The BBC News website today reported proposals to change EU rules governing consumer rights regarding software guarantees. In amongst the article was a gem of a statement from the Business Software Alliance which represents Microsoft, Apple, IBM and many other software giants: "(Digital content) is contractually licensed to consumers and not sold."
The world's first mobile MMORPG TibiaME (available on Symbian S60 1st, 2nd and 3rd Editions and Java J2ME) is still going strong, and has received a new update. The magic system has now been made more detailed with a new spell system, and the game world has had an entire new island added to it. The basic game world and client are free, but it costs extra for the gold client and for access to the premium areas of the game world.
So you reckon jigsaws are boring, old-fashioned and impractical? That's because you haven't played Spb Puzzle, a new digital version on the old classic, fashioned for S60 5th Edition phones likes the Nokia 5800 and N97. Here's my review of Spb Puzzle, in which I delight in the way your own photos can be used, broken up and then lovingly stitched back together again.
In All About Symbian Insight 70 (AAS Podcast 128) Rafe, Ewan and Steve talk about the recently released Nokia E52, the N96's firmware upgrade to version 20, the newly released Pandemonium and the N97's processor and specifications. Rafe also reports on UI changes proposed for Symbian^4. You can listen to AAS Insight 70 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Not a flagship game for N-Gage by any means, Pandemonium brings 2D gameplay to a 3D world and ends up delighting Ewan, who recalls earlier versions of the game on N-Gage Classic and platforms from the 1990s. It hasn't changed much over the years, but at least here it's crisply presented, with cutscenes and extras that had to be omitted from the N-Gage Classic implementation five years ago.
The N-Gage application has been updated to a new version. There don't seem to be any major changes visible, but apparently this fixes some score sync and predictive text problems, and possibly other bugs. If you want to update, open your N-Gage application, select "Options" and then "Check For Updates", then follow the instructions. Alternatively you can download directly from this link. Important Notes: The update download file may have the old app version number, but it IS the new version. Also, after installation the N-Gage icon may get moved from the front page to the Applications folder, you can move it back to the front page by using the instructions below.
The classic 3D platformer Pandemonium is out now in the N-Gage showroom. To see it, go to the N-Gage application on your compatible phone, select the "Showroom" tab, select "Options" and then "Update Now". You should also be able to see it in the "All Games" section. You can find out more about the N-Gage platform including a list of compatible phones in the All About N-Gage FAQ.
In All About Symbian Insight 69 (AAS Podcast 127) Rafe, Ewan and Steve talk about Bobba, operating billing on the Ovi Store, v21 firmware for the Nokia 5800 and the new N-Gage game - Age of Empires III. Rafe then reports back in detail from the Nokia Developer Summit 2009. You can listen to AAS Insight 69 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.
Over on our sister site, All About N-Gage, Ewan reviews Age of Empires III. Thankfully, for an N-Gage title, there's full online multiplayer gameplay, but even without this there's plenty of Real Time Strategy to get your teeth into, with quick 'Skirmish' and career 'Campaign' modes. Still, I suspect it's the excitement of online multiplayer action which prompts the highish score - kudos to the developers, Glu Mobile.
Sulake, best known for their Habbo Hotel online community for PCs, have now launched a new online community for S60 devices called Bobba. It's still in beta testing so there may be some bugs, but you can download the Bobba application free from the Bobba.com website, and there are no charges for using the service either (though of course you may have to pay data charges to your phone network). Bobba is compatible with all S60 3rd Edition and S60 2nd Edition devices, including all N-Gage-compatible phones.
The historical strategy game Age Of Empires III is out now on N-Gage-compatible phones, and yes it does indeed have an online multiplayer mode as well as a rather sweeping orchestral soundtrack. You can download it from the N-Gage application on your phone by going to the Showroom tab, then select "Options", then "Update Now". As always you can find out more about the N-Gage platform including a list of compatible devices by visiting the All About N-Gage FAQ.
Digital Chocolate's Cafe Hold Em Poker has arrived on the N-Gage platform, but how good is it? Ewan Spence passes judgement in the All About N-Gage review, and discovers lessons both for the game's developers and for the N-Gage platform as a whole.
Time for me to turn the clock back to 1981 and get down and sweaty with a pinball table. Except that this time it's virtual and on my S60 smartphone. MicroPinball Casino is smooth and authentic, especially on fast devices like the Nokia N95, with both vertical and side-scrolling that's intuitively handled. With challenging gameplay, MicroPinball is ultimately limited only by the fact that it's a single table.
DChoc Cafe Hold Em Poker is now available in the N-Gage application's showroom section. Just go to the N-Gage application on your device, go to the Showroom tab, select "Options" and then "Update Now" to see it in the latest games list (alternatively you can select "Show All Games"). To find out more about the N-Gage platform including a list of compatible phones, try reading the All About N-Gage FAQ.
In All About Symbian Insight 66 (AAS Podcast 124) we talk about the N-Gage platform's newest addition - Worms World Party. Then there's discussion of Google Maps 3.0.1, BBC TV streams, device colours. We finish with a discussion of the joys of older devices. You can listen to AAS Insight 66 here or, if you wish to subscribe, here's the RSS feed.