The Prince of Persia film trailer has just hit the intertubes and with it our hearts both flutter and sink at the same time as we realise that it's going to be terrible. It may sound premature but anyone who knows anything about either games, films or ideally both, will know that out of countless console to silver screen conversions there has been a sum total of no good ones whatsoever. Yes, some have had brushes with the acceptable - Tomb Raider and Silent Hill at a push - but the fact remains that history just doesn't lie. Not here.

So, why are they so bad? What's the deal? First and foremost game plots just aren't up to it. At the best we get some lengthy cut scenes between gruff-talking men in over-sized armour between levels of dealing death to any creature that gets in the way of Player 1 and the next room/access key/elevator/bigger weapon/mushroom. They may contain over 200 hundred hours of gameplay but you could probably condense the storyline into around 20 minutes.

Even if these plots do have any staying power, then they're rarely as sophisticated as what hundreds of years experience of stage and screen writing can produce, and the results are laughable. We laugh, usually around an hour in, well after our hearts have been broken in two because our favourite title is being ridiculed in front of the world. The trouble is that video games aren't designed to be stories. They're games. They're about skill and puzzles rather than a meaningful narrative. There are narratives, more and more, and they're better than ever these days, but they're still tertiary to the structure of the game beneath both playability and graphical appeal.

Then there's characters who are largely two-dimensional. We don't really want to know about Ryu's anxiety when taking on Zangief and fortunately Capcom didn't bore us to death in case we did. Even more involved RPG or adventure pieces only ever get as far as overt emotions like fear or anger at current events and only at the most complex might we see a flashback from the character's past, and only then if it's germane to the plot. The point is that it's up to us, the players, to form the deeper reaction in response to a series of ruthless/kind/good/evil and if we're really lucky, traitorous characters. The added colour simply isn't written in for a very good reason - that of personal subjective involvement.

So, here's how the situation works given the already shaky starting materials. First, a game gets big enough and a movie producer gets bored enough to decide that they're going to make a film out of it. So, they plonk it down in front of an upcoming writer and director, most likely still learning their trade or they'd probably have an original or more worthy project on the slate. Faced with a thin plot and characters that no one's going to care about, they then do their level best to add some colour to the proceedings which is inevitably flawed, most likely because they won't be big players of the game, and what they fabricate will not be in the spirit of thing. Either that or they don't add enough and it's dull as ditch-water anyway.

They then present the project to similarly aspiring actors who take it on because, hey, it's work whereby a few months down the line and several million on special effects later we have one film destined to disappoint.? What's worse is that this film will make more money than it cost and so the cycle repeats itself. Perhaps the only good that's ever done is that the artists involved might have graduated to the higher echelons of film making by then. Good luck to them.

There are, of course, minor exceptions. Dennis Hopper was in Super Mario Bros, Angelina Jolie was Lara Croft and now Jake Gyllenhaal has taken the lead in the Prince of Persia, but these stars alone aren't going to be enough to fill all the gaps. Incidentally, if you want a real laugh, watch the DVD extras on Dungeons & Dragons for the out take where Jeremy Irons storms off the set. There's the look of an actor regretting the fact they got involved with it in the first place.

So, what of Prince of Persia then? Is it as doomed as we make out? Well, it's got a stronger plot than some. They've integrated the use of the Dagger of Time really nicely (I'm a sucker for films with time travel). They've got an excellent director in the shape of Mike Newell and a star studded cast with class acts like Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina supporting the adept and watchable Gyllenhaal, but a good game adaptation that's not necessarily going to make. What do they know about the Prince of Persia? Gyllenhaal has said himself that he's over-prepared for this movie by bulking up with five or six pounds in added muscle. Now, that doesn't sound like the right kind of training. How about a copy of the game, a dark room and bulking up with five or six pounds in added KFC?

Mercifully, the game's creator, Jordan Mechner, has been part of the team on the script, but time will only tell whether Jerry Bruckheimer listened to him or not. Still, most of you reading this will probably watch it, you'll probably hate it and you'll probably wonder why you fell for the same trick again. Thankfully, you'll probably have downloaded it for nothing too.

?

Tags: Gaming PS3 Xbox 360 PC games Prince of Persia Films Movies Comment

Why are game-inspired films so terrible? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:38:52 +0000

Movember is upon us once more and that means plenty of talk about moustaches, moustache gadgets and of course not forgetting the main reason for the facial hair growth - helping raise awareness for?prostate Cancer.

Over the next 30 days the Pocket-lint team and others will be growing a moustache for charity. It's a tough job that from experience means we will be ridiculed, stared at, and worse still not get many kisses.

