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January 2nd, 2010, 14:29 Posted By: wraggster
For those fans of Apple's Boot Camp package, it looks like you might be waiting on the next 'end of year' to use Windows 7 on your shiny silver boxes. Back in October of this year, Apple published a rather short, but affirmative promise stating quite simply that, 'Apple will support Microsoft Windows 7 (Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate) with Boot Camp in Mac OS X Snow Leopard before the end of the year. This support will require a software update to Boot Camp.' The support page has no updates regarding the new version. Maybe they're waiting for iSlate?
http://news.slashdot.org/story/10/01...es-Into-Effect
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January 4th, 2010, 20:23 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft could be planning to bring Xbox Live gaming to Windows Mobile phones, as implied by a range of job adverts.
The company is seeking a principal program manager, software test engineer and senior software test engineer who can bring "Xbox Live enabled games to Windows Mobile", reports The Telegraph.
In particular, the focus will be on avatar integration, social interactions and multiscreen experiences, according to the ads.
Microsoft's Live Anywhere gaming initiative currently allows gamers to use their Xbox and PC accounts across both platforms as well as use Microsoft Points, but Windows Mobile has, so far, not been included in the service.
Last year Microsoft's Shane Kim spoke about Live Anywhere saying the company hadn't forgotten about the portable online market.
"We've chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we're building a service in Live that will extend to other platforms. No question about it," he said.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...windows-mobile
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January 4th, 2010, 20:31 Posted By: wraggster
The iPhone version of Plants vs. Zombies is due for a release later this month.
That's according to a posting on the PopCap Games Facebook page, which simply reads: "Look out for it in January 2010".
PopCap's take on the tower defence genre was released for PC last year and was a big hit. It scored 9/10 on Eurogamer and also made it into our games of 2009 feature.
The iPhone version was due to launch at the end of last year so it's good to know we won't have too long to wait. There's still no sign of the rumoured Xbox Live version, though.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/pl...one-this-month
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January 4th, 2010, 20:32 Posted By: wraggster
In a New Year message on his blog (via VG247), Hironobu Sakaguchi, head of Japanese RPG studio Mistwalker, has promised two new games for 2010: a "blockbuster" and an iPhone game.
"2010 is the year of my long-awaited new blockbuster project," he said. "I'm putting my heart and soul into this production. I'm taking a full swing and making this the best project.
"Oh, by the way, We are also working on a project for iPhone. This should be released soon as well."
Mistwalker was founded by Final Fantasy creator Sakaguchi after his departure from Square with financial backing from Microsoft. Its major releases, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, have been exclusive to Xbox 360, although it has worked on a number of DS games as well.
Blue Dragon earned a 5/10 from us at review, and Lost Odyssey an 8, so here's hoping Mistwalker's upward trend continues.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/tw...walker-in-2010
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January 4th, 2010, 20:40 Posted By: wraggster
According John Paczkowski over at All Things D, Apple is planning a "major product announcement" for Wednesday, January 27th -- not the 26th as we've heard in previous reports. Additionally, the French site Mac4Ever says developers have been given a beta of the iPhone OS 4 SDK which includes a "simulator" for reformatting / scaling applications to a new, tablet-sized screens. Here at Engadget, we can confirm that sources very familiar with the situation over in Cupertino have been given info about a tablet heading for launch at the end of January, which will -- in fact -- require reformatting and resizing for (we assume)... yep, its new screen size and resolution. As far as details, they're pretty scarce right now, but you can probably begin preliminary salivating and / or player hatin' as it relates to new Apple hardware. We'll have more info as it becomes available, but for now, stay tuned.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/m...s-already-wor/
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January 5th, 2010, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster
WebOS developers have been waiting, and with the 1.3.5 release, Palm's open source page suddenly listed SDL. Members of the WebOS internals team took that as a challenge and within 24 hours had a working port of Doom running in SDL on the Pre, in a webOS card. 48 hours later, they not only had Quake running, but had found in the latest LunaSysMgr the requirements to launch a native app from the webOS app launcher from an icon just like any other app. At the same time, the team demonstrated openGL apps running. With full native code support, with I/O available via SDL, developers now have a preview into Palm's future intent with regard to native code SDK's, and a hint of what's coming.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...-Native-Gaming
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January 5th, 2010, 22:00 Posted By: wraggster
More than three billion apps have now been downloaded from the App Store, according to new figures from Apple.
The massive numbers achieved since the store's launch just under 18 months ago will be tough for rivals to catch up with, said Apple's CEO Steve Jobs.
"Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months - this is like nothing we've ever seen before," said Jobs. "The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."
The store reached the two billion downloads mark in September last year, and in November the number of apps available had hit 100,000.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...lion-downloads
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January 5th, 2010, 22:11 Posted By: wraggster
Parallel launches expected for Ireland, Germany and Spain
Palm is aiming to launch a UK version of its App Catalogue in March following the success of its US site, which went live in December.
According to Mobile News, the launch will be concurrent with the opening of online stores in Germany, Ireland and Spain.
Palm is hoping to build a developer community around the brand, with its web OS developer e-commerce programme, which sees interested parties able to pay an annual fee of $99 for support and promotion for their apps.
In the United States, the programme and its developer community have generated over 600 apps within two months.
“Our programme will be unlike anything currently available and has been established to promote a thriving community by giving developers direct involvement in their own success,” stated Palm’s senior vice president of product marketing Katie Mitic.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/32946...it-UK-in-March
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January 5th, 2010, 22:18 Posted By: wraggster
Google has unveiled an own-brand smartphone called the Nexus One.
The wraps were taken off the handset at an invitation-only event held at Google's Mountain View HQ.
The Nexus One is a slim, touchscreen phone built in partnership with Taiwanese manufacturer HTC and runs Google's Android operating system.
It will be sold via Google's website and initially be available on T-mobile in America followed by Vodafone in Europe and Verizon in the US.
Direct from Google it will cost $529 (Ł331) and on contract with T-Mobile $179 (Ł112). Google said the phone would ship from launch day.
Mario Queiroz, Google vice president for product management, described the unveiling as "the next stage in the evolution of Android".
Mr Queiroz said there were now more than 20 Android phones available from 59 carriers in 48 nations.
The release of the Nexus One is seen as a move to ensure Google remains relevant as people search the web using mobile phones rather than typing queries into a PC.
Google makes the lion's share of its revenue by selling adverts linked to those queries.
NEXUS ONE HANDSET
3.7 inch touchscreen
1GHz snapdragon processor
5 Megapixel camera with LED flash
GPS and compass
Accelerometer
Noise cancellation technology
Voice recognition can be used with all applications
Light sensor changes screen brightness to conserve power
512MB Flash memory with SD card slot (expandable to 32GB)
At the briefing, Google said the Nexus was "a point of convergence where the web meets phone and is an example of what is possible on mobile through Android."
"You will see it pushes the limits of what is possible on a mobile phone today," said Peter Chou, HTC chief executive.
Google has set up its own phone portal through which people can get a handset tied to one of several mobile operators or untethered direct from the search firm.
Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said this could be its main selling point as it would mean owners could decide which network to sign up with.
"You buy the phone and then choose what sim card you want to put in," she said.
Those buying an unlocked phone would be able to use it as a GSM phone on almost any network.
A spokesperson for Vodafone told BBC News that it was the first operator to "bring the Google phone to the UK" but stressed that it was a "non-exclusive agreement", meaning other networks could also offer the phone soon.
He said it would be available "in the coming weeks" but only from Google's website.
Figures from Gartner suggest that Android has about a 3.5% share of the global smartphone market. By comparison Nokia has a 39% share and Apple 17%.
It emerged on 5 January that Google sent out Nexus One phones to some industry figures in mid-December so they can try them out. Recipients were asked to keep quiet about their experiences until 5 January.
"The Google phone isn't much different than the iPhone," wrote VC Fred Wilson from Union Square Ventures on his blog. "It's basically an Android clone of the iPhone."
Google also announced on 5 January a plan to launch "pay to call" adverts that would appear on mobile phones. These would work in a similar way to the "pay to click" adverts that populate many websites and which form a significant chunk of Google's revenue.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8442205.stm
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January 5th, 2010, 22:35 Posted By: wraggster
South Korea, China, Brazil, parts of Europe, and Japan have been watching television on their phones for free since 2005, but American mobile carriers are struggling to offer clunky streaming video using Qualcomm's proprietary MediaFLO system for an additional monthly fee and excessive bandwidth demands. Now, with America having gone digital in June, if Mobile carriers were to have ATSC M/H (advanced television systems committee — mobile/handheld) television-tuner chips built into their handsets it sounds like we could enjoy free TV on our cell phones too; however, these companies have already invested a great deal of money adapting their networks to Qualcomm's format and Qualcomm is considering becoming a mobile television distributor itself.
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...nes-In-America
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January 5th, 2010, 23:17 Posted By: wraggster
We already knew the Nexus One would come baked to a crispy golden brown with a new cut of Android, and we've now heard several mentions of it on-stage at Google's official reveal: Android 2.1 is the real deal. HTC chief Peter Chou has specifically mentioned its 3D capabilities -- something we've seen in the new Gallery app -- but we're looking forward to seeing if El Goog's got any extra tricks up its sleeve here. For what it's worth, dev documentation for 2.1 isn't yet online, but we're keeping an eye out.
Update: Notably, they're saying 2.1 is an extension of Eclair -- no Flan here, as far as we can tell. They've gone through the new integrated weather and news apps, live wallpapers, a 3D framework accessible by devs (thank goodness), and speech-to-text input.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/05/a...the-nexus-one/
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January 6th, 2010, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster
Mobile games firm Gameloft has announced that it has sold more than 10 million games through Apple's App Store since its launch in July 2008.
'Sold' is the key word - that's 10 million paid downloads, in contrast to the many publishers who've announced multi-million iPhone milestones bundling paid and free together.
Gameloft says it enjoyed a merry App Store Christmas thanks to Q4 releases like N.O.V.A. and James Cameron's Avatar - both of which were prominent in Apple's Top Grossing charts over the festive period.
"We have had a remarkable year on the App Store," says chairman and CEO Michel Guillemot (pictured). "Our success is defined not only by great production values, but a vested interest in bringing to market games that are commercially friendly and appeal to a mass consumer base."
Gameloft launched 35 games for iPhone in 2009, taking its overall total to 55. However, it has also faced criticism for the perceived lack of originality of its flagship titles.
N.O.V.A. has been widely compared to console game Halo, for example, while it has also released games clearly inspired by Diablo (Dungeon Hunter), Call Of Duty (Modern Combat Sandstorm) and Soul Calibur (Blades Of Fury).
Still, it seems consumers don't care. Gameloft took a calculated risk by investing heavily in rich, 3D iPhone games from the earliest days of the App Store - a strategy which is now paying off for the publisher.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35549...game-downloads
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January 6th, 2010, 23:44 Posted By: wraggster
Parrot has unveiled a remote-controlled helicopter that boasts augmented reality games. The helicopter is controlled using an iPhone or iPod Touch's accelerometer and touchscreen. There's a camera on the front of the helicopter, which you can use to navigate and to play augmented reality games, including a game that involves fighting a gigantic robot
http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...-With-AR-Games
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January 7th, 2010, 23:14 Posted By: wraggster
Aw, snap! If you thought Apple was the only player in town who could convince gamine execs to walk on stage at and partner up, think again. Palm just announced that a PDK (plugin developer kit) would be loosed at the Game Developers Conference in March, and that'll enable coders to get their own games onto webOS. In the meanwhile (meaning today), Palm users will be able to sink their teeth into Need for Speed and and Sims 3 (among other titles) thanks to a partnership with EA Mobile. We're told that "lots" of games will be available in the App Catalog starting today, and the demo shown during the press event was remarkably lag-free. Another neat bit is the ability for games to integrate seamlessly in webOS, so any new texts you receive can be spotted while the game is playing, and if you switch cards to respond, the game just pauses until you return.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/07/p...ming-on-webos/
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January 8th, 2010, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Powermat used CES 2010 to showcase its wireless charging product called – funnily enough – the Powermat.
The device uses wireless power transfer technology to charge any device that is laid on top of the mat, including phones, games devices, games controllers and music players among others.
The system combines an ultra-thin mat, which contains the magnetic induction array that transfers power, and a receiver that attaches to each device. Customer receivers are available for the iPhone, iPod, Nintendo DS and Blackberry devices, while other devices can be charged with the standard Powercube receiver.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35581...eless-charging
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January 9th, 2010, 18:20 Posted By: wraggster
If there's one problem with Motorola's Droid it's that the battery life is just too long. We can almost make it through an entire day without a recharge and really, who wants that? Thank goodness there's a hack to enable an extra 50MHz boost, bumping the Droid up to a full 600 and, according to at least one user, significantly decreasing stability in the process. We'll go ahead and skip that one, but on the more alluring side there's a new add-on to the (already rooted) Nexus One that enables wired or wireless tethering. It's not a full ROM but does entail a kernel update, and as always these things can go horribly wrong if you don't know what you're doing. Not sure if you know what you're doing? Chances are you have your answer.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/d...android-hacke/
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January 9th, 2010, 18:24 Posted By: wraggster
Attention iPhone owners that have been praying for a physical keyboard forever: your prayers have been answers... kind of. Ion Audio has debuted its iType iPhone keyboard at CES, and we can confirm that it does indeed work as advertised. Once you pop your iPhone or iPod touch into the dock at the top of the board, you're free to type away to your heart's content -- if you're in the iType app, of course. Unfortunately, because of the closed nature of most of the iPhone platform, you can't just start typing in any iPhone app; you have to type in the iType app and then copy and paste to the app you want. It's surely an annoyance, but if you're sick of the soft keyboard and need some relief, it's your best option for now.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/08/i...phone-but-the/
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January 9th, 2010, 18:35 Posted By: wraggster
For a while last night and today, there were two ways to check out Assassin's Creed II: Discovery before its official release on the iPhone App Store:
Have a Nintendo DS
Download the early version that somehow made it to the App Store before the official release date
The mistakenly-listed game has since been removed, with Ubisoft reps telling Touch Arcade that it not only was it an early release of Discovery, but it wasn't the final build, and thus may have had some bugs that will be ironed out by release. It was also incorrectly priced at $11.99. Just a big old whoops all around.
Even if you didn't manage to snag a copy of the game, Touch Arcade did, and the site courteously recorded some footage for us all. You can see that after the break.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/08/as...then-taken-ou/
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January 9th, 2010, 18:36 Posted By: wraggster
It would appear our favorite little Runner, Faith, has hit a bit of a wall. IGN reports her iPhone outing has been pushed back from its previous January release window to a much more vague "early 2010." We're bummed, but hey, it's better than EA forgetting about the Mirror's Edge franchise entirely -- a real and entirely horrible possibility, we might add.
IGN says this delay is to add some content and polish to the experience, which we're all for. We've sent along our own courier to EA for comment. Cross your fingers the Blues don't nab her first.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/08/mi...-2010-release/
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January 11th, 2010, 18:36 Posted By: wraggster
Google is being inundated with complaints about its Nexus One phone.
The touchscreen smartphone was launched on 5 January and can be bought directly from Google and used on almost any phone network.
But confusion over who should answer customer queries has led many to file complaints on support forums.
Many people are unhappy with Google only responding to questions by e-mail and are calling for it to set up phone-based support.
Phone frustration
Americans can buy the Nexus One directly from Google for $529 (Ł331) or on a contract with T-Mobile for $179 (Ł112). In the UK the phone will be available via Vodafone but prices and launch dates have yet to be released.
The support forums that Google has set up for the Nexus One are filling up with complaints from many of the first to buy the phone who need help.
...we're committed to sorting out the few kinks that do exist
Google spokesman
The top query, with more than 500 responses, is about how much people should pay for the phone and whether existing customers of T-Mobile can get the device at a reduced rate. Only new customers of T-Mobile will be able to pay $179.
Many are also trying to get more information about the phone they have placed an order for to see how long it will take to reach them.
Almost 500 people have logged problems with the Nexus One's support for 3G wireless networks. Others reported bugs when synchronising contacts or getting the handset to work with existing Google accounts.
Many are also complaining about the amount of time that it takes Google to respond to queries. Google said it would answer problems via e-mail though any response may take a day or two to arrive.
Frustrations were also reported by those that had turned to either T-Mobile or HTC for help and had been bounced back and forth between the handset maker and the mobile operator. Conflicting information about the phone, particularly if it supports 3G, is being given by Google's partners.
A common sentiment on the support forum was that for the $500 people have paid for the phone they should be able to call a dedicated help line.
"Right now it's a big mess," said KseniaCoffman on the forum.
Google has answered a handful of the questions posted on the query but so far the vast majority lack a response from the search firm.
"We've worked closely with our Nexus One launch partners to make support available through a variety of channels," said a spokesman for Google. "This is a new way to purchase and support a mobile phone, and we're committed to sorting out the few kinks that do exist."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8451473.stm
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January 11th, 2010, 18:41 Posted By: wraggster
Another day, another fresh batch of rumours about Apple's tablet, which may or may not be codenamed or actually named iSlate.
We'll start with the biggie: seeming confirmation from Stephane Richard of France Telecom / Orange that the tablet is on its way.
Well, confirmation of a sort: all he says is 'yes' twice when asked by a TV journalist about an Apple tablet coming soon, with a webcam. And then 'of course!' when asked if Orange customers will be able to use it.
Meanwhile, an article on tablets in the New York Times offers up some new rumours about Apples, quoting a former Apple designer as saying a team at the company has "spent the past couple of years working on a multitouch version of iWork".
That'd be right: a keyboardless device with an office suite. The article also speculates on the likely multi-touch interface, quoting another anonymous source as saying "three fingers down and rotate could mean 'open an application'".
It's moments like this, you wonder if Apple is having fun at journalists' expense.
Equally speculative is tech blogger Jason Wilk's claim that the tablet may be targeted at the healthcare industry:
"My Dad plays golf with Cedas-Sanai hospital execs, who say they have been getting frequent visits from Apple about a new device in the last 6 weeks."
Whatever it is, we may not be seeing the tablet for a few months. Previous rumours have tended to assume a January unveiling followed by a March launch, but Reuters' sources claim that the aluminium cases for the initial shipment won't go into production until February.
