We may be seeing the Mighty Eagle in the Android versions of Angry Birds very soon thanks to Rovio’s announcement today that their Bad Piggy Bank is now ready for global use. The Bad Piggy Bank is Rovio’s mobile payment system for carrier billing which will allow players to purchase the Mighty Eagle, among other things, and bill it to their phone bill.
Elisa was the first carrier to implement the Bad Piggy Bank as a trial run out in Sweden. Since then it has been developed and tweaked and according to Rovio, it is now ready for global use. It won’t just be for Angry Birds though as other developers will be able to implement the Bad Piggy Bank into their games to offer in-game purchases.
Google recently announced that in-app purchases would be supported with the availability of an SDK in the very near future. This should not overly hurt the success of the Bad Piggy Bank though. The Bad Piggy Bank will also feature a fixed revenue share, meaning, it’ll be the same for any developer who wishes to use this payment system regardless of location.
So we could be seeing the Bad Piggy Bank very soon and one of the first items that will be available for purchase will be the Mighty Eagle. You’ll only have to buy it once but it will come with a cooldown. The Mighty Eagle will completely destroy whatever level you are stuck on, giving you a 3 star rating on it. Other possible purchases may include the ability to remove ads.
Developer Website: Rovio
Rovio Connects With Mobile Operators To Deliver Outstanding User Experience And Service
Barcelona, Spain / Espoo, Finland – February 14, 2011
Bad Piggy Bank, the mobile payment system announced by Rovio in collaboration with Fortumo in December 2010, is now ready for integration with mobile carriers globally. The first carrier to integrate Bad Piggy Bank successfully is Elisa, the largest network operator in Finland.
In addition to improved convenience in mobile payments, Rovio has teamed up with Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs to optimize the network usage of mobile applications and improve battery life on all smartphones. Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs will help Rovio deliver the best possible service from both the consumer and mobile carrier point of view.
Bad Piggy Bank brings a new level of convenience to mobile payments
Bad Piggy Bank is a system for carrier billing that provides the consumers with a straightforward, hassle-free purchase experience – no registration or credit card required. All purchases made via Bad Piggy Bank will be charged through the customer’s mobile plan invoice.
Bad Piggy Bank will be available for all carriers worldwide with a fixed revenue share model for mobile application purchases. Elisa is the first carrier in the world that will be offering this model in the current application market, and make in-app purchases more practical for developers, operators and consumers alike. Bad Piggy Bank is powered by Fortumo mobile payments.
In addition to Rovio applications, other leading mobile developers are planning to integrate Bad Piggy Bank in their products.
Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs helps Rovio focus on mobile users and carriers
Rovio has entered into collaboration with Nokia Siemens Networks to ensure that Angry Birds is network friendly. When the game is connecting over the network, downloading new levels, uploading scores, etc., it’s important that the game uses network resources wisely.
Testing future versions of the game in the Nokia Siemens Networks Smart Labs gives Rovio insight about how the game performs in the network, and how it can be optimized to generate a minimal load on the network while simultaneously providing the best possible user experience.
Optimizing the way an application connects over the network and minimizing the amount of data sent, means that the users’ data plans are not consumed unnecessarily. Additionally, reducing any unnecessary network activity ensures optimal life of the device battery.
About Rovio
Rovio is an award-winning Finnish game developer, and one of the leading independent developers of mobile games worldwide. Since 2003, Rovio has produced over 50 titles for multiple different mobile platforms. To visit Rovio, go to rovio.com.
About Fortumo
Fortumo is an innovative mobile payments provider, allowing app and game developers to monetize their users through carrier billing in more than 50 countries. Fortumo is the only global mobile payment platform with instant service activation, making it suitable for big and small developers alike. More info at http://fortumo.com
About Nokia Siemens Networks
Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland.
www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com
