The 10 mobile gaming trends of 2010

Jon Jordan has written an insightful article at PocketGamer.biz on the direction of mobile gaming for this year, be it with iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile 7, or what have you.  What really got my attention is this:

4. Android is the new Java

Android is definitely happening but don't judge it against Apple and iPhone. Symbolically Android is the smartphone version of Java. This means fragmentation in terms of technology as well as devices, operators and app stores.

But don't forget that for more than five years, Java generated hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue to game publishers. Sure it was a bit painful but if money grew on trees, we'd all be sweeping it up and throwing it on the bonfire.

Note to iPhone developers. If you're not developing Android games, you should be positioning your company for an early 2010 trade sale or bankruptcy.

For the rest of the article, read here.

Google tries to lure game developers to Android with free phones

Looking to outdo games on the iPhone, Google is making a push to recruit game developers to make games for the Android operating system.

Google announced today that it will give away free Nexus One and Verizon Droid phones to thousands of game developers who attend the Game Developers Conference starting March 9 in San Francisco. (The developers have to register for the event by Feb. 4 to qualify).

This reminds me of the time when Microsoft, seeking to get developers to make games for the Xbox game console, offered free high-definition TVs to game developers. It’s a recognition that games are a critical part of any mobile platform.

The iPhone has been a smash hit in part because its touchscreen and tilt controls make a great game device. Roughly a fifth of the 125,000 apps on the iPhone are games, and games dominate the bestseller list for the AppStore.

Apple is aware of this as well. The GDC will have an iPhone Games Summit aimed at developers. So the conference will be a battleground of sorts for the hearts and minds of mobile game developers. Since Apple has around 60 million iPhones and iPod Touch handhelds in the market, and since those users play and buy a lot of games, it has the advantage. While Google is gaining traction with Android, it’s having a hard time catching up on apps. Gameloft, for instance, announced in November it would scale back its Android game efforts because it wasn’t getting much traction. As Android grows, that problem will go away.

Source: Games Beat

Game Review: Newton Lite

Newton is the sniper to Asteroids spray and pray. According to the developer, a lone coder named Mario from Graz, Austria, Newton is a physics puzzler heavily inspired by the great flash game Gravity Pods and some old DOS and Amiga classics with similar game play mechanics.

The point of the game is simple: you have a gun and you have to shoot the target. There are currently 21 levels which use pushers, pullers, and obstacles to show off a great physics engine. Though there are not very many levels yet, the last few are pretty tricky and may take a nice chunk of time to complete.

The graphics in the game are basic but look great, and run smoothly. The game play is very intriguing to me. I can't wait to see where the developer takes it. I've had a chance to test the level editor, it is almost ready to go live. I can't wait to see whats up next for this game.

As I was sitting down to write this review, I noticed an update to Newton Lite already up on the market. Turns out 3-D graphics were added. They have since been made optional. It is great to see the developer for this game churning out the updates quick. If he continues to add content to the game, it may quickly become one of my favorite go-to games for killing a few moments here and there.

I've spoken with the developer about his plans for Newton. The level editor is almost completed. Next up is online high score tracking. Check out This Community Page it is a thread by the developer with the dialog between him and the testers providing feedback. Feel free to post thoughts or ideas if you have them. He was also quick to respond via email if you've got questions or ideas. He has also written a tutorial on Android game programing. It's written in German, but he is working on translation to English; it should be done soon.

This App Was Tested Using: T-Mobile myTouch 3G
Presentation: Very basic, but it looks nice.
Value: Free, but limited content at this time.
Stability/Resources: Everything is pretty smooth. I noticed minor lag on the bullet trail a few times. But overall it runs great.
Bottom Line: Interesting game, lots of potential if the dev keeps up with it.

Source: Android Guys

More and more decent games on Android OS.

Google's Android OS - and specifically its Android Market store - has come under fire from games developers in recent months, with unflattering comparisons to Apple's App Store. However, it's a fact that more developers and publishers are bringing their games to Android, hoping that sales will lift off as hotly-tipped handsets like the Droid and Nexus One roll out around the world.

Android-focused blog AndroidHD is hammering the point home with a YouTube video stringing together demos of 50 of the latest Android games.  They include titles like Home Run Battle 3D, Farm Frenzy, Raging Thunder, Assassin's Creed, Tetris and Tower Bloxx. The vast majority of these games are also available on iPhone, of course. But it's a reminder that Android's games catalogue is steadily improving.