That would mean a likely shipping date in the second quarter. Stay tuned: tomorrow there'll likely be rumours that it's a device for jockeys, with a one-thumb interface, shipping in August...
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35605...-and-Q2-launch
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January 11th, 2010, 18:44 Posted By: wraggster
Reporter Dan Simmons from the BBC's technology show Click, managed to break a mobile phone marketed as 'unbreakable' (video), during a demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
The phone can survive a 10 story fall, being submerged 20 feet for 30 mins, and you can use it to hammer a nail; but it's no match for a British journalist.
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...e-Mobile-Phone
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January 11th, 2010, 18:45 Posted By: wraggster
A test published by MOTO labs comparing the accuracy and sensitivity of smartphone touchscreens among various makers gave the iPhone top marks ahead of HTC's Droid Eris, the Google-branded Nexus One and the Motorola Droid. The test was conducted within a drawing program using a finger to trace straight diagonal lines across the screens and then comparing the results. While it's not likely that a smart phone user is going to draw a lot of lines, the test does give some indication of which phones are most likely to properly respond to clicking on a link in a Web browser
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...e-Than-iPhones
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January 11th, 2010, 18:46 Posted By: wraggster
dumbnose writes to let us know that a fraudulent app that attempts to steal bank information has made it to the Android app store. From the alert:
"NOTICE: Users of mobile devices with Android software may have noticed several applications available for download in the Android Marketplace. If you see any applications provided by the user Droid09, please do not download these applications. Android applications provided by Droid09 are fraudulent. Please remove any applications by Droid09 from your mobile device and contact your mobile provider to evaluate whether any other applications or information stored on your mobile device have been compromised."
Multiple marketplaces are possible in the open Android ecosystem. Might we see the emergence of a marketplace distinguished by an iPhone-like app vetting process?
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...Android-Market
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January 11th, 2010, 18:54 Posted By: wraggster
Epic Games VP Mark Rein brought with him the latest platforms on which the company's Unreal Engine 3 officially runs, iPhone 3GS hardware and Nvidia's Tegra 2 "system-on-a-chip" platform, giving us a chance to go hands-on with the tech demo.
Our demo was the same shown back in December of last year, a small, tightly contained room built from an existing Unreal Tournament level. The level spawned a single enemy for us to strafe about the room, avoiding enemy fire while trying to soak in the limited scenery. The demo moved at a good clip, with smooth sharp graphics, and not a whole lot happening on-screen.
But it was impressive, the best-looking 3D shooter I've seen on the iPhone platform. That's due in part to the fact that every iPhone game I've played has been compatible with all generations of Apple's phone. The current version of Unreal Engine 3 for the iPhone is only for iPhone 3GS, the third-generation iPod Touch and iPhone future hardware.
Also striking was the "strafe" mode control system, featuring a small analog stick-simulating area in the bottom left, a fire button in the bottom right. Holding one's finger on the screen controlled the camera, with screen taps (anywhere, really) firing rounds of some Unreal Tournament energy rifle. As touchscreen controls go, it worked like a charm.
Rein showed us the same demo running on Nvidia's newly announced next-generation Tegra platform, an identical experience displayed on a device about three times the size of the iPhone's screen. The visuals scaled nicely, giving us a chance to better study the details of the stained glass windows and ornate architecture of the level.
While the Tegra platform can be used in touchscreen tablet devices, Rein showed us a version using an Apple USB keyboard and mouse, controlling the Unreal Engine 3 demo like any other PC control set up. Again, the demo looked sharp, with Rein saying that Tegra 2 hardware was on part with three-year-old PC gaming hardware.
Gamers looking for a very portable Unreal Tournament experience should keep an eye on developers licensing Epic's engine, as the iPhone and Tegra demos were graphically impressive, despite their limited size and scope. It could be a viable and popular solution for tablet based gaming.
And if those rumors that the Tegra platform has been chosen as the hardware basis for Nintendo's next portable are true, expect to see Unreal Engine 3's portable version powering many of the future's on-the-go games.
http://kotaku.com/5444554/hands+on-w...e-nvidia-tegra
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January 11th, 2010, 21:00 Posted By: wraggster
There's no such thing as a perfect mobile app store strategy -- you're either too draconian, too arbitrary, or too loose in your policies, and as far as we can tell, there's no way to find a balance that isn't going to trigger an alarm here and there or get a few people worked into a lather. If you're too loose, for instance, you're liable end up with the occasional bout of malware, which is exactly what appears to have gone down recently in the Android Market with a few fake banking apps published by a bandit going as "Droid09." As you might imagine, the apps end up doing little more than stealing your information and ending your day in tears; the apps have since been pulled, but that's probably little consolation for those already affected. The moral of the story? Be vigilant, keep a close eye on those system permissions the Market warns you about as you install new apps, report sketchy ones, and -- as always -- use a hearty dose of common sense.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/11/p...ed-out-credit/
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January 12th, 2010, 17:43 Posted By: wraggster
Google has made available a software development kit (SDK) for version 2.1 of its Android OS, which is found on the newly-released Nexus One handset.
Yep, that's the same Nexus One that went on sale last week. Only now will developers be able to crack on with making apps that make use of some of its native features.
That includes animated wallpapers, telephony functions and improvements to the way apps interact with the Android browser, according to The Register.
The late release of the SDK shows one of the challenges facing Google. New iterations of the Android OS seem to be coming out every month, while handsets like the Nexus One are understandably kept (fairly) under wraps before their launch.
Yet the net result is that there will be a time-delay between the Nexus One's launch, and the availability of a glut of non-Google apps that tap into all its native features.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35619...-to-developers
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January 12th, 2010, 17:46 Posted By: wraggster
Charles Cecil's Revolution Software has announced Broken Sword: The Director's Cut, which will be released on the App Store "within a month".
Like last year's Beneath a Steel Sky - Remastered, Broken Sword will have a new touch-screen interface and updated graphics. There will be fresh cut-scenes drawn by renowned artist Dave Gibbons, too, plus a context-sensitive help system to ease you through the celebrated adventure game.
In total, Revolution reckons there's an extra 20 per cent more gameplay.
There's no confirmation of price, but Beneath a Steel Sky's Ł2.99 tag offers a strong hint of what to expect.
Released in 1996, Broken Sword follows detective Nico Collard as he investigates the murder of a Parisian statesman. A routine homicide soon unfolds into an elaborate plot involving Knights Templar and an age-old conspiracy.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/br...one-next-month
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January 12th, 2010, 20:22 Posted By: wraggster
gkunene writes in with the plaint of a veteran mobile application developer who vents his frustration with a list of 10 things he loves to hate about Android.
"1. Open Source. Leave it to Google to place all the code for their handset platform in the hands of the masses. Not only does this mean anyone can download and roll a new version of their phone firmware, but it also means absolutely any maker can roll its own Android device. ... After all's said and done, I really must admit that Android, despite its relatively few flaws, is one of my favorite platforms to work with. Quite honestly, if my complaint about how the word 'Intent' makes for awkward grammatical constructions ranks in the top 10, I'd say the Android platform is doing pretty well for itself."
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...-Top-10-Gripes
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January 12th, 2010, 20:26 Posted By: wraggster
In a new brand of competition dissing, James DeBragga, General Manager of Windows Consumer Product Marketing, says Android "is free like a puppy." The comment came in the context of the CEO of Entourage praising Android for the fact that's it's versatile and free -- major motivating factors behind his use of the OS on his Edge e-reader device. James says that Android (like a puppy) is great in theory, but a hassle once you get it home. Unfortunately for him, his metaphor neglects the love and kisses and companionship many humans also associate with puppies. Perhaps James is a cat man? Still, we see his side to some extent: Windows is certainly more mature, supported and capable for powering a tablet device, especially if that tablet needs to perform serious computer-style tasks. Unfortunately, we're not sure if Android, Windows or anything else is really ready to make tablet converts out of us. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to go feed our free iguana, Ricardo.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/m...ant-decide-if/
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January 13th, 2010, 18:09 Posted By: Shrygue
via Gizmodo
One of our close Apple connects who haven't steered us wrong dropped a little bit of information on us. Here's what we know:
• The tablet's multi-touch gestures are "out of control."
• It's powered by an incredibly fast ARM CPU
• It runs on the iPhone kernel.
• The internal model number is K48AP.
• There hasn't been an updated iPhone OS build because there's too much tablet-related code/references in the OS and Apple obviously didn't want that to leak. Oops.
• The tablet is basically an "iPhone on steroids."
That's all we've got for now!
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January 13th, 2010, 21:14 Posted By: wraggster
One of the most popular questions on the Google Nexus One support forums is the 'Spotty 3G?' thread with almost 700 posts of users complaining about their 3G signal coverage fluctuating up, down, and between EDGE/3G with the phone just sitting on the desk or compared to other 3G devices on the T-Mobile network that don't offer the same unpredictable behavior. One workaround that seems to fix the issue is forcing the phone into '3G' or 'WCDMA Only' mode. This is a bit of a downer given that T-Mobile just finished their 3G upgrade to 7.2Mbps. Official word from Google is 'We are investigating this issue....
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...ls-On-T-Mobile
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January 13th, 2010, 21:31 Posted By: wraggster
In a brief post this morning reminding readers that cellular carriers do not necessarily get sneak peeks of Apple's top-secret products, Daring Fireball's John Gruber said that his (often reliable) sources suggest that Apple's tablet will not have any camera.
Gruber, who has an imperfect but pretty solid track record on these matters, suggests that the Apple's tablet will not be any sort of videophone game changer, as has been widely speculated. In fact, he hears it won't have a camera at all:
And, for what it's worth, I'm hearing there is no camera, webcam or otherwise, on The Tablet.
So if you were looking forward to revolutionizing the way you interacted with your friends and family across the globe by holding this thing in front of your face all summer long, you might be disappointed.
http://gizmodo.com/5446678/a-strong-...-have-a-camera
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January 13th, 2010, 21:40 Posted By: wraggster
webOS version 1.3.5.2 for Euro-spec GSM Pres just hit over the last handful of hours, bringing a host of changes -- but the biggest, perhaps, is the addition of Bluetooth tethering capability. The move is particularly interesting in light of Palm's announcement last week that it'll use its Mobile Hotspot app to enable tethering via WiFi, but it's unclear how much (if any) crossover there'll be between units that support one technology or the other. All things considered, which would you rather have?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/12/p...oth-tethering/
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January 14th, 2010, 00:57 Posted By: wraggster
Maybe we're oversimplifying here, but we never really got the impression that Google was intending to blow out the launch of the Nexus One. Sure, you could argue that seeding the phones to employees ahead of the announcement was an effort to build buzz -- but it didn't really make any attempt to capitalize on the move, and last week's subdued press conference in Mountain View (sans the holy trinity of Eric, Larry, and Sergey) wasn't the wild, crazy event it could've been had Google wanted it to be. That's why we're not particularly surprised to see that the app analytics peeps over at Flurry are estimating (based on usage of the apps that it instruments) that just 20,000 Nexus Ones were sold in the first week of retail -- a far cry from its 250,000 figure for the Droid, much less the iPhone 3GS' staggering 1.6 million. As Flurry notes, Verizon pumped (and continues to pump) millions upon millions of dollars into advertising the Droid in print, television, and the web; that alone boosted broad consumer interest, something Google earned to a far lesser extent through media coverage alone. Furthermore, the Droid instantly relieved much of the "if only the iPhone were on Verizon" pressure that had been building over the prior year, whereas the Nexus One brought nothing fundamentally new to the table for T-Mobile -- and many folks on other networks either won't or simply can't switch to the number four carrier for business or coverage reasons. The bottom line is that we suspect Google isn't sweating the Nexus One's sales figures one bit, no matter how high or low they may be; whether that's a smart strategy for Android as a platform in the long term, though, remains to be seen.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/13/m...asnt-sold-lik/
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January 14th, 2010, 16:07 Posted By: wraggster
Russian mobile games publisher HeroCraft is to offer its games to consumers directly from its WAP site, bypassing Google's Android Market, which it says follows a refund procedure that is unfair to developers.
If a customer purchases an Android Market app worth less than GBP 7 on their credit card and then queries the charge on their bill, Google will refund the money and charge the publisher a fixed GBP 5 without question or further investigation, HeroCraft's UK development manager Matt Meads told Pocketgamer.biz.
"Whilst I understand Google's position with not wanting to deal with disputes over relatively low-cost products, I think their policy is grossly unfair in charging us, the developer, a GBP 5 fee as well as automatically refunding the product," said Meads.
"To do so suggests the blame is attached to the developer when surely a customer not recognising a transaction from the Android Marketplace on their credit card bill is a failing on the part of Google's buying process and environment."
Meads predicted the rule would prompt many Android developers to follow HeroCraft's lead in 2010 in offering games via their own sites - a means of distribution which, unlike Apple, is permitted by Google.
HeroCraft confirmed it would continue to support the Android Market but that its games would be made available at a lower price - factoring in the savings made to the company by omitting Google from the payment loop - from its WAP site.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...nfair-for-devs
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January 14th, 2010, 18:17 Posted By: wraggster
[Thijs] has an iPod dock with an LCD display in it that allows you to watch videos without having to squint quite as much. Unfortunately, the iPod classic wouldn’t play videos on it because it’s not an Apple approved product. He figured out that an authentication chip is included in docks and cables that Apple has approved and set out to retrofit his device with one. He pulled the PCB, authentication chip included, out of a $5 cable from Deal Extreme and wired it up to the PCB on his dock. Voila, the dock now plays video.
This is a nice hack but it’s also just silly. You paid for the iPod, you paid for the music and videos (right?), and you paid for the dock. Why can’t they all talk to each other without authentication?
http://hackaday.com/2010/01/13/trick...ing-your-dock/
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January 15th, 2010, 17:20 Posted By: wraggster
Unity Technologies CEO David Helgason isn't waiting for Apple to officially confirm its tablet before praising it. The device is included in his 2010 predictions post on the company's blog.
"Of course Apple will launch its tablet," he writes. "We even know the screen-size and CPU make. The only uncertainly left is what day it launches. And its price."
Helgason also has views on iPhone and the App Store, predicting that 2010 will be a 'golden age' for garage developers: "A small team of 1-2 people can make a hit game that will sell millions of units."
However, he says that the iPhone ecosystem also proves that publishers still have a role to play.
"Though they may not be forwarding cash and fully owning the game IPs, their expertise in marketing, game design and online distribution metrics and strategies make them a valuable, if no longer totally required, partner to the game developer."
Finally, he thinks that the success of iPhone gaming has proved that neither consumers nor developers really mind closed gaming platforms, as long as they have the right amount of openness.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/296...s-Apple-tablet
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January 15th, 2010, 18:59 Posted By: Shrygue
via Gizmodo
There's still some question about whether Windows Mobile 6.6 or Windows Mobile 7 will be shown in February, but a solid tipster just told us that it will be WM7. And then he describes it.
Here are a couple things described about WinMo 7 that mesh with the rumors we've heard before. First, it'll have the Natal-like gestures to be able to use the phone without touching it. We first heard about gestures on WM7 two years ago, and then sprinkled about the rumors in the past year.
Then, he says that you won't be able to upgrade to Windows Mobile 7, because the OS actually requires you to have better hardware (faster processor, more memory, etc) and includes support for the motion-sensing gestures above.
This bit also meshes with the rumored specs of the "Zune phone", which is basically Windows Mobile 7. From that rumor:
ARM v6+ processor, with an Open GL ES 2.0-capable graphics chip-this may be the TI3430 or the Nvidia Tegra. To show all the eye candy there will be a 3.5" 800 x 480 or 854 x 480 pixels touchscreen. The specification also points out at other things in Pink, like 3-megapixel camera, GPS, light sensor, 3-axis compass, accelerometer, USB, Bluetooth, and full Wi-Fi support.
But then how does that account for the HD2, which HTC Russia claimed will be getting a WM7 upgrade? Because HD2 is basically the top of the line right now, which—looking at its specs—put it into the Windows Mobile 7-capable category.
So yes, it seems like we'll be seeing Windows Mobile 7 at Mobile World Congress in February. It better be pretty damn good for Microsoft's projection of being able to regain 25% of the phone market by 2014.
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January 15th, 2010, 20:31 Posted By: wraggster
On today's edition of the never-ending Apple rumor roundup, we take a quick detour into the murky realm of the United States patent database, topped off with a charming unsourced tip and some delightful analyst conjecture. Let's blaze.
The rumor: A recent Apple patent application for a capacitive touchscreen-specific stylus may or may not mean The Tablet uses a stylus for input.
Our take: We've already promised to eat our hat if Apple puts a removable battery in the iPhone, so what's next? A shoe? We will eat a shoe if Steve Jobs introduces a product that requires the use of a stylus. Besides, this product already exists: it's called the Pogo Stylus, and it's not exactly rocking minds (although we are intrigued by Inklet). Apple likes to file silly broad patent applications and see what it can get away with -- it's never been wise to read too much into them.
The rumor: Another Apple patent application hints that portable DVR functionality is coming to the iPod / iPhone -- you'll be able to grab TV and radio content from cable, satellite, OTA, or using "services" with your portable device and then load that into iTunes. Not only will you be able to connect new iPods to a cable box to record shows -- channel changing and everything -- but Apple's going to release an accessory for older iPods to enable this functionality as well.
Our take: This would be like a dream come true for the consumer, and a crazy heroin nightmare for Apple to actually implement -- can you imagine an iPod with a freaking CableCARD slot? Neither can we. Besides, it's not like Apple to push content sales from anything other than the iTunes Store, and it's especially not like Apple to extend functionality to older iPods when it can just release a newer one in a slightly different metallic finish. Next!
