Articles by Jonathan Charles
Most Anticipated Games Of 2012
Halo 4, Borderlands 2, and Resident Evil 6 are three of the most anticipated games this year. Here is a look at what gamers have to look forward to.
MOST POPULAR
Nokia Lumia 920 Lacks 'Wow' Factor To Improve Company Fortunes, Investors Say
Nokia announced the Lumia 920 Windows Phone 8 smartphone on Wednesday, marking the first mobile device for Windows Phone 8 when the operating system launches. While reaction among the media is generally positive, analysts are cautious over the device's prospects; Nokia's share price plummeted upon the announcement of the product.
Halo 4: Capture the Flag Removes Flag Juggling, Dropping, Adds Mangum
343 Industries confirmed that Halo 4's Capture the Flag mode will be fundamentally changed from previous games. Players will no longer be able to drop the flag to gain speed, a technique known as "flag juggling," and players simply walk over the flag to pick it up. This is a big change for one of Halo's longest-running multiplayer modes and may cause controversy among existing fans.
Wii U Zelda: 2014 Release, Development Team Rivals Rockstar, Follows Skyward Sword
Wii U Daily reported on Wednesday that The Legend of Zelda for Wii U will be released in 2014 and will be Nintendo's most expensive game ever. The art style will be in the vein f2011's The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, though with a new engine. One dungeon is reportedly as large as the Ocarina of Time overworld.
Borderlands 2: Mechromancer Class Caters To New Crowd
Borderlands 2 is a loot-based first-person shooter, requiring players to shoot well to collect dropped loot from fallen enemies. Developer Gearbox aims to make Borderlands 2 more accessible to less-skilled players by introducing the Mechromancer, a robot-summoning class that assists in aiming.
Google Chrome: iOS App Gets Update to Bring Bug Fixes, Issues Continue to Linger
Google announced on its blog that a second update for Google Chrome, the company's popular browser, is availble for iOS and mainly focuses on bug fixes.
He's Done What Already? User Reaches Paragon Level 97 In One Week
In August, Diablo 3 developer Blizzard revealed the Paragon leveling system, part of the attempt to add end-game content to the online dungeon crawler. Despite leveling through the system for just a week, one gamer, Alkaizer, has already reached Paragon level 97.
Nokia Lumia 920: 5 Features We Like
On Wednesday, Nokia unveiled the much-anticipated Lumia 920, its flagship device for Windows Phone 8. While its price and launch date remain unknown, here are five of the features Mobilenapps.com likes.
Xperia Ray, Arc, And Neo Updates Blocked By O2
UK mobile carrier O2 revealed on Monday that it will not allow Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates for Sony's Xperia Arc, Ray, and Neo devices, despite Sony making the latest version of Android available to to consumers. O2 claims that its reason for rejecting the update is due to its "negative implications" for speed and performance, reported TechRadar.
Could Wii U Retail From $249, Offer Three Models Instead Of One?
A leaked Video Game Product Distribution (VPD) listing for Wii U suggests that Nintendo's next-generation consoles will arrive in three price points, starting at $249. The VPD is the company that provides retailers, including Amazon and Blockbuster, with products.
Anonymous Says Apple IDs Obtained And Released, FBI Calls Claims Bogus
Hacker group Anonymous claims that it recently obtained and released several Apple IDs, the unique string of numbers to identify iOS devices, which it allegedly found stored on an FBI laptop.
Android Developer See £50,000 Fine As SMS App Claims To Offer 'Free' Games
A Russian Android developer who claimed that its SMS app granted access to games for free after installing the software, has been slapped with a a fine of £50,000 after it was found that the app charged users before directing them to the game portal.
HTC Desire X: Coming To Carphone Warehouse September, Ignores HTC's 'One' Family
At the IFA conference in Berlin last week, HTC announced that its Desire X smartphone, the third entry in the Desire range, will launch in late September at UK phone retailer Carphone Warehouse. The device will go on sale for around £180, with no word on a U.S price.