Watch the video below:


Source: Mobile Entertainment

The geeky fun begins...

I have always intended this blog to be a record of my efforts to learn about mobile games development on the Android operating system.  However, my daytime job has been too demanding of my time last year.  This year, however, I intend to finally get on with my Android game development project.

Check out my blog soon for more updates.

Top 10 Android Games

The Android Market may be full of useful apps for your Nexus One or Android handset, but it’s important to match your playtime with work. There are loads of great paid-for games out there, but as we know it’s not always easy to put your hand in that virtual pocket, here are some of the best free Android games we’ve found on our travels…

Brain Genius Deluxe
Dr. Kawashima may be the king of brain training, but the professor of Glu’s Brain Genius Deluxe also has a few aces up his sleeve. Although it’s essentially a port of a now fairly old mobile game, Brain Genius Deluxe offers the daily challenges and tests you’d associate with a game that’d cost you a fair few quid on another platform.

Bonsai Blast
Another cracking freebie from Glu, Bonsai Blast is a bubble-busting game where you fire coloured bubbles at an incoming conga line of balls. Match three of the same colour and they’ll blow up. Simple, addictive, fun.

Robo Defense 
Android’s top tower defence game, in Robo Defense you have to place towers to blast incoming helicopters, tanks and troopers. This is just a demo version, but the one map it gives you is enough for a good few hours of fun.

Abduction!
Android may not have iPhone smash hit Doodle Jump, but Abduction is about the closest you can get so far. You control an everyday cow as he leaps up towards an alien vessel. Ok, so everyday cows don’t exactly leap, but you get the idea. The paid-for World edition gives you more content, but the free version is well worth a download too.

Cestos
If you’re after a quick, fun multiplayer experience, Cestos is hard to beat. Essentially a game of marbles with landmines thrown in for good measure, you and your opponents choose the direction and power of your marble flicks at the start of each turn. As you can’t see your opponents’ choices, it’s as much a mind game as a casual title. Highly recommended.

Air Attack
Proof that fun games don’t always have to be entirely polished, Air Attack may look like it was made by someone messing about in their spare room, but it’s not bad. It sees you control a rocket launcher-wielding maniac as he downs dozens of planes passing by. You have to plan the trajectory of your shots while avoiding falling bombs and parachuting enemies.

Papi Jump
Much like Abduction!, Papi Jump is a game where you use the accelerometer to guide a bouncing character up a series of platforms. If he falls through the bottom of the screen, it’s game over for poor Papi. Papi Jump isn’t a particularly flashy game, but online scorekeeping and that frustratingly addictive casual trait give it a place in our top 10.

Papi Missile
Papi’s back with another one of his disarmingly simple games. This time, you launch Papis up into the air to destroy missiles that fall from the sky – it’s basically a Missile Command clone. However, the ability to rack-up combo kills and the fiendish difficulty curve make Papi Missile more compulsively moreish than it has any right to be. Well done Papi, you’ve won us over again.

Sudoku
Few things can make you feel more satisfied with your own intelligence than completing a tough Sudoku puzzle. Now you can get them for free on your Android phone – all you have to do is put up with a fairly unobtrusive ad at the bottom of the screen. The four difficulty levels should keep you going for ages too.

ProjectINF
ProjectINF is an ambitious little game. Not only is it multiplayer – over 3G or Wi-Fi – it plays out in real-time. An action-packed shooter, you stroll around blasting other real-life combatants. Thanks to its online nature, ProjectINF is pretty glitchy compared with the other games here, but the thrill of playing against real people more than makes up for it.

Source: FoneHome

Symbian feels the heat from Android

Apparently threatened by the rise of Android OS as a capable mobile platform, people from the Symbian Foundation are now lashing out at Google.  Read on...

Some folks are claiming that Google is faking the open-source funk.

OK, it's a lot to say, really. Because for all the open-source software Google has helped put forth, it's a bit of a stretch to imply that the company is faking it. But Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation, which is in charge of advancing the development and the open-sourcing of the Symbian OS, has basically called Google out for not being as open as the company could be about its Android operating system.

It's not the first time and it won't be the last that Google's been knocked about its policies regarding openness of certain technologies or strategies—policies, by the way, that certain other companies (like Microsoft!) would be blasted for straightaway.