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/15/a...t-4-0-edition/
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January 15th, 2010, 20:32 Posted By: wraggster
We've been pretty hard on Nokia with regard to its miserable S60 5th (aka, Symbian^1) user experience as compared to the competition. Fortunately, Nokia's bound and determined to freshen things up in 2010 with two major updates scheduled for the first and second halves of the year. At the moment, Symbian^3 (that's Symbian three) is expected first with Symbian^4 coming before the end of the year (functionally complete in Q3 with S^4 devices shipping in early 2011 according to the symbian.org wiki page). What we've got above then, is a UI Concept proposal for the latter. As you can tell from the pics, Symbian^4 promises to deliver an entirely new user interface: navigation is streamlined and platform apps will be reorganized and redesigned to leverage next gen graphics meant to deliver visually appealing transparencies and transitions on Symbian devices. The experience is based on Direct UI and built upon Qt and Orbit -- a strategy that Nokia hopes will lure developers to the table by making apps easy to build and update with broad scalability across Nokia's entire lineup of handsets. Note that the concept is open for discussion (and thus change) so voice your opinion now. And no, responding "N900 FTW" doesn't count.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/15/s...hone-experien/
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January 15th, 2010, 20:51 Posted By: wraggster
Score several million for the scurvy dogs. According to a piece over at 24/7 Wall St., the Apple App Store has lost over $450 million in profits to piracy since opening its virtual doors in July 2008. Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconagh estimates that the App store has had three billion items downloaded by users since its inception, with only 13 to 21 percent (510 million) of those downloads being paid Apps.
It's a story we hear far too often. Developers are regaling us with tales of how much piracy hurts their profits and pirates are laughing maniacally at how easy it is to hock illegal wares, living in some dark, damp cave where no light or goodness can be found -- well, save for the light from their pirated iPhone game, anyway. This is done through "jailbreaking," an increasingly common practice of unlocking one's phone through black magic and evil incantations that allow non-App Store programs and items to be installed. Basically, it's God Mode for your iPhone.
So how can developers overcome this? Well, some are designing games that requires the phone contact a source to verify the version being played is legit -- an interesting concept that could help pave the way for better anti-piracy solutions. Either way you slice it, you have to be a real [negative adjective] to pirate a game that only costs you a few cents.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/15/re...s-450-million/
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January 16th, 2010, 23:14 Posted By: wraggster
It's been a few days since we carried an Apple tablet rumour from an analyst citing mysterious component-supplier sources, so...
AVI Securities' Matt Thornton claims that Apple's tablet device is definitely on the way.
"It's been in the supply chain for a while and entered full production this month," he tells CNET. "A couple of suppliers actually had weaker Decembers than they would have expected because production was pushed back a little bit."
Meanwhile, a research note from Thornton's firm claims that Apple may be ramping up production to ship 10 million units in 2010.
Thornton also thinks the tablet's key focus will be on e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers, giving it clear differentiation from smartphones and netbooks.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35665...ull-production
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January 16th, 2010, 23:19 Posted By: wraggster
[James] has done some work reverse engineering the protocols for the iSee360i peripheral. This iPod addon is a media player housing that features a 3.6″ screen. It can be used to play video on iPods that don’t otherwise have the capability because it just uses them as a hard drive. He picked up the device at a discount chain for $15 and wanted to load his own videos directly from Linux without using the Windows-based software that comes with it. There’s the gotcha; even if you encode a video exactly the same as the device’s example video, it will be deleted the next time you fire up the iSee.
After some trial and error [James] reverse engineered all of the quirky requirements to load video manually. There are strict, case sensitive file naming conventions, every file must have a perfectly formatted thumbnail image, and an index file entry must be made for the video. He’s done the hard work of hammering out the details, now it should be easy to write a Python script to automatically format and copy your pre-encoded videos for use.
http://hackaday.com/2010/01/16/ipod-...e360i-hacking/
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January 17th, 2010, 21:39 Posted By: wraggster
Not too surprisingly, Apple was not amused by Valleywag's announcement of an Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt, which offered cash prizes ranging from 10K-100K for info about the much-anticipated new Apple device. The promo prompted a threatening cease-and-desist letter from Apple's lawyers, which Valleywag deemed the most concrete evidence yet that there may indeed be a tablet in the works. But is the Scavenger Hunt really illegal, as the attorney claimed? The jury's still out, but Slate concludes Apple's got a pretty good case, although it notes that Valleywag's unconventional Scavenger Hunt 'stunt' may not really be all that different from 'reporting' practiced by mainstream publications like the WSJ.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...r-Hunt-Illegal
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January 17th, 2010, 21:40 Posted By: wraggster
A BusinessWeek report suggests that the Nexus One release marks the latest volley in an escalating war between Google and Apple, one that could force Apple into working more closely with Microsoft. 'When companies start to imitate one another, it's usually either an extreme case of flattery—or war. In the case of Google and Apple, it's both. Separated by a mere 10 miles in Silicon Valley, the two have been on famously good terms for almost a decade. ... Now the companies have entered a new, more adversarial phase. With Nexus One, Google, which had been content to power multiple phonemakers' devices with Android, enters the hardware game, becoming a direct threat to the iPhone. With its Quattro purchase, Apple aims to create completely new kinds of mobile ads, say three sources familiar with Apple's thinking. The goal isn't so much to compete with Google in search as to make search on mobile phones obsolete. ... Some analysts believe the Apple-Google battle is likely to get much rougher in the months ahead. Ovum's Yarmis thinks Apple may soon decide to dump Google as the default search engine on its devices, primarily to cut Google off from mobile data that could be used to improve its advertising and Android technology. Jobs might cut a deal with—gasp!—Microsoft to make Bing Apple's engine of choice, or even launch its own search engine, Yarmis says
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...With-Microsoft
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January 17th, 2010, 21:53 Posted By: wraggster
Proving once again that those who don't watch The Engadget Show are always going to be one step behind those who do, our latest star guest Erick Tseng has dropped a dollop of exclusive wisdom on us: Android's next big iteration will be known as Froyo. That's short for "frozen yogurt" and fits right in line with the zany naming scheme that has delivered us Cupcakes, Donuts, and Eclairs so far. If you had your money on Flan being next in that alphabetical order, sorry to disappoint. No additional info could be squeezed out of the Google man at present -- such as how much further along Froyo will be from Android 2.1 (technically considered part of Eclair) or when we might expect the upgrade -- but we've got a name and that should be plenty to get us started on another wonderful journey of soothsaying and speculation.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/16/n...s-erick-tseng/
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January 18th, 2010, 21:09 Posted By: wraggster
Well, we can stop speculating about the date, at least. Apple has confirmed that it will show a mystery new product on 27th January, at an event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.
The invite, which has a paint-splattered look, simply says "Come see our latest creation".
The obvious conclusion: tablet. The coming days will be spent speculating on what the invite's visuals and wording mean, naturally. Creativity is clearly on the agenda.
Apple hasn't confirmed whether there will be a London simulcast of the launch, as there was with its last event, It's Only Rock and Roll. Either way, ME will be covering the event live on the night.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35671...y-launch-event
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January 18th, 2010, 23:44 Posted By: wraggster
A new version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is now on sale in the App Store.
The game is priced at Ł5.99 and weighs in at 188MB. Just like in the PSP and DS versions, you play a bloke called Huang Lee dealing with the Triads in Liberty City. The App Store game is compatible with both iPhone and iPod Touch.
GTA: Chinatown Wars scored highly when it was released on the other two handhelds. Check out our reviews of both the PSP and DS versions for the full lowdown.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ch...e-in-app-store
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January 18th, 2010, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster
Even though the existence and announcement of the Apple Tablet is pretty much a lock for January 27, we still don't know much about specs or capabilities. But it might do gaming at least decently.
Apple invited our sister site Kotaku to the event as well. Not much, on the surface of things, but because details are so slim about the tablet, small tells give us a sneak peek into what Apple's engineers are planning.
Because the tablet's not a phone, both in terms of computing capability and input mechanics, people are going to be expecting more from its performance. Especially in the gaming realm, which Apple has been pushing hard in their ads for the iPod Touch and iPhone. If the guess that Apple will include iPhone App Store support on the tablet is true, it'll at least enough graphical capability to run those games.
But our guess is that we'll see at least an Nvidia Ion-esque solution (like the Nvidia 9400M found in MacBooks), supposing the whole thing runs with at least as much power as a decently specced netbook.
Who knows though—we could be reading too much into this.
http://gizmodo.com/5451261/apple-tab...ies-for-gaming
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January 18th, 2010, 23:58 Posted By: wraggster
We're realistically no closer to knowing the outcome of next week's Apple event than we were a week, a year, or a decade ago, but rumors are obviously congealing around the mythical tablet that users, fans, and media have all but willed into existence recently -- and our buddy Clayton Morris says that's indeed a part of the story. Morris reports having spoken with a source at Apple this morning -- prior to the company's invites going out, interestingly -- who said that the event would focus on a new version of iLife, iPhone OS 4.0, and naturally, the tablet.
Loosely speaking, you can see how these would all tie together pretty nicely: the seemingly "creative" theme of Apple's invite rolls into a new version of iLife, and the announcement of a tablet could have implications for how a suite of artsy tools gets used. Rumblings that the tablet is underpinned by a new version of iPhone OS have gone back months, so that would give Apple impetus to tease it at the same time the tablet's shown off -- sans new iPhone hardware, possibly, which the company has done before. It's also possible that Apple will open source its entire catalog of software and shut down, buy an island nation, or do nothing at all -- but in fairness, there's an awful lot of logic to what Clayton's saying here. We'll know soon enough.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/18/n...-0-tablet-tri/
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January 18th, 2010, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster
If you're China-based and you think there might be an xpPhone in your future, we've got some news for you: according to an email from ITG, the device will cost from 3,000 - 4,500 Chinese RMB (or about $400 - $650), depending on options. Funny how the world works -- put Windows XP on a laptop and it's yawn city, then you go and put the same OS on a handset and the thing is a bona fide curiosity. We also have a few new shots of the thing, and now we're we won't be stingy with 'em. Take a look below to get your Ya-Ya's out.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/18/i...etty-pictures/
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January 19th, 2010, 12:49 Posted By: wraggster
Former Vodafone and EA Mobile exec Tim Harrison kicked off the Mobile Games Forum conference in London this morning, saying that 2010 represents a "new dawn" for the mobile gaming industry.
"A couple of years ago this conference was close to being dead in the water, maybe because the industry was in such a poor state itself," he said.
He talked about the raft of "new blood and new energy" coming into the mobile games industry as a result of iPhone and its App Store.
However, he warned that there may still be tough times ahead, as games developers figure out how to best make money from the many app stores that are emerging.
ME will be reporting from MGF throughout today and tomorrow, so stay tuned for our updates.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35673...-mobile-gaming
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January 19th, 2010, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster
Here's what we know, from MacRumors: last July, Apple dummy corporation Slate Computing, LLC applied for a trademark for an "iPad." Similar applications have since been filed in England, Australia and Hong Kong. Also: what a terrible name.
We'd heard rumors of the iPad starting way back in August, when it appeared on a mysterious Border's survey. Since then, though, iSlate has been the frontrunner. But with some of the iPad applications being filed just this week, we may be looking at an awkwardly named tablet device indeed.
http://gizmodo.com/5451997/new-candi...?autoplay=true
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January 19th, 2010, 23:28 Posted By: wraggster
That's right, y'all. We're back at it, and this time we've received some exclusive iPhone OS 4.0 details from one of our trusty Apple connects.
Here are some iPhone OS 4.0 features, according to our guy:
• There will be multi-touch gestures OS-wide. (Would make sense for that as the rumored OS for the iTablet is close if not the same as the iPhone)
• "A few new ways" to run applications in the background - multitasking.
• Many graphical and UI changes to make navigating through the OS easier and more efficient. We haven't had this broken down, but we can only hope for improved notifications, a refreshed homescreen, etc.
• The update will supposedly be available for only the iPhone 3G and 3GS, but will "put them ahead in the smartphone market because it will make them more like full-fledged computers" more than any other phone to date. Everyone is "really excited."
• The last piece of information is the most vague, but apparently there will be some brand new syncing ability for the contacts and calendar applications.
That's all we have for now! Who can't wait for next Wednesday?
http://gizmodo.com/5451876/rumor-app...tures-detailed
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January 19th, 2010, 23:32 Posted By: wraggster
The latest research from Gartner indicates that, for the year 2009, only 16 million app sales were executed on mobile devices not bearing the infamous bitten apple logo. In reporting this data, Ars Technica inadvertently conflates Apple's latest announcement of three billion apps downloaded with the notion of three billion apps sold and pegs the App Store's market share at a whopping 99.4 percent -- but more realistic calculations still show it to be somewhere in the vicinity of 97.5 percent. Going off estimates (obtained by GigaOM) that a quarter of App Store downloads are paid-for apps, and taking a rough figure of 2.5 billion downloads in 2009, leaves us with around 625 million app sales performed by Apple, which comfortably dwarfs all its competition. Considering the fact 18 months ago there wasn't even an App Store to speak of -- whereas today Cupertino is gobbling up the best part of $4.2 billion in annual mobile apps revenue -- maybe you can now understand why we're covering every tiny drip of info about that mythical tablet.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/a...mobile-app-sa/
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January 20th, 2010, 17:13 Posted By: wraggster
Bolt Creative's Pocket God has become the first paid iPhone app to reach over two million downloads.
Since its release, the $0.99 game has received nearly 30 free updates and grown its community size significantly. Its most successful day saw sales of 53,000, and it was downloaded over 100,000 times a week during the 2009 holiday season.
"We couldn't be happier with the turnout we've seen at the island," said Bolt's CEO Dave Castelnuovo."The community has been absolutely incredible embracing this game. From the thousands of YouTube videos to the homemade Halloween costumes to the valuable user feedback we've received, we can't thank our community enough for our success."
Earlier this month, Apple revealed that the App Store had reached three billion downloads in its 18 months since launch.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...2-million-mark
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January 20th, 2010, 18:11 Posted By: wraggster
Before we get into the rumors, here's a fact: unless the Apple Tablet cures cancer, global warming and obesity in one fell swoop, there'll be plenty of disappointed faces leaving the Yerba Buena theater next Wednesday. The hype is that overpowering. But hey, that doesn't mean we are not curious to know what it will actually do, so let's get to the latest batch of uncorroborated scuttlebutt.
The Rumor: The Mac Observer believes these are legitimate photos of a 10-inch glass front for Apple's new machine. Coming from a "trusted source," the pictures seem to confirm a 10-inch screen size and an iPhone-inspired design (which includes an earphone hole!). In the pic to the side, you can see it resting atop a unibody MacBook Pro's keyboard for a sense of scale.
Our Take: Naturally taken in the worst possible light and suffering from a strong dose of noise and noise-reducing blur, the photos are close to impossible to verify. Their claim for legitimacy is also not helped by the blatant appearance of a scaled-up iPhone front plate -- something we could mock up ourselves if we had the patience.
The Rumor: Actual retail units of the fabled world-changing device won't be available until June. AppleInsider reports some analyst noise indicating that battery life and durability issues could delay the tablet's release until the middle of this year. Moreover, on the authority of "supply chain sources," it has been described as a "super iPod touch," with a suggestion it might have an ARM-based core inside.
Our Take: It's well known that the original iPhone followed a similar launch pattern of a January announcement and a June release, but Apple must be equally aware of how disappointing to its fans (and shareholders, more importantly) a paper launch would be. ARM internals seem logical, particularly since the iPhone already runs such hardware, and NVIDIA's Tegra 2 platform -- driven by a dual-core Cortex A9 chip -- has made some lofty promises about what can be done with the architecture.
The Rumor: The Guardian, via 9to5Mac, informs us that Apple has been in talks with UK mobile carriers about bringing its famine destroyer to the Queen's backyard in subsidized form. We're told it'll be bundled with mobile broadband contracts -- in much the same fashion as netbooks are treated currently -- but there'll be no exclusivity deals on the table so Orange, O2 and Vodafone are all in the running. There's also pretty firm word that the iWonder won't be making its UK debut until "later in the spring."
Our Take: Mobile broadband takeup is only going to grow in the UK and netbook bundles seem to have been popular so far, so it seems like a no-brainer to try and capitalize on this burgeoning market. As pointed out in The Guardian, behind the scenes talks don't always turn into real world deals, but at this point we'd be surprised if Apple wasn't talking to carriers about subsidies.
Well, we wanted photos and we got 'em -- in the signature grainy style that all pre-announcement hardware seems to appear. The latter two rumors have some intriguing synergy, though: both point toward availability coming significantly later than the announcement, and both seem to steer away from integrated 3G connectivity. We really can't wait to know -- if only to stop this speculative madness.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/20/a...-2010-edition/
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January 20th, 2010, 18:14 Posted By: wraggster
Ready to get your Bing on, iPhone owners? That curious little Microsoft search engine you shrugged off just a few months ago could become a mainstay in your daily routine if BusinessWeek's sources are correct. According to a pair of persons familiar with the matter, Apple and Microsoft are discussing dropping Google as the default search engine on Apple's somewhat popular handset -- talks that have been underway for "weeks," apparently. BW paints the move as further evidence of an escalating rivalry between Apple and Google. In fact, one BW source claims that, "Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle." No doubt, the once cozy relationship has seemingly fractured with Google CEO Eric Schmidt vacating Apple's board and Apple recently snapping up Lala and Quattro Wireless -- acquisitions that some analysts see as defensive measures against a rapidly encroaching Google. Isn't competition fun?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/20/a...h-into-iphone/
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January 20th, 2010, 18:17 Posted By: wraggster
Gizmodo reports that an official Sega Genesis emulator is coming to the iPhone as a sort of virtual console and store.
The Sega Genesis Ultimate Collection will be a free app that supports a store filled with emulations of classic Genesis titles. The app, said to hit the iPhone next month, will come with Space Harrier II and the ability to purchase four other games.
• Sonic the Hedgehog: $5.99
• Golden Axe: $4.99
• Ecco the Dolphin: $2.99
• Shining Force: $2.99
This seems like a fantastic way to break free of the increasingly bloated App Store and have your own space in which to hawk and sell your games. I'd love to see more publishers doing this. Can you imagine a Capcom Arcade packed with retro emulations?
http://kotaku.com/5452810/sega-gensi...-its-own-store
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January 20th, 2010, 23:18 Posted By: wraggster
That was a quick turnaround, wasn't it? Palm wasted no time in retailing 3D games that are as visually engaging as the best the iPhone has to offer just as soon as it made the big announcement back at CES, and now it's taking things to the next level by heading out to GDC in San Francisco this March. The Game Developers Conference is -- as gaming goes, anyway -- what you'd call a Big Deal, so the fact that Palm is leading a session there to educate interested parties in its Plug-in Development Kit is a promising sign that these guys are taking the concept of webOS as an entertainment platform very, very seriously. Of course, it would've been nice to see this kind of drive about a year ago -- but better late than never.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/20/p...-gdc-this-yea/
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January 20th, 2010, 23:29 Posted By: wraggster
Besides that hidden blade you've fashioned for yourself out of old rollerblade bearings and a letter opener, there hasn't really been a great way to get the feeling of Assassin's Creed 2 while on the go. Sure, there's the Nintendo DS game, the first AC on iPhone, and the limited time accidental release of Assassin's Creed 2: Discovery a few weeks back, but now we've finally got an official release date of February 1 for the DS-to-iPhone port.
