Mobile Phone Blog:

Okay folks, it’s time for another one of those stories where I have to remind you that it’s only a rumour, and that you should take it with a pinch of salt, while at the same time, I desperately want it to be true. And that’s because if it is true, then it’ll be really rather awesome. Also, it’s about mobile gaming, which has sort of become my thing.

Anyway, the rumour is this, according to Pocket-Lint: HTC phones are going to be getting PlayStation certification before the end of the year. That means PS1 games appearing on my favourite manufacturer’s phones, and that means I’m a very happy bunny, if it’s true.

Is it true, though? (more…)

Have you ever wondered what the average Android user looks like? Well, alright, no, me neither, but the thing is, we now know, thanks to Bluestacks. Y’see, they’ve done a survey thing, titled “Mr Android”, and it promises to break down the Android user like never before. Or something. I shall break down their findings, but if you want to see the full infographic (still love that word), click on the piccie, just there, to the right.

Let’s ignore first impressions (which, just by looking at the pic, would indicate that the average Android user is some kind of Frankenstein’s monster, made from bits of other people, sellotaped together), and take a look at the figures. Because they’re more revealing. And less monstrous… (more…)

If there’s one thing we all know and love, in the mobile world, it’s unboxing videos (well, I do, and I’m the one writing this blog post, so yeah), but you may not know is that, for its Nexus rage of phones, Google does the absolute best unboxing videos ever seen. Why?

‘Cos they involve ninjas, that’s why. First came the unboxing for the Nexus One, in a glorious pastiche of 70s kung fu movies. And then, came the one for the Nexus S, where the ninjas returned, and left the Youtube video to destroy the site it was on. They didn’t so much break the fourth wall, as cover it in petrol, set it on fire, and beat it to death, with brick hammers. Super-powerful, ninja brick hammers, at that.

So, naturally, the best way to do the unboxing for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was to make it a full, playable 8-bit beat-em-up game, right? (more…)

Well, here we go. For ages, lots of people have been saying that mobile gaming would trigger a paradigm shift in the gaming world, and it looks like it’s beginning to happen. According to analysts at Flurry, phones and tablets (specifically iOS and Android devices) have now overtaken Sony and Nintendo, to become the dominant form of portable gaming on the market.

Yup, nearly 60% of the revenue from portable gaming is now coming from iOS and Android, a massive turnaround from a mere two years ago, when 70% of the revenue was being made by Nintendo. And if a giant like Nintendo can get this badly curbstomped, you know the world is changing, right? So, what happened? (more…)

Y’know, I’m old enough to remember a time, about fifteen years ago, when Duke Nukem was good. There were none of the jokes about Duke Nukem Forever being Duke Nukem Never, there was none of the disgruntlement of it being the archetypal bit of vapourware, and then, being an utterly crushing disappointment when it did get released. No sirree, those were simpler days, when you could actually get away with just quoting the Evil Dead movies, and calling it clever humour.

Yes, those were the days, alright, when Duke Nukem 3D was wowing pretty much everyone, and now, you can relive those glory days, ‘cos Duke Nukem 3D has just been released on the Android Market. Hell, as they say, yes… (more…)

Well, it was rumoured earlier this month (as I wrote about in a blog post at the time), and now it’s been made official by the two companies involved. Yes, according to their own press release, Sony Ericsson is no more. No more rumour, it’s a done deal; Sony is buying out Ericsson’s share, for the princely sum of €1.05 billion (about 925 million quid), and will take full control of the mobile manufacturer.

So, what does this mean for their phones?

Well, at the moment, no-one rightly knows, but for one thing, it seems logical that they’d stop being called Sony Ericsson, and would switch over to just being called Sony. Makes sense, since Ericsson would no longer be involved at all, right? (more…)

Hmm, y’know, I wondered when this would happen. Mobile gaming is taking off in a massive way, right, but the only phone that gives you proper gaming controls, so far, is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. For every other Android phone out there, you’re stuck using the screen to control whatever game you’re playing. That ain’t a problem when it’s something like Angry Birds, but what about more in-depth games?

According to PocketNow, Ice Cream Sandwich is coming to the rescue, ‘cos that new version of Android includes support for USB game controllers. Oh, and before anyone points it out, yes, I’m well aware I put an Xbox controller in the pic, which is probably ironic, or something… (more…)

I really hate it when Sony Ericsson do this; they’ll announce a phone early in the year, and then proceed to not actually get it on sale until nearly the end of the year. I’ve seen ‘em do it loads of times, and blow me down, they’ve gone and done it again, with the Sony Ericsson Xperia pro. The phone was announced at the Mobile World Congress in February, and according to Engadget, it’s just now going on sale, in October.

Granted, the Xperia pro wasn’t that exciting, but then, you try and look eye-catching when you’re announced at the same time as the phone that everyone had been waiting for, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. But here’s the kicker: can the Xperia pro cut it in today’s market? (more…)

Well folks, here’s a bit of news that’s arrived about three years after it should have done. According to IntoMobile, Sony Ericsson have announced that, as well as breaking even in Q3, they’ve finally decided to stop making feature phones, and transition over to making nothing but smartphones. And yes, I have to admit, the word “about bleedin’ time” are swimming wistfully across the front of my brain.

Basically, ’tis brilliant news, this, ‘cos it means more phones like the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, and less phones like the nowhere-near-as-exciting Zylo and Elm. Anything that means us consumers get more high-end smartphones is absolutely a-ok by me.

Oh, and there’s more news, too… (more…)

Now then, here’s an interesting statistic, for anyone who doubts that mobile phones have completely taken over the world; CTIA has done a survey, y’see, and they’ve found that there are more phones than people, in the USA. Not that this fact matters to us, here, in Blighty, but it’s a slow news day, so beggars can’t be choosers, right?

So, let’s talk figures; there are, roughly, 315 million people in the United States, but these new figures indicate that there are nearly 328 million phones. That’s 12 million more phones than people, so logically, rather a lot of folks must have more than one phone. Well, either that, or they’re breeding independently like some bizarre cross between Jurassic Park and a Motorola advert… (more…)