mobile devices
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Mobile version of the site back up and running
We've been getting tips from people for several days that i.wow.com, the version of the site for users surfing from mobile devices, has been continuously redirecting to the regular webpage. That's obviously not something we want it doing, but our editors have been on the case. It looks like the problem was part of a network-wide issue that should be fixed now, so for anyone out there surfing from an iPhone or other mobile device, you should now be experiencing considerably less frustration (until you read one of my articles, but that's Working As Intended). If you'd like to check WoW.com from a mobile device, just remember to bookmark and use either i.wow.com (optimized for iPhones) or m.wow.com while you're surfing. Either should make it considerably easier to navigate the site on a small screen!
ARM-based processors to overtake x86 competition in netbooks and MIDs by 2013?
We suppose industry analysts must be paid on account of just how grand their prognostications are. ABI Research know-it-alls have come out with their own spectacular claim today by asserting their expectation that x86 processors -- still dominant the world over -- will be swept aside in the rapidly developing "ultra-mobile device" space by the ascension of ARM-based processing architectures. That the Cortex CPUs have grown in popularity (and power) is undeniable, but who realistically expects Intel to sit back and watch all this happen? The x86 patriarch has even gone and created an Atom SDK, so we hardly expect the forecast table above to become reality. We're just happy to see that ARM's lower power profile is attracting investment -- it's always good to see a threat to Santa Clara's chokehold on the CPU market, and AMD's sleepwalking through the past few months hasn't helped things. Now if only those Tegra 2 smartbooks were on retail shelves instead of inside prototype shells, we could get started on this supposed revolution.
iPhone owners make up 14% of mobile game downloaders
Hot off the heels of the news that the iPhone is dominating independent mobile gaming comes this interesting statistic: 14% of all people downloading mobile games are doing so on an iPhone. Market research group comScore says that not only is the iPhone picking up double digits of all game downloads overall, but that 32.4% of all iPhone users have downloaded a game. We're not sure if this means purchased a game over the air or bought it in iTunes' App Store and then transferred it onto the phone, but that's a lot of downloading.And the numbers are increasing -- 8.5 million Americans downloaded mobile games onto their devices in November of last year, up 17 percent from the year before. And smartphones in general are growing -- last year, there were zero smartphones sitting in the top 10 mobile devices for downloading, says a comScore analyst, and this year, six of the ten on the list are smartphones. Sounds like an emerging market to us, and the iPhone is sitting right on top.
Samsung's new mobile DDI promises better daylight viewing
Samsung has just revealed a new mobile display driver IC (DDI) which claims to deliver clearer images in broad daylight, and while this sounds like a promising development, we're gonna wait to see it in action before passing judgment. What makes this so-called "intelligent" DDI different from the ones currently driving LCD screens is that it contains a built-in photo sensor that detects 32 levels of ambient light and uses a proprietary algorithm developed in conjunction with the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology to adjust properties such as brightness and saturation at the individual pixel level. Basically, the new DDI promises to optimize display viewing in direct sunlight while at the same time reducing power consumption by ramping down the brightness in lower-light environments. Our skepticism stems from the fact that this tech doesn't sound like it really does anything to combat sun glare, and since we always keep our brightness maxed out anyway, we're not sure how much benefit we'd get from an auto-adjusting screen. Like we said, though, we'll wait until we see one of these Samsung-powered displays in action before completely dismissing its effectiveness, and it sounds like we won't have to wait too long, either -- mass production of the new mobile DDIs is scheduled to begin before the end of the year.[Via Digital World Tokyo]
No future for desktop and laptop PCs?
According to Graham Brown-Martin, founder of UK-based Handheld Learning Ltd., the PC as we know it will be extinct by 2010. Its replacement? The portable consumer devices you use today, connected to server farms where all of your personal media can be accessed. At this week's Interactive Entertainment Festival in Edinburgh, Brown-Martin commented, "I've spent quite a lot of time talking to computer manufacturers and they are seeing more value in selling servers that connect to consumer electronic devices such as the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS. They see this as the food chain, rather than lots of desks with computers on them."Oracle's Larry Ellison made a similar prediction a decade go when the Network Computer was thought to be the eventual successor to the PC. The thin client NC had no secondary storage and required constant network access to application and data servers. Brown-Martin believes this concept is the path to true mobility: "Mobility isn't just about little devices – it's about the user being mobile and having all their stuff in one location, on a hard-disk farm."Do you agree? What impact would such a paradigm shift have on the gaming industry, and how comfortable would you feel if all of your game data and personal media were stored remotely?
SlingPlayer Mobile for Windows out of beta
The honeymoon is over, folks, so if you aren't already among the proud army of Slingbox owners you're gonna need to shell out $30 for the mobile client software if/when you decide to become a Sling Media customer. As of today, the company's SlingPlayer Mobile app has officially transformed from a beta into a commercial product, although this means little to customers who purchased their 'box prior to April 26th, as they are entitled to a free copy of the current Windows Mobile version, the upcoming Windows Smartphone version, and, according to Sling's website, versions for "additional mobile platforms and operating systems" when they become available. In case you're not a semi-frequent reader of this site, or another excellent destination called Engadget, SlingPlayer Mobile is a bit of software that allows Slingbox owners to watch and listen to both live and recorded content from their home theaters on any broadband-enabled, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition- or WM5-powered device.[Via Zatz Not Funny]
Official iPod Emmy Awards announced
I had to read that a couple of times myself. The National Television Academy has announced the very first Emmy award for the internet, cell phones and iPods. According to the press release, the award will be "...presented for original entertainment programming created specifically for non-traditional viewing platforms, including computers, mobile phones, iPods, PDAs and similar devices."Are you wondering just who the nominees are? Wonder no more: 24: Conspiracy by Fox Mobile Entertainment It's Jerrytime! produced by Ozone Inc. Live 8 on AOL produced by America Online mtvU Stand In produced by MTV Networks' mtvU Sophie Chase produced by CBS Films, Inc Stranger Adventures "Helem Beaumont." Since the award is intended to recognize "...original entertainment content" created for mobile devices, will independent productions be considered? We shall see. Now pass the popcorn.[Via Cult of Mac]
