EA Commits to N-Gage with New Games

Since the Apple App Store has launched and the iPhone has turned out to be such a great mobile gaming platform, it seems like we hear little about the Nokia N-Gage devices. EA Mobile has announced stronger support for the N-Gage platform with several games coming globally.

Games specifically for the N-Gage platform include FIFA 09, Spore Origins, Monopoly Here & Now, Need for Speed Undercover, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, and The Sims 3. These games are set to launch over the next year and will add titles to the platform. None of the games are noted to be N-Gage exclusives.

“Nokia is thrilled to be bringing a tremendous roster of titles from EA Mobile to N-Gage customers around the world,” commented Gregg Sauter, Director of Third Party Publishing, Nokia. “The breadth and quality of this new games line-up is testament to the strong relationship between Nokia and EA Mobile. As N-Gage accelerates its growth through 2009 and beyond we look forward to continuing our close relationship with EA Mobile to deliver even more innovative and exciting games to the global N-Gage community.”

Source : http://www.i4u.com/

Technorati Tags: EA,N-Gage,Game,Phone

Review: Blackberry Bold sports style over substance

The BlackBerry Bold 9000, Research in Motion's formidable contender in the 3G market, has finally arrived. And though the Bold boasts a sleek design, a sharp display, and high-speed connectivity, it fails to impress in other areas--particularly, its call quality and its camera's image quality.

See a video of the launch of the Bold in Canada right here.

As enticing as this phone is, its faults may prevent the Bold from justifying its steep price tag (the phone costs $399 with a three-year Rogers contract).

The most stylish BlackBerry yet, the Bold comes with a removable black leatherette cover that gives the phone a classy, sophisticated look and makes the handset comfortable to hold. (You can personalize the back cover with an optional blue, brown, green, gray, or red back.)

At 4.5 inches by 2.6 inches by 0.55 inch, the Bold has roughly the same dimensions as its predecessor, the BlackBerry Curve 8300; it also has curved corners and a glossy face. The phone weighs 4.8 ounces, making it heavier than the the BlackBerry Curve 8320 (which weighs about 4 ounces) but equal in weight to Apple's iPhone 3G.

The Bold lacks the iPhone's touch screen, though that feature will appear on RIM's forthcoming BlackBerry Storm. But the Bold does have a terrific keyboard and the various corporate e-mail and infrastructure-friendly characteristics that the BlackBerry platform is known for.

Unfortunately, the Bold's call quality disappointed me. For some reason, while calls to landline phones sounded clear, calls to other cell phones (on various carriers) consistently suffered from background hiss. And though voices had ample volume, they sounded somewhat tinny.

Source : http://www.itbusiness.ca/

Technorati Tags: Blackberry,Curve 8300,iPhone,3G

Intel chip would expose Apple iPhone security

Putting Intel's Moorestown chip package inside a future version of the iPhone would make the smartphone less secure, according to an independent security researcher.

"That will make the iPhone x86 and that will make a lot of attacks easier," said Dino Dai Zovi, an independent security researcher, in an interview at the Hack In The Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Due for release in 2009 or 2010, Moorestown is a chip package designed for smartphones and other handheld computers. The heart of the package is an upcoming version of Intel's Atom's processor, an inexpensive low-power x86 processor. Apple has never said it intends to use Moorestown in future products, but Intel is widely believed to be hopeful that Apple will adopt the chip package.
"The iPhone uses the Arm processor and most people are not familiar with it," Dai Zovi said, noting that x86 processors are familiar territory for malware writers and hackers looking for vulnerabilities.

Apple iPhone 3G review

"If you're doing exploits and vulnerability research, you need to know the specifics of the processor that's running," he said.
Dai Zovi is a well-recognised figure in computer security circles and is widely known for winning a 2007 hacking contest that involved hacking into a MacBook Pro laptop. The feat by Dai Zovi and partner Shane Macaulay won them the MacBook Pro as well as a $10,000 prize, and laid to rest popular misconceptions that MacOS X was somehow immune from the type of security vulnerabilities that affect Windows-based computers.
Intel executives declined to comment on Dai Zovi's remarks, saying any discussion of a Moorestown-based Apple iPhone is purely hypothetical. In addition, they said Intel's policy is to decline comment on other companies' products.
MacOS X is seen as generally safer than Windows, because the small market share of MacOS X means most malware writers and hackers choose to focus their efforts on Windows instead. But that could change as iPhone sales boost the number of MacOS X users.
"The iPhone is another OS X platform and whereas now the market share for OS X is definitely under 10 percent on desktops, on smart phones they recently sold more phones than RIM," Dai Zovi said, referring to the maker of the BlackBerry line of handheld devices.
The iPhone runs a slimmed-down version of MacOS X, the operating system used in Apple's desktop and laptop computers. As a result, some of the security features that are included in the desktop version of MacOS X are not included in the phone version.
"The iPhone is significantly less secure than the desktop version of OS X," Dai Zovi said.

