Mobile

By now we've all heard the buzz around Microsoft entering the handheld realm with a device that will make the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS extinct. The company has officially confirmed the existence of a handheld project called Zune. But the device looks more like an "iPod Killer" if anything.

At first, Zune will be a music player for people who like music. But according to an interview in Billboard Magazine, "additional Zune-branded devices will follow, including a portable video player and, potentially, a portable game device."

This is a little disappointing. Microsoft will most likely base their decision about producing a gaming device on the success of the music player. It's not that I don't like music. I just think that innovation is important. The iPod innovated the crap out of mobile music player and left little room for Microsoft's creativity. When it comes to innovating with entertainment, I think games are where it's at.

[via engadget]

EA unveiled their E3 list today. With 8 titles under the EA Games brand, 2 under the EA Sports brand, and some possible surprises, EA's lineup is pretty darn big. But as far as we're concerned, only the games that are truly innovative count. And this year's big innovator from EA has to be Spore. The full list, after the jump.

[image:550 align=left hspace=5]Owners of the 5th generation iPod and the iPod Nano can now enjoy some classic arcade games on the go with iPod MAME. This port of the MAME arcade emulator is available thanks to the kind people over at iPod Linux. As of now, the only functioning titles are Pacman and Ms. Pacman, but an effort is being made to increase the number of games that function with the software.

[image:544 align=right hspace=5 size=medium]The Origami came out with a fizzle rather than a bang. We were expecting a surprise launch event with flashing lights and techno music, but instead we figured it out by ourselves based on the rumors here and there. Eventually, it all made sense. The Origami is simply a movement to sell a smaller version of an ordinary tablet PC. CNET's News.com is reporting that Intel's first Origami device will run on a special version of Windows XP and it will feature a 7" screen.

Alas! Apple rumors, how you plague us so. The last few weeks have been busy with the appearance of images picturing what could be a scroll-wheel-less iPod Video. One emerged that was so well faked it had Steve Jobs asking questions. Today, however, we have something better than pictures. We have video.

The following videos are of the could-be iPod Video. The first seems like a fake. The tracking on the video images seems a little off (could it be because we're looking for something wrong?), but you can't deny the glare looks incredibly realistic. The second video depicts the user increasing and decreasing the volume. Believe either of the at your own peril.

[image:533 align=left size=medium]You know the portable media thingy that's got just about everybody wondering what it is? Will it be used as a secondary screen for the Xbox 360? Will it play Halo 2 all by itself? Hopefully, we'll all know for sure in a few days. But if you just can't wait, feast your eyes on this image. Pictured is what could be the real Origami. Pictured is what could be the fake Origami. Who knows. It resembles the picture we posted earlier, so we'd like to think we have the real thing.

[image:525 align=right size=medium]In today's world of mobile gaming, the PSP and the DS reign supreme. But last year, a South Korean company known as Gamepark created the GP2X, a device based around the open source philosophy that has gathered a considerable fan base. Gamepark plans to launch two new devices into the worldwide commercial market--the XGP and the XGP mini.

[image:526 align=right size=medium]The XGP will feature a 4" LCD screen, 64 MB of storage (expandable via SD slot), and it will support both DMB TV and Wi-Fi. The smaller XGP mini will have a 2.2" screen and an SD card slot, but it will have half the memory and no DMB TV or Wi-Fi features.

[image:508 align=right hspace=5 vspace=5 size=medium]The Origami Project website is doing exactly what is was designed to do--spread curiosity like wildfire. Microsoft appears to be at the helm of this mysterious viral marketing campaign in an effort to build hype for what might be a new device in the portable realm. The site doesn't say much more than some cryptic messages, but it does give dates: "Learn more on 3.2.06..."

[image:490 align=right]Oh glorious day. Hasbro Properties Group has granted Activision (the makers of the Spider-Man game) the rights to publish games based on the upcoming Transformers movie due out July 4th, 2007 (501 days from now).

The games would be created for PC, handheld, and console users, and although there is no official information concerning the game's genre, yours truly can give you a pretty good idea.

Googlewagen...Volksoogle. Whatever they call it I'm sure it will be cool. Last Friday Volkswagen's American unit announced it was working on a prototype vehicle that would feature Google's satellite mapping software (seen in Google Earth) in order to provide drivers with a bird's eye view of the surrounding area.

Hooray for alliteration! Boo for the Dell DJ. The world's largest maker of personal computers quietly stopped carrying all of their hard-drive based Digital Jukebox (DJ) mp3 players, in late December/early January, leaving only the flash-based Dell Ditty (more alliteration!)

The latest in mobile news is Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld (DVB-H). On January 23, the technology industry's leading wireless and entertainment companies--including Intel Corporation, Motorola, Nokia, Texas Instruments, and Modeo (owned by Crown Castle International Corp.)--announced the birth of the Mobile DTV Alliance. Their mission: to promote the growth and evolution of DVB-H, "an open procedure standard for broadcast digital TV reception on mobile devices."

[image:160 align=left hspace=5]The Zipit Wireless Messenger caught some attention at this year's Digital Life. The device allows its users to access popular instant messaging services such as AOL, Yahoo!, and MSN using a Wi-Fi connection and without any services fees.

[image:285 align=left hspace=5 size=medium]If I had to take a guess, I'd guess that you have an iPod. If not, then I'm sure you have some other type of MP3 or CD Player. I'm also sure that you've noticed your headphone quality can't match up to that of the really cool speaker systems you or your friends have at home.

[image:152 align=left hspace=5]Ever notice the attention people get when they bring a custom built PC to a LAN Party or Network Tournament? Well, we all know that you can't exactly custom build consoles like you can PC's. But Gamer Graffix is a new company allowing gamers of all platforms (even mobiles like PSP and GBA) to "skin" there consoles and add some flare to their device.

[image:154 align=right hspace=5]The skins usually cost around $20 and are avalaible for Xbox, PS2, PS2 Slim, PSP, Gamecube, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS. Gamer Graffix soon hopes to expand to provide skins for cell phones. They currently have several different themes and styles of skins including Elemental, 50 Cent, Tribal Flames, and Leopard Skin.