Hive for the iPhone: brilliant fun
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)Back when I used to work at Sony Online Entertainment many, many years ago, I became a board game geek. The game designers and producers gathered once a week to share their sizable collections and obscure finds up in Mira Mesa, Calif., and I got hooked. The fact that the Game Keeper chain of stores was simultaneously going out of business and liquidating their supplies encouraged me to start building my own game cabinet, and I profess without shame that I rapidly became a full-blown board game geek.
I still like hunting for new games, and a few years ago at the New York Toy Fair I came across the brilliant and simple tile-based game called Hive.
Like a cross between chess and dominos, Hive's hexagonal pieces are shaped like insects, each of which can move differently on their mission to surround the opponent's queen bee. I tried to order Hive online but it wasn't available, and no local game retailer would stock it. I finally found the game in a small town in Devon, England, while visiting my in-laws, and paid close to $35 for it.
This long story comes to a quick point: I found Hive on the iPhone App Store last week for $4.99, and instantly bought it. I hope this trend continues, and it should.
Hive joins my collection of Settlers of Catan, Go, Mancala, and what I'm sure will be many, many more board games shrunken to pocket-size on my iPhone. It's wonderful, and I feel like it's groundbreaking, too.
While game systems like the Nintendo DS and PSP have had a variety of fantastic titles, they'd certainly never proceed into European board games. The low overhead and microprices on Apple's ever-enormous App Store becomes, for both developers and consumers, a great live petri dish to grow a new legion of board game fans.
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(Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kworth30/2271118974)
Zipcar, that post-dot-com-era savior of car-rental-haters everywhere, recently got a big boost to its already somewhat high-tech take on part-time car acquisition with the launch of its iPhone app. A mix of simple map-based search and reservation functionality and a neat headline-getting software remote to lock, unlock, and honk the horn on your car--it's a nice mix. I was sure to download the app as soon as I could, since I'm a frequent Zipcar user in New York City. Or, at least, I used to be. See, there's an area of Zipcar that could still use some improving.
The actual capability to find one's reserved car, for instance. For two consecutive weeks, Zipcar promised me a vehicle that simply wasn't there.
Week one: I had reserved a car less than 10 blocks from me. The day before my reservation, a customer service representative called me on my iPhone to tell me that my vehicle needed "emergency steam-cleaning," and rerouted my reservation to one of the only available emergency cars left on short notice, which was located miles away. I'd need to take a cab there and back or use an elaborate path of subways and buses, and the representative told me to save my taxi receipts and fax them to Zipcar so that I could be reimbursed.
Week two was worse. ... Read more
Episode 50 of the Digital City, where we discuss Microsoft's plans to take on Apple in both smart phones and tablet PCs; the rumor of an HD refresh of the Nintendo Wii console; and AT&T's Microcell device for improving cell phone reception in your home through a $150 gadget (that they'll be happy to sell you).
Also noteworthy, this is our very first show in our new prime timeslot of 3pm EST on Mondays, rather than the old Friday afternoon slot -- so set your Outlook calendar reminders appropriately. Plus, if you're a fan of Dan's critically ignored blend of jazzy indie rock, as the Apple commercials say, "there's an app for that."
Related links:
>>Microsoft to take on the Apple tablet?
>>Is an HD Wii in the works?
>>FYI: the Digital City video podcast is moving to Mondays, 3pm EST
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
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Lots of apps means lots of data.
(Credit: Matt Hickey)There's been a lot of talk lately of AT&T customers--especially iPhone users--getting fed up with the quality of service they're getting with AT&T. Issues include dropped calls, shoddy coverage, and slow data speeds. People are upset that they have a fancy device that loses much of its usefulness when the network drops out. I can feel their pain.
Indeed, I saw the effect myself this last weekend. The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), one of the world's largest gaming conventions, took place in Seattle, where I live. Thousands of the world's nerdiest nerds were here, and, as you'd expect, many were using iPhones, meaning many were using AT&T's 3G service.
PAX, which opened Friday, also had a handy guide on expojunkie.com for convention goers made especially for the iPhone. It featured maps, agendas, and other quick reference information to make PAX a better experience. The side effect was thousands of visitors using Seattle's 3G coverage at the same time--in addition to the thousands of locals who already use it. Service slowed to a crawl.
By Saturday, the service was back up-to-speed for most of Seattle. AT&T may have hit a switch and turned on more towers. It has a team that monitors areas with major events and tweaks the network when one causes problems. Whatever the company did fixed it.
The blessing and the curse
But here's the question: what are we to expect from AT&T when Apple sells millions of units of a revolutionary product that depends on its network and then provides millions of apps that put a huge burden on the same network? Do we really expect AT&T to be able to handle that much data?
