Microsoft Corp.?s Bing is sponsoring the free lite version of the Snowboard Hero mobile game to raise awareness of its own mobile applications and drive downloads.

Just released for Apple?s iPhone and iPod touch in the App Store, the snowboard game was the No. 3 Java mobile game of 2008, according to developer Fishlabs Entertainment. The game, which has been optimized for Apple touch-screen devices, features Bing branding and click-to-download in-application advertising.

?Over the past year the Bing team has been partnering with a number of companies on various apps for the iPhone, including the recent Snowboard Hero by Bing,? said Wibe Wagemans, head of global marketing for Bing at Microsoft, Redmond, WA. ?Sponsoring apps is another innovative way to introduce Bing to mobile customers, encourage downloads of the Bing app and do it in a way that is fun and engaging.

?Accordingly, a snowboard game is targeted to a young, active user group of both genders, but it also targets gamers from teens to mid-forties due to its high production quality,? he said. ?The game starts very casual and gets more challenging as the game progresses, appealing to casual but also core gamers.?

The updated Bing for Mobile search application for iPhone and Android delivers new mobile-friendly features, including integration of OpenTable and Grubhub.

Now when users search for and find their restaurant of choice using terms such as ?California Pizza Kitchen? or ?Chinese,? they can reserve a table on OpenTable or order takeout from Grubhub without leaving the Bing for Mobile application.

Additionally, Bing for Mobile is offering street-level imagery, check-in functionality and real-time public transit information in certain markets such as San Francisco.

Mobile hero
Snowboard Hero by Bing was announced through Fishlabs? established media partners in the mobile gaming and iPhone press, as well as Fishlabs? Facebook and Twitter accounts and in its online forums.

Microsoft will promote the game through advertising on major networks.

Snowboard Hero by Bing prompts customers to install the free Bing iPhone application at the main menu of the game.

The game also features online queries using Bing for Snow Weather Reports, Snowboarding Travel, Snowboarding Events and Best Snowboarding Locations within the game.

Bing is sponsoring other recently launched games and applications such as the Power Boat Challenge by Bing for the iPhone and the Holidays 100 by Bing application for Android.

The Snowboard Hero game has revised graphics and sound optimized for the iPhone and iPod touch, expanded courses, additional characters and new tricks.

Features of the lite version Snowboard Hero by Bing for the United States market include:

? Two playable characters

? One rival

? Two pistes featuring four courses

? Five disciplines: time trial, freestyle, slalom, race, gate-time bonus

? Five combination disciplines, including speedrun-slalom and race-speedrun-freestyle

? Visual customization of characters with different pants, jackets, and boards

? Modifiable characteristics: agility, speed, boost and jumps can be improved by new boards

? Four special tricks can be unlocked for each character

? A total of 20 events, five events are ridden for each run

The lite version of Snowboard Hero by Bing is currently only available on the iPhone and iPod touch, but originally Snowboard Hero was created for feature phones running Java back in 2008.

The full version of the game will be priced at $6.99 and will support iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in one universal build.

?The game has been beefed-up to console-style audio and graphics for iPhone and more smartphone platforms to be announced in 2011,? said Michael Schade, CEO of Fishlabs Entertainment, Hamburg, Germany.

Final Take
Stefan Weitz, director of product planning for Bing at Microsoft, Redmond, WA

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