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After Windows Phone and iOS, Xbox Live comes to Android

Xbox fans with Google's Android phones can now keep up – or at least begin to keep up – with their fellow gamers using Apple's iPhones and Microsoft's Windows Phone devices, now that Microsoft has released an Xbox Live app for the Google Operating System (OS).

The XBox Live app for Android went live on Google Play Wednesday, and requires an Xbox Live account as well as Android 2.2 Froyo or higher – and a WGVA screen resolution or higher.

"Take your Xbox LIVE experience wherever you go with the My Xbox LIVE app. Track and compare your achievements, connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, and change up your 3D Avatar," read the description on the app's page on Google Play.
Review all the recent great games you and your friends love to play and compare achievements with them. Access Xbox Spotlight feeds, get breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, gamer spotlight and much more."

Get Microsoft's Kinectimals now also from Google Play

As Google's Android continues its attempt to chip away at the Apple's iOS audience bit by bit, it received quite the boost in confidence this week, as Microsoft published its first game for the Google Play store.

OK, so Kinectimals has already been on Windows Phone and iOS for ages, and no doubt iPhone and iPad users will be using lines like "I was playing that game before it was cool" or whatever the kids say these days.

But it's a notable move by the big Microsoft, as the company essentially shows that it has faith that Android games will sell.
It also no doubt signals the start of a relationship between Microsoft and Android devices, as other Microsoft games are bound to follow.

Apple OS X Mountain Lion new features preview

We were able to see an in-depth preview of Apple's next Mac Operating System (OS) - OS X Mountain Lion - this year at WWDC 2012.

Here are the big changes coming to your Mac this July.

 

Game Center

Perhaps the biggest news for gamers is the Mac's integration with Game Center - the gaming hub for iPhone and iPad.

Game Center allows you to play friends online, compare achievements ("points") and add friends - it's the Xbox Live of the mobile world, and now it's making its way to Mac with OS X Lion.

iOS users prefer gaming apps while Android owners favor utilities

Are Google's Android users more practical than Apple's iOS device owners?

If you compare the top 10 free apps in the Google Play store to the same list in Apple's iTunes, you can’t help but see differences between the two smartphone camps.

Of the top 10 free apps in the Google Play store right now, six are by Google, including Gmail, Street View on Google Maps, YouTube, and Voice Search.
The other apps: Facebook for Android, Adobe Flash Player 11, Pandora and Instagram.

All told, the bulk of these apps add functionality to Android devices.
None are games.

Sony partners with HTC to bring its 'PlayStation Mobile' gaming platform to all

Sony revealed on Monday at E3 that it is partnering up with Taiwanese handset maker HTC for the first non-Sony devices to feature its newly-renamed "PlayStation Mobile" Android gaming platform.

During a keynote presentation at E3 2012 in Los Angeles, California, Sony announced that it was changing the name of its fledgling PlayStation Suite platform to PlayStation Mobile to "reflect the mobility of the PlayStation experience." 
The company first unveiled its plans for the Android game store last January.

Microsoft wants you to be able to start playing a game on your Xbox 360 and finish it on your mobile

According to a reliable source, Microsoft plans to unveil a new feature known as Xbox Live Companion.

Not to be confused with its social and marketplace app Xbox Companion, Xbox Live Companion is a system where developers of Xbox 360 console games can stream content directly to a mobile phone or tablet.

This source says the feature was internally known as Smart Glass, lending some credibility to rumours of an ability to stream content from your console to a phone or tablet.
From what the source tells us, though, it appears Microsoft's ambitions for such a feature are a little more focused on games.

Mostly games prove to be incompatible with low-memory Windows Phone Tango devices

We've seen several instances where low-memory Windows Phone devices like Nokia's Lumia 610 (picture), which has just 256MB of RAM, simply can't run certain high-profile apps.

But just how bad is the problem?

