Apple takes on 'old school' Nintendo , iTouch, pda, portable, computing

Apple reckons its high-end iPod Touch can rival dedicated gaming devices like the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP over the crucial Christmas selling period.

Apple dominates the music market, but is not a big player in the gaming industry

The latest version of its touchscreen iPod, launched over the summer, lets users download games and other pieces of software directly from an online store over a WiFi internet connection.

In the 100 days since it went live, third party developers have created 6,000 applications for the store, including 1,500 games, according to Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod marketing.

"The PSP and DS represent the old school of gaming: big bulky devices with an old-fashioned distribution model," he told Newsbeat.

"Selling cartridges is the old school way of doing business. Creating, licensing and manufacturing physical goods is expensive and as a result games are expensive.

"Buying a cartridge for your DS is going to cost £25 but it's a much more efficient model when we go electronic."

'Upward momentum'

A typical full game from Apple's online store costs between £2.99 and £5.99, although hundreds of more basic demo titles are available for free.

Nintendo's portable DS is one of the most popular devices created

"Customers are much more likely to buy more games because they are not such a major investment and you don't have to be motivated to go out to the shops," said Joswiak.

"It creates an upward momentum which is why you have all the big gaming companies like EA, Sega and Hudson creating games for the iPod Touch now."

While Apple dominates the market for music devices, it has never been a powerful player in the gaming industry.

Its desktop machines are widely used for tasks like video editing and publishing, but only boast a handful of games, mainly straight copies of PC titles like World of Warcraft.

Nintendo and Sony, meanwhile, have built up a huge fan base of handheld gamers since the first Gameboy went on sale more than 20 years ago.

'More control'

Nintendo's portable DS machine is one of the most popular pieces of gaming hardware ever created. 85 million have been sold worldwide, according to the research company VG Chartz.

Apple will have to convince gamers to give up traditional joypad-like controls for the iPod's touchscreen and accelerometer, which measures balance in a similar way to the control mechanism built into Nintendo's Wii console.

"It actually offers developers a lot more control," claims Apple's Greg Joswiak.

The PSP has traditional joypad-like controls, unlike the iPod Touch

"Whatever controls are needed can be painted on the screen itself."

The screen and accelerometer work well for puzzle and driving titles but arcade gamers might be frustrated by the responsiveness of a touchscreen d-pad.

"It's more suited to strategy-type games that are not about quick reactions," said Piers Harding-Rolls, who watches the games industry for the media research group Screen Digest.

'Wait and see'

Rivals like Nintendo and Sony are also starting to experiment with new forms of digital distribution.

A latest version of Nintendo's handheld console, the DSi, due for release in Japan this month and the UK next year, will come with the ability to download games directly from the internet just like Apple's machine.

"The iPod Touch and the iPhone are both interesting propositions but in terms of the quality of games out there, you can't really compare them with the DS and PSP just yet," said Piers Harding-Rolls.

"At the moment it's much more in the mobile gaming bracket in the same way as phone-based games. But Apple has been courting some of the big publishers like EA and Sega, so it's a matter of waiting and seeing what happens further down the line."

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Obama takes lead in virtual world, US President, Presidency, Election 2008, USA

Super Obama World takes a satirical swipe at US poli

A new online video game has been developed in honour of US President-elect, Barack Obama.

Super Obama World has Obama running round a world modelled on Nintendo's Super Mario World.

The game takes a satirical look at US politics, with Obama collecting flags and dodging lipstick-wearing pit bulls, lobbyists and Sarah Palin.

The game is free to play online, and the developers plan to add further episodes throughout Obama's presidency.

As well as satirical characters, the game's environment also features luxury stores Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, in reference to the fact that the Republican campaign reportedly spent more than $150,000 on vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's wardrobe.

As much as the Obama campaign embraced technology, it can be said that technology embraced him. Obama supporters spawned viral videos such as "I've got a crush on Obama" and numerous fan sites.

Though Republican nominee John McCain's camp established an online presence making use of new media, McCain was more often the subject of online parody; millions viewed the animated "Time for Some Campaignin'" by digital entertainment studio JibJab although, to be fair, both candidates were parodied in equal measure.

This might go some way to explain why young voters, who themselves embrace the web and new media, favoured the Democrats by more than two to one.

Time for change?

However, there are moves within the Republican Party to broaden the way it campaigns.

Whoever is the next chairman of the party needs to fix this problem straight away Patrick Ruffini former eCampaign director, RNC

A group of young Republicans has launched a website called Rebuild the Party to make better use of the internet, improve grassroots support and, according to the site, "start building the future of our party".

Erick Erickson, who is spearheading the project, said that once the Republican party leadership contest was out of the way, the party needs to get behind the proposal and make the internet a top priority.

"The right really has a hard time embracing the internet like it should," he said. "The internet is a natural stick for people on the right - there are probably more right wingers than left online, but the trick is harnessing those people.

"On 15 January we'll have a new leader. Once he - or she - is in place, we want to see a technology director appointed within the Republican National Committee [RNC] and we want them set loose. And that means developing it outside the party, and the bunker mentality that can set in after a political defeat."