But fear not my hairless friends (that's you), it is not too late to join our hairy(ish) team.

We will be keeping a mo diary on the site so you can see our progress and expect plenty of related features exploring everything "Mo".

Men of tech! (that's you) join our brethren.

Read

Tags: Gadgets Bathroom gadgets Movember Comment Audio Car And GPS Dad Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness

Gentlemen start your Mo originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:35:49 +0000

Another day, another industry in trouble, all because the company that promises to "do no evil" has entered its market.

The latest victims that are likely to fall foul of the search giant are the dedicated GPS makers. TomTom and Garmin both saw big drops in share prices on Wednesday (no doubt for TomTom on the back of poor Q3 results as well), however when someone with the cash of Google steps on your turf offering a product for free when you charge a premium, with no need to turn a profit in that division, surely its time to start panicking.

Google's presence in our lives is more prevalent that ever. Destroyer of industries, has Google become Skynet?

In the present

Searching

While companies like Alta Vista and Yahoo believed that search was just the start of a bigger media portal to entrap internet users, Google's clean "just search" mantra allowed it to steal the market, completely. Google is now the biggest search engine on the block and uses the cash it gets from placing ads next to those results to leapfrog into other sectors as well as fund the majority of its ventures.

Sending email

Why charge when you can give it away? Google's Gmail and subsequent Google Apps is slowly taking over the email space. Its free product here has signaled the death knell to email hosting companies across the world. In the Nineties, companies charged $1 for an email address, then they charged for storage. Now if you're paying for either you're considered behind the curve.

Watching video

Google bought its way into the online video market after its attempts with Google Video failed to gain traction against YouTube. A prime example of the need to control the space rather than actually making a profit, Google paid a $1 billion premium to claim the site as its own. In October it signed a landmark deal with Channel 4 in the UK to start screening on-demand TV shows. If the idea catches on and other TV stations sign up, could this signal the end of traditional television broadcasting?

Storing and selling photos

While Picasa doesn't have the clout of Flickr, it still allows you to manage your photos online. Add in the ability to sell those images, combine it with Google Images and you've got a competitor to services like Corbis, Getty and iStockPhoto. Google could theoretically then move to supply newspapers and magazines with the images it scours from its users and the Web - rewarding those users individually for their contributions.

Getting from A to B

It's already killed the online mapping industry (Multimap, Streetmap, et al) and now it's after the GPS sector with the launch of Google Maps Navigation. The new software app will be available on its mobile phone platform Android 2.0, and is likely to completely turn the GPS market on its head. Constantly up to date maps, live traffic, points of interest pulled from its search database and the usual Google price (free) means TomTom, Garmin, Navman, et al, are going to struggle to justify the premium price.

Reading news

Google's news service, be it via the Google News pages or Google Reader product, has had two effects. It has allowed many websites to gain exposure to a host of new readers, but it's also caused concern with old school media barons, like Rupert Murdoch, for destroying their readership and making people promiscuous readers. No longer does the Old Media have the power over the newsstand that they once had. With the flick of a switch Google has the power to stop the traffic dead, or allow it to flow.

Buying books

Google has digitised hundreds of thousands of books already and now the company is launching its own eBook store to challenge the booksellers of this world, like Barnes & Noble. Why would you pay for a book if you could get a digital copy for free on the proviso that you had to look at a couple of ads every 20 pages?

Buying physical music

Who needs to go into a HMV or Best Buy to buy your CD when you'll be able to search for the music and buy at the click of a button instead? iTunes might have empowered us to embrace digital music downloads, but the world moves fast. Why offer a dedicated piece of software you've got to open when clicking directly at the moment you search for it would be a more gratifying experience? The idea of buying a CD on the high street and then taking it home will be dead in 5 years.

Writing letters

Microsoft has already seen its Office market affected by the launch of Google Docs, Google's cloud based office suite. Those needing to write a letter to the bank manager no longer need to buy expensive software. They can just point their browser in the right direction, create a document and then promptly offer to share it with the bank manager instead. If he's your Google contact, anyway.

Making a call

Google Voice is Google's Skype, except that it's not content with you just chatting in a desktop client. It wants your voice calls and voice mail as well. While only available in the US at the moment, the system allows you to port your voicemail from the operators to their service. Add that to the ability to make free national calls and international calls for as little as 2 cents a minute and it's likely to be a blow to phone companies who are already suffering from mobile operators stealing their customers. When was the last time you made a call from your landline?

Tracking news

Once upon a time PR agencies used to hire tracking companies to monitor how they performed in the media. Google alerts and RSS feeds soon put an end to that. With the introduction of Twitter into the search stream, companies will soon be able to monitor the coverage they get even as they are making the announcement.