In basketball we had the Jordan Rules, which initially was a term used to describe the strategy some teams applied to aggressively and physically guard Michael Jordan. But later it became what people called the preferential treatment the superstar received from refs who swallowed their whistles whenever Jordan traveled or fouled someone—especially late in close games. In football we have the Brady Rule, which was enacted this season to protect quarterbacks' knees after superstar QB Tom Brady went down for most of last season following a hit to his knee (and, unfortunately, applied in a tight game against my Ravens). And in tech we seem to have the Google Rules, where Google just seems to get pass after pass for stuff others would be called on.

This isn’t to diminish the tremendous capability of any of the subjects of these rules. They’re all winners and fierce competitors without them, but let’s just say the rules help. They’re like a little reward for being so good and so valuable to the game.

In an interview with GigaOM, Williams called Google "evil" and called for the search giant to be more transparent about Android. And it's not just Williams, but some of his crew that also are banging on Google to open up.

In the GigaOM interview, Williams nailed Google for fragmenting the market and for attempting to "cookie" users.

An afterdawn.com analysis of the exchange said:

    "First and foremost the goal of a Google system would be to create a situation where you have information about the user and the use of those apps," said Williams.

    "Secondarily," he added, "it would be to cookie them, so that you get that unique identifier association with the data you've collected on the individual's habits, routines, and so on and so forth so that you can target apps toward them. So you can build more intelligent cloud-based apps for them."

In that same interview, Williams called Apple "greedy" and questioned why Google would even need to mention not being evil in its motto.

Sounds like an old-fashioned Parliament Funkadelic call-out for Google to "Give Up the Funk" or to come clean or “come correct.” Or is Williams just "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing," as James Brown said?

It's clear Williams is doing a little more than just talking smack. Indeed, the points Williams raises are not new, and he is not alone in thinking and saying this. But he is alone in being at the helm of a very large ship that sees a fast-moving Android OS gathering steam in its wake. And rather than sit idly by, Williams is calling them out sooner rather than later.

The Symbian OS is the leading smartphone OS in terms of market share, but Android is looking quite strong, according to analyst reports. Some reports have Android coming in second to Symbian as early as 2012. According to Gartner, Android’s share will be at 18 percent of all smartphones sold globally in 2012, or about 94 million users out of 525 million, said GigaOM.

In his keynote at the Symbian Exchange & Exposition (SEE 2009) here on October 27, Williams did not single out Google specifically by name, but he did take a few generic shots, saying: “I've heard other companies stand up and say they have the world's most powerful operating system. I think they're wrong. ... If it took me six months to add cut and paste, I'd be embarrassed.”

Williams went on to give the audience a bit of the upcoming road map with the Symbian 3 and Symbian 4 platforms.

Meanwhile, during a Nokia Media Day event here, Shaun Puckrin, head of developer services at the Symbian Foundation, said Symbian represents "the biggest market available to developers. We outship our next competitor by two."

Added Puckrin: "Sure Android is open source, but we are a community that adopts things from the actual developer community; that's a difference. ... Whilst Android is open source, it's been difficult to get changes into the OS. But we're attempting to get to a genuine open-source project. I think the proof will be in the pudding."

Moreover, Puckrin said that, though Android is an open-source project, "it's more about using open source than being open source."

John Forsyth, a member of the Symbian Foundation leadership team who is responsible for technology and delivery management, echoed Puckrin and Williams. "With Android you can't get a road map," he said. "We have an entirely transparent process from that perspective. You can go to our site and see every feature that is being planned. With Android, the real source sits behind the Google firewall."

For his part, Forsyth noted, "There's a halo effect people try to get out of open source without actually playing by the rules. You almost get a grudging respect for Microsoft when you see this kind of thing."

Puckrin said he believes proof of Symbian's seriousness about open source is its move to open-source the operating system kernel. "We concentrated on the kernel, which is the crown jewel of the platform," he said. "It set a benchmark and it says we're serious about this." Both Puckrin and Forsyth added that because Symbian has successfully open-sourced the kernel of the Symbian OS, the rest of the platform will follow easily and the organization will meet its planned schedule of having the entire platform open-sourced by the second half of 2010.

"While Lee [Williams] has his personal opinion, I think how Google acts in general is open source," Forsyth said.

Meanwhile, Forsyth questioned the Android architecture itself.

"It's a late '90s architecture," he said. "It's Java—not as light and fast as an AJAX [Asynchronous JavaScript and X M L] environment. Android's a bit unnecessary, and I don't think it's in Google's best interest. But they have a bit of a 'see what sticks' mentality."

Ooooh, yeah!  Money is hot and the times are a-changing!

Source: eWeek