Hasta La Gadget!

Traditional console makers have often sworn up and down that mobile doesn’t make money for game development. That might still be true for some developers, but you’ll get a very different answer if you ask Epic Games. Co-founders Tim Sweeney and Mark Rein have collectively described the currently iOS-only, Chair-developed Infinity Blade as the “most profitable game we’ve ever made” when considering the amount of money and time invested relative to the money coming back. Yes, that includes even the Gears of War series, which most consider Epic’s primary cash cow. Sweeney, like his long-time competitor Johh Carmack at id Software, is also taken aback by the power stuffed inside the latest generation of mobile devices — a 2012 iPad is nearer the performance of a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, he tells Gamasutra, and the pace is only picking up. Even more insights await in the interview with Sweeney; click below if you want a hint of what one of gaming’s pioneers has to say about where your tablets, phones and (yes) PCs are going.

Epic Games: Infinity Blade on iOS more profitable by the pound than any other game we’ve made originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Gamasutra, Mark Rein (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Google’s Project Glass demo may have kicked off with a skydiving extravaganza, but it seems the company couldn’t quite resist some snark directed at Apple. Speaking of how the head-worn computer terminal allows users to check information naturally, rather than get obsessed in what’s happening on their smartphone display, Google opted to demonstrate the difference in approaches with a frustratedly-tapping iPhone user.

No specific mention of the iPhone was made, naturally, but the message was clear: Project Glass lets you keep interacting with those around you, rather than burying you in a screen. Ironically, Google had just been showing how Android 4.1 Jelly Bean pulls in natural search queries, Siri-style, earlier in its IO keynote.

Still, there are some similar themes – Google was keen to point out how much Jelly Bean’s new features cut down on the time you’re using your device and increase the time you actually get to use the data. Google will offer the first public access to Project Glass in early 2013 in the shape of the Explorer Edition priced at $1,500 for IO attendees.

Project Glass unleashes the iPhone snark is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The fine fellows at Strategy Analytics have been crunching some numbers behind the scenes and discovered that Apple’s iPhone has generated around $150 billion in revenue since it first launched back in 2007. On top of that, the firm believes that around 250 million iPhones have been shipped in total across the world. It marks just how popular the iPhone really is, not to mention how lucrative the mobile market has become.

It’s not all good news though. Neil Mawston, an executive director at Strategy Analytics, says that Apple may face some trouble going forward: “Some mobile operators are becoming concerned about the high level of subsidies they spend on the iPhone, while Samsung is expanding its popular Galaxy portfolio and providing Apple with more credible competition.”

That’s a safe assumption to make. It was recently reported that Apple and Samsung account for 55% of the smartphone market, with the two companies gobbling up 90% of the profits. Samsung even overtook Apple in phone shipments, shifting 43 million in the first quarter compared to Apple’s 35 million. Previous reports have also indicated that the lion’s share of Apple’s profit comes from the premium that carriers pay to offer the iPhone, hoping that the handset will give them an advantage and retain customers.

Strategy Analytics: iPhone has generated $150bn in revenue is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple and HTC might be at each other’s throats in court, but they’re living in peace and harmony in Pioneer’s world. The fresh new SMA wireless speaker line supports both Apple’s AirPlay format and HTC Connect-certified DLNA to take audio over WiFi no matter whether it’s coming from an iPhone or a One S. Proof that we can all get along is good in itself, but Pioneer is also throwing in Wireless Direct, a trick that turns the speaker into its own WiFi access point if it can’t latch on to a nearby router. Pioneer’s stratification of the range is dictated by whether you value freedom or raw power. The XW-SMA1 is the baseline with two 3-inch speakers and a 3 / 4-inch tweeter, with a bass reflex port doing its best to mimic a subwoofer; the XW-SMA3 is the exact same with a lithium-ion battery good for six hours of cord-free play, and the XW-SMA4 goes battery-free but rolls in a proper 4-inch subwoofer and an extra tweeter. The lot arrives in August and costs either $299 for an SMA1 or $399 for either of its premium siblings.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Pioneer SMA wireless speakers put AirPlay, HTC Connect in one happy family (update: hands-on photos)

Pioneer SMA wireless speakers put AirPlay, HTC Connect in one happy family (update: hands-on photos) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Hey, Vladimir Miklushevsky! You governor of the Primorye Territory in Russia, you! Why do you always have three, three?, iPhones with you? What’s going on here, Vladimir? Don’t you know how to set up multiple mail accounts? More »