New #1 download on PocketGear: a surprise!

[The PocketTV Team]

Pocket Islam (http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=9777) (a free Koran) now beats PocketTV with 595,339 downloads on PocketGear:

Click here to see the Top 10 downloads on PocketGear.com (http://www.pocketgear.com/software_browse.asp?top=10&type=freeapps)

Amazing!

PocketTV was #1 download on PocketGear for 5 years, now it's #2...

Last time we checked, a couple of weeks ago, Pocket Islam was only at 186,000 downloads:

http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91694&highlight=Pocket+Islam

Apparently it has become by far the most popular Pocket PC application for the last couple of weeks, if those download numbers are correct.

The explanation could be that Pocket PC devices are now becoming very popular in the Arabic peninsula (and in the Arab world in general).

[maximus]

Or perhaps because this month is a holy month for our moslem friends. They are currently in the fasting period, a period when everyone is strongly suggested to read the Quran, Hadish, etc. Seems like the application also has islamic calendar and prayer schedule. Nifty.

On the brighthand thread linked on your post above, you mentioned that the mods should lock the thread you started there (on the same topic with this thread), because you dont want to open a can of worm. Just curious, why did you decide to open another can of worm in this forum ?

[Thinkingmandavid]

good question maximus :!:
i wonder if those are correct numbers, i downloaded pockettv but have never used it. watching commercials is ok, but i would rather see "The transporter on my pc:)

[JustinGTP]

No wonder all the Lebinons where I work are crabby :wink: Just joking, I know that they are on fast, from Sunrise to Sunset for a month they are not allowed to eat... but then eat a lot after anyways, its a religious thing.

But its not Comparable to Pocket TV because its not the same type of Program - it doesnt play movies, so PTV are still in #1 postition because its the best player out there, for Mpeg anyways.

-Justin.

[PetiteFlower]

I don't see a can of worms here but aren't the posters on Brighthand a little less....mature, should we say?...then the posters here?

Good theory about the jump in downloads though, I bet most of the people here wouldn't have been aware of the Islamic calender otherwise :)

If that's true, then maybe Pocket TV will come back in a few months, if this was a one time spike in Pocket Islam's downloads :)

[The PocketTV Team]

Just curious, why did you decide to open another can of worm in this forum ?
I don't think it's a can of worms. I think it is sad that some people still consider this subject (i.e. this religion) to be a can of worm. And I was really surprised to see this application get the #1 position.

Yes, Ramadan could be the explanation, but I suspect that the real reason is the one I mention.

[The PocketTV Team]

Got this message from PocketGear:


They faked the number of downloads. I have taken care of that!

Regards,

Slawek Pruchnik
Member, PocketGear.com LLC


Case closed!

[Janak Parekh]

I don't see a can of worms here but aren't the posters on Brighthand a little less....mature, should we say?...then the posters here?
I don't think our mods would have let it get that far. ;)

--janak

[The PocketTV Team]

good question maximus :!:
i wonder if those are correct numbers, i downloaded pockettv but have never used it. watching commercials is ok, but i would rather see "The transporter on my pc:)
Correct, but we know how many people have registered PocketTV. If you just download it, try it and don't use it anymore, then you probably won't register it. People who registered it did use it, at least a bit.

The number of registered users was more than 600,000 last time I looked. That's about half of the number of downloads from handango and pocketgear (those downloads include people who download upgrades).

[Thinkingmandavid]

Ihave registered mine, I have a few commercials that I watch, but wanted to get more into movies.
In fact, this morning I was at the website checking stuff out.

[alhamadi]

Got this message from PocketGear:


They faked the number of downloads. I have taken care of that!

Regards,

Slawek Pruchnik
Member, PocketGear.com LLC


Case closed!

This is a reply from the owner of Pocket Islam justifying his case and I believe he is correct as some western people especially American thing that Islam only the region of Arab World, like one person saying in the brighthand's threads that pocke pc is not poplular in the Arab world because he was in Egypt and they don't know naything about (ofcourse it is not as egypt is poor country, but go to the gulf countries like KSA and UAE and check), There over one billion muslim world wide and some non arabic but muslim has muslim more than all arabic countries combined, as example Indeneosia, Malyzia and even India.
Any way read his quote which was posted in CE4ARAB.COM
"Pocket Islam was released June 2003 and in August 15, 2003 the number of downloads were 186,380 downloads

On October 8, 2003 the number of downloads were 278,345 downloads.

On October 9, 2003, we released version 2-32 and Ramadan was the main reason for the extra downloads. Also, do you think you are the only one with PPC in the Arab world downloading this program? Many, many ere in the USA, Canada, and the Far East are downloading the software
A formal complaint has been files against this act and we are waiting for the response

For the brother that said that Pocketgear had reset the counter to 10,800+, that was because of the havey complainets not from our Arabs, but from Indonesia and the USA and other countries.