Source : http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/

Technorati Tags: iPhone 3G,iPhone,Apple,MacOSX

Motorola to Cut Jobs and Delay Spinoff

Motorola said it would shed 3,000 jobs, or slightly less than 5 percent of its work force, and delay a planned spinoff of its mobile devices unit as it spends 2009 trying to develop smartphones that will excite the public.

The slow economy and waning interest in its lineup of cellphones will make the job even harder. Sanjay K. Jha, who took over as chief executive of the mobile devices business in August, warned investors on Thursday that a turnaround was more than a year away.

Motorola, once the market leader, finds itself behind other handset makers because it did not design smartphones, as Nokia, Samsung and Apple did. Motorola had the best-selling cellphone by 2006, the Razr, but lost its lead by churning out updated models. When that phone’s popularity faded, Motorola had little to replace it.

It will not have much in the pipeline until late next year, and it will begin selling its first touch screen phone in the United States, the Kraze ZN4, this fall.

Mr. Jha said Motorola would make smartphones to compete with the various BlackBerry models made by Research in Motion and the iPhone by Apple.

“We have been too focused on bright shiny objects and not on the user experience,” Mr. Jha said in a conference call with analysts after Motorola announced its third-quarter results.

He said he planned to have phones designed that used one of only two operating systems: the new Android by Google and Windows Mobile by Microsoft. Motorola hopes to introduce an Android-supported smartphone in time for the Christmas buying season in 2009. It also plans to announce other smartphones using Windows Mobile next fall.

“The reality is, there is no good fix here,” he said. Mr. Jha was chief operations officer at Qualcomm, the maker of chips used in cellphones. He oversaw Qualcomm’s research and development, including its Flarion unit, the maker of fourth-generation wireless technology that makes it easier and faster for users to surf the Web on their mobile phones.

Motorola, based in Schaumburg, Ill., said it lost $397 million, or 18 cents a share, in the third quarter, compared with a profit of $60 million, or 3 cents a share, a year ago. Sales fell 15 percent, to $7.48 billion, from $8.81 billion a year ago. Net cash was $3.4 billion, compared with $3.6 billion in the second quarter.

The mobile devices division was the hardest hit. Sales fell 31 percent, to $3.1 billion, from $4.5 billion a year ago. The division reported an operating loss of $840 million, compared with a loss of $248 million in the quarter a year ago. Mr. Jha said the division planned to cut $600 million next year, or about three-quarters of the overall $800 million in cuts planned companywide.

The company began the year with 66,000 employees, but according to government filings, 4,800 employees affiliated with Motorola were laid off in the first nine months of the year.

“In the end, they still have to come up with well-designed phones,” said Roger Entner, a communications analyst at Nielsen IAG. “I think Sanjay is finally realizing what a mess the organization is in.”

By choosing to use Android and Windows Mobile, Mr. Entner said it showed that Mr. Jha “had zero faith” in the proprietary operating system that Motorola used for some of its phones. He added that while Motorola was long known for its innovative hardware design, its software design was considered a laggard.

Windows Mobile, though, has often been blamed for not fostering innovative mobile devices. Mr. Jha conceded that the current iteration of the operating system “could be better,” but said he had seen previews of newer versions and was encouraged that they would be more consumer-friendly.

Motorola plans to open an office in Silicon Valley to be near Google engineers and another in Seattle to work more closely with Microsoft. Motorola also makes set-top boxes and products used by businesses and law enforcement officials for scanning and fingerprinting, as well as data and video communications systems for public agencies like fire departments. It is the more profitable side of the business.

Last spring, Motorola announced it would separate its mobile phone business from the rest of its operations in 2009. But the company has called off plans to do so next year, in part because of the weak economy.

The company also said it lost $141 million in its Sigma Fund, an institutional m

oney market fund, because of faltering investments in, among others companies, Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual.

Source : http://www.gainesville.com/

Technorati Tags: Motorola,iPhone

Nintendo's sales surge 20 percent

Nintendo Co.'s sales and profit figures for the first half of fiscal 2008 hit record highs, mainly thanks to strong sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles in the U.S. and Europe.

First-half sales on a consolidated basis were up 20.4 percent from the year earlier to 836.8 billion yen, with net profit up 9.4 percent to 144.8 billion yen.

The console manufacturer sold 10.1 million Wii units during the period; and while domestic sales were down, sales in the U.S. and Europe were up by 50 and 80 percent respectively.

However, predicted net profit for the fiscal year was revised downwards to 345 billion yen, down from a previous forecast of 410 billion.