Making an appointment

When was the last time you wrote on or in a paper calendar? Aside from offerings with cute pictures of cats and puppies, naked firemen, or your favourite pop star, the paper calendar has been relegated to the cheap Christmas gift. Google's shareable electronic calendar means greater connectivity for all, but it's another industry on its way out thanks to the Goog.

Reading magazines

The decline of the magazine industry isn't entirely Google's to claim, but the power of products like Blogger that empowered a generation to write their own content has helped to slowly eat away at the power of the media. Now you don't have to wait a month to get the latest news and opinion - you can create it on your phone and let the world know there and then.

Stock prices

Remember when you used to get the share prices in the newspaper and that those pages dominated the business section? The prices are still there in some pages, but the news is out of date before you can even find what you are looking for. How long before that data is gone completely?

How do you spell...

Dictionaries are the lifeblood of our language, as are translators. Both of which are likely to be ditched, and out of work. Google's "Did you mean...?" search means you can guess at the word you don't know, while its translate service, while still rough around the edges, saves the need for you to learn another language. You speak English right?

Mobile operating systems

It's already taken Motorola's internal OS and it could soon take Symbian - the Open Source OS. That's right, Google's Android mobile phone operating system is, and will most likely over time destroy Nokia's OS. Android 2.0, due out on 6 November in the US, is light years ahead of anything coming out of other manufacturers (except perhaps Apple) at the moment. Will handset manufacturers have to embrace Google to succeed?

Desktop operating systems

Not content with the mobile space, Google is planning a desktop OS that will eradicate the need to pay for an operating system. Apple has already seen the price it charges for its OS cut down to $25, but how long will it be before the company has to give it away to entice consumers to stay with it rather than move to the Chrome OS? When consumers do flock to the new OS, Microsoft will have lost its foothold on the boot-up. It might control 90% of the market now, but what about in 10 years time?

Surfing the web

The company that exists only on the Web needs to make sure it has a route to entry and that's Chrome. Currently only taking around 6% of the browser market, it's one of the only areas in Google portfolio that is not about to destroy an industry, but Chome has won praise for its speed, functionality, and how it just gets out of the way of your web browsing experience.

Brainstorming meetings

MSN, Yahoo, iChat - you remember those don't you? Google has two products here that are hoping to destroy all others in their path. Google Talk is a straight up IM client, but the company's Google Wave product is something different. In the future, the chance to grab a meeting room and a company paid-for Danish will disappear thanks to the ability to follow the conversation online as it happens. Heck, why would you even need an office?

Taking a pill

Google Health is likely to swarm in and within a couple of years dominate the medical industry. Once it has enough data, imagine what it could tell you about pandemics, medicine and more importantly how that data could be sold and monetised. Google insurance anyone?

Saving you energy

Google PowerMeter smart metering system has launched in the US and will soon be arriving in the UK. It should allow users to monitor their power consumption and bring down electricity prices while saving the planet. In turn, that will cause chaos in the industry as the market is forced to offer lower and lower prices.

Posting a comment to a blog

Earlier in the year Google bought ReCaptcha, the way that virtually all comment systems on the internet clarify that you are a human rather than a robot trying to spam. What they plan to use this for isn't yet clear, but it wouldn't be hard to use the system to see who comments on what and whether they are a threat to the system. Google Wave could also hook into blog comment systems, providing real-time comments on articles.

The daily commute and the office

Using all of the above you won't need to venture into the office to work in the same building as your work mates. You can already see it happening now. I write this based in New York, before it goes to the rest of the team to read dotted around the UK and the world. Even better, some of the people who've read this before it's gone live I've never even met in person.

Who's next?

With Google in virtually every facet or your data life, there are still plenty of areas Google can go.

Education

Google has yet to tap up the education sector as well as it could. What about exam marking services, school report card systems so it can track your details from an early age and then Alumni services. It's a market ripe for the picking.

In-car entertainment

Google isn't, yet, fussed about hardware, but with a move into navigation, it could easily start offering music, radio and other information services like weather into the car. Or perhaps it'll access the car through its mobile OS. Either could prove fruitful.

Writing a note

Goodbye Mont Blanc, goodbye Biro. The more people that use Google Voice and its voice control offerings on Android the better - Google's computers will get more of an understanding of what we say and how we say it. Do you really think you'll be writing with a pen in 20 years time?

Watching television

We've already seen that Google's YouTube is stealing TV hours, but what if it launched a free EPG service that offered more social interaction with your TV as well as web access as standard? Goodbye EPG software makers. Android for the TV it is then.

