Gameloft's golf simulation credibility isn't in doubt by now, in that it has mastered the physics and graphics needed to bring the 'good walk spoiled' to smartphones. Where it all goes slightly wrong is the introduction of rabbits, rhinos, horses and... super powers to what should be, in essence, a fairly straightforward sport. Do the cute characters, animals and extras enhance phone golf for you? Your decision, but my review, below.
Do you know one of the great things Windows Phone can do when you are travelling (as I was last week)? Listening to Ken Bruce's Popmaster; or Sunday Concert on Radio 3; even The Shipping Forecast is enough to bring a tear to my eye when abroad. With a data connection and Igneous Software's BBC Radio Player, you can listen in as well.
I am a big eBook reader and, as such, the whole Amazon Kindle project has a lot of fascination for me. Tapping into an eBook application, with a full store behind it and a significant number of printed books available for instant purchase and download... What's not to love? Well it is a bit of a closed shop on Windows Phone, but that quirk aside, there's little to fault Kindle on Windows Phone.
I'm a big fan of casual games on phones - for me, sitting down for an hour's gaming on a tiny 4" screen isn't my idea of immersive fun. But I do love quick games that can while away a minute or two waiting for a bus or waiting in line..... Hooked on Darts fits right in with this game philosophy, simplifying the actual game while still keeping it fun.
As part of the launch period for All About Windows Phone, we've all been invited to write about the long term experiences we've had with the Windows Phone hardware that's now around a year old. 12 months certainly makes for an informed 'long term review', in my case with the monster (size wise) of the original device batch, the 4.3"-screened HTC HD7. Here are my thoughts.
If you like to download podcasts over the air, then Windows Phone 7 might leave you a tad frustrated. Even though Mango can download podcast episodes under its own steam, you still have to add subscriptions from the Zune Desktop. If you want to be completely independent of using a PC, then third party applications are the way to go. One such option is "Podcasts! Pro" (including the awkward exclamation mark). Read on to find out how well this solution can work around the limitations of WP7.
I'm flying home from BlogWorld Expo in Los Angeles (you know, where I've been doing the video diaries). By the time this is posted, I'll probably be home and Rafe will have me under the thumb to do some detailed write-ups on the Lumia 800. But before then, time for a quick look at the American Airlines application for Windows Phone.
Although we've got a multi-part, definitive, text review of the Nokia Lumia 800 coming very soon here on All About Windows Phone, we also wanted to give you a quick look at the device via the expert eyes (and fingers) of Rafe Blandford. In this eighteen minute HD video, Rafe gets the unboxing out of the way in seconds and then goes into detail on the Lumia 800's hardware and software, before giving his initial review conclusion.
Glow Artisan brings some rather deep thinking to Xbox Live, with colour mixing, optional time limits, limited moves and one hundred puzzles to re-create. If you've got a touch of the obsessive in your puzzler genes, then Glow Artisan is going to keep you busy for a long time.
Smartphone loudspeakers are a mixed bunch, many are good enough while some make us wonder why manufacturers bothered to fit them in the first place. If you like to use your phone as a boombox, external speakers are definitely the way to go. However, some of them are so bulky or elaborate that they rather defeat the object of using a converged device. The XMI X-Mini II mini speakers might just offer a compromise of compactness versus quality and power. Read on for our review and photos.