Like the DS game, Ezio's adventures on the iPhone will take him to 15th-century Spain where he's tasked with rescuing assassins that are "being held under the guise of the Inquisition," when he learns of "a Templar plan to sail west and discover the New World." What a bunch of discoverers those guys are -- sheesh!
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/20/as...on-february-1/
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January 21st, 2010, 18:51 Posted By: wraggster
EA is currently working on games for Apple's upcoming tablet device, according to reports.
The publisher is said to have been enlisted by Apple to create games in order to show off the tablet's gaming capabilities.
Apple has also embarked on discussions with book, newspaper and magazine publishers, according to the Wall Street Journal, talking to Conde Nast Publications and News Corp, among others, on how they can work together.
The iPhone creator's next device is expected to be showcased to the media on January 27. An invitation 'to see our latest creation' was sent out on Monday, according to the WSJ.
Insiders have stated the device will have a 10-11 inch touch screen, and that its primary functions will be as an e-reader, internet browsing device and TV and games player.
Analysts say its success will depend on a number of factors, such as price - which some believe will be around the $1000 mark.
Consumers will need to be convinced the device is necessary alongside a laptop, they point out, while there will also be stiff competition from e-book readers such as the Kindle.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-tablet-device
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January 21st, 2010, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster
jonasvdc tips an announcement by Square Enix that Final Fantasy I and Final Fantasy II are being developed for the iPhone and the iPod touch. The graphics and UI have been modified to look and run better on the touchscreen devices, but everything from Cecil to the classic Black Mage is clearly recognizable. The announcement did not include any information on a price or release date.
http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...and-iPod-Touch
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January 21st, 2010, 19:50 Posted By: wraggster
As mentioned in our review, the added RAM in the Palm Pre Plus means you can run "a LOT" of apps. You know, like 10! Absurdist logic site PreCentral asks the obvious question: why not 50?
Anyway, I'm stuck on the third mission of GTA: Chinatown Wars on my iPhone, because I keep getting calls while I'm playing, which shuts down the game completely. So, my question is, is this Pre Plus making fun of me? Because it sure feels that way.
http://gizmodo.com/5453906/the-palm-...0-apps-at-once
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January 21st, 2010, 19:58 Posted By: wraggster
There's a big problem with video games on Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone. There's no joystick to control them with, no directional pad to press. Just glass to touch and a device to tilt. At last, there's a strange solution.
Prepare to welcome to the world the two-directional virtual joystick, a virtual slider rendered on the bottom left corner of a major upcoming iPhone game, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed II Discovery. It is used to move the game's hero, the Renaissance Italy assassin Ezio de Auditore through his 2D, side-scrolling world. Under the player's thumb, the slider "moves" left, "moves" right and ... that is all. (We recently previewed the game, slider and all.)
In the logic of technological advancement, the two-directional virtual joystick makes no sense. Since the days of Atari joysticks and arcade machines, people have been able to move gaming characters in four or even eight directions. Pac-Man needed to support movement in four directions. Galaga kept players moving in just two directions, but the stick at least tilted more ways than that. Super Mario Bros supported left, right, up and down on a four-directional "d-pad" on the original Nintendo controller. And in the 90s, gaming consoles began to use analog control sticks that supported leaning and nudging in dozens of directions.
Joysticks and directional pads and analog sticks have proven so essential to video games that, for a year, developers of games on the joystickless, pad-less, stick-less iPhone have been rendering virtual versions of the things in the lower left corners of their game screens. They've been asking gamers to go with it, to pretend and to tolerate the twin aggravations of one's thumb winds up covering part of the screen and the fact that you can't feel virtual control sticks.
So much for the opportunity to admire the big screen of the iPhone in its entirety or to have nuanced directional control of a game on it.
http://kotaku.com/5453718/an-attempt...ness-radically
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January 21st, 2010, 23:22 Posted By: wraggster
No one knows for certain what exactly will be announced at Apple's semi-exclusive, invitation-only event in San Francisco next week. But a lot of us are thinking it will be the unveiling of an Apple tablet. Here's why you should care.
Apple has finally woken up to the potential and fiscal importance of gaming on the iPhone. Nowadays their popular smartphone, and the iPod Touch, are both marketed as gaming devices. The tablet would be a great way for Apple to extend their reach into gaming.
This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is actively working with Electronic Arts to show off the device's gaming capabilities. And let's not forget that several gaming sites, including Kotaku, have been invited to the big show on Jan. 27.
Tablet as Gaming Platform?
I think we can all agree that gaming is most certainly going to be a part of the tablet's future. But how big a part?
That depends on a lot of variables. The biggest, unfortunately, is the guts of the device itself. Will the tablet be a glorified iPhone or a stripped down laptop?
Even if the tablet doesn't have much more processing power than the iPhone 3GS, that doesn't mean there can't be interesting games for the device. The iPhone 3GS brought with it beefier graphics processing which allows for faster framerates, and better shading. It also includes a faster CPU and more memory. Most importantly, there aren't a lot of games pushing the 3GS to its limits yet.
I'd be surprised if the tablet didn't have some sort of step up, perhaps a major one, from the iPhone 3GS' muscle power, and there are a couple of other interesting things that the tablet could be bringing to portable gaming too.
There are the rumors of a built-in camera, built-in WiFi and 3G and new tech that would allow Apple to create a more accurate and thinner touch screen. Of course all of this would be running on a much larger screen, thoughtto be 7 to 11 inches, compared to the iPhone's measly 3.7-inch screen.
All of that will come with a price, ballparked between $700 and $1,000. Sure, that's pricey, but considering people were paying $400 for the original iPhones, I don't think it will be a deal breaker for a massive group of early adopters.
The Games
The tablet will most certainly not be just a gaming device, with publications reporting that it will be an e-reader for magazines, books and text books. And I'm sure it will include broader apps and iTunes music and videos at the bare minimum.
But what sort of games could we see on the device? And with a strong possibility of no physical controller, no mouse or keyboard, what sort would we want to see on the device?
Bigger iPhone Games
The most obvious types of games we'll see on the tablet will likely be ports or remakes of games that worked well on the iPhone. Sure, the device is bigger, perhaps so big that you couldn't hold it and play as you stand around, but I think there are plenty of games that could make the leap. Besides Apple needs to show off some games during their unveiling.
Plants Vs. Zombies, which keeps getting pushed back and is now due to hit the iPhone within a week of the Apple press conference, seems like a fantastic fit. The larger screen and table-top play are great additions to the game and could resolve the only concerns I have about an iPhone port of this tower defense title.
Ubisoft seems to be getting more and more interested in growing their mobile gaming market, in particular the iPhone market. So I wouldn't be too surprised to see some of them up on stage with EA at some point showing off games. They've already shown a willingness to experiment with controls for the iPhone, that's the sort of development that will be necessary to help the tablet succeed in the realm of gaming.
And why stop with ports of handheld games? We've seen R.U.S.E played on a a surface computer. I'm not sure if the tablet would have the processing power to run this Ubisoft strategy title, but if it did I couldn't think of a better fit.
Another big player will be Electronic Arts, but what can we expect from them? Both the upcoming Tiger Woods game and a Madden port seem like the sort of big-name, mainstream titles that Apple would love to see on a new gaming platform. And both the Sims and Spore would be solid fits.
Besides the obvious, there will have to be at least one surprising title, something created from the ground up for the tablet. A game that uses whatever new tech is packed into the device to prove that it can hold its own in gaming.
While the iPhone's poster boy for gaming seemed to be Trism early on, I don't see Apple giving that away to a third-party developer this time. This is going to be a game developed internally, I think.
Looking over the roster of people Apple has hired over the past year, folks like former Ensemble Studios developer Graeme Devine, I personally think it's going to be big.
Devine's most current expertise is real-time strategy, the last two games he worked on were Halo Wars and Age of Empires 3. Though he started out working on groundbreaking adventure games like The 7th Guest.
If Devine, whose current job title at Apple is listed as iPhone Game Technologies, is working on an internal game for the tablet, I'd like to think that it's a real-time strategy title. Something that would allow you to control battles and build civilizations from a top-down perspective with zoom-in and touch control capabilities.
Whatever happens next week, its most likely going to involve gaming and Apple's increased interest in the industry can only lead to more expansion and, I'd hope, more innovation all around.
Make sure to join us Jan. 27 for our live coverage from the event.
http://kotaku.com/5452728/why-apples...include-gaming
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January 22nd, 2010, 16:02 Posted By: wraggster
Android appears to be providing a challenge to iPhone in North America. Its share of ad requests was just four per cent in Q1 2009.
The December 2009 AdMob Mobile Metrics Report breaks down requests by region, manufacturer and OS in its network of more than 15,000 mobile websites, iPhone, Android, and webOS apps.
Here are the main regional splits:
Asia: Nokia continues to be the leading manufacturer with 53 per cent of requests in Q4 2009. iPhone had a strong Q4 and doubled its share of smartphone requests to 27 per cent.
Eastern Europe: Nokia’s share decreased to 35 per cent in Q4 2009. Apple, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung devices generated 23 per cent, 12 per cent and nine per cent of requests, respectively. Eight of the top 10 smartphones in the region were Nokia devices.
Latin America: Apple led with 39 per cent, Nokia had 15 per cent and Sony Ericsson had 11 per cent of device requests. RIM had three of the top 10 smartphones in the region.
North America: In Q4 2009, Apple lead with 40 per cent followed by Samsung with 17 per cent and Motorola with 11 per cent. The iPhone generated 54 percent of smartphone requests in Q4 2009. Android share grew throughout the year reaching 27 per cent in Q4 2009, by far the highest penetration in any region.
Oceania: Apple’s share is a massive 92 per cent.
Western Europe: iPhone and iPod touch generated more than half of total requests from the region at the expense of Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35749...urge-across-US
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January 22nd, 2010, 16:05 Posted By: wraggster
In what is sure to be a blow to the already beleaguered stand-alone GPS market, Nokia, the global leader in smartphone market share, has released a fully offline-enabled free GPS navigation and mapping application for its Symbian smartphones. Furthermore, the application also includes Lonely Planet and Michelin guides. Unfortunately, the N900, which is beloved by geeks for its Maemo Linux-based operating system, has not seen any of the navigation love so far. With Google's release of Google Navigation for Android smartphones, and now Nokia doing one better and releasing an offline-enabled navigation application, hopefully this is the start of a trend where this becomes an expected component of any smartphone.
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/...On-Smartphones
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January 22nd, 2010, 16:36 Posted By: wraggster
In case you missed it in our review, Palm has gone and spilled its Verizon pricing info on its official blog. The Pre Plus is hitting shelves at a cent under $150, closely followed by the Pixi Plus at $99.99 -- both after $100 mail-in rebate and on two-year commitments. Available to buy from this coming Monday, the new handsets are also incentivized with a free Pixi Plus coming with every purchase -- a limited offer running until February 14. That's after yet another mail-in rebate, meaning you'll probably be shelling out a cool $450 to get your webOS fix on Verizon, but we can't argue with the final tally after all the paperwork has been done, filed, triple-checked, lost, recovered, and your money's finally reimbursed.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/22/v...s-a-free-pixi/
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January 23rd, 2010, 23:08 Posted By: wraggster
Apple patents come a dime a dozen, but these two seem both practical and implementable. The first outlines a solar powered iPod and the second details more specific gesture-based input methods, including scoops, nudges, and tilts.
The first patent, published last week, details a system in which an iPod draws power from solar cells covering the device. It includes a description on how constant voltage could be maintained even with the user's hand obstructing some of the cells and explains how the solar power could be used in conjunction with traditional batteries. The less I have to plug my stuff in the better, I say. Check!
I was initially skeptical of my MacBook's multitudinous multitouch, but I was quickly converted and now I'm swishing and flicking like a Hogwarts First Year. Apple's next patent expands on gesture-based input, detailing an input device with the ability to sense force and velocity. These sensors allow the hardware to register more more complex and more specific gestures, giving the user more precise control over their devices.
The patent names a few such gestures: "brushing motions, scooping motions, nudges, tilt and slides, and tilt and taps." Sounds like fun to me. Check
http://gizmodo.com/5455436/apple-pat...mplex-gestures
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January 23rd, 2010, 23:25 Posted By: wraggster
Pardon us if we're playing the role of Captain Obvious here, but just a heads up: we've got some pretty solid evidence before our eyes that Palm has GSM versions of both Verizon's Pre Plus and Pixi Plus in the pipe. Said proof comes via the certification gurus at TUV Rheinland who've listed both a P101UNA and P121UNA in their systems from Palm; P101 and P121 are the numeric codes for the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus, respectively, and "UNA" indicates a GSM variant (versus the deliciously underhanded "EWW" for CDMA). Now, neither AT&T nor Palm have given a lick of indication what two models they'll be releasing later this year -- but this is certainly a convenient coincidence, isn't it?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/23/p...and-pixi-plus/
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January 23rd, 2010, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster
[Ryan] and his wife wanted to have a touchscreen interface in the kitchen to store their recipes and for various music, video, and Internet entertainment. We know where they’re coming from, we’re quite tired or cleaning flour (or worse!) off of our palm pilot screen after baking. The display you see on the wall is just the interface, a computer is stored in the cabinet below the counter. He’s running Windows 7 and using a custom graphic interface which is intended to mimic the looks of the iPhone. He’s sharing the UI as open source and has just started a forum for those interested in trying it out and adding to the available features.
One thing we noticed in his writeup, he prototyped this with an old 2 GHz computer but upgraded the hardware because it was too slow. This pushed to total build price to about $1350 USD. We can’t help but mention that using a Linux based system may have saved him from the upgrade. We know there’s some extremely powerful media software that runs on light hardware specs.
http://hackaday.com/2010/01/23/iphon...-kitchen-wall/
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January 24th, 2010, 21:58 Posted By: wraggster
The Jesus Tablet Blog recently uncovered documents deep within the US Patent Offices suggesting that the iPad was the Apple Tablet's name based on their battles against Fujitsu for it. Now they're moving ahead with a U.S. trademark battle.
So, to recap: Fujitsu trademarked iPad, and Apple filed to oppose the trademark back on September 1, 2009, literally, the first day Apple was even able to oppose Fujitsu's iPad name. Ryan noted that Apple's just been trying to kill time up until this point:
Apple lawyers haven't yet filed any specific complaints about Fujitsu's "iPAD" mark yet, they've just asked for time, and then more time, to put together arguments against the name. So it's entirely possible Apple just wants to preserve the option of naming its tablet the "iPad" up until launch, expected to come at a press event Jan. 27.
But it now appears that they're going through with it anyway. Having already filed for the international trademark, they're going for the US trademark as well.
IP Application Development LLC, a company linked to Apple that has filed patents in internationally for the iPad mark, has now filed an application to trademark "iPad" in the United States as well. The application is dated January 16, and appears to have been posted to the US Patent and Trademark Office website today. The application was filed under Filing Basis 1(b) and 44(d). According to the USPTO website, Filing Basis 1(b) refers to the "bona fide intention to use a mark in commerce" and 44(b) refers to the "claim of priority, based on an earlier-filed foreign application under §44(d)." Looks like last week's international filings were a precursor to this filing under 44(d).
Fun! Apple thinks they have the god-given right to iPad. Despite the fact that they couldn't file even though they didn't go after it until now, which is funny, considering they've had the iPod out in stores for, what, seven years? And it sounds a whole hell of a lot like the iPod! Anyway! Even more revealing is this:
The application covers hundreds of goods and services including: computers, books, games, and telecommunications. Interestingly, one service being applied for "enables users to program the scheduling of audio, video, text and other multimedia content, including music, concerts, videos, radio, television, news, sports, games, cultural events, and entertainment-related programs as they will be aired".
Don't know what that is, but it sounds dangerously awesome and Jesus Tablet-y! Or iPad-y. Or whatever. The point is this machine is called something and that something is probably "iPad" and if you name your kid "iPod" so help you god because they will not stop until his soul is sucked out his ass or his name is changed or he belongs to Steve Jobs. Bottom line.
http://gawker.com/5455508/apple-move...ures-in-filing
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January 25th, 2010, 13:46 Posted By: wraggster
More than 200 applications are being used by 50 tablet devices at Apple's headquarters, a mobile analytics firm has said.
The company, Flurry, has been able to track the activity because its technology is being used to provide analytics for the apps.
"Because Flurry could reliably "place" these devices geographically on Apple's Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre-release tablets in testing," blogs the company.
"Testing of this device increased dramatically in January, with observed signs of life as early as October of last year."
According to Flurry, more than 150 of the applications downloaded and launched by the tracked users were games, while entertainment apps and news and books both had more than 60. This presumably includes duplicates, judging by Flurry's headline 200 figure.
"With a larger screen, more memory, multi-touch and multi-tasking expected, games will play better than ever on Apple handheld devices," says Flurry. "The mix of applications observed comprises mainly of media and entertainment consumption as opposed to enterprise, productivity and computing."
Flurry says the tablets that it tracked were not running iPhone OS 4.0, but rather 3.2 - which has not yet been released for iPhone. The company says it's satisfied that the devices it's tracking are not merely iPhones running the new OS, though.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33042...se-at-Apple-HQ
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January 25th, 2010, 13:49 Posted By: wraggster
Revolution Software has today released Broken Sword: The Director's Cut for the iPhone and iPod Touch. A remake of the developer's first classic point 'n' click adventure in the Broken Sword series from 1996, The Director's Cut edition originally appeared on the Wii and DS in 2009, to critical acclaim.
As with the versions for the Wii platforms, the iPhone release features new in-game artwork by Watchmen artist and long-time Revelation Software contributor Dave Gibbons.
"I am very proud that the game, and indeed the whole series, has maintained such a loyal following," says Charles Cecil, managing director of Revolution Software. "Since the launch of iPhone we have been bombarded with requests from fans to produce an app and the innovative multi-touch user interface is perfect for an adventure game - it really works very well."
