by Noel on February 8, 2010
The number of impressive games coming out on the iPhone never ceases to amaze me. Here's another one to put right up there with your collection of absolutely brilliant titles - Space Miner: Space Ore Bust.
In the game, you play the nephew of a galactic mining station owner. He asks you to help him with his ore mining operations and you comply. On your way to the mines inside your raggedy space vessel, however, things get awry. Instead of spending your time in peaceful labor at Uncle Jeb's, you end up getting sent to a series of places to retrieve ores contained inside asteroids. So you blast those heaps of rock in space, collecting as much ore as you can for a greater cut of the profit.
Ore is your way to make money in the game, which you can then use to stock your ship with a bevy of powerful enhancements. The asteroid combat is way, way fun, especially when paired up with the entertaining banjo soundtrack. What makes it really take off, however, is the fact that it's not just all about asteroids.
The game brings a total of 24 well-done missions, with a fun story to tie everything together and lots of perfectly-timed comedic moments. There's good variety, too, with tasks such as destroying a giant robot and rescuing tourists floating aimlessly in space. Suffice to say, it's tough to get bored with such a diverse mix of items integrated into the gameplay.
Even though it looks like an Asteroids clone at first glance, Space Miner: Space Ore Bust is just way, way more than that. It's easily one of the most entertaining, most diverse games in the App Store - a definite "must-have" if a game ever deserved such a label. Reasonably priced too at only $4.99.
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| The one game you should definitely play this year. |
by Noel on February 8, 2010
Clamshells aren't the most exciting handsets around, but the Nokia 2720 Fold isn't half bad. Not only does it have some decent features, it comes with looks that does seem just a tad more attractive than other phones with a similar form factor.
Physically, you'll most likely love the smooth lines, stylish appearance and glossy finish. While good-looking, the surface is an absolute magnet for fingerprints. Weight is extremely light, making it very easy on the pocket. Despite that, overall construction feels sturdy, with extra thick hinges to inspire further confidence.
The black and white external display measures 1.36 inches and displays only the most basic information. Flipped open, it shows off a 1.8-inch LCD, with 128 x 160 resolution and 65,000 colors. Both the T9-style keyboard and the navigation array are designed really well, making input largely trouble-free.
As a phone, the 2720 Fold makes for high-quality calls that are noticeably clearer and better-sounding than other handsets in the same price range. Callers, on the other hand, can detect some amount of sharpness, but reported excellent conversations anyway. Speakerphone was decent and usable, but is far from the best. Battery life is rated at three hours, which should make it good for a day or two of regular use (maybe more if you seldom make calls).
Being a cheap phone, features are obviously a little on basic side of the spectrum. You get a 500-entry phone book, Bluetooth, messaging capabilities (SMS, MMS, IM and IMAP/POP email), WAP browsing (Opera Mini) and PIM tools.
More advanced features include a 1.3 megapixel camera and a music player. The camera module barely offers any options, but manages average quality for such low-resolution hardware. Music player is basic, which is expected, but the 2.5 mm jack just makes it downright disappointing.
Want a cheap phone for North American use (yep, it's strictly for local users)? The Nokia 2720 Fold is absolutely down there in terms of value. Features are very slim, but at the price ($20 on T-Mobile, $9.99 on AT&T and $125 unlocked), I can't see anyone complaining.
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| Very basic, but priced just right. |
by Noel on February 7, 2010
Despite their recent successful forays into smartphones, Motorola remains a regular source of rugged handsets. The latest to come out of the company is the Motorola Quantico, a clamshell boasting compliance with full military specifications.
Physically, it shares the same form factor as the recently-released Motorola Brute. The resemblance ends there, though, as much of the design is evidently different. Being a rugged phone, looks take a backseat to durability - hard plastic housing, textured rubber sides and back, securely-plugged jacks and a very bulky frame.
It sports two screens, a 1.6-inch external panel and 2.2-inch display (176x220 resolution) inside. Both are colored. While they obviously won't dole out the sharpest graphics, both have sufficient brightness and good usability. Both the keypad and navigation array are easy to use, unlike other rugged phones we've seen.