Patrick Ruffini, the former director of the RNC's eCampaign, echoed Erickson's views.

"This is a galvanising moment for the party. Whoever is the next chairman of the party - and the new party leaders - need to fix this problem straight away," he said.

"For us, now, it's a tool of opposition. You only have to look at what the Conservatives did in the UK, with WebCameron, to see what is possible," he added.

A spokesperson for the Conservative party told BBC News that a future video game featuring David Cameron was unlikely, but couldn't be ruled out.

Texting bug hits the Google phone, mobile, computing, phone, GSM, 3G

The bug was discovered accidentally by a G1 owne

A text conversation has revealed a big problem with the G1 mobile phone - powered by Google's Android software.

The newly discovered bug causes the phone to restart when owners type in the word "reboot" soon after starting up the device.

Google hurried to repair the problem, which causes the phone to interpret any text entered just after the phone was turned on as a command.

Google has rushed out a fix for the bug which will soon be available in the UK.

The bug was discovered when an owner of the phone typed the word "reboot" into a text message after restarting the phone.

"I was in the middle of a text conversation with my girl when she asked why I hadn't responded," said a user called jdhorvat in the description of his discovery that was posted to Google's problem reporting website.

"I had just rebooted my phone and the first thing I typed was a response to her text which simply stated "Reboot" - which, to my surprise, rebooted my phone."

The phone, which uses the Google-developed Android operating system, is sold by T-Mobile in the UK under the name "G1".

Google has fixed the problem in an update to the phone software that will be automatically installed on users' phones.

"We've been notified of this issue and have developed a fix," said a Google spokesperson in a statement. "We're currently working with our partners to push the fix out."

Users in the US already report receiving the update, and Google told the BBC that users in the UK should receive it by 12 November.

Osama bin Laden's son asks: 'What's the weather like in NZ?' Auckland, New Zealand

New Zealand Herald, 1:15PM Tuesday Nov 11, 2008--EXCLUSIVE - Osama bin Laden's son Omar, who hopes to seek political asylum in New Zealand, had one question today - about the weather.

He was unable to speak at length to nzherald.co.nz and asked only: "How is everything in New Zealand? Is it a cold country?"

It was about 18 degrees in Auckland at the time and the answer brought the response: "Oh, that is cold."

The 28 year-old has been living with his wife Zaina Alsabah bin Laden in Egypt. She said the couple were not safe in the Middle East because of Mr bin Laden's pacifist views.

She said they were now no longer in Egypt and she could not say where they were staying because that could put pressure on the local government.

Mrs bin Laden said the couple wanted to seek asylum in New Zealand because it was known for its democratic values and was a fair country.

"It's an amazing country with an amazing history. I believe they have a strong human rights stance and humanitarian stance," Mrs bin Laden told nzherald.co.nz.

She said Mr bin Laden had a very good business brain. She said he would also like to study English, politics and law.

When asked if she could understand if some New Zealanders would feel uncomfortable having one of Osama bin Laden's 19 children in New Zealand, Mrs bin Laden said: "Omar is not his father".

"People have more intelligence than to judge him by his father."

The English born Mrs bin Laden, who changed her name from Jane Felix-Browne, said her husband was in danger from fundamentalists and extremists who do not like what Omar was saying.

Omar could be heard in the background saying his philosophy was peace through dialogue.

Mrs bin Laden said her husband left Afghanistan when he was 18. She said there had been reports that he trained in Afghanistan as a fighter but that was not true.

"He never lived in a training camp, he lived in his mother's house. The slip up came in an interview when he was asked if he trained and he thought that meant study," she said.

The couple have had an application for asylum in Spain rejected and are appealing a decision in Mrs bin Laden's native UK.

She said the Spanish decision came after the UN issued a directive to say the couple were safe in Egypt.

Mrs bin Laden said the couple had since not been able to get a new visa and had been deported.

Immigration law

The Herald reported this morning that according to immigration law, the bin Ladens would not need a visa to travel to New Zealand, although security precautions would likely see them stopped before they got on a plane.

Saudi Arabian nationals are eligible for a three-month visitors permit on arrival, while British passport-holders are eligible for six months.

Association for Migration and Investment director Simon Laurent yesterday said if Mr bin Laden made it as far as the border, he would only have to utter the words "political asylum" and authorities would be obliged to let him stay in New Zealand while his case was investigated.

Whether he was held in custody or on bail would depend on the circumstances of his arrival.

Fewer than 300 foreign nationals apply for political asylum in New Zealand each year and those who do must meet strict entry criteria.

Under United Nations law, asylum seekers must fear persecution for reasons of "race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion" in their home country.

If allowed to remain in New Zealand, immigration law would allow Omar bin Laden to sponsor other family members to come to New Zealand.

But his fugitive father would not be welcome. The law is not enforceable if the applicant has:

* Committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as defined internationally.

* Committed a serious non-political crime outside the country of refuge before his admission to that country as a refugee.

* Been guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the UN.