As well as introducing puzzles and gags new to those who missed out on the Wii and DS version, Broken Sword: The Director's Cut on iPhone also uses the control scheme introduced in Revelation's remake of Beneath a Steel Sky for the iPhone, which saw release last year.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...s-iPhone-today
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January 25th, 2010, 17:34 Posted By: wraggster
Mobile analytics firm dishes the dirt; says most apps are games
Mobile analytics firm Flurry says it's already tracking more than 200 apps being used by 50 tablet devices on Apple's Cupertino campus.
The company has been able to measure the activity because its technology is being used to provide analytics for the apps.
"Because Flurry could reliably 'place' these devices geographically on Apple's Cupertino campus, we have a fair level of confidence that we are observing a group of pre-release tablets in testing," the company claims.
Develop reported in August last year that Apple was working on a tablet device that would run as a game platform.
The company is expected to unveil the device on Jan 27 at a special press event.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...y-being-played
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January 25th, 2010, 17:37 Posted By: wraggster
New aspiring soloist lauds the ongoing democratisation of the game development sector
The iPhone represents a revolution in the game development sector, where publishing powerhouses such as EA fight on a level playing field with independent, and even amateur, solo artists.
That was the message offered by aspiring solo developer Hayden Scott-Baron, who recently stopped working for studios such as Frontier Developments and instead built his own microstudio.
“I'm certain that some developers will try going independent,” Scott-Baron tells Develop in an interview published today.
“I think the iPhone has shown me that any game can stand a chance when placed against larger publishers such as EA, especially in an environment where independent games can get just as much attention,” he added.
“You would never see that in a retail environment, and it's difficult even on PC for anyone other than enthusiasts to pay any attention to a small game made by a very small team.”
Scott-Baron’s new microstudio, Starfruit, recently put the finishing touches on the debut game Tumbledrop; an iPhone physics-based puzzle title.
His shift to solo development echoes that of former Fable II lead designer Dene Carter, who recently broke away from Lionhead to set up his own studio Fluttermind.
When asked on how the iPhone is changing the face of game development, Scott-Baron replied:
“There's certainly a strong spirit of 'give it a go' amongst developers now, knowing that there is a potential outlet without any worry of development kits or red tape.
“It's also given developers a reason to try out their project ideas, rather than letting them squander in a notepad. There's definitely a rise in alternative art styles too, be they childish 'sketch' type drawings, or incredibly abstract graphics, or simply very bold visuals, it pays off to make something noticeable.”
His enthusiasm for the increasingly popular platform is however tempered somewhat when giving considerations to the platform’s own tech and UI.
“[Going solo has] also made me think more about how games need to be appropriate for the platform. I've seen a lot of developers jump in to create very large or very complex games on the iPhone that I'm not certain are necessarily appropriate for the interface.
“The biggest difficulty is deciding whether you are willing to learn other skills, such as programming and music in my case, or whether to work with other people. Working with others can work out amazingly, but it's also quite risky because you can end up doubling the development costs.”
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-to-outsell-EA
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January 25th, 2010, 19:22 Posted By: wraggster
The iPhone represents a revolution in game development, where publishing powerhouses such as EA fight on a level playing field with independent, and even amateur, solo artists.
That was the message offered by aspiring solo developer Hayden Scott-Baron, who recently stopped working for studios such as Frontier Developments and instead built his own microstudio.
“I'm certain that some developers will try going independent,” Scott-Baron tells ME sister site Develop in an interview published today.
“I think the iPhone has shown me that any game can stand a chance when placed against larger publishers such as EA, especially in an environment where independent games can get just as much attention,” he added.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35768...ment-equaliser
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January 26th, 2010, 13:23 Posted By: wraggster
A doubling of iPhone sales send Apple’s numbers through the roof ahead of tablet Mac announcement
Tech lifestyle leader Apple has revealed a 50 per cent year-on-year jump in profits for the quarter ending December 26th.
Income for the period hit $3.38bn, drastically up from the $2.26bn in the same period in 2008. Sales climbed from $11.9bn in 2008 to $15.7bn this time around.
The numbers stem from huge sales of the iPhone, with 8.7m of the touch-controlled devices being snapped up by eager consumers – many of whom were Chinese following the official arrival of the phone in one of the world’s largest emerging economies.
Mac sales were on the up, too, climbing by 33 per cent to 3.36m units. A little sheen was taken off proceedings by an eight per cent drop in iPod sales to 21m, however.
The news come ahead of Apple’s high-profile media gathering tomorrow where it is expected that Steve jobs will lift the curtain on the long-rumoured tablet Mac – or iPad, if you prefer.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37293/Apple-profits-soar-50
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January 26th, 2010, 13:28 Posted By: wraggster
Namco Networks has announced that its iPhone applications have been downloaded over 23 million times since June 2008.
The company currently offers 24 titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch including entries in best-selling franchises Pac-Man, Ace Combat, Galaga and Dig Dug.
"With over 100,000 applications available and three billion downloaded apps, the App Store is booming," said Jonathan Kromrey, general manager of Apple Games for Namco Networks.
"Not only are we excited that our worldwide audience is checking out Namco’s premium iPhone content, but that consumers are coming back for more."
The company claims downloads are averaging 36,450 a day. Namco Bandai continues to pursue the social and casual audiences, last week announcing the Namco Arcade for networking site Facebook.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-23m-downloads
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January 26th, 2010, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster
Apple's new tablet device could represent a bold stride into gaming for the stylish company, and there are none more excited about its potential than Peter Moore, president of EA Sports.
"If it's got a great screen, some buttons, you can turn it on and it connects to the internet, it's got the ability to be a games machine," said Moore, reported by Bloomberg.
Nevertheless, Moore remains as clueless as you or I about what Apple will actually reveal at special conference tomorrow. Intense speculation surrounds the revelation of an iTablet: a laptop-sized device that looks like a blown-up version of the iPhone, only with added new functionality.
And while Apple's App Store boom on iPhone may have been surprising both for the public and company, this time the eyes of the gaming community will be firmly on Steve Jobs' next move.
"The center of gravity in gaming is moving away from the console to these other devices. “We’re going to wake up a year from now and see that this is a very important part of gaming," said Bart Decrem, boss of Tapulous, a successful iPhone and iPod Touch developer.
Namco's Jon Kromrey added: "I'm having fun thinking about all the wonderful things we can do with the device when it’s announced."
Join us tomorrow to find out what Steve Jobs will pluck from the Apple tree next.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/ea...by-new-itablet
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January 26th, 2010, 20:25 Posted By: wraggster
FCC investigation be damned, Google has finally managed to bypass the App Store and release Google Voice to the iPhone (and webOS, too) the same way it pulled off Latitude, i.e. via a HTML5-based web app. According to Senior Product Manager Vincent Paquet, it should work with any HTML5-compliant device, although the formatting at this point has been tailored to Apple and Palm's platforms. So here's how it works: much like with its mobile Gmail site, the app caches your contacts list in a browser page. All the usual GV functionality is there, writing SMS messages, checking your inbox, and even listening to voicemails (although that latter functionality wasn't working for us yet in our trials). Placing phone calls is an interesting trick: as pictured above, after you choose the recipient, the app prompts you to call one of Google's local numbers via the native dialer -- even for international calls, hence the lower rates by paying through Google. The recipient will see your proper GV digits, and upside with this method is you'll still be able to utilize call waiting and background usage. The catch, of course, is a call history littered with random numbers. It's not a perfect solution by any means -- if anything, take solace in an assortment of home screen icons for each section of the app -- but it's probably the best we're gonna get for the time being. The page should be up and running later today, so if you're anxious, direct your mobile browser to voice.google.com and just keep hitting refresh.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/g...-as-a-web-app/
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January 26th, 2010, 20:27 Posted By: wraggster
We have absolutely no idea what kind of voodoo, pseudoscience, and black magic goes into making an analyst-grade industry forecast, but considering that our local weather dude can barely tell us whether it'll be raining in a few hours -- much less a year or two from now -- you've got to take these sorts of things with a healthy dose of skepticism. That said, we're finding it pretty notable here that IDC's latest worldwide smartphone shipment forecast through 2013 has Symbian continuing to dominate the field of ever-stronger competitors thanks "primarily to the strength of Nokia in markets outside of the United States," while Android will surge past Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and iPhone to become number two in the world on shipments of some 68 million devices. Falling back a bit in IDC's Utopian vision are generic Linux devices along with webOS, which -- while "growing steadily" -- will be held back by a wee number of carrier partnerships. Everything that IDC's saying seems plausible enough, and we've got every reason to believe that Android's going to continue to heat up -- particularly with four of the top five mobile players (Nokia notably excluded) devoting significant portions of their smartphone lineups to the platform over the coming months. As for Symbian, it's an absolute juggernaut by any measure, so we can see it staying king for a while even in a complete vacuum of serious innovation -- it'll just be interesting whether to see Nokia and the Foundation can keep these hungry upstarts firmly in their rear-view mirror for much of the decade.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/i...droid-to-take/
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January 27th, 2010, 14:48 Posted By: wraggster
Web 2.0 luminary Jason Calacanis spills details on pricing and features
US web entrepreneur and blogger Jason Calacanis has been spending the morning tweeting details about Apple's new tablet device, which he claims Apple gave him ten days ago.
"Yes, it's true... I've been beta testing the Apple tablet for the past two weeks and it's amazing," he tweeted eight hours ago, before claiming he couldn't break his NDA with Apple. And then smashing it to smithereens.
In a succession of tweets, he claimed that:
* The tablet has a built-in HDTV tuner and PVR.
* It will cost $599, $699 or $799 depending on size and memory.
* It's running a version of the iPhone OS, and can run several apps simultaneously.
* The battery life is "great" in e-book mode, but only 2-3 hours when using Wi-Fi or playing games.
* It has two cameras, one on the front and one on the back. There are also thumbpads on each side, and fingerprint security.
* The screen is OLED, and there's a solar pad on the back for recharging.
* There's a customised Farmville app for the device, which Zynga CEO Mark Pincus will be demoing live on-stage tonight.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/37314/Apple-tablet-laid-bare
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January 27th, 2010, 14:51 Posted By: wraggster
Web entrepreneur claims the studio will unveil an iTablet edition of Farmville tonight
Social game studio Zynga will unveil an iTablet version of its social game Farmville during tonight’s Apple press conference, bloggers claim.
Alleged details of Apple’s long-rumoured tablet device were divulged last night by the prominent web entrepreneur Jason Calacanis, who made a number of claims about its hardware and features.
His verified Twitter account also wrote, among other things:
“Custom Farmville app is insane. Farmville for Apple tablet is a huge game changer. I know for a fact that Mark Pincus is onstage tomorrow with Steve Jobs.”
Zynga’s flagship title Farmville is a social phenomenon. In January the game clocked 74.5 million active users. Zynga itself is fast becoming one of the most lucrative social game developers in a new era of game studios.
Its nearest rival Playfish was recently bought by EA for at least $300 million, a move which encapsulated the sub-sector’s growing influence on the wider industry.
Yet Zynga’s super-selling social games are likely only part of Apple’s plan for gaming on the tablet device. Calacanis’ long list of tweets continued to suggest so:
“Apple tablet connects to other tablets over wi-fi for gaming,” he said.
“There will be LAN parties with these things, people playing FPSes. Apple tablet games are sick. Basically Nintendo Wii-level innovation.”
Zynga is currently looking to restore its reputation after being linked to an ad scam operation.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-Apple-iTablet
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January 27th, 2010, 16:58 Posted By: wraggster
It’s the game many regard as the greatest ever made, and now David Braben’s defining space epic Elite is making its way to iPhone thanks to Manomio’s C64 emulator app.
TouchArcade reports that a list of upcoming new titles temporarily appeared on the titles in-game store, with Elite being amongst those mentioned.
Other titles seemingly on the way include International Karate, Micropose Soccer, Jumpman, Druid, Wizball and Trailblazer.
The additions come as part of the v1.4 update for the app C64. New features include OpenFeint leaderboard integration, with some titles also getting OpenFeint Achievement functionality.
The update is also said to increase the overall performance of the app – owners of either the iPhone 3GS or the latest iPod Touch models can expect titles to run at around 50fps.
Manomio’s C64 app is now an established favourite on the App store after a troubled history. Its development saw it removed from the portal not once, but twice before Apple was comfortable with its emulating properties.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...and-iPod-Touch
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January 27th, 2010, 21:13 Posted By: wraggster
It looks like a "big iPhone," and apparently it acts like one too: the iPad can run traditional iPhone apps completely unmodified, and can even zoom them up to full screen. Additionally, a new iPhone SDK is out today to allow developers to tweak their apps for the specifics of the iPad. Of course, Apple has rebuilt its apps from the ground up for the iPad, and developers can do the same with the SDK.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/i...-sdk-out-toda/
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January 27th, 2010, 21:14 Posted By: wraggster
Put this down as something else rumored that's come to fruition today. Apple's just announced iBooks, an e-reader app and bookstore (called iBookstore) for the iPad, using the ePub format. We're seeing prices around $12.99 to $14.99 so far... looks pretty slick! We're sure Jeff Bezos and Co. are none too pleased to see this one, but we'll have to see for ourselves what reading's like on a non-E Ink screen. There's a gallery after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/a...-for-the-ipad/
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January 27th, 2010, 21:15 Posted By: wraggster
Well, it looks like it's not all just fun and games for Apple's new iPad -- the company has also just announced a version of its iWork software suite for the device. That, of course, includes versions of the Pages, Numbers and Keynote applications that have been "completely reimagined for iPad," which will be available individually for $9.99 apiece, and are are each basically what you'd expect from iPad versions of their desktop counterparts. It's iWork you can touch, if you will.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/a...work-for-ipad/
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January 27th, 2010, 21:15 Posted By: wraggster
In a direct blow to everyone else with a netbook and an unlimited data plan, AT&T has scored a deal to offer unlimited 3G data on 3G-capable versions of the iPad for $29.99 a month (then again, this is the same as an iPhone plan, and you're getting iPhone-level capability here). A 250MB plan, meanwhile, will be available for half that at $14.99 a month. Activation can happen right on the device -- no store visits or calls are necessary -- and there's no contract involved. The device is fully unlocked, so if you absolutely want to, you're welcome to take it to any other GSM carrier of your choice (assuming you can find a SIM that works -- Apple's talking up a new "micro SIM" for it). International users, stay tuned: Apple expects to have deals in place for you by June of this year.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/a...nlimited-data/
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January 27th, 2010, 21:17 Posted By: wraggster
After nearly a decade of rumors and speculation, Apple's finally unveiled the iPad. It's a half-inch thick and weighs just 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display, and it's running a custom 1GHz Apple "A4" chip developed by the P.A. Semi team, with a 10-hour battery life and a month of standby. It'll come in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes, and it's got the expected connectivity: very little. There's a 30-pin Dock connector, a speaker, a microphone, Bluetooth, 802.11n WiFi and optional 3G, as well as an accelerometer and a compass. There's also a keyboard dock, which connects underneath in the portrait orientation, support for up to 1024x768 VGA out and 480p composite out through new dock adapter cables, and a camera attachment kit that lets you import photos from your camera over USB or directly through an SD reader. The device is managed by iTunes, just like the iPhone -- you sync everything over to your Mac. As expected, it can run iPhone apps -- either pixel-for-pixel in a window, or pixel-doubled fullscreen -- but developers can also target the new screen size using the updated iPhone OS SDK, which is available today. The 3G version runs on AT&T and comes with new data plans: 250MB for $14.99 and an unlimited plan for $29.99 a month contract-free. Activations are handled on the iPad, so you can activate and cancel whenever you want. Every iPad is unlocked and comes with a GSM "micro-SIM," so you can use it abroad, but there aren't any international deals in place right now -- Steve says they'll be back "this summer" with news on that front.
It starts at $499 for 16GB, 32GB for $599, and $699 64GB. Adding 3G costs a $130 per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829. The WiFi-only model will ship in 60 days, and the 3G models will come in 90.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/the-apple-ipad/
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January 27th, 2010, 21:21 Posted By: wraggster
It's substantial but surprisingly light. Easy to grip. Beautiful. Rigid. Starkly designed. The glass is a little rubbery but it could be my sweaty hands. And it's fasssstttt.
Apple didn't really sell this point, but it's the single biggest benefit of the iPad: speed. It feels at least a generation faster than the iPhone 3GS. Lags and waits are gone, and the OS and apps respond just as quickly as you'd hope. Rotating between portrait and landscape modes, especially, is where this new horsepower manifests in the OS.
Build
Imagine, if you will, a super light unibody MacBook Pro that's smaller, thinner and way, way, way lighter. Or, from a slightly different perspective, think about a bigger iPhone that's been built with unibody construction. The iPad really does feel like some amalgamation of these two product lines from Apple. And, in the hands, it feels great—not too heavy at all.
The screen looked nice, and it's able to display even small text crisply. Touch responds like a dream.
But one point of the build seems odd. It's the Home button. In portrait mode, hitting the Home button is far less natural than on an iPhone because your thumbs naturally rest in the middle of each side of the case (not the bottom). A Kindle-like side Home button may not have been a horrible idea, even if it broke up the stoic minimalism of the case a bit.
iBooks
It's an optical illusion, but just seeing the depth of pages makes the iBook app feel more like a book than a Kindle ever did for me. The text is sharp, and while the screen is bright, it doesn't seem to strains the eyes—but time will tell on that.
Keyboard
Typing in portrait is better than anticipated but still a BIT of a stretch for our average-sized hands, which means that letters like F G and H will take a moderate conditioning for some.
full hands on --> http://i.gizmodo.com/5457757/apple-ipad-first-hands-on
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January 27th, 2010, 21:23 Posted By: wraggster
Apple confirmed today that its new tablet device, the iPad, will be compatible with iPhone games without the need for modification.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the new device at a special one-off event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco, California.
The iPad is using 'pixel doubling' to run apps full-screen, although they can also be run as small windows in the middle of the screen at their original resolution.
People buying the iPad will be able to sync their existing app library onto it, though developers can “spend some time modifying their app” to get the most out of the iPad and its display.
A new version of the iPhone SDK is being released today with the necessary tools.
However, it appears as if Flash games will not be available for the device, though Apple nor Adobe have made any announcements yet in regards to this.
