Sony Ericsson models for 2007
Mon 31 Mar 2008Filed Under: Rants and Raves | Leave a Comment
It may seem too late to comment on Sony Ericsson’s mobile phone range but if you think about it all their 2007 models will be the most common models that will be sold this year (2008).
2007 was a very ordinary year for the phone manufacturer. It’s easy to see why. The only shining light in their range was the k800 which was the halo model due to a starring or should we say product placement in the Jame Bond movie Casino Royale of 2006. It was a genuinely good phone so much so that at least 2 of us had one during the year. It probably did well too because everyone had a Nokia before and switching brands to try different models have always appealled to the majority of mobile phone users.
Well, lets face it almost everyone has a Nokia of some sort and Sony Ericsson managed to tap into the ‘be different’ set with it range. No-one wants to have the same phone as your friends. However Sony’s break didn’t last long. They failed to update their range with the latest features the quality of designs and their materials just fell into a black hole.
In terms of hardware Sony Ericsson models often lack 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS capabilities. Even worse they use the rare Memory Stick M2 which is hard to find adapters for. They so use and will continue to use propriety connectors. Their designs try to be different but are let down in the quality of materials. Sony products used to have the best look, quality and feel. See the k800 replacement the k850 – what a shocker. The only saving grace is the W890 and perhaps the W910.
In terms of software they come with all you need for calls and text messaging. Their web browser is very basic due to their lack of 3G capable models. Customisation of the interface is also limited. Sony Ericsson phones mainly use UIQ or Symbian based OS and because they don’t offer state of the art functionality but they are very stable phones. Standout models are their Walkman branded model are the best sounding mobiles around. Also their Cyber-shot branded models have arguably the best mobile phone camera and picture quality.
So for 2007 we can summarise by saying that Sony Ericssion mobile phones are good and stable but lack state of the art design or functionality.
Game Review – The Sims2 Castaway
Thu 27 Mar 2008Filed Under: Game Reviews | Leave a Comment
  NAME: The Sims2 Castaway VERSION: 1.0.8 COMPANY: EA Games PLATFORM: JAVA GENRE: RPG SIZE: 457 KB TEST PHONE: K800i RATING: 6/10 DEMO: |
Welcome to The Sims2 Castaway review. We like the Sims series games in general and although the first Sims2 games for the mobile we tried wasn’t the breakthrough we where expecting we where still happy to give the latest release a go.
The scenario for castaway is shown in a few slides at the start of the game of how you go to the island, essentially thrown off your sailing ship where you where having a party with others due to some sort of natural disaster. I didn’t quite catch the name of the ship on the life ring but I sure it had some corporate significance. You wash ashore and have to start fending for your self.
There are several versions of this Castaway game, namely for the Nintendo DS, PC and so forth. However this mobile version plays quite differently compared to the say – the DS version. The Sims2 Castaway for mobile phones gameplay although ties in with the other versions in that it involves collecting food and any other items lying around so we can use them later, it’s obviously less complex play.
The story is all about how to get off the island and back to civilisation. All the sub-quests lead up to this ending. The quests are very simple, collect this item from that person , play mini-game to accomplish and so forth. The locations are: The Bay, Waterfall, Beach, Cave, The Cliffs and your Camp. Throughout the game you’ll meet the characters on the island, Mike the geek, Sandi the snobby cook, Higgins the hid pea in the pod monkey, Leyla the fashionista and ‘So you think you can dance’ wannabe, Crazy Carl the cave and psycho treasure hunter dweller, Jeff the surfer guy, the local monkeys, and of course the Pineapple man.
Although a reasonable game to play it doesn’t have the character development of say the Stranded game. The games characters are supposed to represent stereo types but it just doesn’t work. For example the surfer guy isn’t stereotypical or chilled out he comes across as sly, like wise the geek isn’t vaguely geeky, he’s just w….er hermit. Sandi the supposedly snobby character is actually helpful.
The game controls are easy enough to master, the game music is the usual MIDI and graphics, current industry standard. See the Larry game for one of the better graphics in a mobile phone game.
To conclude Castaway reminded us of our favorite desert island game ‘Stranded’. However Castaway is not as good. For example, the lack of a proper introduction like in Stranded amongst a variety of other things, disappointed since this one is made by EA. You can choose to leave the island at the end of your tasks or continue to wonder around the island completing all the optional mini-tasks. It’s a good game but spoiled by poor characters and lack of a sub-plot or interesting story line.