As a phone, it makes for impressive calls - conversations were clear with no discernible distortion. Voices came through sounding natural with plenty of volume. On the other end, users reported the same positive experience. Speakerphone feature worked well, although those we were talking to reported some notable harshness in the sound. Battery life is rated at 5.8 hours, which should be good for up to 2 or 3 days of normal use.
The Motorola Quantico comes with largely basic features. There's the standard phone stuff, such as a 1,000-entry phone book, PIM tools, messaging (SMS, MMS, web email), stereo Bluetooth and microSD card expansion (up to 8GB). More advanced capabilities include a wireless web browser, aGPS and push-to-talk (depending on carriers).
Music player is decent, with support for a wide variety of file formats and playlists. They also threw in a 1.3 megapixel camera with a good amount of options and surprisingly usable photo quality. Of course, we also tried dropping and dunking it in shallow water a few times - it's good enough to withstand basic durability tests.
Overall, the Motorola Quantico doesn't bring much in terms of looks, but does make up for it with solid rugged capabilities and strong execution of its core features. US Cellular currently has it for $99.95 ( no PTT, though) on a two-year service agreement.
by Noel on February 6, 2010
In the movies, all you had to do to get your futuristic computer to perform tasks is give it a command in plain language. I really thought we were still years out from that, but I'm happy to be proven wrong by Siri, an AI-based voice-recognition app for the iPhone.
Google's voice transcription sounds great in theory. The application, though, is just one brain cell short of crappy. I totally expected the new software to perform the same way. Fortunately, it's a lot more sophisticated than that. A whole lot more, in fact.
Siri's voice recognition has it roots from SRI, under a research project partly funded by Darpa. The company behind the app consisted of members of the research team who went their own way in 2007, setting out to develop a virtual personal assistant. This new iPhone app is one of the fruits of that effort.
The current version only integrates 20 web information services (including Yelp, CitySearch and OpenTable), although they do have an available API that should help see that grow in the future. Early testing is ridiculously impressive, to the point that we're suspecting there's a physical person listening to our questions and manually finding the answers. Yep, it's that good.
Want to find a Persian restaurant in your vicinity? Want to book a table for Thursday next week? Looking for a three-star hotel in a city you're visiting? Tell it and it will do the deed with scary accuracy.
The best part? Siri is totally free. According to the company, they make their money on the backend, taking affiliate commission for the products and services they send you to. It's available for download from the App Store now, although the current version is strictly for iPhone 3GS users (it uses a lot of processing power).
[Siri Website]
by Noel on February 6, 2010
Cell phone form factors haven't really changed all that much the past few years. That's why the Fujitsu F-04B (also called the Separate Keitai) is bound to get people to notice. Instead of flipping or sliding the phone to get to the keyboard, you're supposed to pull it out of its hiding place (your pocket, purse, bag or...oh crap...you dropped it in the aquarium) and attach it to the body.
It comes with two main parts, a touchscreen slate that can be used independently and a keyboard unit. The former sports a 3.4-inch display, a 12.2 megapixel camera (which is, apparently, a standard for high-end phones in Japan), built-in accelerator, Blu-ray recorder connectivity and dual TV tuners. We're not sure if it comes bundled with two keyboard units (there's one numeric and one QWERTY on the product photos) or if you have to choose one.
No magical tech is employed for the connection between the modules. They use Bluetooth to communicate with each other and magnets to physically lock the parts. The keyboards comes with an earpiece and a mic, allowing you to use it during calls, instead of the touchscreen slate. Battery life is rated at 8.3 hours of talk time.
Will this hit it big in Japan? We're not sure. As far as we know, clamshells are still the preferred form factor of the consumer market over there. I have to admit, though, detachable physical keyboards do sound neat for a touchscreen handset.
First shown off as a concept at the CEATEC exhibition in 2008, the Fujitsu F-04B has not only been manufactured, it's been priced (around $660) and slated for release (either March or April). It will come under wireless carrier NTT Docomo.
[via Mobile Crunch]