Though Jobs said that all iPhone apps will be playable on the new device, the sheer number of iPhone games will certainly fully test that claim.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...ayable-on-iPad
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January 28th, 2010, 01:08 Posted By: wraggster
Apple unveiled its iPad tonight, with the biggest surprises being its price - starting at $499 - and the fact that it runs almost all existing iPhone apps with no modifications required.
But looking beyond that, what is the iPad's impact on the mobile entertainment industry - including existing iPhone developers, and external industries like book publishing and print media?
It's certainly a seismic thing for the latter, even more so than Amazon's Kindle was. Judging by tonight's launch, Apple has created a hugely powerful platform for e-magazines and e-newspapers.
Well, as long as they take advantage of its interactivity: embedded videos, contextual pop-up menus, weblinks and hopefully social features and comments.
For e-books, it's too early to tell if the ability to change font will trump Kindle's reader-friendly e-ink display. Even if not, it's still going to be a big new market for publishers.
What about iPhone developers though? The fact that they don't have to do anything for their apps to be iPad-compatible is good.
That said, there will be few additional revenues here: iPad users can sync across their existing iPhone or iPod touch app libraries to the new device - and I'd be willing to bet the majority of iPad purchasers will already own one of the devices.
So, developers will be faced with a decision about whether to develop new tabletised versions of their apps and games to take advantage of the iPad's bigger screen and more powerful processor, not to mention those contextual pop-up menus.
There are some unresolved questions. Will the device allow several apps to run at once, some in the background? It was unclear from tonight's launch - but will be of huge interest to developers.
What about push notifications? The question of what OS the iPad is running exactly, and whether the iPhone OS will evolve along those lines too, will also be exercising the minds of developers.
Even so, this much is clear: lots of people are going to buy an iPad because it's a sexy new product from Apple - but judging by tonight's event and the price of the device, it has a shot at winning a more mainstream market too.
These two groups of users are going to want iPad-optimised apps - with particular focus on games, entertainment and social networking.
Thus, the iPad is an important new mobile entertainment device. Not least because it's not the only tablet in town. Believe the hype or not, tablets will now be high on the agenda of mobile developers and media companies alike.
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35807...-entertainment
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January 28th, 2010, 01:12 Posted By: wraggster
Only way to interpret the launch of the iPad? Apple has declared the PC dead. Well-crafted but closed devices are their future of consumer computing. And if no one else can match the iPad experience, they may be right.
"In many ways this defines our vision, our sense of what's next." – Jonathan Ive
PCs will be around as expert devices for the long haul, but it's clear that Apple, coasting on the deserved success of the iPhone, sees simple, closed internet devices as the future of computing. (Or at the very least, portable computing.) And for the average consumer, it could be.
It's the "internet device" vision of a decade ago all over again, except now Apple can offer what is arguably the best user experience for internet and media consumption combined with a very reasonable (for a brand new gadget) price.
It may not be good for you, because you're an internet dork who wants to do heavy video editing or run Photoshop. (Or, you know, multitask.) But for the average person off the street walking into a Best Buy, their laptop money may now be going to an iPad.
What happens when they find the iPad is all they needed in the first place? They never buy a laptop again.
In the meantime, here are a few things to think about for we full-time dorks.
Does it kill netbooks?
If there's anything that you can take home from today's announcement of the iPad it's this: from here on out the battle between physical keyboards and touchscreen ones has moved beyond smartphones and into every other area of computing. Get ready to hear someone say "I touchtype just fine on a soft keyboard on my PC" very soon.
I'd be lying if I said the giant bezel doesn't ward me off a bit, even if I understand why it's necessary to be there. But it isn't as sexy as it could be, all things considered.
But a 1.5-pound device with a (theoretical) 10-hour battery life? Done and done. Heck, I'll haul two.
http://i.gizmodo.com/5458349/apple-i...sinate-laptops
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January 28th, 2010, 01:19 Posted By: wraggster
iPhone owners holding out hope that OS 3.2 would bring some of these fancy new iPad spoils to their devices might be in for a disappointment, because two of the big ones -- split view and popovers -- are both referred to in Apple's updated human interface guidelines as "iPad-only." Realistically, this shouldn't come as a surprise; both of these UI elements were built to shine on larger displays, and it's hard to say how you could make either one of them work on HVGA -- but it's important for devs to note that heavily investing in these are definitely going to make it difficult to make their apps compatible across all iPhone OS-powered devices. Considering that iPhones will almost certainly continue to dominate iPads for sales volume, we know how we'd be developing.
In other news, running the updated iPhone simulator in iPad mode gives you the option to take photos, which doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense considering that it doesn't have a camera. There are plenty of plausible explanations for the muck-up, but our guess is that Apple's left the vestigial capability on-board since the framework's already in place for the iPhone and there could very well be iPads down the road that have a cam (or two). Follow the break for a shot of the iPad's Address Book imploring you to take a photo -- and savor it, since it's probably the closest you'll actually get to snapping a shot on the device any time soon.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/i...s-split-views/
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January 28th, 2010, 01:22 Posted By: wraggster
he Apple iPad may be great for web-browsing. It may be the best slate on which to list half of the 10 Commandments since solid rock. But, for gamers, well, thou shalt have some legitimate doubts about this thing.
Why might the iPad not become the next great player in games?
(Bear in mind, we've now played games on the iPad.}
Uh, It's A Giant iPod Touch: If our man in San Francisco is sitting at Apple's press conference, waiting for Apple to announce a revolutionary way to play games via the iPad, well, I hope he lifts his feet when the janitors come by to sweep the floors. The wait could be long.
As best we could discern from today's announcement, the button-less, tilt-sensitive, touch-screen iPad offers no game-controlling interface improvements over the button-less, tilt-sensitive, touch-screen iPod Touch. In fact, the iPad doesn't appear to even have a camera, which has been supported by some iPhone games. The iPad just shows games bigger. It shows them Beautifully, of course, but Nintendo convinced the world a few years ago that graphical improvements are not the key to modern game machine success.
The Third Pillar Might Not Stand: Back in 2004, Nintendo was preparing to release a new gaming device, the DS. The two-screened system is a hit now, but back then it seemed about as unnecessary as a third shoe. Nintendo claimed that the portable DS would become a "third pillar," as crucial a strut to Nintendo's fortunes as the home console and the portable Game Boy. But that didn't make much sense, because the DS, which could play Game Boy Advance games seemed like it would need to supplant the Game Boy line to be successful. Why, really, would someone need two portable Nintendo machines?
And so the question can now be asked of Apple: If your consumers still need a computer and a phone, needs which you already can fill, what room in their wallet, their bag and their life is there for a semi-portable, semi-desk-ready tablet computer? For gaming or otherwise?
App Apprehensions: It's wonderful to hear that the iPad will run iPhone and iPod Touch games, but those games were made to run on a screen the size of an iPod Touch, not a screen a little bigger than a Superman comic book.
Do you want to run iPad games in a window while you multi-task on the iPad? That would be the closest you'd get to having App Store gaming available on a computer you can sit down with. Well, no can do. You can't multitask on an iPad. Plus, we're talking about games that either won't fill the iPad screen or will have to be blown up by users to play at bigger than their native resolution. We're told that the iPad supports "pixel-doubling" which will compensate for that, but it's hard to get that excited about the concept of playing iPhone games, but larger. The best hope here is that the early announcements of iPad-enhanced games such as Nova and Need for Speed Shift will swiftly give way to announcements of iPad-original games.
The Cost: You could buy an iPhone 3Gs for $299, a Nintendo DS for $129, a PSP for $169, a Wii for $199, an Xbox 360 starting at $199 or a PlayStation 3 starting at $299. Or you could buy an iPad starting at $499, gamers. Tough sell?
Versus PC Gaming: You can look at the iPad as a super-sized iPhone. You could look at it as chunky big brother to the DS and PSP. Or you could look at it as the most gaming-ready computer Apple has every released. In that last respect, the iPad is a nice advance for the prospects of being able to put an Apple product on your desk and play games on it.
But in that last context, the iPad must be compared to, well, Windows-based computers. The barrier to entry for developers is low for either: Make an App for the iPad. Make your own game for the PC. Grassroots developers could flourish on either platform. But we're likely to be seeing sized-up portable games on Apple's iPad for a while. They will be compared to fully-realized PC games that can be run with controllers, keyboards and mice. Advantage, Windows gaming... for now and for a while, it seems.
Room For the Little Guys? One of the best stories about gaming on the iPod Touch and iPad has been how the App Store allowed the smallest developers to vie in the marketplace against the biggest game publishers. The result of that competition has been wonderful games from the littlest crews to the biggest, everything from Tiger Style's Spider to some of EA's best.
The bigger screen size of the iPad, however, may raise expectations for the quality of graphics on iPad games — and smaller studios may find it more challenging than the EAs of the world to create games that are as visually pleasing as they were on the iPod Touch and iPhone.
Inherited iPhone Issues Some models of the iPad will run over Wi-Fi. Others can run on the 3G network, which raises questions about whether they will run into the same networking issues that plague games played over networks on the iPhone.
Another possible problem involves Apple's control of software for its devices. Gaming on the iPhone/iPod has been hampered by Apple's sometimes-unpredictable moves to remove some games from the store due to rights complaints. It's Apple's right to do so, but those who disagree with Apple's decisions could come to look at an iPad as another gaming device that is firmly controlled by its platform holder, just like an Xbox 360 or Sony or Nintendo machine. We're not talking about a market as free as Windows gaming or even Facebook gaming, for better or worse.
Hard To Handle?: Do gamers want to grab the short ends of a magazine and then pretend they are gaming? The original Xbox controller wasn't even that broad and it was a bust. Or would you rather trace your finger on a placemat? Those seem to be the two most likely postures for iPad gaming, an experience devoid of buttons and control sticks. iPhone game developers are still figuring out how to make games fun with some of the same feature restrictions. The iPad's added size looks to make such problems with iPhone gaming controls and comfort even more pronounced.
—
There are some reason to be excited regarding the experience of playing games on the iPad. Modern Apple products generate an enthusiasm that few other devices do. But Apple still has a long way to go before it can boast that the iPad as an option of first or even second resort for those who want to play video games.
When it was just a theoretical device, the iPad had the potential to be a must-have for gamers. Right now, it appears to be more of a "maybe," one that, from the get-go, instills as much doubt as it does enthusiasm about the newest way to play video games in the 21st century.
http://kotaku.com/5458360/ipad-doubt...wonder-machine
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January 28th, 2010, 01:29 Posted By: wraggster
Sorry Steve, but we're not necessarily interested in playing first-person shooters like N.O.V.A. on your newly-revealed iPad. That doesn't mean we can't see the gaming possibilities though. Don't get us wrong, we're excited to see that most of our iPhone games will work, but we think that's only the start of the story.
Real time strategy: The interface just isn't big enough for detailed troop management on the iPhone, but the iPad's larger display could be the perfect thing for trying to keep up with a hectic battlefield while managing resources. A beefier processor means the game won't be held up by too many orcs/soldiers/space cars on screen. The apps we want: Command and Conquer, StarCraft 2.
Board games: It's obviously a great size for classics like chess and checkers, but we could see playing a hell of a game of Risk that we could either pass around the room or play against friends online. OK, we were kidding about the friends part. Good luck trying to get people over to your house to "pass the giant iPod Touch around." The apps we want: Risk, Pandemic, Othello.
Most iPhone games with a virtual d-pad: Think of it, if you can move the buttons on your favorite d-pad controlled iPhone game, you may never have to wish for invisible thumbs again. Well, you might still wish for invisible thumbs but only so you can freak out neighborhood children. The apps we want (and are thankfully already out): Pac-Man Championship Edition, Wolfenstein RPG.
That one on the iPhone where it looks like you're drinking a beer: Dude: Giant beer.
Adventure games: We know some of these have been making their way to the iPhone, but pointing and clicking your way through adventure classics just seems like a natural with the iPad's larger screen (not to mention the reduction on iStrain as you read those piles of text). More and more of these gems are being remade with high resolution graphics -- we think it's high time to start enjoying them on a screen that does them justice. The apps we want: Everything Telltale's ever done, Quest For Glory.
The games that run like crud on your iPhone: After all, you've already paid for them, shouldn't you be able to play them without a bunch of chugging and stuttering? Note: This doesn't really apply to those of you rocking a 3GS, though we'll see how well your phone continues to stack up when devs also have the juiced up iPad in mind for their apps.
Popcap: Sorry guys, but there's probably nothing to be done about this one. They're going to make games, and those games are going to be a lot of fun. You're not going to be able to stop playing it. Plants Vs. Zombies is going to be fun on the iPhone and it's going to be several percentages funner on the iPad. Sorry. The apps we don't necessarily want but will be powerless to avoid: Peggle, Bejeweled, Plants Vs. Zombies.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/27/th...-want-on-ipad/
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January 28th, 2010, 01:34 Posted By: wraggster
In case you missed it back in June, the Palm Pre was rooted by extracting the Root ROM from a Palm tool used to reset a device with damaged software. A lot has been learned from examining the code inside that ROM but we’re most amused by one thing in particular. If you grew up in the 80’s there’s a pretty good chance you know the Konami Code by heart. So did the developers of WebOS, the firmware running on the Palm Pre. By inputting the familiar (UpUpDownDownLeftRightLeftRightBA) set of gestures the handset enters Developer mode for connection to the SDK which was leaked last summer but is now in open release.
http://hackaday.com/2010/01/27/nes-l...ding-for-palm/
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January 28th, 2010, 14:29 Posted By: VampDude
Twitter, blogs and Facebook users get the knives out
After hitting a grand slam with the iPhone, Apple can't be too happy with some of the early reaction to the iPad. On message boards, Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, a recurring theme has been to compare the device to a "giant iPod touch."
Considering none of the naysayers have ever handled an iPad, the comparison may seem harsh. But viewing the demo, it's not hard to see how people came to this conclusion. After all, the thing looks like a giant iPod touch, from the black-and-chrome exterior to the recessed start button. And, while Apple has introduced some new UI elements, such as drop-down menus, other basic features are based on the iPhone/iPod touch model, including the accelerometer, app store, some of the icons used for playing media, and, of course, the touch screen.
There are other criticisms as well. During the event, a comment left on the Industry Standard by reader David Kuan read:
"1 hr into the event ... and I am heading towards snoozeville. Here are my iPad not-so-good impressions thus far ....
1. Bezel is too large
2. 1/2 in is TOO THICK Even Kindle DX is thinner at 1/3 in
3. Full size QWERTY is nice but bad ergonomics when typing iPad on a flat surface
4. No SD slot for storage portability (A BIG MISS HERE!)
5. Phenomenal email? I must have dozed off during the "phenomenal" part
6. No camera? Sigh!
7. No FLASH support (MAJOR OUCH!)
8. IPS display means more power consumption and requiring backlight. Difficulty to read outdoors due to glare. OLED would be a much better choice but at this size it is yet to be economical for mass consumer target."
However, other people are very excited about the prospect of owning an iPad. There have been a huge number of iPad-related tweets saying "I want one," particularly after the pricing was announced -- the base $499 Wifi model seems to be within many people's budgets.
But the true gauge of the iPad will come when the devices ship in 60 days, and Apple releases sales figures later in the year. Wall Street thus far seems undecided, if Apple's stock price is anything to go by. It dipped to a low of about $200 during the beginning of Wednesday's demonstration, but the price had recovered to around $208 90 minutes later.
Via: PC World
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January 28th, 2010, 16:33 Posted By: wraggster
New development start-up Wonderland sees significant advantages for game design in Apple's new iPad, singling out the size of the screen and its processor as opening more creative avenues than the smaller iPhone.
The team, made up of ex-Lionhead staff, went public this week – the same day that Apple unveiled its new device to an expectant market.
"There are two features in particular that have incredibly exciting gameplay consequences: the big screen size and resolution; and the way that the iPad is going to be used," said Matthew Wiggins, CEO of Wonderland Software, speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz.
"You can see from the software that Apple demoed, how the 4x pixel area totally changes the kinds of interfaces and interactions available compared to the iPhone - things that weren't possible, or are severely compromised, on a smaller screen are now up for the taking. The faster, in-house processor backs this up really well - it's a big thing that Apple can now control the hardware and software for their products."
Wiggins also said gameplay experiences for the iPad can be designed for longer periods of time, as the device is targeted at the home entertainment market, rather than as a portable gadget.
"Equally significant is the way the iPad is going to be used – this is a device designed to be used sitting down, for extended periods of time. This means that where the iPhone favours shorter, more bite-sized experiences, using the iPad is going to be a lot more immersive and substantial. For a developer exclusively developing for Apple platforms, it's a exciting opportunity to create games that work with both kinds of consumption," he added.
Wonderland is currently working on iPhone game GodFinger for publisher ngmoco, and while development is ongoing, it's not interested in jumping on any early "me-too" bandwagon.
"We'd be mad to not support it in the future, but we won't release a game for it until we have something magical to give to people. When that will be, I can't say,” offered Wiggins. “In the short-term, they'll be a lot of me-too developers trying to get a cheap port done for launch, in attempt to win the goldrush lottery. A few will succeed, most will not. Needless to say, we won't get involved in that."
One of Wiggins' early suggestions for game design is to tie both the iPad and iPhone together, to help create persistent experiences.
"After that initial rush, I think there's a fantastic opportunity for creative, talented devs to produce experiences tailored for the iPad," he said. "Apart from the different experiences possible due to the design of the iPad and the way it will be used, there's potentially some very interesting stuff you could do with having both iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch clients for a server based game – using the iPad at home for longer, more immersive play, then using the iPhone app whilst you're on the move to keep tabs on the game. This will work brilliantly for persistent games."
Early critics of the device may be asking who the target market is, but Wiggins believes Apple has thought long and hard about how it will sell the iPad, evidenced by the low starting price of the vanilla SKU.
"They've made a good start by tackling this head-on – before even announcing it, Jobs talked about whether there was a need for a 'third category' device. Apple are conscious of the problem, but after spending years on the tablet fence, they wouldn't release this device without being sure of it's appeal and usefulness.
"They've also managed to deliver it at a great price - by positioning it way below their laptops, they are stopping them going directly head-to-head. The biggest surprise of the launch was the $499 price - no one expected that low."
