Category: Mobile Tech

Epic Games and Chair Team Up For Infinity Blade on iOS

Remember that impending mobile gaming explosion I wrote about in Coffee Talk #204? It just got one step closer. Epic Games (Gears of War, Unreal) and Chair Entertainment (Shadow Complex) have officially announced Infinity Blade for Apple iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad). The game blends sword-based action with RPG elements. Here’s a clip from the press release:

Taking handheld gaming to new heights, the graphically intense “Infinity Blade” features adrenaline-fueled sword battles and epic boss fights set in the realm of a fully 3D castle. The game’s robust single-player mode features an intuitive combat interface and simple touch controls which enable hardcore and casual gamers alike to engage in fun, furious battles. As play progresses, players gain experience, build stats and earn more powerful items to prepare their knight for the final encounter with the game’s nemesis, the God-King.

And here’s a quote from my pal, Epic Games president Dr. Mike Capps…or as I like to call him, “Busta” Capps.

More than one million people have been introduced to the world of ‘Infinity Blade’ through our free app, ‘Epic Citadel,’ and soon everyone will be able to play our first fully featured game for iOS devices. With ‘Infinity Blade,’ ChAIR has created an amazing looking, incredibly fun game that really demonstrates the potential of triple-A mobile gaming.

To be honest, I only included his quote to remind y’all that Dr. Mike should be referred to as “Busta” Capps.

Seriously though, this is going to be huge for iOS gaming and more gaming in general. While there are loads of engaging games available in the iTunes App Store, most of them are visually unimpressive. The upcoming generation of iOS games will have deep gameplay and sharp graphics. Infinity Blade should set a new standard for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad gaming. I’m truly excited for this title. How about you?

Welcome to Apple’s Winter Wonderland

Apple has had a ridiculously successful 2010, selling millions of iPhones, iPods, iPads, iMacs, MacBooks, and more. The crazy thing is, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet (b-b-b-b-baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet). The company is going to be one of the most dominant brands this holiday season — perhaps the most dominant brand.

The iPad will be available in more stores than ever, including electronics outlets like Best Buy and mobile phone stores like Verizon’s. Target recently announced that it will start offering the iPhone 4 on November 7, 2010. While Apple does well with its online store and Apple Stores, brick-and-mortar chains like Best Buy and Target have a much broader reach. The sales figures are going to be nuts!

What do you think? Will Apple be the most wished for brand this holiday? What else can touch it?

T-Mobile G2 vs. Samsung Epic 4G Video

You should watch this video because it features several images of an outstandingly beautiful woman and it compares the two best Google Android phones with a physical keyboard — the T-Mobile G2 by HTC and the Samsung Epic 4G for Sprint. Whether it’s the lovely girl or the excellent phones, please, please, please give it look and let me know what you think!

Did You Know That the T-Mobile G2 is the Sequel to the G1?

According to eWeek, the T-Mobile G2 is the follow-up to the T-Mobile G1. Take a look at this fine piece of investigative journalism:

T-Mobile, meanwhile, has just launched the G2, which is clearly intended to be the next step from the highly successful G1 phone.

Really? The G2 is the “next step from” the G1?!? What gave that away? The name?!?

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Apple Poised to Cut Carriers Out of the iPhone Experience?

Stacey Higginbotham (no relation to Michael Hickenbottom) at GigaOm snagged a fantastic scoop on Apple working with Gemalto on future iPhone SIM-card technology. The two companies are working on making the iPhone experience easier for customers while keeping carrier involvement to a minimum. Here are the details:

It’s rumored that Apple and Gemalto have created a SIM card, which is typically a chip that carries subscriber identification information for the carriers, that will be integrated into the iPhone itself. Then customers will then be able to choose their carrier at time of purchase at the Apple web site or retail store, or buy the phone and get their handset up and running through a download at the App Store as opposed to visiting a carrier store or calling the carrier. Either way, it reduces the role of the carrier in the iPhone purchase.