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HP App Studio
(Credit: HP)HP just opened up its new Printer Application Studio to coincide with the release of the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web slated for the end of this month. The site will offer visitors the chance to browse apps that extend the usability of the Web-connected printer, all available as free downloads directly to the device.
In a similar fashion to Apple's iPhone App store, HP's version can also be accessed using the "Get More" button on the large 4.33-inch touch screen. I had a chance to preview the store in a live demo with HP and the layout is very simple, with small icons and a place to submit user ratings, reviews, and suggestions for future applications. The marketplace is already populated with several applications from HP's partner companies. Some examples include:
- Snapfish: View, edit (lightly), and print your snapshot photos
- Google Maps: Print maps and directions
- Fandango: Buy and print movie tickets
- DreamWorks Animation: Print coloring pages and movie-themed games for the kids
- Weathernews Inc: Print up-to-date weather information
- Web Sudoku: Print out puzzles and games
HP also has the last piece of the puzzle in the form of the HP Software Developers Kit that will eventually give consumers and developers the tools to create their own Apps for submission to the App Studio. In the meantime, HP will continue to update the store with new apps throughout the year.
More pictures after the break.
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Gameloft's successful GTA clone is being followed by the actual GTA.
(Credit: Scott Stein/CNET)Well, it turns out that not everyone hates Apple's App Store. Gameloft, the ever-present publisher of mobile games worldwide, likes the iPhone and iPod Touch quite a bit. In a recent news release, Gameloft announced that, to date, it has sold more than 6 million games in the App Store, making it its biggest platform.
"Our core focus is digitally distributed games," said Sanette Chao, Director of Public Relations for Gameloft. "Apple is our number one customer and the IPhone OS is our number one platform. I think that alone speaks volumes to the importance of iPhone games to our overall strategy."
Amid concerns over Apple's restrictive handling of App Store certifications and the squeeze that other publishers might be feeling in a landscape of ever-decreasing game prices, this report might come as a breath of fresh air. Indeed, from a consumer standpoint, very little is wrong with the App Store--provided you simply don't want something that Apple isn't willing to provide. In the games department in particular, 10 dollars can buy you more than it can for nearly any other device in game console history. And with developers like Rockstar now getting in the Apple game with an upcoming App Store port of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, clearly there's something in Apple's current economic model that's appealing to even the big guys.
That "something" might be seen as a huge built-in audience. With more than 40 million worldwide owners of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, the consumer base is gigantic. Putting a title at $5 could lead to a larger profit than a $20 DS game, for instance, that might have limited distribution and availability. Gameloft has 35 games in the App Store at the moment, and while its current game best-sellers are UNO, GTA-clone Gangstar, and Madden rival NFL 2010, it also enjoys evergreen success with Asphalt and Real Soccer, said Chao. This is the advantage that any online store has over physical media--infinite shelf space and the chance for a long tail.
According to Gameloft, the formula for success lies in listening to user feedback, creating low-priced titles, and creating mass-appeal, intuitive games. "Our strategy from the onset has been twofold. First we deliver an aggressive line-up of high quality games and then we adapt in real time to consumer needs," said CEO Michel Guillemot in Gameloft's Tuesday announcement.
The App Store market was recently estimated at $2.5 billion a year, as compared with $60 million for the Android app market. It's no surprise, then, that Rockstar would get in on this action. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the Nintendo DS sold 680,000 copies worldwide, and at $35 retail, that amounts to $23.8 million. Assuming a $10 retail price on iTunes, Chinatown Wars would have to sell 2.38 million copies to equal the Nintendo DS performance--a large number, but completely achievable considering the large global base and adult-skewed audience of the iPhone and iPod Touch.
While many things may be askew with the App Store, it's good to remember that a lot of things are still going very well for it.
Or is this still only mostly true for games?
Good news for freebie junkies like me: Promo Dispenser offers free, no-strings-attached promo codes for iPhone apps.
Good news for developers: Promo Dispenser offers a free and easy way to promote your apps.
Here's how it works: Developers add their apps' info and promo codes to the site. Users (who must register with an e-mail address) grab the allotted codes on a first-come, first-served basis. (There's no waiting and no random draw, as with previously mentioned AppGiveaway.)
Score free App Store promo codes at Promo Dispenser.
Users are limited to one code per day, and you can't get another code without first commenting on and rating the previously downloaded app.
That's good news for the developer, as it ensures at least some feedback. And Promo Dispenser encourages users to copy their reviews to the App Store, so this can actually improve sales.
In other words, the site helps developers promote their apps, not just give them away. (Find out more on Promo Dispenser's FAQ page.)
And for users, of course, it's a simple way to score freebies. Definitely worth a look!
Speaking of freebies, check out these previous posts on gratis apps:
How much is too much?