According to Wiggins, the casual market will be attracted to the iPad and its ease-of-use, not just as an entertainment device, but as a substitute for a traditional PC.
"The iPad is going to be a hard sell to the geek-tech crowd, who generally have a powerful laptop and a smartphone already, but that market doesn't really matter to Apple now - they are going for the millions of people who want a brilliant user experience, rather than the complexity of a traditional computer," said Wiggins.
"As soon as people watch a video of the iPad being used, and eventually have a chance to use one, they'll want it. It's been 12 hours since the launch, and already both my wife and son want us to get one - that's the appeal that Apple are going for with this," he concluded.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ameplay-design
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January 28th, 2010, 16:33 Posted By: wraggster
Key iPhone developers have expressed their commitment to creating games for Apple's newly unveiled iPad, and labelled the device as an important part of the impending shift from traditional console games to casual games that are enjoyed by the wider market.
"This is big because it will build on the success of the iPhone and iPod touch, increasing the presence of the iPhone platform in the living room and the bedroom," said developer Tapulous, creator of the best-selling title Tap Tap Revenge.
"That means users will spend more time in front of iPhone OS devices, and less time in front of their TV and traditional console devices, which ultimately means they will spend more time in Tap Tap Revenge and other iPhone games.
"This is part of a big shift from traditional console games aimed at hardcore gamers, and towards casual, social games enjoyed by everyone during their spare minutes."
The games the studio has currently released onto the App Store will run unmodified on the iPad, said the developer - Apple has confirmed that the device can run almost all of the 140,000 apps currently available through its store, either in 1:1 pixel in the centre of the screen, or by doubling to full screen in low resolution.
But it added that the new form factor opened up a world of new possibilities - "For example, two-player mode will be a blast on the iPad. We're going to aggressively explore how we can take full advantage of the new capabilities."
Those new capabilities will also be exploited by iPhone developer Firemint from the offset. The Australia-based developer of the acclaimed Flight Control confirmed that it was already working on an optimised and re-imagined version of the 2 million plus-selling title for iPad.
"Flight Control will work perfectly on iPad without any changes from us," it said. "But we want to ensure a delightful experience on iPad that feels just right.
"We started developing Real Racing before the iPhone 3G was announced. Similarly, we are already building our next generation of games for higher definition, more powerful devices than are available today.
"The iPad announcement and Apple's A4 chip have come at a fantastic time for us. We are working on some incredibly fun and exciting games that will look amazing on iPad and take full advantage of its features, as well as working brilliantly on iPhone and iPod touch."
At the device's unveiling, EA also demoed a version of Need for Speed and Gameloft showed off an enhanced version of its iPhone title Nova.
The iPad - which features an accelerometer and 9.7 inch multitouch screen - is set to launch in March.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ad-development
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January 28th, 2010, 16:38 Posted By: wraggster
Chillingo boss Chris Byatte says games developers and publishers will be keen to support Apple's new iPad with new versions of their games, if it sells well.
"If the iPad install base grows quickly publishers and developers will invariably build two resolutions," he tells ME.
Byatte also thinks Chillingo's existing games, including titles like Ravensword and Radio Flare Redux, will be "awesome gaming experiences" on the iPad.
Byatta also confirmed that Chillingo isn't just planning to support the iPad with games, but also with its newly-launched iPhone social games platform.
"Chillingo is already working to make Crystal compatible at the iPad's higher resolution," he says.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...ategy-for-devs
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January 28th, 2010, 16:39 Posted By: wraggster
Steve Wozniak, legendary co-founder of Apple, has stated that the iPhone serves better for actual working tasks than the new iPad.
Responding to a question at the University of Chico about how he thought it would affect the entertainment industry, Wozniak said that he saw the iPad as a rival to the Kindle.
“It’s an e-book reader,” he told reporters. “ It’s sort of like what Amazon has. I foresee something where you’ll be able to subscribe to magazines and newspapers – this is not announced, I’m totally guessing.”
He went on to say that the iPad would not function as well for everyday working tasks as the iPhone: “I don’t think it’s better than an iPhone for that sort of task.”
For Wozniak, the interesting aspect of the iPad was the way it revolutionised the distribution of media content.
“That would be a bigger change,” he noted. “It’s not a piece of hardware, it’s a whole new thing in how it implements a store – the whole selling and distributing.”
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33071...than-an-iPhone
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January 28th, 2010, 20:50 Posted By: wraggster
Developer and publisher Nordcurrent has today released its ambitious iPhone minigame compilation 101-in-1 Games. It should come as no surprise that it bundles together just over one hundred bite-sized titles from a number of genres.
The collection brings together a number of puzzle and action titles, from racing and sports to cooking, shooting and sudoku. Initially just ten titles are available to play, with the rest accessible as unlockables.
"101-in-1 Games is a great fit for the iPhone and iPod Touch," said Victoria Trofimova, Director at Nordcurrent. "With its extensive use of the hardware's touch screen and its vast array of games and a great price, it is a must-have for every iPhone and iPod Touch gamer."
Priced at Ł2.39, making each game cost 2.39 pence each, 101-in-1 Games offers some of the best value on the Apple platform.
http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/297...buts-on-iPhone
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January 28th, 2010, 20:52 Posted By: wraggster
Yesterday marked the announcement of the Apple iPad device, and with it came a new version of the SDK. In this new version, Apple has lifted the voip over 3G restrictions that limited VOIP traffic to wifi only. This morning, Fring announced that it's iPhone app is 3G capable starting immediately. No update is needed as apparently the app had 3G capability all along, but a server side block prevented its use. Furthermore, apparently a 3G capable version of skype has been ready for some time now, and has been waiting for this restriction to be lifted.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...king-On-iPhone
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January 28th, 2010, 20:54 Posted By: wraggster
FSF's John Sullivan launches the Defective by Design campaign and petition to rain on Steve's parade, barely minutes out of the starting gate. 'This is a huge step backward in the history of computing,' said FSF's Holmes Wilson, 'If the first personal computers required permission from the manufacturer for each new program or new feature, the history of computing would be as dismally totalitarian as the milieu in Apple's famous Super Bowl ad.' The iPad has DRM writ large: you can only install what Apple says you may, and 'computing' goes consumer mainstream — no more twiddling, just sit back, spend your money, and watch the show — while we allow you to."
What is clear is that the rise of the App Store removes control of the computer from the user. It makes me wonder what the next generation of OS X will look like.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...-Step-Backward
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January 28th, 2010, 20:55 Posted By: wraggster
The iPad! A revolutionary, game-changing product. But also, far from perfect. Let's help Apple out on that second front, shall we?
Don't feel like you need to stick to realistic improvements, either. Sure, me adding Flash to make Hulu usable wasn't too crazy, but please think outside the box here.
Send your best entries to me at contests@gizmodo.com with Improved iPad in the subject line. Save your files as JPGs or GIFs under 800k in size (seriously, anything over will not be posted because our gallery system freaks out when we try to feed it lots of large files), and use a FirstnameLastname.jpg naming convention using whatever name you want to be credited with. Send your work to me by next Tuesday morning, and I'll pick three top winners and show off the rest of the best in our Gallery of Champions. Get to it!
http://gizmodo.com/5458783/lets-help...ad-even-better
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January 28th, 2010, 20:58 Posted By: wraggster
As you're probably aware, the Apple iPad, like the iPhone and iPod Touch, doesn't support Flash. Apple has its reasons for this, but clearly Adobe isn't happy about it. Here's their response.
It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple's DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers. And without Flash support, iPad users will not be able to access the full range of web content, including over 70% of games and 75% of video on the web.
If I want to use the iPad to connect to Disney, Hulu, Miniclip, Farmville, ESPN, Kongregate, or JibJab — not to mention the millions of other sites on the web — I'll be out of luck.
Adobe and more than 50 of our partners in the Open Screen Project are working to enable developers and content publishers to deliver to any device, so that consumers have open access to their favorite interactive media, content, and applications across platform, regardless of the device that people choose to use.
The main arguments against Flash running on the iPad are that it's a resource hog and a security risk. Both true! Hopefully the web is moving away from relying on Flash for videos and ugly menus, with HTML5 acting as a more-than-adequate replacement. But we're not there yet. While I can appreciate the fact that Apple is trying to keep the iPad more stable by not including Flash, the fact that it kills off most online gaming and video streaming in the process makes the tradeoff questionable.
http://gizmodo.com/5458645/adobe-res...-lack-of-flash
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January 28th, 2010, 20:59 Posted By: wraggster
Bad luck, non-US countries. iBooks won't be available from launch in any country other than the US. That could mean Apple's still to finesse the licensing details with book publishers in each country, or you're just plain out of luck.
While I doubt they could write off one of the most attractive features of the iPad that easily, it's disappointing that there'll be a delay in other countries. Apple's Australian website is one of the first sites to have any trace of the iPad, which confirms the lack of ebooks.
I'll be busy pressing F5 every 10 minutes on the UK Apple site, looking for any sign of the iPad, as I just can't believe Apple could launch the device without ebooks from the get-go in the UK, considering Penguin's a British publisher, Hachette a French one, Macmillan originally Scottish but now German, and Harper Collins a British/American company.
http://gizmodo.com/5458585/ipad-coul...ries-at-launch
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January 28th, 2010, 21:03 Posted By: wraggster
Well, here we go again. Apple might have stolen all the headlines yesterday with the iPad, but as we've already noted, that name has been in dispute since September -- and it doesn't look like Fujitsu, which has been selling its own iPad since 2002, is going to back down. "It's our understanding that the name is ours," Fujitsu PR director Masahiro Yamane told the New York Times. Maybe, but it's not quite that simple. Here's the deal: Fujitsu applied for the "iPad" mark in 2003, specifically covering handheld devices used in retail. (The Fujitsu iPad is a $2,000 Windows CE point-of-sale device.) Along the way, the application got bogged down because a company called Mag-Tek had already registered IPAD for its line of PIN-entry keypads, and Fujitsu's application was listed as "abandoned" in April of 2009. The notice of abandonment apparently woke someone at Fujitsu up, because the company then asked the Trademark Office to re-open the application, arguing that Mag-Tek's IPAD had nothing to do with the Fujitsu iPad. The USPTO agreed, re-opened the application, and the process continued until September, when the iPad application was published so other trademark holders could oppose registration. That's when Apple signaled that it wasn't so happy about things -- and filed its own "iPad" trademark application using a shell company called "IP Application Development."
Phew -- still with us? That leaves us at now, with Mag-Tek selling the IPAD under a valid, registered trademark, Fujitsu selling an iPad with a pending trademark application, and Apple sucking all the air out of the room with the launch of the iPad and no US trademark at all. We'll be honest: we'd always simply discounted rumors Apple would call it the iPad, because this is kind of a mess. Apple can't just take "iPad" from Fujitsu because it really wants the name -- it's likely going to have to argue that "iPad" is confusingly similar to "iPod," while still trying to register "iPad" on its own and telling the Trademark Office that it won't be confusing to people looking for the Mag-Tek device, or the Siemens "iPad" motor trademark, or potentially even Coconut Grove's trademarked iPad bras. Of course, all these problems can be solved with the direct application of cash and some nice ambient media attention, so it's likely we'll see some friendly joint PR from Apple and Fujitsu along with an agreement to share the name sometime before Apple's formal opposition is due on February 28. That's pretty much what happened when Apple bit the "iPhone" name from Cisco, anyway. But still -- why can't Apple ever learn to have these conversations ahead of time?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/a...emark-dispute/
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January 28th, 2010, 21:04 Posted By: wraggster
50 seems to be a pretty trendy number right now, what with Palm's Pre Plus and Samsung's i8910 HD both showing off the ability to run more than 49 concurrent processes. Joining that number party, albeit in a different fashion, is this video demonstrating 50 games running smooth as butter on a Motorola Droid handset. If you thought you had to have a Zune HD, iPod touch or one of them webOS thingies to get your mobile gaming on, maybe this will serve as a competent dissuader. See it after the break.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/5...ays-android-c/
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January 28th, 2010, 21:05 Posted By: wraggster
Like the camera references, this could just be another case of vestigial SDK weirdness -- but for whatever reason, devs have noticed (and we've been able to reproduce) a "Touch to return to call" bar in the iPad emulator just like you'd expect to find on an iPhone during a traditional GSM call. It certainly seems like Steve would've bothered to mention during today's festivities if you could do something crazy like pair up a Bluetooth headset and go to town (and you'd need a voice plan on top of that $29.99 data anyway), so who knows: either Apple's just made every UI element as adaptable as possible regardless of whether it's applicable to a particular device, they're planning a higher-res iPhone down the road, or they're integrating the bar into some VoIP action. Or... you know, none of the above.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/i...ls-or-will-it/
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January 28th, 2010, 21:06 Posted By: wraggster
While the news of Apple's iPad having 3G wasn't exactly a surprise, the move to a new format for the SIM certainly was. The SIM -- that tiny card that holds your contact info and account information that you find in your GSM handset -- is a 15 x 25mm plastic card whereas the new Micro SIM (also known as a 3FF SIM) is a diminutive 12 x 15mm, about 52% smaller. Needless to say, it's not physically compatible with your current phone. This card was developed by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to offer things like more storage space on-chip for provider applications, increased control and security functions -- over what, we don't know -- and the new smaller form factor allows it to fit in tiny devices. Frankly, we wouldn't call the iPad "tiny" and we have absolutely no clue what justification Apple had to switch to it other than a desire to be different -- this is the company that pioneered Mini DisplayPort, after all -- but the long and the short of it is that you're going to have a hard time finding a carrier offering Micro SIMs in the short term since the GSMA doesn't appear to be actively spearheading a mass conversion. In fact, from AT&T's perspective, this is better than a software lock in some ways -- you're not going to be able to download a hack that gets you on another network, so you're totally at the mercy of your carrier at choice for providing a compatible card. Intentionally evil? Perhaps not -- all standards have to start somewhere -- but it's an awful pain in the ass.
Update: T-Mobile (in a partnership with Lok8u GPS devices) announced they were bringing the 3FF SIM to US shores back on January 6th of this year. See the source link for more info.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/a...sim-explained/
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January 28th, 2010, 21:21 Posted By: wraggster
With yesterday's announcement from Apple of its much hyped "latest creation" -- the iPad -- and the news that already existing iPhone applications (that means games too, folks) will be playable on the device, we started wondering how the developers of the world felt about this shiny new piece of gadgetry. So we asked a handful of our favorites -- Canabalt's Adam "Atomic" Saltsman, Pocket God's Dave Castelnuovo, and PopCap's Andrew Stein, just to namedrop a few -- to give us their reactions.
"It's hard to say anything concrete without actually playing with the thing personally, but I'm optimistic about it continuing to open up video games to even more 'normal' people," Saltsman told us. "I'm hopeful that having a big multitouch space will help mediate the whole 'fat fingers on a tiny screen' problem." PopCap's Andrew Stein agreed, telling us "We'll certainly look at the unique capabilities of the iPad and work hard to utilize those in instances where they can make our games even more fun."
Republic of Fun prez Mike Rasmussen sees things a bit differently, noting the opportunity in the upped horsepower of the device. "From a pure gaming perspective, I'm excited about the additional resolution and horsepower, and really interested to start understanding the 3D performance of the A4 [chip]." But even the most successful app developer on the market -- Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo -- seems a bit reticent of the iPad, telling us he sees "a lot of potential with the device," but his company is going to "wait to see what kind of acceptance the tablet will have" before moving forward with development.
.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/28/ip...s-on-the-ipad/
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January 28th, 2010, 21:24 Posted By: wraggster
Now that the gaming public at large has had a chance to discuss Apple's iPad, it's for the analysts to weigh in. Speaking with IndustryGamers, prior to the iPad announcement, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter intimated that he didn't expect the tablet set the gaming world on fire. "It's going to have limited appeal to gamers, although some people will buy it obviously," said Pachter. He elaborated that the device could affect Nintendo's DS, though. In the end, however, Pachter expects the iPad to benefit the iPod Touch, thanks to a "cross-fertilization of games" between the platforms.
Meanwhile, EEDAR's Jesse Divnich, speaking after the iPad announcement, said that iPad games would likely have to cost $20 for publishers to "treat the iPad as a serious gaming device." Divnich noted to the low barrier of entry on the iPad / iPod as the sticking point, saying that big publishers have a hard time competing with indie developers that can sell games at rock-bottom prices.
He further elaborated that the competition on the App Store stifles big publisher profits, which in turn stifles innovation. "The lower the profit potential, the less resources and desires there are to push gaming standards ahead." Frankly, that point of view seems to neglect that many low-budget indie games do push gaming standards ahead, but that's another post altogether.
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/27/an...re-about-ipad/
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January 29th, 2010, 21:15 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata has responded sceptically to Apple's iPad, saying the device is just a bigger iPod Touch.
The Nintendo president said Apple had delivered "no surprises", telling the New York Times, "It was a bigger iPod Touch."
Iwata also took the opportunity to deny speculation that Nintendo is working towards the release of an HD-enabled Wii and a DS equipped with motion control.
"I question whether those features would be enough to get people to buy new machines," he said.
He also expressed his view that 3D gaming wouldn't catch on, although said he welcomed 3D films such as Avatar.
"I have doubts whether people will be wearing glasses to play games at home. How is that going to look to other people?" he responded.
The possible health effects of 3D game playing would also need to be examined, he said, since users would engage with 3D games for longer periods than they do a two hour film.
Reactions to Apple's iPad following its unveiling on Wednesday have been mixed, with most developers responding positively with the view the device could shrink the gap that currently exists between the casual and console gaming markets.
Others however have criticised Apple for creating a device for which there is no market, and question whether it will damage the prospects of smaller companies that have, so far, thrived on developing for the App Store.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ger-ipod-touch
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January 29th, 2010, 21:40 Posted By: wraggster
Russian mobile games developer HeroCraft has got in early by announcing its first game for Apple's new iPad tablet.
Majesty is a conversion of the popular PC strategy game, and will be optimised for the iPad's high-resolution screen.
It's also coming out for Java, Android and BlackBerry handsets, as well as (presumably) the plain old iPhone.
"We're impressed by the new Apple tablet device," says HeroCraft's sales and marketing director Alexey Sazonov.