When will Skynet, we mean Google, become aware?

Think about all the above examples and now think about all the data. Google is very quickly amassing a massive amount of data on its users, everything from what you read, what you email, what you search for, what you listen to, what you watch, where you go, who you call, what messages you've left for them, what pictures you store, what pills you are taking and even what you can't spell. Add that to the possibility of school records, job history, and for the first time in history a single company will be able to build a digital profile of you better than one that you probably could, given the same tools.

The question is, is that okay? For many it's not an issue. Google empowers its users to mine for data better than any other company on the planet, but when it becomes aware, what happens then?

?

Tags: Comment Software Online Google Features

29th August 2012: the date Google becomes "aware" originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:14:26 +0000

Stuart Miles brings us his customary comment from NYC with a look at the talking points from this week in tech.

Under the spotlight in this instalment is Apple's Magic Mouse and whether this is the beginning of the end for the button and the launch of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system.

Miles also muses the rise of real-time search with the news that Google and Bing are due to integrate Twitter content into their search results as well as offering thoughts on Google's Social Search.

The fact that Nokia is suing Apple for patent infringement is the final topic under consideration - is the Finnish giant protecting its patents or looking for a quick cash injection? Hit play for more...

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness Comment Video

VIDEO: Tech Week in View: Magic Mouse, Social Search and Nokia sues Apple originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:05:00 +0000

After a brief summer break, Megawhat is back on Pocket-lint with a brand new Tech Week in View episode for your viewing pleasure.

Pocket-lint's Stuart Miles talks tourists on Segways and tells us why he thinks the new Sonos S5 is a tidy bit of kit.

Miles also considers the Amazon Kindle's UK launch (was it a bit of a rush job?) and looks at what the? T-Mobile Sidekick data loss might mean for the cloud computing industry.

Watch the video above now to see it all play out, and stay tuned for more comment from Pocket-lint soon.

Tags: Audio Car And GPS Dad Gadgets Gaming Hardware Home And Kitchen Home Cinema Phones Cameras Software Sports Fitness events Comment Video

Tech week in view: Tourists on Segways, the Kindle in the UK and trouble in the cloud originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:42:19 +0100

The days of the mobile phone being just a device for making emergency calls are far behind us, but while most of us have handsets that can at least play music or download our email on the go, the biggest fear now facing mobile phone operators and carriers around the world is the ability to use the mobile Internet connection that we all feel is our right, to stream live television over the network.

They say you wait forever and then two buses come at once. And that's exactly what happened for the iPhone in the last seven days. Not one live streaming TV service, but two were launched. The result is that O2 in the UK has had to issue a warning over the?TVCatchup iPhone site, one of the services that if users use too much, means they could be cut off.

Meanwhile AT&T in the US had to move in to get a new app by TV tuner maker?Elgato?that allowed users to stream television from a TV tuner plugged into their Mac directly to their iPhone over the 3G network, changed.

While Apple has the power to force a change in the app, something they have?done, and O2 to block the streaming service, something they are threatening, other handset platforms, which are more open, like Android or Symbian, don't have as operator friendly approach and that's before you even start to address jailbroken apps that allow offerings like SlingPlayer Mobile to work on the 3G network.?

The problem of course isn't about you watching television, although it does raise questions about TV licensing laws in the UK, but about the strain on the network.

Strangely operators like O2 and AT&T are already struggling under the strain of supplying data requests to all it's smartphone users. Add in a constant stream of large amounts of data, i.e., from a popular streaming TV service, and I wouldn't be surprised if the networks around the globe buckle massively under the strain.

Forget the previous concerns of the operators in losing revenue over VoIP calls, thanks to services like Skype and Google Voice, think about the cost of managing a network that is now about data, rather than calls without the ability to charge SMS prices.

So what's the solution? In the short term I wouldn't be surprised if mobile operators moved to either ban them outright or move to create a tiered data system aimed at those who want to consume the larger data content over those that don't.

We might have moved into an "all you can eat" pricing model at the moment in the form of "unlimited" packages, but that is no longer beneficial for the operators for the admittedly minority users who are heavy consumers of data.

While I would love to believe that heavy data users will be able to continue as is, I just can't see that happening. A tiered system based on speed or data consumption would benefit virtually everyone just as it does in the fixed (landline) broadband market. Those who need to stream movies or games can do so with a service that fits their needs, and more importantly have the right to complain if it doesn't. Those who just need email or basic websurfing can do that too.

Whatever the handset or the app one thing is certain - the headache facing operators on how to manage the network, and therefore our expectations of it are only going to get worse.

