet users will spend more on in-game purchases and generate more revenues per device than smartphone users. The enhanced performance and graphical capabilities of tablet games is resulting in accelerated migration from traditional portable gaming devices.
The report also said the approach of the developers of these games had shifted from bulk acquisition to unique players, with the domination of casual gamers playing free-to-play games.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