Before you get too excited, keep in mind that this is aimed (initially anyway) at European customers. Unlike the American market, the mobile frequencies used in most European countries are the same. Furthermore, there’s a lot more country hopping in Europe, so it would be super convenient for customers to be able to change carriers through a simple iTunes download.

The tech has all sorts of implications. Apple is very proud of the experience it offers through the Apple Store. As far as retail experiences go, it beats the crap out of an AT&T store. This technology makes carrier stores unnecessary at best and a minor nuisance at worst. Although the tech is being aimed at the European market, there are radio chips that can handle various types (GSM and CDMA) and frequencies of mobile signals, so it’s a possibility for America as well.

Lastly, the technology has the chance to help Apple succeed where Google wussed out with the Nexus One. Although Apple is making a killing through AT&T, the structure of that relationship will change as it moves to other carriers. I’m sure Apple is concerned about the various (crappy) experiences offered by the “big four’s” retail stores. This technology would eliminate their involvement or keep it to a minimum.

I really hope this technology comes to America. The carriers have way too much stroke here and disruption is overdue. The technology being worked on by Apple and Gemalto has a chance to drastically change the market and, hopefully, make it more competitive. Or perhaps I’m being wishfully naive. What do you think?

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Today’s Poll: Do You Still Care About the White iPhone 4?

Depending on which story you believe, the white iPhone 4 has been delayed until March 2011 or completely canceled. At this point, do you even care? If it comes out in March, the iPhone 5 will be months away. Then again, it’s kind of like a super-rare Pokemon — cool to have and show off. Kindly vote in today’s poll and discuss!

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The PSP Phone is Real…and Necessary

The PSP/Android phone is very real (like Sardo Numspa). Engadget delivered a sizzling scoop on the rumored PSP/Android phone. According to the site, the phone will run Android 3.0 (Gingerbread), sport a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8655 (similar to, but faster than, the T-Mobile G2’s CPU), have 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, and have a screen larger than 3.7-inches. The site believes that the phone will land some time in 2011, though late 2010 is a remote possibility.

A Google Android phone that played PSP games would be awesome…and necessary on several levels. Here are some reasons it absolutely makes sense.

  1. Sony needs an edge to compete with Nintendo. While I seriously doubt that the next two generations of PSP products can closely compete with Nintendo’s next two handhelds, Sony can do better than it did against the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo 3DS will dazzle consumers with 3D visuals, but mobile phone capabilities would be more practical for numerous users — particularly older gamers with disposable income. Combining the PSP and Android platforms offers gamers an awfully tempting combination.
  2. Sony can push back against Microsoft and Windows Phone 7. One of the big draws — albeit to a limited audience — of Windows Phone 7 is its connectivity with Xbox Live. The PSP/Android phone offers real games instead of limited ones. If Sony can up social networking features of PlayStation Network on this phone then it will trump what Microsoft has accomplished with WP7.
  3. Google needs help in gaming. The iOS platform is the undisputed king of mobile phone games. Although Android games have improved, they’re still way behind their iOS counterparts. The PSP/Android phone offers a large library of games for enthusiast and casual gamers. This would be tremendous for Google.

What do you think of the PSP/Android phone? Engadget is confident that this is a real product. Do you agree? Would you want one? Would you prefer PSP games on a phone over iOS games? Let’s talk! Let’s speculate! Let’s party!!!

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Coffee Talk #233: Data Caps vs. Data Throttling

The mobile world is a-changin’: AT&T has moved to a tiered data system, Verizon is launching its tiered pricing soon, and T-Mobile will unleash a strange hybrid of tiered plans complemented by throttled “unlimited” plans.

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the last time you rode Amtrak, Phil Hughes rocking it tonight, or the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Orange County brought to you by Disney, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

The mobile world is a-changin’: AT&T has moved to a tiered data system, Verizon is launching its tiered pricing soon, and T-Mobile will unleash a strange hybrid of tiered plans complemented by throttled “unlimited” plans. The days of truly unlimited mobile data are coming to a close. Which scheme is worse? Tiered data plans with hard caps or throttling data after a certain number is hit?