Tags: Comment Phones AT and T O2 iPhone Elgato TVCatchup Mobile phone apps iPhone apps SlingPlayer Mobile SlingPlayer

TV streaming has mobile operators running scared originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:05:12 +0100

While the cinema, home theatre and gaming world is a buzz with chatter of 3D, there is still a long way to go before you will be inviting friends around to watch the latest 3D blockbuster in your home.

That's not to say that it won't happen, virtually everyone we've spoken to in the course of our research and interviews for the 3D week on Pocket-lint has said not that it is going to happen, but that it is happening right now and that we are just at the tip of the iceberg.

Most experts we've spoken to also believe that Avatar by James Cameron will be the "watershed" moment for the technology, the Wizard of Oz for colour movies so to speak.

The industry is putting their faith in Cameron's directorial mastery and the, no doubt, massive accompanying marketing budget. If it fails the industry fails. If it succeeds it will open the floodgates to more 3D movies, more 3D enabled cinemas, more 3D enabled televisions, basically more immersing yourself in the experience.

That immersing will take time though. It's not going to happen overnight, the switchover is too expensive. The good news though is that we've got plenty of natural catalysts to help.

The biggest one of course is Hollywood itself. With so many movies in 3D for the cinema now being produced, there will come a time in the not so distance future where studios won't have an effective way of captialising on the home market. Without that the current Hollywood film model of cinema, DVD, TV isn't sustainable.

Take Shawshank Redemption. It is one of the most successful films of all time bringing in untold riches for the studio, but only after it hit DVD. It was a flop at the box office first time around.

A movie's money isn't just made at the cinema. Currently 3D sales in Blu-ray and DVD are virtually non existent. That's a problem.

That urge to relive the cinema experience in the comfort of your own home should cause consumers to demand 3D on their TVs in their homes. Doing so will give the manufacturers the reason to invest in the technology and so then the cycle begins.

Those natural catalysts will be the 15 movies already released in 2009, and the 25-30 movies expected to be released in 2010. Then there will be the re-releases. Lionsgate studio is already talking about re-releasing Titanic and Terminator 2: Judgement Day in 3D. The process in comparable terms is fairly cheap, while the rewards possibly massive. If successful the box office could be huge.

No doubt Lucas films will do a Star Wars 3D extravaganza as a perfect way to get fans of the movies to go to the cinema to see the same film for a yet another time and that's before the re-issued 3D Blu-ray and DVD box sets hit the shops and download stores.

Add that to the World Cup in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012 and you've got even more reasons to buy a bigger TV. Sales reports have always shown that sports and football are good drivers to upgrade your TV, so you might as well get a 3D while your there. Tell me you wouldn't want to see Usain Bolt break the world 100m record in 3D?

Hollywood is well and truly behind the transition to the third-dimension. A flood rather than trickle of content is just around the corner.

On the consumer electronics side are companies like Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, Samsung, LG, and Philips all hoping that it will be their brand to be the one you opt for when going 3D and are clearly hoping that it will be the perfect way to lift flagging sales.

If we are all expected to buy a new TV within the next 8 years that's a good business model.

All the major manufacturers have concepts or finalised products with sources telling us that there will be plenty of announcements at CES 2010.

Maybe 3D will be the saviour of Blu-ray actually giving it a purpose, rather than just a slightly better picture than DVD. It certainly gives it more than the 5 years we reported on in 2008.

Gaming likewise will be an important element in the adoption of 3D in the home. Gamers are always ahead of the curve when it comes to living room tech and Microsoft and Sony have both used the PS3 and Xbox 360 respectively to get movie downloading into the home, something Windows Media Edition from Microsoft never really managed effectively.

If Sony or Microsoft can successfully introduce 3D gaming into the living room, it is yet another reason to upgrade your television and embrace the three-dimensional world on offer.

So where next? The journey has just started. Formats have to be finalised and finalised quick. As Guy Clapperton, a freelance journalist who has chaired forums at Bafta on 3D told us "The industry can't take another standard wars."

He is right. If consumers like you and I get a whiff of competing 3D standards vying for our cash then it could set the 3D movement back years. Forget 8 years, start talking 20.

Of course the other drawback that the industry has to overcome is this business of having to wear glasses. As Clapperton points out, "Are we really going to be expected to sit in the home and wear sunglasses to watch television?" What happens when you sit on them, lose them, or the dog takes a fancy to them. It's a major hurdle that while not one an early adopter is probably fussed about, it will stop a large number of people from "having a go".