Source : http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081031p2a00m0na005000c.html

EarthBound's Fandom vs. Nintendo

Now, it's no secret that I love EarthBound. I love it enough to import both the GBA rerelease of the game and the sequel. I actually haven't written a review yet of Mother 3 because I love it too much, if that makes sense. It's hard to do a rational review about a game that's so emotionally affecting. Just the first chapter alone might be the most incredible and traumatic prologue to a game. It's an absolutely unbelievable experience.

Of course, a big problem people have had is because they really couldn't believe it. Despite the game being over two years old (and that's after being in development for over eleven years), there's still no indication that Nintendo is even thinking about bringing it over. Much gnashing of teeth over this has been done already; not to mention the online projects to provide a fan translation, or the general frustration that Super Smash Bros. Brawl was filled with spoilers for Mother 3 (perhaps most blatantly, the identity of the main bad guy – spoiled beyond a shadow of a doubt both by the New Pork City level and The Subspace Emissary).

As someone who readily identifies with the EarthBound fan community, I'm obviously frustrated by this. I'm similarly frustrated by the lack of EarthBound on the Virtual Console, despite the fact that it has already been rated for Virtual Console release months ago. It's a good series, and I would love to talk it over with people. But it's really hard to do so when the most conversation I can get is a knowing nod and the promise to take my word for it.

One factor, I think, is that Nintendo completely flubbed the release of EarthBound back in the day. For one thing, the packaging of a game with the strategy guide was not just ahead of its time, it was a downright boneheaded maneuver. Back when EarthBound came out, the strategy guide was something that was bought by only a small number of people, and it really wasn't necessary for getting through the game (I managed to get through just fine without it). Quite a few people were disappointed in that they had to get a guide with the game... particularly at a time when completing a game with a guide was looked down upon (for those wondering about that, they used to make games where you could clear through the game without a guide's help... alien concept today, I know).

Another factor, I think, is that EarthBound is not an easy game to get into. I'll be honest, it took me over a year to actually like the game, and a few more after that to fully appreciate everything going on with the game. I know it's rated K-A on the Super Nintendo (the rating that eventually became E by the ESRB), but the game's not for kids. It's just too dense, both in terms of play style and thematically. The game needed time to develop its fanbase – due to when it was released and how, it never had a chance to fully develop one. Heck, even now, a good chunk of the fanbase isn't so much a fan of the game as it is a fan of Ness (and a bit of Lucas as well) in Super Smash Bros.

Also, the series has a bad habit of releasing at awkward times. The first Mother game was apparently denied release because Nintendo was focusing on development for the Super Nintendo, particularly in North America. The GBA rerelease of Mother 1+2 was stymied in part by Nintendo's focus on the DS, and the GBA Mother 3 came out in Japan at a point when Nintendo had all but stopped releasing GBA carts in North America.

However, sometimes, I can't help but wonder if part of the reason the series doesn't get brought over is due to the, well, antagonistic stance the fanbase has towards Nintendo over the series. Every so often, you'll get someone who asks the American arm of Nintendo about the game. The answers are non-committal: they'll recognize the game's vibrant fanbase, but refuse to give solid word one way or the other about any plans they might have regarding the franchise.

You wouldn't know it to hear some fans, though. I've seen people splice clips of Reggie Fils-Aime together to make it look like he's trashing the franchise and that it'll never get brought over to these shores. When Nintendo Power (which has not been published by Nintendo for some time now) made a joke that appeared to mock EB fans, Nintendo got deluged with angry letters (one of the possible drawbacks of letting a house organ go independent – not everyone remembers that it isn't a house organ anymore). You'd think that Nintendo executives ate puppies every day, from the way they're described at times.

Honestly? I think people need to realize that such behavior doesn't help. Look, I'm just as frustrated that the series isn't coming over. But trying to antagonize and insult the company you want to bring the Mother series over isn't going to help. I don't think that Reggie, or anyone else at Nintendo, has a grudge against the series. But if they do, it's most likely because the fanbase treats them like garbage. I'm not saying that Nintendo would refuse to release a game just because its fans have been rude... but I wouldn't put it outside the realm of possibility.

Again, I think it's quite silly as I bet the format issue is really the big one. I mean, since Mother 3 came out in Japan, I can only think of one game that Nintendo has released for the GBA – and that was a Pok้mon game, which is guaranteed money for them. And even that didn't sell as well as Nintendo hoped. It's quite reasonable to believe that a nearly-unknown franchise would fare much worse. Now, there is always hope that Nintendo could bundle the trilogy on a DS card (if so, they should call me – I have a great ad campaign for it). But before we get to that point, we should probably treat them nicer. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and I don't think it help to insult Nintendo over the series.

Source : http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1462