Bluekat Magazine

Game developers often put content into games that will create a buzz or a stir in the media so as to create more publicity. It seems to have worked for the makers of Modern Warfare 2. In the past I would have said that its a lot of fuss about nothing, but this scene is hard to dismiss so easily.

Viewer descretion advised.

New York Times editor Bill Keller let slip the existance of an Apple Slate during a speech recently and it has refuelled the speculation and rumours that Apple will release some sort of tablet device or e-reader soon.

There have been a lot of blog articles about this and I don’t think that this is necessarily hard evidence that te slate exists but it does make you wonder…

Interesting short comedy sketch staring Ben Stiller and Ryan Seacrest.

Source: Youtube

96,964 tracks on your mobile!

Spotify founders: Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon

In July I blogged about the innovative new mobile application for iPhone by Spotify which gives it’s users access to a huge library of music via paid subscription or free ad supported accounts.

The service has been available for desktop computers running Windows and Macs for some time but I have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the mobile service.  As an iPod Touch users I was hoping that Apple didn’t ban the application for “duplicating iPhone functionality”. It wouldn’t have surprised me if they did but it some how made it pass the Apple approval team.

The service is now available on not just the iPhone but also on the Android platform (for example HTC Hero or Samsung i7500).

Whats great about this service is not just that you can stream unlimited amounts of music to your phone via 3G or wifi, but that it lets you download the songs to your device so you can listen to them in areas where you have no signal such as the under ground.

I would say this is a must for anyone who loves music. If you haven’t got a compatible smart phone then try the desktop client.

See my original article for footage of the iPhone demo here.

Ignition Entertainment has confirmed a September 25 2009 release for King of Fighter XII (12) for the UK and Europe. The King of Fighters is one of the longest running 2D beat ‘em up franchises starting way back in 1994 with updates to the fighting system and new characters added on a yearly basis.

This version of KoF has been given a complete over haul. The developers, SNK Playmore, have rebuilt the game from the ground up, making many changes to the game play after realising that the combat system was getting too complex, they’ve simplified it and the game now feels more like King of Fighters ’94.

king of Figters XII will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3.

Source: Gamershell.com Youtube.com

I spent more time than I care to admit to playing Quake Live this weekend.

Quake Live on Safari

Quake Live is a Free online video game service by ID Software that runs through your browser and is available for Mac and Windows

The Safari plugin was posted on the Apple Downloads site on the 18th and it allows users to login and play Quake in the Safari browser. This isn’t a cut down Flash version of Quake it s the full on real deal. It gives you the option to play in a browser window or in full screen mode.

I was surprised that there were no ads or marketing of any sort, this may change in future but for now it’s simply a great game for free. Assuming that there is money to be made from advertising or brand loyalty then I’m guessing that more companies may try something like this, I hope they do.

Quake Live is available from the Apple Download page here.

Microsoft were beaten to the punch by Handmark for the release of an App store for the Windows Mobile platform according to a recent CNet article. Ever since the launch of the iTunes App Store it has been the envy of every other mobile handset manufacturer and mobile software developers.

While the idea of a one-stop shop for all your software requirements for your mobile device isn’t entirely an original Apple idea, Apple seemed to be the only company that pulled it off in a very user friendly and customer-centric way as they seem to be able to do with all their products and services.

Which is why I have to ask the question,  will this lead Apple seems to have over everyone else last? Can the success and the business model of the App Store be duplicated by their rivals like Microsoft, Handmark, Palm or Nokia? When the iTunes Music Store launched in the United States on the 28th of April, 2003 it was seen as the way forward for digital music distribution. The seamless integration of purchasing content and storing it on to your device was great for the consumer and  perfect for the content creators, i.e. the music industry, who wanted assurances that the users would not be able to duplicate and illegally redistribute their copyrighted material.

Despite the fact that what Apple have done was obvious and effective, no other  manufacturer for a long time was able to create a device that approached the the style and ease of use of the iPod or the simplicity of the iTunes Music Store, and its integration with the iPod. Microsoft now have their Zune Market Place, but it was a long time coming and is nowhere near as successful.

When Apple introduced the world to the iPhone they redefined what a phone was and what you could do with it. They turned the smart which was typically a business device, into the highly sort after consumer must have the desire for which has not faded. They made all the other mobile phone manufacturers look bad! The App Store was the icing on the cake, there were other phones that appeared on the market later that had large touch screens, but what they all lack and still lack is software. iPhone OS is by far the most sophisticated mobile OS and The App Store bought in some of the most innovative and creative developers on the planet.

Just like with the Music Store, while what Apple have done is plain to see, no one else seems to be duplicating that process in its entirety. You have some good music stores but they’re not dedicated to a specific device so downloading and storing the music from these stores is more difficult, especially for the more  technically challenged amongst us. This may be what’s about to happen with the Windows Mobile platform, many devices with so many different hardware configurations, with many different App Stores by many different companies. With such a situation simplicity goes out the window.

If anyone is to challenge the iPhone – App Store success they have to produce the store, the device and the software that runs them and make the user experience and ease-of-use paramount. Then and only then will they be in with a chance.

Source: Bluekat

Spotify have released an iPhone version of their online music streaming  jukebox. The innovative music service which offers subscribers a massive choice of music where they can listen to as much music as they like  with choices for a free ad supported subscription or premium ad-free subscriptions.

The most promising feature of this app is the ability to download playlist of songs directly to your iPhone so you can play them offline. This was always what I had believed was the only failing of streaming services, not being able to listen to music when you have no connection but as you will see in the video below, this is simply not an issue.

Spotify iPhone App screen shot

Spotify is the perfect example of innovative businesses providing viable alternatives to illegal downloading by offering users free alternatives while  copyright holders are paid from proceeds from ad revenue and subscription fees.

At the time of writing this article the Spotify iPhone App was not available on the UK App Store, but keep a keen eye on the App Store as it should be out soon.

I will of course blog te release, test and review the app as well.

Source: Spotify