Microsoft-Nokia Windows Phone 8 Event: What The Experts Think
On Wednesday, Sept. 5, Microsoft and Nokia will finally reveal the devices the latter, and possibly more third parties, are working on for Windows Phone 8. Reports suggest this is the final chance for Nokia to succeed. So what do the experts think?
Could HTC Rename 'Accord' To 'Windows Phone 8X'?
Nokia is not the only company launching Windows Phone 8 devices. HTC is launching the HTC Accord smartphone.
BBC iPlayer App Brings 30-Day Downloads, Smartphone Usage Increase Plus-100 Percent
The BBC is updating its iPlayer app for iOS devices and plans an update for Android in the near future. Using the BBC app, TV shows can be downloaded for free and viewed offline, a move that falls in line with climbing smartphone usage.
Mass Effect 3 For Wii U Same Resolution As Released Console Versions
The news of Trine 2: Director's Cut releasing in a 1080p resolution for Wii U suggested that it might set the precedent for next-generation consoles running at the higher resolution. Fans should probably not jump to that conclusion, however, as developers of the Mass Effect 3 port to Wii U confirmed that the title runs at 720p.
Android Dominates Europe With Two-Thirds Market Share: Is Apple Listening?
Data released Monday from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech reveals Android now takes two-thirds of the device share in Europe. The report also revealed that Microsoft’s Windows Phone remained at five percent, though that was through cutting prices, while the appetite for smaller screens is dwindling.
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes: Current-Generation Console Hardware Confirmed
The announcement of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes last week also debuted the new FOX graphics engine for the game, and it raised questions over the possibility of the game launching on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Series creator Hideo Kojima confirmed that the game will arrive on current consoles, though the developer is also working with next-generation hardware.
Android Users Are Not Cheap: More Apps Now Bought On Google Play Store
When Android began offering the ability to effectively test apps on Android by downloading the app before buying them, it coined a stereotype that Android users are 'cheap' and do not buy apps as frequently as iOS users. However, new data suggests that Android users are buying more apps and catching up to iOS users.
How Microsoft And Nokia Can Combat Apple
Nokia may reveal its new Windows Phone 8 devices on Sept 5., shortly before a potential Apple announcement regarding the next iPhone. If the two announcements happen, it is important for Nokia to gain consumer attention in the week-long period before the media and the tech community shift focus towards Apple.
Nokia May Make Its Final Move At The Microsoft Event On Sept. 6
Microsoft and Nokia are expected to hold an event Sept. 5 revealing the next-generation Windows Phones as the software company prepares to launch Windows Phone 8 in 2012. Analysts speaking to Reuters predict that the event is the final play for the two companies.
Halo 4 At PAX Prime: You Carry A Flag And Pistol Now
At PAX Prime last week, Halo 4 developer 343 Industries revealed the news that the e-sports mode Griffball, a game in which players carry a bomb and aim to plant it without dying, returns in Halo 4. 343 Industries also revealed that carrying an enemy flag in Capture the Flag now equips players with a pistol in one hand.
iOS 6: App Store Redesign Hints Towards Chomp Acquisition
The latest version of the iOS 6 beta includes a redesign of Apple's App Store, which has been compared to the design of Apple-acquired app search engine Chomp. The two big features are the reinclusion of Genius, the app and music recommendation service, and changes to the way apps display in search results.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Gets Cheaper: Sub-$200 Price Maybe Arriving
The popularity of the Samsung Galaxy S3 perhaps is not surprising; the phone was highly anticipated, and sales justified anticipations. Rumors are now surfacing of a sub-$200 price on two-year contracts, and a roughly $100 price decrease for the non-contract version.
Samsung And Apple At It Again: Apple Files Amendment Against Galaxy S3
Just this week, Samsung lost to Apple in a trial covering a host of infringements on Apple's patents. Samsung hinted that it would come back at Apple, but the Cupertino tech giant is coming back first, issuing an amendment against the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone.
Activision Blizzard Sees Revenues Shrink, Though Still Sports Nine Million MMOG Subscribers
Activision Blizzard's latest financial earnings reveal that revenue from the company's key intellectual properties, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty have shrunk, while revenues from Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure have grown.