AAWP crunched the numbers and found that of the 86,292 apps currently available in the Windows Phone Marketplace at time of running the experiment, only 1.6% aren't compatible with 256MB phones — which is less than Microsoft's claim of five percent.

However, that number does increase a bit when you look at the more popular apps.
Of the top 10,000 downloads in the United Kingdom, 4.6% are incompatible with low-memory devices, while 6.4% of the top 1,000 apps won't work.

The Xbox to become Microsoft's entertainment hub

Microsoft has said that it plans to make the Xbox 360 the heart of its entertainment offering across all platforms moving forward.

In a blog post by Yusuf Mehdi
, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer for the company's Interactive Entertainment Division, ahead of the company's annual press conference at the E3 gaming conference on Monday, Mehdi has said that the console will move away from being just that.

Sony Xperia Play will not be upgraded to Android Ice Cream Sandwich

Sony has posted an update on its Google's Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrades.

More 2011 devices will start getting their Android 4.0 Over-The-Air (OTA) updates starting next week, and everything is going as planned with the Xperia S,P and U.

But there is also some sad news in the same blog post – it seems the team has decided to cancel the Android 4.0 update on the Xperia Play.

“In regards to Xperia Play, after extensive in house testing with our developer teams and working with our partners, we have concluded that a consistent and stable experience, particularly with gaming, cannot be guaranteed for this smartphone on Ice Cream Sandwich - therefore, we will not make the Android 4.0 upgrade available for Xperia Play.
This decision was also verified when we received similar feedback from the developer community; both experienced developers and advanced users, along with game content providers following our Ice Cream Sandwich beta ROM for unlocked Xperia Play smartphones.”

Microsoft to unveil new music streaming service to replace Zune

A new streaming music service from Microsoft is in the works, according to reports.

It will replace the current Zune media service and is set to debut next month in Los Angeles, at E3 2012.

There is no name for the new service as of yet.
For the time being, it's being referred to by its codename, "Woodstock."

It looks to be part of Microsoft's continued effort to build the Xbox brand as the centerpiece of digital media consumption and management.

Because it's debuting at E3, presumably during Microsoft's Xbox-focused presentation, the new platform will likely find a prominent home on the game console.
But it's ultimately intended for cross-platform compatibility.

JXD S5110 Android Ice Cream Sandwich reminds a lot a well-known gaming console

The wonderful thing about Google's Android is that it can be installed on any device if a company is willing to invest time in porting the Operating System (OS) to its hardware.

But the bad thing about Android is that it can land in hardware of questionable pedigree — like a portable gaming system that looks remarkably similar to the product of another company.

The JXD S5110 is the Android-powered PSP clone many gamers have been secretly pining for.

Angry Birds Space now available for RIM PlayBook tablet

Yup, as it turns out that the "somthing wonderful" that will be headed onto the Research In Motion (RIM) Blackberry Playbook is none other than Angry Birds Space.

For those who might have forgotten, a while back it seemed that RIM might have let the cat out of the bag a tad early and Angry Birds Space was spotted for the Blackberry Playbook.

The app was then pulled leaving us to wonder when would RIM and Rovio make the app available.
We guess now’s as good a time as any, right?

Motorola accuses Microsoft to infringe patents with its Xbox

Microsoft infringed Motorola Mobility's patents in making its popular Xbox gaming consoles, a judge for the US International Trade Commission (US ITC) ruled on Monday. 

ITC Judge David Shaw said that Microsoft infringed four patents and did not infringe on a fifth in the complaint. 
The full commission will review the judge's decision and issue a final ruling in August 2012. 

The patents in the complaint are for technology like wireless connections for the Xbox to the Internet and video compression to speed transmission. 

Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 review

An inexpensive alternative to an Android smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 ($149.99 / €114 list, 8GB) acquits itself well as a basic, budget MP3 and video player that also runs most of the 400,000 Android apps available.