LAST, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WE FOUND OUT WHY WE WERE THE TARGET. OUR SOFTWARE IS FREE AND OTHERS HAD COMPLAINED FOR DROPPING THEIR SALES, WHICH MADE THIS ISSUE COME TO LIGHT FROM A PERSON FROM WITHIN POCKETGEAR OWN TEAM.
I hope that would explain some of this issue, and the prother that said 10,800+ downloads jumped to 250,000 downloads during Ramadan, I ask you to be more open minded and see how many people pray Salat Al Fajr or Isha during Non Ramadan days and compare it to Ramadan, not only in Makkah, but in Dubai, Abu Dahbi, KSA, and, and, and allover the world. THIS IS MY ANSWER TO YOU

[The PocketTV Team]

> LAST, FOR YOUR INFORMATION, WE FOUND OUT WHY WE WERE THE TARGET. OUR SOFTWARE IS FREE AND OTHERS HAD COMPLAINED FOR DROPPING THEIR SALES, WHICH MADE THIS ISSUE COME TO LIGHT FROM A PERSON FROM WITHIN POCKETGEAR OWN TEAM.

In fact we discovered the surprising download numbers of your free application (not PocketGear). Contrary to what you suggest, PocketGear has no problems with popular free applications. Look at PocketTV, which is still probably the most popular freeware for Pocket PC (if you combine all downloads from various sites). It is still listed by PocketGear. If PocketGear had problem with free applications, they would not have a "Top 10 free apps" link!

So are you saying that, contrary to what Slawek Pruchnik (PocketGear) said after auditing your downloads, there was no abuse of the PocketGear system (i.e. no fake downloads) ?

If so, then you should contact PocketGear and ask Slawek to restore your download counter to its correct value.

I know that PocketGear is capable of logging/tracing the source of each download, so they can tell if someone (maybe not you) is issuying numerous (fake) download requests from the same IP address. Abusing the system this way is not new. It's a classic way to gain visibility and to appear in the "top-ten list".

Maybe someone else (not you) abused the PocketGear server ?

Or maybe Slawek was wrong and your download numbers were correct ?

[alhamadi]

The problem is not from resetting the counter, but from the remark of calling all muslims are cheaters such prejudice and unethical statement make a big issue. Your right, somebody else could have done as it is classical way which means so many people doing it whether muslim, christian, jews or else. Does this give the right for some one generelize and call one billion muslims cheater. You have read the post on Brighthand and what some people were making fun off.
Read the auther post on CE4ARAB.COM. He got this information from insider and was not formal.
الكاتب The Doctor السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته



Last week, Pocketgear.com had reset the downloads numbers for Pocket Islam version 2.0 to ZERO after 600,000 downloads... They said that there is NO way such a program will have such many users. When we contacted Pocketgear, they said that you MUSLIMS are cheaters and there is no way a program like this would have such excellent downloads. They decided, after our complain to put Pocket Islam under a program called SEXUAL POSITION. We, and all other Muslims are very upset with this act. I complained again about the action and the reply I got is that Islam is not the RIGHT religion and all users of this progran are cheater and someone had changed the counter at their site.

To avoid this attack on Islam and a software that made many people (our cousins) to be so hateful of this peaceful religion, Bassam and I are working on moving the program to SmartNetWireless for downloads. Matter a fact, you can start the download from this site now and we will advice ALL Muslims and other great people Non-Muslims to act accordinly, because this act is UNETHICAL.

We need your help in starting a poll to find out how many brothers are using PocketIslam or downloaded the software. I do not know how to start a poll, could any brother help us please, Wa Salam

[The PocketTV Team]

> The Doctor wrote: When we contacted Pocketgear, they said that you MUSLIMS are cheaters [...] Islam is not the RIGHT religion and all users of this progran are cheater.

That's just an allegation. Can this person provide an email from PocketGear that would contain this exact wording ? Short of that, anyone can make up this sort of allegations.

I know some of the people at PocketGear personally, they are very professional and I doubt very much they would have ever said something like that to anyone. Yes, it would be unethical. Just like it would be unethical for anyone to cheat with download counters, it that did happen.

The fact that the free program called SEXUAL POSITION has almost 200,000 download is not surprising. I have seen this program on PocketGear for a long time, and it has accumulated many downloads over the years.

> We need your help in starting a poll to find out how many brothers are using PocketIslam or downloaded the software.

The best way to know how many people use a program, even a FREE program, is to require a registration on-line. That's what we do with PocketTV. This way we have an accurate and verifiable number of users. Why don't you do that with your application ? Registration can be very simple, it can be a simple form to fill-up on your website, and most people who have a Pocket PC have access to the web. Registration can be completely anonymous.

I would like to know if PocketGear has re-audited your downloads and if they found they were manipulated or genuine. If they are found to be genuine, then they should restore your download counters. If they were manipulated, they should explain exactly how they determined that.

I agree with you, cheating has nothing to do with religion, anyone can cheat, but some people probably felt that cheating to promote a religion (if someone did cheat) would be *particularly* unethical!

Why don't you put your application on Handango too ? They have many religious titles, and they accept listing free software.