The 3D future is coming. The excitement, interest and intrigue of all those that we've talked to tell us that. It has the power to reinvigorate the home cinema/ home theatre arena and will certainly make the space a lot more interesting than how many connections the latest amp has on the back.

Like the massive change affecting the mobile phone industry at the moment. It puts the content not the hardware centre stage, and for those looking for "the experience" that can only be a good thing.

Tags: Home Cinema 3DTV Comment

Where next for 3D? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0100

When Vodafone decided to name its new service 360, they weren't messing around. It invokes ideas of all-round connectivity. But it goes much further than just integrating your Facebook friends with your address book on a few handsets.

360 rolls up a whole collection of services giving Vodafone a chance to attack a number of different markets - this isn't just about launching new handsets, or just about launching new services for Vodafone customers.

Yes, the complete experience from Vodafone 360 will be on the new Samsung handset - the Vodafone 360 H1 - and its little sister the Vodafone 360 M1, which is yet to make an appearance. There will be a total of 10 devices that support the entire Vodafone 360 experience, including the Nokia 7630, from launch.

But Vodafone 360 will span devices, giving Vodafone an opening into the world of apps, giving them the Vodafone Shop to flog their wares, with an open platform for developers to create these apps, for distribution through-out the Vodafone network. With 1.1 billion connected global customers through JIL (Vodafone, Verizon Wireless, China Mobile and Softbank Mobile), it's an interesting proposition indeed for developers.

The Vodafone 360 system will also work in the opposite direction, by giving Vodafone the opportunity to push their new apps to other handsets on other networks, which is where the waters get slightly murky.

Essentially they have mashed up a range of previous acquisitions and agreements to provide a unified offering with Vodafone 360. The integration of contacts and social networks in Vodafone People comes from the roots laid down by ZYB. The navigation side comes from Wayfinder. The music offering comes from RealNetworks.

Vodafone today confirmed its intention to provide Vodafone People to iPhone users via the App Store (subject to confirmation as it is "in development"). A full list of over 100 supported devices is already on the Vodafone 360 website (link below).

Whilst Vodafone 360 is a complete service, it can be nibbled at piecemeal, so you might find yourself in the future downloading (or buying?) a piece of the Vodafone 360 "collection", because you like the way it works.

In essence, they are outlining a service that looks a little like Google Mobile. Take the lot (if your device supports it), take the pieces you want, or buy into the whole thing by getting a Vodafone handset - rather like buying an Android with Google services ready to go.

What does Vodafone stand to get out of this? Well apart from the brand recognition and any sales of their in-house developed applications, they'll get a 30% cut of any apps they sell through their Shop too.

It's a bold move as another player steps into the mobile apps and services market.

Related links:

• News - Vodafone 360 services and handsets announced
• Supported handsets - Vodafone 360
• Photos - Vodafone 360 H1

Tags: Phones Mobile phones Vodafone Vodafone 360 iPhone Vodafone 360 H1 Comment Nokia Sony Ericsson Software Samsung

What exactly is Vodafone 360? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:16:16 +0100

Amidst all this talk of 3D televisions and 3D movies, it's easy to forget one art-form that's been 3D since 1981 - Gaming. The Sinclair ZX81 had what many regard to be the first 3D game - 3D Monster Maze, which placed the player in a maze with a T-Rex, the objective being to escape before you got eaten.

But that isn't true 3D - it's not the kind that we've been looking at all week here on Pocket-lint. However the fact that games have already perfected the depiction of a 3D world is important - it means that there's far fewer problems to solve to get a real 3D experience.

In film, there's no interactivity. You're stuck in one place. Unless you use a sophisticated camera to capture the position in space of everything you're shooting, and then simulate a 3D world (just like a game), then there's no way of accurately simulating three dimensions. You're seeing just one perspective, with a little bit of added depth.

The exception is animated movies, which exist in a 3D world already. These are easier to convert - but to get a realistic 3D effect you still have to simulate the engine that they've been built in on whatever you're watching the movie on - something that requires considerably more processing power than most televisions are equipped with.

Games, on the other hand, have long displayed that 3D world. Their interactivity means that you can move the camera - you can choose your perspective. The downside is that you can only play them on devices that have the heft to render that three-dimensional world - and if you want a good quality picture in HD, then you'll need a lot of heft.

It's all about that perspective, y'see. A full experience in three dimensions can only be simulated if you can look around the sides of things. Games have that capability - unlike movies. All that you need to make that a reality is a way of tracking where your head is. Once you've got that, then a viewer can easily lean or even move left or right to get a different perspective on things.

