Mobile Phone Gaming: An Insight

Being a regular commuter in the sardine-can-like Mumbai locals, I get a chance to observe some of the pastimes people find to do with their mobile phones. What I’ve noticed on a consistent basis is that people love to game to kill the time, no matter how jammed the compartment may be. Here are a few of the games I’ve noticed to be the most popular. There are many categories of mobile games. Sports, brick games, racing games and even a few card games. Of course strategy and FPS (first person shooters) have not yet made it too much in this platform, but who knows, they just might.

Snakes
Some may say this was the very first game to have been developed for our ever lovin’ mobile phones. And what do you know, it really was the first game developed for the mobile platform. It’s one of the most simplistic games there is. It works really well for hand-eye coordination. All it requires are the use of two keys and quick reflexes if you turn it up a notch by selecting a higher difficulty level. Even though Snakes has evolved time and again, with the latest being Snake 3D for some of the higher-end mobiles, it has to be one of the most beloved mobile games out there.

Pro Golf
Golf is relatively a new game, but it’s also very addictive. Recently, while using the Sony Ericsson P1i the 3D version, I have to say it was much better than the older version on my Nokia 6270 – which is a bit colder since there’s no real character involved. But for those of you who don’t know the game, you essentially try to get the golf ball into a hole that’s really far away by making the distance in as few shots as possible. But what makes it fun is you have to take into account the wind, the type of golf club to use, the distance, avoiding the sand traps and water hazards. It’s real fun.



Tetris, Quadrapop, Bricks
Tetris has been around even way before we had mobile phones. I’m sure you remember those cheap handheld games you could get off the street that had brick games. I even remember there being a car racing brick game and a Space Invaders version too. But brick games have had their share of evolution as well. They got funkier and more colorful. Some even have miniature explosions when you get a line of four blocks or more. These games also require skill and coordination and since you have to use more than two buttons, speed is also essential.

Racing
Nothing says ‘competition’ more than racing to the finish line. When racing games like Ferrari F1 Racing and Colin McRae’s Rally made their way to the 'small screen’ (for want of a better term), I, for one, was thrilled. Maybe the graphics were not fantastic, but they were entertaining nevertheless. But some of the newer games like Asphalt Urban GT do tend to look really good on your mobile. Some of the racing games could even be played with two people on separate mobile phones through Bluetooth. If you haven’t done this with a buddy, you’re really missing out on some A1 action.

Card Games
Cards have always been a way to pass time for centuries now. They haven’t been left out of the digital platform either. Every Microsoft PC has Solitaire, Hearts and Free Cell as default games that come with your PC. I’m not entirely sure but hasn’t Online Poker been around since the internet first came about? Maybe. Maybe not. But it seems like it’s a sport unto its own now. There are even the adult versions of Strip Poker, Strip Blackjack and suchlike out there for your mobile. Let’s face it: porn is the one thing that will weasel its way into every media there is. But card games like Solitaire are really a great way to pass the time.

There even are a few first person shooters like Doom and other action games like Prince of Persia, Sonic the Hedgehog and even games like Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six that have made their way to the mobile phone platform. There are also 3D-like versions of Space Invaders. If you’re into gaming on your mobile in a big way you will need to make sure that your mobile phone is equipped to handle your style. So far the only mobile phone that was specifically designed for this purpose has been the Nokia N-Gage, which was even shaped like a gaming console controller. You can get these games from the Internet and simply install them on your mobile device. You will have to make sure that it’s designed for your specific make, model and mobile OS. You may not always find what you’re looking for, but trust me there are plenty of great alternatives.

Mobile games have evolved over time and they have not stopped thrilling us since the very early days. Gaming is a way to make time fly while traveling or sitting in a waiting room waiting to have your teeth pulled – or your head examined for playing too many. Now there may be many out there who believe that it’s all ‘child's play’, but there are plenty of mobile games that also help improve our thinking skills, memory and even finger dexterity. Let’s face it, they’re entertaining.
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If you have any notions of mobile gaming, why don’t you get into our forums and let some of the other techies know too?