On one hand, a lot of consumers — ones that use less data than they think — can save money in a tiered system. A lot of iPhone and iPad users don’t come anywhere close to the 2GB limit that comes with the $25 data plan. (Yes, some of these people are hipster lamers that never download apps.) Data hogs and those that want less restrictions will be happy with T-Mobile’s data rates…until they hit 5GBs of data and the company can throttle down bandwidth.

Both pricing schemes suck and stifle the future of mobile computing. Developers are limited in what they can do with mobile apps because they don’t want to create a brilliant program that consumers will avoid because it hits the Internet for too much data. Consumers won’t use the devices they have as much as they would if data were truly unlimited. Unfortunately, data caps and data throttling are here to stay. Which one do you think is worse?

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32% of iPad Owners Haven’t Downloaded an App?!?

According to a recent study by Nielsen Wire, 32 percent of Apple iPad owners have not downloaded an app. Compare that to 63 percent having downloaded a paid app and five percent having downloaded free apps only. That deserves a Brian Fellow, “That’s crazy!!!”

There’s no doubt that the iPad is an amazing device that has legitimized the tablet computing market, but it’s also a popular choice for hipsters that want to be seen with a cool piece of consumer electronics at a trendy coffeehouse. As my friend Christian says, “The iPad is an international symbol for douchebaggery.”

Keep in mind that the survey used a sample size of 5,000 consumers. Still, the numbers are fascinating. What do you think of them? Do you agree that the iPad is one of the most coveted hipster accessories in 2010? Also, the next time I go to Intelligentsia in Silverlake and see someone with an iPad, I’m going to assume it’s some lamer that has never downloaded an app.

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Apple’s Mac App Store Will Be a Huge Game Changer

At its “Back to the Mac” press conference, Apple unveiled the Mac App Store for the current Snow Leopard (OS X 10.6) and the upcoming Lion (OS X 10.7) operating systems. The Mac App Store replicates the simple experience of purchasing apps for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. It also offers the 70/30 split between free apps and paid apps, as well as developer revenue and Apple’s cut. Here’s more info from the press release:

The Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience to OS X, making discovering, installing and updating Mac apps easier than ever. Like on iPad, you purchase apps using your iTunes account and they download and install in just one step. App updates are delivered directly through the Mac App Store, so it’s easy to keep all of your apps up to date. The Mac App Store will be available for Snow Leopard within 90 days and will be included in Lion when it ships next summer.

I’ve been thinking about the Mac App Store all day (even while watching the Yankees beat the crap out of the Rangers). My initial thought was, “This is going to be frickin’ huge!” After digesting the information for several hours I have come to the conclusion that this is going to be frickin’ huge!

From Apple’s perspective, this is an ingenious way to trap customers into its walled garden. For consumers, the convenience of buying apps in a simple and straightforward way is brilliant. The apps can be used across multiple machines, which is great for people with multiple Macs. I’m sure Apple feels that once people invest in the ecosystem, it will be harder for them to leave; it’s similar to how many iPhone users are reluctant to switch platforms because they have bought so many iPhone apps. If people buy numerous Mac App Store apps, they’re less likely to switch to Windows (or Linux).

I also expect more developers than ever to flock to the Mac platform. Some analysts have stated that Mac OS accounts for 10 percent of the personal computers in North America and 20 percent globally. I believe that the Mac App Store will help grow the installed base.

I’m convinced that this is Apple’s most significant software and services product since the original iTunes. As you know, iTunes helped Apple dominate with the iPod, enjoy enormous success with the iPhone, and legitimize the tablet market with the iPad. While the results won’t be as dramatic as what it did with the iPod, I think the Mac App Store will invigorate the Mac software scene, attract new customers, and make existing customers more likely to purchase a Mac in the future.

Then again, I could be totally wrong. What do you think of the Mac App Store? Is it a genius move by Apple? Or am I overstating the impact that it will have?