It's for people who want to play "Draw Something" but don't want to deal a smartphone contract, and it costs US$50 (€38) less than the same-capacity iPod Touch.

But its low-res screen may limit its appeal to status-conscious teens who could make up its core market. 

Physical Design and Networking

 The Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6 looks like a small budget smartphone.
Made of black and chrome plastic, it has standard MicroUSB and headphone jacks on the bottom panel and a matte back.

The front is mostly a somewhat-dim 3.6", 480-by-320 LCD screen with three standard Android touch buttons below it. At 10.6 by 6.6 by 1cm (HWD) and 119 grams, it'll fit easily into any hand and most pockets.

76% of main mobile apps are now available on all three major platforms; Android, Windows Phone and iOS

There has been a lot of noise recently about a shortage of apps in Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

Winsource has done some research and found 76% of the 100 most popular app on Windows Phone, both paid and free, were cross-platform apps present also in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The other 24% are mainly Xbox Live games (10) or other games.

The result suggests both that Windows Phone has been good at drawing developers from other platforms to the Marketplace, and that those developers are often rewarded by a high rank in the sales charts.

Android Trojan attracts Japanese users with porn, video trailers and games

Security experts are warning of yet more malicious applications found on Google’s official online apps market, Google Play, this time designed to steal personal data in the background while promising to show trailers for Japanese anime, video games and porn.

McAfee malware researcher Carlos Castillo explained in a blog post that the new Android Trojan had been discovered in 15 applications on Google Play (former Android Market) so far and downloaded by at least 70,000 users.

The malware, specifically designed to target Japanese users, is hidden in apps which show Internet-based video trailers, among others.

Follow the UEFA Euro 2012 live from your Android device

While most European football (for our US readers, we are talking about 'soccer') leagues are coming to its season end soon, the next highlight, the UEFA Euro 2012, which will happens from 8^th June to 1^st July 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, is just around the corner.

And the UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) is already preparing for it and has recently released its free Android app.

According to the description, the official UEFA EURO 2012 app, sponsored by french mobile operator Orange, gives football fans access to the final tournament of the 14^th UEFA European Football Championship.
It informs about live results, features free customizable alerts, video highlights from midnight after the end of the match (against payment only), news, photos and standings.

A Trojan is hidden in fake 'Angry Birds Space' for Android

Be on the lookout, pig-crushing Android enthusiasts.

The latest game from Rovio, Angry Birds Space, already has a fake counterpart in Google Play that downloads malware to your device in the background.

The fake version is actually a functioning game of Angry Birds Space.
However, security company Sophos identified a Trojan horse within the app named Andr/KongFu-L.
It quietly installs itself onto your Android device and can then start displaying ads all over the device and bring up any Website at any time without your permission.

Google Play is a piracy-plagued app store 'we don't want to duplicate' - RIM

Research In Motion (RIM, BlackBerry maker) is dropping app sideloading support from the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet in a bid to prevent the problems that have plagued Google's Android, the company's Developer Relations Vice-president Alec Saunders stated earlier in the week.

The company would have a "solution" for developers to do it in testing, but the end user would have to go through BlackBerry App World, much like Apple does with the App Store.
He believed Android had a rampant problem with piracy, where about a quarter of material was pirated.

Saunders didn't clarify whether that meant the number of apps in the store or the volume of downloads.
Regardless, he saw developers as being worried about losing too much revenue and preferring the lockdown to a possibly very troubled Google Play Store.

Popular PS3 and Xbox 360 game 'Joe Danger' comes to iOS and Android

Stunt motorbiking game Joe Danger will be expanding beyond the console market soon.

Developer Hello Games has confirmed that they're developing Apple's iOS and Google's Android versions and it's said to be very different than the game available on the PS3 and Xbox 360. 

"Simply porting a game is never something I could get excited about, it’s soulless work. Joe Danger on iOS is a new game, and it's been written from the ground up for iPhone," Hello Games co-founder Sean Murray said.