One limitation is that you still need to be facing the screen - you can't be completely immersed with a traditional display screen. One company, Vuzix, has experimented with glasses that have display screens in and are equipped with accelerometers so that you can spin around 180 degrees in reality and still see what's virtually behind you. However - the company hasn't cracked the technology yet - it's buggy and unreliable.

So what are the other options for gamers wanting 3D? Graphics card manufacturer NVidia has a 3D gaming kit that includes a set of shuttered glasses, and a special graphics card and driver that allows you to turn "hundreds" of PC games into stereoscopic 3D. For that, though you'll need a monitor that can display in 120Hz - double the speed of most monitors. At the time of writing, only two are available - from Samsung and Viewsonic.

Even if you do plump for that option, that doesn't provide the all-important head tracking, so you'll still need to physically move around in the game to see the sides of things - there'll just be the impression of depth given by the shuttered glasses.

The best solution, which doesn't seem to be available, would be a combination of the technologies available. A set of shuttered glasses from NVidia that include a considerably better-tuned version of the accelerometers found in Vuzix's 3D glasses.

However, it appears that we're still a way off getting that tuning right, so a compromise solution for the time being could be to use Wii-style motion sensing. A Microsoft researcher called Johnny Chung Lee has demonstrated this idea in the following video:

Related links:

• News - iZ3D to preview new 3D gaming monitors at CES 2009
• Link - Vuzix
• Link - Nvidia
• Link - DDD
• Link - iZ3D

Tags: Gaming PC games Peripherals Monitors 3D 3DTV Vuzix Nvidia Samsung Viewsonic Comment

Is Stereoscopic 3D gaming ready? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0100

It was the introduction of television in the early 50s that first saw the rise of 3D at the cinema. Box office numbers had rapidly dwindled with small screen entertainment in everyone's home until filmmakers found a way to offer audiences something they couldn't experience in their own front rooms. And it worked. Well, for three years anyway until the public grew bored of the gimmick and moved on to other cinema advances like the triple screen Cinerama and later CinemaScope, IMAX, THX and others and gradually the fear from the industry was assuaged with a steady flow of bums on seats.

Since the advent of the home cinema in the 80s and 90s, though, movie-goer numbers began to fall again and, combined with the wider reach of piracy, a crisis point arrived. So, what is there to save the day once more but the reinvention of 3D although this time with the full weight of Hollywood behind it. So far, the results have looked good with the box office bursting like never before but how long will the boom last this time and will it be enough to sustain what many believe is a dying format?

The recognition of the huge profits that films like the Polar Express can make quickly turned the studio onto 3D ever since 2005 but, beyond the money, the major attraction for Disney et al is that it's an experience that you just can't pirate. That may be true for now while the hardware manufacturers and broadcasters alike struggle to find a standard to which they can all conform but what happens when they crack it? What happens when we can when 3D TV really comes home?

One life line for the cinema is the big screen effect. 3D works much better on a larger frame from which the action can pop. It's just not as immersive on a 22? LCD and it's that quality which the movie theatre provides. But TVs are getting bigger and much more affordable. The picture, resolution and colour are also advancing at an extraordinary rate. Worse still, just because the pirates haven't figured out how to copy 3D yet, it doesn't mean that it won't take long for them to do so, not once 3DTVs and monitors go mainstream too.

Another saviour of the silver screen could be if 3DTV just never catches on. One of the largest barriers between the format and mass acceptance is the glasses. There's a number of problems here and they all boil down to practicality. Will people want to sit there wearing them? Will they want to shell out $100 for a set of LCD shutters and, if they do, are they likely to get them broken or lost?

On the surface, it would seem a victory for the cinema if it just didn't work out but, if people can't be bothered enough with 3D at home then, there's no reason they can be bothered to go the cinema specially to see it either.

The Golden Era of 3D only lasted two good years in the 50s before the public has enough. The new wave has lasted longer already but, looking at box office figures for 2009, the effect appears to be dropping off.

My Bloody Valentine was the first film to be released in both 3D and 2D this year. Cinemas with 3D screens took 6.4 times more money than those without that showed the movie but since that point the effect seems to have tailed off. For the next picture shown in both formats, Coraline, three times more money was pulled in with 3D. Then Monsters vs Aliens brought that down to 2.1 and the last release, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, has seen a 3D factor of just 1.4 and this is also considering that tickets to 3D films are more expensive, so that doesn't even necessarily mean that more people went to see the 3D version. That said, it's money that the cinemas are interested in and the fact remains that 3D is still appearing to make them more.

