(Credit:
Tech Shout)
It may take awhile for people to regularly use only hand gestures to play games on the phone, but that's not stopping new titles from coming out. The latest is called Get Cookin' from Glu Mobile, which was developed specifically for Sony Ericsson W910 handsets.
The motion sensor technology required to play the game, which lets you prepare meals Cooking Mama-style, uses the kind of accelerometer that has gotten a lot of press because of the iPhone's version: It changes the display's orientation depending on the angle of the handset. With Get Cookin', you can flip burgers, add seasonings, and create recipes with a combination of gestures and buttons.
It's not as if we'll all be bowling on mobile displays anytime soon, but you never know. After all, they already have their own "Zeemote."
Sony Ericsson W910
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)When Apple first unveiled the iPhone's nifty accelerometer (the fancy part that rotates the display's orientation when you tip the phone), it was only natural to assume that the feature would eventually be used for gaming. And with today's announcement of the iPhone software developer's kit, we saw just that. Scott Forstall, Apple's vice president of iPhone software, showed a game called Touch Fighter that involved moving the iPhone like a steering wheel. Other games will follow, including titles from Sega and Electronic Arts.
It all looks very cool but as a cell phone guy, I think it's important to note that similar technology is available on existing cell phones from Sony Ericsson. The Sony Ericsson W910 uses a "shake control" motion sensor that allows you to manipulate the phone's functions by moving the phone itself. Like the Sony Ericsson W580, you can change music player tracks by flicking your wrist, but the W910 takes the technology into gaming as well. Instead of using the navigation controls or keypad buttons to play a game, you can tip the handset forward, backward, and to either side. It's a lot like a Wii controller and quite similar to what Apple demonstrated today. At the CTIA show last autumn, I tried playing a game called Marble Madness, which requires you to move a marble through a series of ramps without falling off the edges. And one more thing: the motion sensor also detects which way you're holding it the phone and then automatically changes the screen's layout from portrait to landscape.
I know what you're saying; you're asking me how I can even compare the W910 with the iPhone. You're correct that in many ways the iPhone is superior; its gorgeous display is much more conducive to extended gameplay. But as far as the screen-tipping technology goes, Sony Ericsson is no slouch.
Shake it and slide it
(Credit: Sony Ericsson)Back in June when I first saw the Sony Ericsson W910 Walkman cell phone I was intrigued by its "shake control" motion sensor, which would allow you to manipulate the phone's functions by moving the phone itself. Sony Ericsson said that when using the music player you'd be able to change tracks by flicking your wrist. That promise held true when I reviewed AT&T's Sony Ericsson W580i as that handset offered shake control. Sure, it's a tad gimmicky but it's nonetheless nifty and certainly unique.
But the W910 goes a step farther than the W580i by allowing you to play games using the motion sensor. I had the chance to test this feature at CTIA when I held the W910 in my hands for the first time. Instead of using the navigation controls or keypad buttons to play a game, which can be a little tedious over time, I only had to move the W910 around like a Wii controller. I tried playing a game called Marble Madness, which requires you to move a marble through a series of ramps without falling off the edges. By tipping the handset forward, backward, and to either side you can move the marble in the corresponding direction. And as my U.K. colleague Andrew Lim said, the motion sensor also detects which way you're holding it the phone and then automatically changes the screen's layout from portrait to landscape.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to test the call quality--that's difficult to do when a phone is chained to a booth on the CTIA show floor--but I'll get to that just as soon as we get a review model. And if Sony Ericsson has a heart, we'll get one soon. The W910 also sports a thin slider design (in red or black) that's similar to the W580i. It's attractive on the whole and the display is vibrant. What's more, the keys felt a bit better than on the W580 even though they're still flush with the surface of the phone. The feature is solid, as well; besides the Walkman music player, the W910 offers Bluetooth, world phone support, and a 2-megapixel camera.
(Credit:
Crave UK)
Walkman fans rejoice--Sony Ericsson has just launched an absolute peach of a music phone called the W910i on the U.K. market. It's thin, it's light and it has one of the largest displays we've seen on a Walkman phone so far.
Better still, the W910i has HSDPA (3.5G), so you can download content and browse the Web at speeds of up to 1.8Mbps, and a Memory Stick Micro slot that will support up to 4GB of data.
But that's not all--the W910i has a few tricks still left up its sleeve, including a motion sensor that detects which way you're holding it up and then automatically changes the screen's layout from portrait to landscape, and also lets you change tracks.
"Shake control," as Sony Ericsson has termed it, works by holding down the Walkman key and then by shaking the W910i, you can shuffle forward and backward through your music. It is a total gimmick, but at least it works like it's supposed to.
We do have a few issues with the W910i, including the 2-megapixel camera on the back, which we think is below par for a cutting-edge phone, and the lack of a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack--something we hope to see become standard on Walkman phones soon. Expect a full review on the W910i soon but, until then, click here for more photos.
(Source: Crave UK)
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