Sony to Launch Advanced Digicam

Sony Corp said it would launch a new digital single lens reflex camera for advanced users in November, broadening its product lineup in a move to take on industry leaders Canon Inc and Nikon Corp.

Single lens reflex (SLR) cameras, the fastest-growing segment of the digital camera market, are high-end models with interchangeable lenses, as opposed to point-and-shoot compact cameras.

The new model, called "DSLR-A700", which comes with 12.24 megapixel resolution and is expected to sell for about 180,000 yen ($1,560), is Sony's second digital SLR camera after an entry model launched in July 2006.

The Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment conglomerate is the world's second-largest digital camera maker behind Canon but lags also behind Nikon in the digital SLR camera market.

Digital cameras, along with camcorders, are Sony's cash cow products as its vertically integrated business model, where key products such as image sensor chips are manufactured in-house, allows high profit margins.

Sony aims to raise its market share in the digital SLR camera market to 10 percent with the help of the new model from about 7 percent now, said Keiichi Ishizuka, deputy senior general manager at Sony's digital imaging business group.

"Well-established SLR camera makers are formidable rivals," Ishizuka told a news conference.

"What we need to do first is keep expanding our product offerings. Only by doing that steadily can we compete with them in a true sense. Today, we took that one step forward," he said.

Sony plans to make 30,000 units of the new SLR camera in September, the first month of production, and 20,000 in each of the following months, Ishizuka said.

Besides the entry model and the mid-range model just unveiled, Sony plans to offer a top-end, flagship model as early as the business year starting next April, covering the full digital SLR camera market.

Sony held a 6.2 percent share in the global digital SLR camera market in 2006, following Canon with 46.7 percent and Nikon on 33 percent, according to research firm IDC.

Both Canon and Nikon last month unveiled their latest digital SLR camera models for the year-end shopping season, in a pre-emptive move against new entrants such as Sony.

Sony to Launch Advanced Digicam

Sony Corp said it would launch a new digital single lens reflex camera for advanced users in November, broadening its product lineup in a move to take on industry leaders Canon Inc and Nikon Corp.

Single lens reflex (SLR) cameras, the fastest-growing segment of the digital camera market, are high-end models with interchangeable lenses, as opposed to point-and-shoot compact cameras.

The new model, called "DSLR-A700", which comes with 12.24 megapixel resolution and is expected to sell for about 180,000 yen ($1,560), is Sony's second digital SLR camera after an entry model launched in July 2006.

The Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment conglomerate is the world's second-largest digital camera maker behind Canon but lags also behind Nikon in the digital SLR camera market.

Digital cameras, along with camcorders, are Sony's cash cow products as its vertically integrated business model, where key products such as image sensor chips are manufactured in-house, allows high profit margins.

Sony aims to raise its market share in the digital SLR camera market to 10 percent with the help of the new model from about 7 percent now, said Keiichi Ishizuka, deputy senior general manager at Sony's digital imaging business group.

"Well-established SLR camera makers are formidable rivals," Ishizuka told a news conference.

"What we need to do first is keep expanding our product offerings. Only by doing that steadily can we compete with them in a true sense. Today, we took that one step forward," he said.

Sony plans to make 30,000 units of the new SLR camera in September, the first month of production, and 20,000 in each of the following months, Ishizuka said.

Besides the entry model and the mid-range model just unveiled, Sony plans to offer a top-end, flagship model as early as the business year starting next April, covering the full digital SLR camera market.

Sony held a 6.2 percent share in the global digital SLR camera market in 2006, following Canon with 46.7 percent and Nikon on 33 percent, according to research firm IDC.

Both Canon and Nikon last month unveiled their latest digital SLR camera models for the year-end shopping season, in a pre-emptive move against new entrants such as Sony.