The average box office earning may have been dragged down by the fact that some of the cinemas that showed those films in 3D actually showed them in 2D as well. The slump could also be down to the fact that more 3D theatres are springing up which could dilute the numbers of those who rush to see films in the more immersive format. Whatever the reason, the figures have dipped and with higher frequency of 3D releases, it could be that the novelty is wearing off once again.

Avatar seems to be the project on which 3D's cinema success appears to hinge. It'll be the first big live action film to use 3D. Doubtless the hype machine alone will ensure box office success but it's the subsequent films which will suffer if it proves to be a flop with those that paid their money to watch it.

If the genre can transcend the gimmick and really use this new dimension of depth to actually enhance the art of story telling rather than just make the audience jump every now and then, then it will probably be here to stay and companies will find a way of making it work in the home. Once that's in place, then at least for now, Hollywood still has its cash cow with their money coming from Blu-ray sales or pay-per-views and audiences once again having no need for trips to the cinema. And once the studios are happy with that, then there'll be no real reason for them to worry about the cinema, leaving movie houses potentially out in the cold come the next big winter.

Perhaps the biggest chains and the grandest screens will have a good bit of time left in them but unless they can pull another rabbit out of the hat, the long term future can only be a place for niche theatres, small cult films and the odd night of novelty nostalgia.

Enjoyed this article about 3DTV? Then check out more articles in our 3DTV week on the 3DTV homepage.

Related links:

• Feature - Glossary of 3D terms

Tags: Home Cinema 3DTV 3D Features Comment

Will 3D save the cinema? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0100

3D will change the cinema experience forever.

There was a time when cinema was exciting, when going to the movie theatre was an event, as big as the real theatre even. We were dazzled, we were in awe, we were amazed.

Why shouldn't we have been? That big screen and booming sound system was like nothing we had ever experienced. It was an event.

Then TV and projector manufacturers started catching up. We all got big flat screen TVs or projectors, kick-arse sound systems with more speakers than we could count when drunk, and microwaves with dedicated buttons to make Popcorn quickly at home. We could even pause the experience to go to the loo. Why would you pay ?20 for a ticket and some popcorn sitting in a cinema that was cold, when your warm comfy sofa would be at least twice as nice.

If cinema wasn't panicking by then, then came the Internet and the ability to download the latest pirated movies. The death knell of the cinema was sounded.

But then a shimmer of hope. Finally it seems cinema has something to look forward to.

No one can question that the buzz around 3D cinema is immense, heck we've dedicated a whole week to the subject. Come December, James Cameron's Avatar will either be its crowning glory or the proof for naysayers that it's just a flash in the pan.

After all 3D cinema has been pushing itself into the spotlight over and over again for decades. Anyone remember Jaws IV in 3D or Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy's dead?

But now, "The Times They Are a-Changin' " as Dylan would say, with a barrage of 3D films heading our way. Dreamworks, Disney, and other studios have all got behind the experience. Why? Because that's exactly what it is. An experience. Whether you're sat in an IMAX watching some fish or experiencing monsters battling against the forces of evil, you are talking about the experience as well as how decent the film is.

Aside from film geeks, that hasn't happened in a long time in the cinema. You never come away saying "Wow I really like the way they shot that pivotal scene at the end - the lighting was so avant-garde?", but go and see a 3D movie and chances are you'll be talking about the axe whizzing towards you at high speed, or the way the characters had so much depth and realism to them.

Why? Because as I've said, 3D makes the cinema an experience rather than just a medium on which to watch the latest Hollywood blockbuster.

How long has cinema got before TV makers catch up? Well probably some time. Manufacturers have really only just announced in earnest their plans for creating televisions.

The German trade show IFA saw Sony, Panasonic and Philips lay their cards out on the table, with the Blu-ray Disc Association stating they were working on a standardised format for the delivery of 3D content in HD.

Manufacturers will, it's planned, deliver the first sets in 2010, announced at CES in January, where a stronger push is expected for 2012 in time for the Olympics.

Sky in the UK says it will go 3D next year as well, probably in time for the World Cup, with limited content and audiences based on the fact you'll need a new TV to experience it.

All these factors mean that I believe cinema has a good 5 years of us enjoying "the 3D experience" on the big screen, rather than the small screen when 3D movies start coming to the living room. As for the PC in the back room it's more like 2 years based on what experts believe. By the time TV makers do catch up, you can expect cinema to create an entirely new reason for us to keep buying our tickets and popcorn - smell-o-vision anyone?

Enjoyed this article about 3DTV? Then check out more articles in our 3DTV week on the 3DTV homepage.

Tags: Home Cinema 3DTV 3D Comment

Will 3D change the cinema experience? originally appeared on Pocket-lint on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 18:00:00 +0100