In the wake of the PS3 Slim price-cut landslide of news, one small wound still lingers, and has now gotten worse: the PSP Go is still $249.
Now that the PS3 Slim is $299, and the Xbox 360 Elite is well on its way to the same price, the ceiling for console gaming is finally coming down. This isn't a surprise; it happens every gaming generation. But, considering the components of multipurpose systems like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this generation of consoles has hovered at higher prices than consoles of the past. Now, however, all three home consoles are within $50 of each other. The next sensible step would be for the Wii to take a price cut as well, and it most likely will happen this holiday season in some form (be it a real cut or a new bundle with Wii MotionPlus and Wii Sports Resort, for instance).
However, while consoles have been seeing price drops, handheld game systems have been seeing an odd recent trend--price increases. The PSP Go, which was seen as Sony's handheld comeback, actually costs more than a regular PSP, despite having fewer features. At $250, it's not just the cost of the original PSP; it's also only 50 dollars less than a PS3. The Nintendo DS Lite, which costs $129, received a revamp in the form of the improved camera-equipped DSi, which can also download more affordable games...at an increased price of $170.
Nintendo's DSi
Handheld game systems aren't just taking hits in terms of system costs, either. While DS cartridges and UMDs at $19.99 and $29.99 a pop once seemed like affordable alternatives to 50- and 60-dollar console boxed games, downloadable games on PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, and WiiWare are routinely being released for $15 and less.
As our own Jeff Bakalar reflected, handheld game systems are dinosaurs, in a sense. They hearken back to a time in the early '90s when there were no smartphones or cell phones at all, no MP3 players, no portable video outside of a Sony Watchman. A handheld like the Game Boy afforded portable entertainment that nothing else could. Now, DSis and PSPs have to compete with iPhones, iPod Touches, a flurry of other handhelds, and even the occasional Zune. Many of these can also play games now, forcing Nintendo and Sony to include features like cameras, MP3 playback, and video downloads to justify the cost of purchase.
Maybe we're calling this flatline too early here at the CNET emergency room, but are dedicated handheld game consoles on their way to extinction? We hope not. ... Read more
(Credit:
Handmark)
The countdown is well under way for Microsoft's Windows Mobile app store, called Windows Marketplace for Mobile, which is slated to arrive in early fall alongside the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. Yet on Tuesday, mobile media company Handmark outmaneuvered Microsoft, releasing a rival application for Windows Mobile phones: HandMarket Apps for Windows Mobile.
Handmark's HandMarket app store is compatible with phones running Windows Mobile 6.0 and up. At launch there are 600 applications and games each, plus about 50,000 ringtones and wallpaper items. Prices range from $0 to about $60.
HandMarket fits what can now be recognized as the app store paradigm. It has a quick search function, browsable categories, and users' star ratings and reviews. Like the BlackBerry App World, HandMarket Apps for Windows Mobile includes a screen summarizing past downloads at a glance. If you uninstall an app for space considerations, you'll be able to reinstall through this "locker."
Tracking app store downloads goes hand-in-hand with billing. HandMarket can bill you through your cell phone carrier (your monthly bill reflects your download purchases,) or you can tack purchases onto a credit card that you associate with your account.
In addition, the app store will alert you when an app update is available. HandMarket also lets you share app details with others.
Handmark's HandMarket may well turn out to be a good interim app store for those who want to jump on board the store's centralized distribution and billing model without waiting for Microsoft. The fact that it's also available now for earlier Windows Mobile platforms means it will remain an app store option for those who don't immediately jump aboard Windows Mobile 6.5. It's likely, though, that today's HandMarket users could abandon the app tomorrow when and if they do trade up to a Windows Mobile phone featuring Microsoft's built-in app store and billing system.
To reward early adopters, Handmark is opening its app store with an 80-percent-off sale on some Windows Mobile games, which can be found in the "Specials" screen.
Handmark's free HandMarket Apps for Windows Mobile is currently only available in North America for a variety of Windows Mobile phones, but the company says that it does plan to expand support internationally.
Here's an interesting solution for anyone who has a killer idea for an iPhone app but doesn't know the first thing about software development: Moobila turns your idea into an app and markets it on the App Store.
Actually, the company specializes in turning existing corporate software into iPhone apps, thereby eliminating the need to train or hire programmers.
But Moobila also provides an opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to see their ideas turned into potentially money-making software. You pay for the development; you keep whatever revenue it generates.
Want to see a few proofs of concept? Moobila has already developed three iPhone apps, including tape-measure replacement iFlipMeasure and iPicolo, which lets you upload a photo to multiple social-networking sites at once.
You'll have to contact Moobila for a quote, of course, as no two apps are alike when it comes to development. But hourly rates start at around $15-20, according to a company rep.