"We believe it will provide the ideal platform for gaming, filling the gap between traditional desktop and mobile phone devices. Coming from a strong PC background, Majesty will work tremendously well on a high resolution portable device like the iPad."
http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35827...irst-iPad-game
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January 29th, 2010, 21:46 Posted By: wraggster
recombu.com is running an interesting piece about how Apple has created a 'Jumanji (board game) platform.' The 9.7-inch multi-touch screen is perfect for playing board games at home, and you could use Wi-Fi or 3G to play against other people when you're on your own. What would be really interesting is if you could pair the iPad with iPhones, 'Imagine a Scrabble iPad game that used iPhones as letter holders. You could hold up your iPhone so that no one else could see your letters and when you were ready to make a word on the Scrabble iPad board, you could slide them on to the board by flicking the word tiles off your iPhone.' Now that would be cool.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...-Game-Platform
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January 30th, 2010, 00:12 Posted By: Shrygue
via Gizmodo
The iPad is Apple's netbook. It's small, built for the web, and cheap. Which is a problem for the people who make actual netbooks, since they wanted to undercut Apple. And it's hard to get cheaper than glorified smartphone guts.
Originally, according to Digitimes, Asus and MSI wanted to undercut whatever the iPad would cost by 20 to 30 percent, but that was when they expected it to cost $1000, which made it kinda easy. It's a lot harder when the entry price is $500 for the iPad, thanks to the fact it's using essentially mobile guts (the A4 chip is the beefiest component, it seems, and it's designed for smartbooks, so it's lower power than anything in a full-size netbook).
But! Since the Asian manufacturers are sorta kinda built to compete on price, only a sucker wouldn't expect a price war—in other words, expect to see a ton of other netbooks and slate-y things for cheaper, like $400 or less. Ah, competition.
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January 30th, 2010, 00:39 Posted By: wraggster
Google's CEO rarely comments publicly on the competition. When asked directly today about the iPad, though, he couldn't resist a minor jab in Apple's direction.
Schmidt was fielding questions from reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland when he made is opinion—such as it is—of tablets known. Of course, Google also has a vested interest in the space, with more than a few upcoming slates set to run Android. Still! It's actually a pretty good point.
http://gizmodo.com/5460029/google-ce...with-your-ipad
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January 30th, 2010, 00:42 Posted By: wraggster
Man, Adobe is not letting up here. In addition to releasing a terse, carefully worded response to the Apple iPad's apparent lack of Flash, the official Flash Blog took a much more truculent approach. Exhibit A: a post entitled "The iPad provides the ultimate browsing experience?" followed by several mockups of sites laden with the infamous Blue Lego Block of Ambiguity™. Adding to the conversation in the comments, platform evangelist Lee Brimelow accuses Apple of not wanting the Flash player to succeed, and that the company's tried to work with Cupertino since the iPhone. " They don't want you to go to Hulu or play Flash games because they worry that you won't buy their apps," he says. Frankly, we wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, and while we understand Adobe's frustration, this probably isn't gonna help relations between the two tech firms. Hey Adobe, trust us, we feel your pain -- we really want Hulu on the iPad, too.
In other, more amusing news, it seems Apple's official iPad promo has slipped up a bit in showing off what the tablet can really do. Namely, one clip of the New York Times and an article on 31 places to go in 2010. Here it clearly shows a Flash-based module up top, inaccessible without the plugin. We're not thinking this is a sign of things to come -- if anything, it's probably just a mistake by the producers. Don't get your hopes up, folks.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/29/a...apple-promo-f/
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January 30th, 2010, 00:47 Posted By: wraggster
Sonic gives Mario the slip and sets out on his own (with a few friends) in Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, now available for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
Sonic's solo winter Olympics outing is now available for purchase, with $4.99 scoring you 10 different characters playing 4 different events. Team up with Sonic, Amy, Tails, Knuckles, and a host of characters you may or may not care about, as they do their best to triumph at snowboard cross, skeleton and figure skating, and curling, which according to Canada is an actual sport.
The game features Bluetooth and Wi-Fi multiplayer, and a whole host of unlockables, which might make up for the small number of events. It sounds kind of nice for a $4.99 iPhone title, and so far it has an average rating of five stars. Granted that's from two people, but perhaps they are two very well-informed people, and not the developer's family.
http://kotaku.com/5459989/sonic-ditc...phone-olympics
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January 30th, 2010, 01:00 Posted By: wraggster
The real question about Apple's new multitouch pseudo-computer, dubbed the iPad, is not whether it sucks or rocks. What all of us really want to know is whether it will change the future. The answer? Yes, but badly.
The iPad And The World Of Tomorrow
For those who spent yesterday glued to the State of the Union address instead of tech news feeds, Gizmodo has a terrific summary of Apple's new device. To break it down: The iPad looks basically like an iPhone, but with a 9.7 inch screen. It runs the same software as the iPhone, can connect to the internet, and seems to work nicely for reading books, newspapers and magazines, watching video, checking Google maps, reading your email, surfing the web, and casual gaming (though not PC gaming, as Kotaku's Stephen Totilo points out). Like the iPhone, it has no keyboard - you can touch-type on the screen. Or you can buy a keyboard attachment separately.
Why is this outsize version of the iPhone so important that the internet basically exploded over it yesterday? Mostly because Apple's last two new mobile devices - the iPod and the iPhone - changed the way people think about computers. They really did change the future, by making it glaringly obvious that computing devices are not all desktop PCs - they can be specialized music players, or telephone/internet toys that put the web in your pocket. They are the beautiful, cool poster gadgets for the mobile computer generation; they are what we imagine when we think of tomorrow's machines.
The Mythical Convergence Device
The iPad promises to be just as revolutionary as its predecessors, for one reason. It embodies, as much as possible, the mythical convergence device that technophiles have been craving for almost two decades. The convergence device, which people began to discuss seriously in the 1990s, would be a unified gadget where you could consume many kinds of media, especially TV and the web, with the same gadget.
This is exactly what the iPad does, helped along by the fact that so much television is available online already. And you can add books to this convergence, too (possibly even with a Kindle app). The iPad is also the perfect shape for a convergence box. Its screen is about the size of a quality paperback or small television set. There's none of that scrunching your forehead as you peer into the teeny screen of the iPhone to read a book or watch YouTube.
What I'm saying is that the iPad appeals to a very deep and longlived fantasy in the consumer electronics world: A device that does it all. At least, if all you want to do is consume media.
And there's the problem.
Reinventing The Television
Apple is marketing the iPad as a computer, when really it's nothing more than a media-consumption device - a convergence television, if you will. Think of it this way: One of the fundamental attributes of computers is that they are interactive and reconfigurable. You can change the way a computer behaves at a very deep level. Interactivity on the iPad consists of touching icons on the screen to change which application you're using. Hardly more interactive than changing channels on a TV. Sure, you can compose a short email or text message; you can use the Brushes app to draw a sketch. But those activities are not the same thing as programming the device to do something new. Unlike a computer, the iPad is simply not reconfigurable.
The iPad emulates television in another way, too: You can channel surf through the Apps Store, but you can't change what's playing. Every single app that's available for the iPad has to be approved by Apple first, just like apps for iPhones. That means censorship of "offensive" apps, no apps that compete with Apple (i.e., no Google Voice), and no random app somebody wrote to do whatever obscure shit you want to do. So you've got thousands of channels and nothing on. You can only keep flipping through the channels, hoping in vain to see something other than reruns of Cheaters and Alf.
If you want something new, there are very limited ways of getting it. You can write an app, and it might be accepted to the Apps Store. Or you can write your own (unacceptable) app and hand it out to a few friends, if you and they are technically savvy enough. But most users won't be in that position.
As futurist Jamais Cascio told io9:
This is Apple's big push of its top-down control over applications into the general-purpose computing world. The only applications that will work with the iPad are those approved by Apple, under very opaque conditions. On a phone, that's borderline acceptable, but it's not for something that is positioned to overlap with regular computers.
The iPad has all the problems of television, with none of the benefits of computers.
Back To The Shopping Mall
So if it's not a computer, what exactly is the iPad? It could be just a really tarted-up ebook reader, which would make sense if you consider that the iPad is competing with Amazon's Kindle. So it's a reinvention of the book, a fairly old technology, but in a gleaming new package. Except that package isn't even very new, as futurist and science fiction author Karl Schroeder pointed out. He told io9 that the iPad isn't about brilliant hardware innovation, and that in fact the device doesn't even use state-of-the-art ebook tech like e-ink.
Speaking to us via email, Schroeder said:
What Apple has done (again) is seize the moment with a combination of a device and a business model . . . even if e-ink provides a better reading experience for books (reading on an iPad will continue to literally mean staring into a lamp, just like reading on a computer screen), it doesn't matter because it's the total package of iTunes, iBookstore, 3G, games, apps etc. that will pull ebook readers along with it. Consider that the iPad is a closed platform that doesn't even multitask; if the technology mattered, those would be major considerations for the buyer. But they won't be, because when you buy an iPad, you buy access to the whole Apple business ecology.
Looked at from this angle, the iPad isn't so much new technology as it is a shiny, pretty doorway to a mall where you can buy everything from books to movies.
The iPad hasn't brought us forward into the future. It's taken us backward to a world of strip malls and televisions.
Another Vision Of The Future
So the iPad takes us back to the 1980s, or maybe even the 1950s. It's likely to be a device that changes our future, but what that means is we're facing a tomorrow where true innovation is sidelined by a device that represents a convergence of old media and shopping.
But as John Connor would say, we can change the future. That might be as simple as pushing Apple to change its App Store policies to make iPads less like TVs and more like computers. As Lifehacker's Adam Pash put it, "The App Store isn't exactly the problem-it's the way Apple runs and limits the App Store." He suggests that Apple could create a special "Restricted section" for its App Store. He continues:
Rather than reject applications that it feels may confuse the user (like they claimed Google Voice or Google Latitude might), or applications that allow users to access naughty pictures, or even applications that it hasn't had time to vet for the App Store proper, [Apple] put those applications in the Restricted section. Before a user is able to install applications from the Restricted section, that user has to agree that the application may confuse their feeble minds, offend their delicate sensibilities, or even slow down their device. Is this such a problem? . . . Even better, [the iPad] could work like the package manager it actually is and allow users to add their own trusted repositories as sources for other applications . . . The point is, users should at least be allowed to flip some switch, somewhere on the machine, that says, "Hey computer, I'm an adult, and I take responsibility over how I use this machine."
A convergence device that can also be reprogrammed the way computers can? Now we're in the twenty-first century.
Another possibility would be for developers and investors to focus on hardware that truly is innovative and futuristic. Schroeder says:
There's really nothing in the iPad that's new; if you want truly new, disruptive tech that would be at a similar price point if commercialized, look at Pranav Mistry's SixthSense and related projects.
SixthSense is a gesture-controlled mobile device with a projector - you can see its telephone app at work above. You project the phone onto your hand and press the buttons. You can also use gestures to take pictures. This is truly the next step in mobile computing, and will likely revolutionize computer networks in ways we can't yet imagine.
What Is To Be Done?
I know a lot of otherwise-savvy consumers and hackers who are already drooling over the iPad and putting in their orders. They hate the idea of a restricted device, but they love the shiny-shiny. I'm not saying that they should deprive themselves of this pretty new toy. What I am saying is that this toy represents a crappy, pathetic future. It is no more revolutionary than those expensive, hot boots I bought at Fluevog, and only slightly more useful.
The only way iPads can truly become futuristic devices is if we hack them so that we can pour whatever operating system we want inside. We need to jailbreak these media boxes so we can install the apps we want, not the ones provided by the Apple shopping mall.
Do not be content with a television when you can have a computer.
Do not be content with yesterday's machines, because the future is before you. Ready to be hacked.
http://kotaku.com/5458822/why-the-ipad-is-crap-futurism
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January 30th, 2010, 01:03 Posted By: wraggster
Sure, it might resemble a large iPod Touch to some of us, but to the folks who get paid the big bucks to make games -- such as Epic Games VP Mark Rein -- the iPad looks like opportunity. Speaking to Gamasutra at this week's big unveiling event, Rein said "I really like the device and I think it's going to be great for gaming." And considering his company's Unreal Engine 3 is popping textures in and out of view on the iPhone already, it's no surprise that he said it's a "pretty safe assumption" to bet that the engine will make its way to the iPad.
Like the iPhone game developers we spoke with yesterday (and our own wishes for what we'd like to see on the device), Rein hopes that devs will "take advantage of the differentiated form factor of the device." And hey, with all that extra screen space, we have to imagine that at least a quarter of Marcus Fenix's enormous husk is now able to fit into view! It's called innovation, folks, ya dig?
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/29/ep...possibilities/
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January 30th, 2010, 18:59 Posted By: wraggster
Paul Krill reports that Apple's new iPad could be easier to write apps for, thanks to Novell's MonoTouch development platform, which helps .Net developers create code for the iPad and fully comply with Apple's licensing requirements — without having to use Apple's preferred Objective-C. This news falls on the footsteps of news that Citrix will release an iPad app that lets users run Windows sessions on the iPad. These two developments bolster an argument that the iPad could eventually displace the netbook.
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...Pad?art_pos=11
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January 30th, 2010, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster
Firefox Mobile crawled into its first pockets last night, going live on Maemo5. The mobile version retains the full awesomeness of the Awesome Bar and includes WeaveSync for keeping tabs, passwords, and bookmarks straight across desktop and mobile versions.
The Nokia N900 sports a lot of impressive unofficial achievements on its resume, like dual-booting (sort of) and playing Starcraft and Duke Nukem 3D. Now it gets the benefit of Firefox's first o-fficial mobile version.
As mentioned above it comes with the Awesome Bar and synchronization capabilities as well as tabs, location-aware browsing and some add-ons. Flash support is experimental but can be turned on in the settings.
Firefox Mobile 1.0 is currently available for download. You can find out more at Mozilla's Firefox Mobile page.
http://gizmodo.com/5460348/firefox-m...to-nokia-n900s
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January 30th, 2010, 19:04 Posted By: wraggster
At this particular point, 50-something days away from the earliest iPad deliveries, we doubt too many people are up in arms about the iPad's ability to act as a jumbo iPhone. On the other hand, if we told you you can take pretty much the entire iPad experience and distill it down to your iPhone OS device, well you'd probably care a lot more, wouldn't you? To get that extra 3D flavor to your UI, including the fetching iBooks shelf and other iPad-specific touches, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone or iPod touch, access to the Cydia app store, and the manpower to click past the break for the full instructional video. Come on, you know you want to.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/30/i...nd-ipod-touch/
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January 30th, 2010, 19:05 Posted By: wraggster
While Nintendo president Satoru Iwata expressed some rather public disappointment with the new Apple iPad yesterday, representatives from rival firm Sony couldn't be happier.
"Apple's entrance into the portable gaming space has been a net positive for Sony," Sony's John Koller, Director Hardware Marketing, told the Wall Street Journal. "When people want a deeper, richer console, they start playing on a PSP."
If positive thinking really was a power, Sony would be moving mountains about now.
http://kotaku.com/5460078/sony-pleas...th-apples-ipad
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January 31st, 2010, 21:44 Posted By: wraggster
Having cut his programming teeth on an Apple ][e as a ten-year-old, Mark Pilgrim laments that Apple now seems to be doing everything in their power to stop his kids from finding the sense of wonder he did: 'Apple has declared war on the tinkerers of the world. With every software update, the previous generation of "jailbreaks" stop working, and people have to find new ways to break into their own computers. There won't ever be a MacsBug for the iPad. There won't be a ResEdit, or a Copy ][+ sector editor, or an iPad Peeks & Pokes Chart. And that's a real loss. Maybe not to you, but to somebody who doesn't even know it yet
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/0...From-Tinkering
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January 31st, 2010, 21:48 Posted By: wraggster
If you're a Palm Pre owner who's been craving some old-school distraction, rejoice! You can now play Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance games on your smartphone.
Game Boy Advance games, like Mario Kart Short Circuit, aren't quite running at full speed yet—about 60% of normal speed with sound or 90% without—but Game Boy and Game Boy Color games work just fine, and, as they say, emulators can't be choosers.
The VisualBoyAdvance for WebOS project only started two weeks ago, so hopefully updates and improvements will be quick to follow. As shown in the video, the emulator can already switch between portrait and landscape and supports custom skinning.
Check out the project's page on Pre Central for information on how to install
http://www.precentral.net/visualboya...ebos-vengeance
http://gizmodo.com/5460467/play-game...sualboyadvance
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January 31st, 2010, 21:52 Posted By: wraggster
We're sure just about every company on the map has an opinion on Apple's new device, but a few big wigs have taken time out of their busy schedules to weigh in on the device. These are their stories.
Nokia's Mark Squires, Head of Social Media, was mainly confused by Apple's statement that it's the biggest mobile device manufacturer, surpassing Nokia in combined revenue on media players, phones and laptops. Mark argues that the accepted definition for "mobile devices" excludes laptops, and goes on to mention the undisputed fact that Nokia's still number one when it comes to number of devices sold.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, meanwhile, says that mobile devices aren't a priority for his company yet. They're fighting the good fight of the large screen, and once they feel comfortable in their various efforts there, then they'll move on to small screens. Netflix hasn't done or submitted an iPhone application, but Hastings did mention that he was optimistic that if Netflix did get into the game, the app would be approved for the App Store, and that it would run on both the iPhone and iPad.
Satura Iwata, president and CEO of Nintendo, took a much more directly critical approach to the device, calling it a "bigger iPod Touch," and that Apple delivered "no surprises." In the same interview he expressed skepticism as to the value of bringing a high definition Wii on the market, as well as expressing doubts about 3D glasses-based gaming. Iwata is clearly a tough man to please.
Perhaps most threatened by the iPad is Russ Wilcox, CEO of E-Ink. He says dedicated e-readers will outsell iPads due to "simple economics," and that the iPad is "great entertainment device," but it's "not the world's best reading device." His criticisms, mostly in juxtaposition to Kindle-style devices, abound, including price, weight, backlight and so on. He's right on the money about the shortfalls of a straightforward comparison, but we wonder if consumers will feel the same?
Nothing too salacious, unfortunately, and most of the points raised are pretty spot-on -- though we do wish Reed Hastings would rethink his priorities just a smidgen and get Netflix onto mobile devices sooner than later. We're needy like that.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/30/n...d-to-the-ipad/
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