App Review: Cordy

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Chris Morris

Cordy is one of the better platformers we’ve seen, which makes the game’s sneaky way of getting you to pay so maddening. Certainly, we have no problem with the price — $4.99 is fair for the quality the developers have put into the game — but it’s much too easy to download the game and not realize you’re merely getting a trial, as that’s not made glaringly clear in the app store. And the customization options (ranging from 99 cents to $2.99) are a greedy swipe at people’s wallet.

As for the game itself, it’s simply terrific: A good throwback to the glory days of Sonic with wonderful graphics, terrific pacing, and a difficulty level that’s top notch. (Beating a level is easy — but getting all the extras on each one isn’t.) It’s not revolutionary, but it’s a lot of fun.

Pokemon coming to the iPhone

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Chris Morris

Pokemon – one of the biggest guns in Nintendo’s franchise arsenal – is coming to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. But don’t expect Mario and Zelda to follow suit.

The company behind the addictive role-playing series announced plans this week to develop a free Pokemon-based rhythm game for iOS and Android smartphones. And that, somewhat understandably, has led to speculation that Nintendo might be tempering its opinion about mobile gaming and considering making games for other systems.

Google primed to launch movie rental app

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Chris Morris

Looks like Google’s plans to take its movie rental service on the road are about to get rolling.

The Android App marketplace briefly offered a Google-branded movie rental app for a short period last Friday, according to published reports. It was yanked quickly, but that still seemingly indicates an imminent widespread release.

Google unveils new Android version, cloud storage system

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Chris Morris

Google’s planning to get more aggressive in the mobile and tablet markets – and it’s looking to pick a fight in the digital music space as well.

At its I/O developer conference, the search giant announced the next iteration of its Android operating system, codenamed “Ice Cream Sandwich,” which should hit the market by the end of the year. Google also announced its long-awaited cloud-based music storage system, which will compete with Amazon.

10 days, 10 million downloads for Angry Birds Rio

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Chris Morris

Maybe this will make those cranky canaries happy.

Rovio, developer of the hit “Angry Birds” series, has revealed via Twitter that its latest title – “Angry Birds Rio” – has hit the 10 million download mark in just 10 days.

Tablet Wars: iPad Vs. the World

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Chris Morris

There’s no doubt that Apple’s latest iteration of the iPad is a hit with consumers. Day one sales are estimated at 500,000 or above and people are still lining up outside their nearest Apple store to get their hands on one.

But the iPad 2 is entering a much different world than its predecessor. And while Apple still holds a commanding market share position, it may be in for a much tougher fight this time around.

Up next: A PlayStation tablet?

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Chris Morris

Mere days after Sony confirmed the existence of the so-called PlayStation Phone, the tech rumor mill is already buzzing about a PlayStation tablet.

The device, which could hit stores as early as September, is said to sport a 9.4-inch screen and is powered by the Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” operating system with a strong focus on media and gaming.

OpenFeint Launching Cross-Platform Social Network

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Chris Morris

Gamers on Apple’s iDevices who want to compare scores can do so pretty easily through the company’s GameCenter. But what happens when their friends are playing the same game on an Android phone – or the PC?

OpenFeint is planning to build a bridge to solve the problem. The company has announced the private beta launch for OpenFeint Connect, an API solution that will allow developers to release games on any app store – for any device – and incorporate OpenFeint game data.

PlayStation Phone is finally (officially) real

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Chris Morris

The worst kept secret in the cell phone world has finally been formally acknowledged. Sony Ericsson has taken the wraps off of the Xperia Play, better known as the PlayStation Phone.

Verizon will be the sole distributor of the device starting this March. The phone will be supported by a catalog of up to 50 games, with four titles preloaded onto the device.

Android unveils Honeycomb: The tablet battle lines are drawn

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Chris Morris

While the media has had a field day trying to convince people that the table market is being fought on a hardware front, it’s not. Ultimately, it’s the end user experience that makes the difference on whether someone enjoys the product.

Apple, to date, has had a vastly superior interface that – along with its headstart in the market – has allowed it to own a commanding share of the space. Android tablets, meanwhile, have all been built upon an interface that was never meant for devices other than phones. Today, Google changed that.

Chris Morris: Journalist

Tag Archives: android