214w ago - Today Activision's Bianca Harzbecker shared news that the X-Men Origins: Wolverine demo and iPhone Application are now available, complete with exclusive PS3 content, as follows:

Hey everyone! If you've yet to check out X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the PS3 demo is now available via the PlayStation Network, so download it today!

And, a new iPhone Application has released for X-Men Origins: Wolverine The Game, and for PS3 owners, there's plenty reason to get excited.

On every PS3 Back of Box, shoppers will notice a 3-slash 'icon' beside the game description. Using the new iPhone App, entitled "Feral Sense," users can utilize a new photo recognition technology to snap a photo of the icon to unlock 3D screenshots, trailers, wallpapers and more exclusive content directly on their iPhones.

Not only that, PlayStation.Blog is the exclusive home to another of the Wolverine App's unlockable icons. Once you've downloaded the "Feral Sense" App from the iTunes Store, click the icon you see below and then capture the icon. You will gain instant access to even more content, compliments of PlayStation.Blog!

Visit Uncaged.com, where you can learn more on how the application works,...

216w ago - Verizon Wireless is reportedly working with software giant Microsoft Corp. to develop a new smart phone device that could rival the popular iPhone.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Microsoft and Verizon are in talks to develop a touch-screen mobile phone that would run on Window's Mobile, Microsoft's mobile device operating system that has seen its position come under attack from devices like the iPhone and BlackBerry, which use competing software platforms.

To quote: According to the report, Microsoft's new smart phone project is code-named "Pink" and could include the Windows Marketplace for Mobile - a mobile application store similar to Apple's popular App Store, which just saw its 1 billionth download last week.

Representatives for Verizon refused to comment on the latest rumors. A spokesman for Microsoft said the company's strategy to provide a software platform for the mobile industry has not changed, but decline to offer further specifics.

219w ago - Whether it's labelled the PSP 4000 or the PSP 2, there's been a lot of rumor recently about an imminent successor to Sony's handheld console.

There's also been a lot of talk about how Sony might react to the competition on offer from the phenomenal success of Apple's iPhone and iPod touch.

Unsurprisingly the console manufacturer has been comparatively mute in both cases, denying the existence of a PSP sequel and any threat from Apple.

However, having spoken to an insider source - who's not Dave Perry, but is a developer working on the new hardware - we can reveal that the new handheld will arrive before Christmas and will be far more similar to the iPhone than the current device.

Like Apple's newcomer, the PSP 2 will be a compact device with a large touchscreen. However, where Sony's machine has the edge is when the touchscreen is slid open as it reveals familiar buttons, D-pads and - praise the Lord of Handhelds - dual analogue controls.

This new format should allow for both existing hardcore console titles as well as simpler touchscreen games along the lines of those currently available in the App Store. And like the App Store, (and in the absence of UMD), the games will all be available for digital download via the PlayStation Store.

Although...

229w ago - The next upgrade to Apple's iPhone will have a strong focus on gaming, analysts and developers agree.

That's because the gaming market is an increasingly juicy segment of the mobile multimedia space -- and it's one that Apple's phenomenally successful iPhone is well-positioned to dominate.

"The iPhone and iPod Touch are becoming a major new handheld gaming platform, and if you look at the App Store and look at what's doing well, that's reflecting," said Bart Decrem, CEO of Tapulous, developer of the popular Tap Tap Revenge iPhone game. "I would look forward to improvements in the device as a gaming platform both for the phone and iPod Touch."

Apple made clear its plans to seize the gaming market in November 2008 when Apple marketing executive Greg Joswiak called the iPhone and iPod Touch "the future of gameplay," posing a serious threat to dedicated gaming consoles such as the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.

The reasons? A few things: The quick, electronic distribution method of games and apps via the iPhone's App Store; the accelerometer and multitouch display, which are introducing new approaches to gameplay; and the iPhone's lighter, more portable form factor compared to its rivals.

230w ago - Developer Ethan Nicholas at Sun Microsystems has handed in his two weeks notice after finding success with an iPhone game.

His game iShoot Lite went live on January 3, 2009 and less than ten days later, it was the top app on the iTunes App Store with a massive 16,792 downloads in one day!

To quote: "iShoot Lite" went live on January 3, 2009. Less than ten days later on January 11, the original iShoot rocketed out of obscurity as the number one Top Paid App in the iTunes App Store with 16,972 downloads in one day.

It virtually blasted the reigning number one iFart app off its perch overnight. iShoot simultaneously grabbed the Top Free App number one spot as well.

For an app to reach number one and remain there, some 10,000 plus downloads per day are required. That's roughly $21,000 a day for this $2.99 app after Apple takes its 30-percent stake.

Nicholas attributes iShoot's meteoric rise to the release of his 'Lite' version, giving millions a free chance to experience the thrill of launching tank artillery. It's important to note that a $2.99 price point was no barrier to the ultimate success of iShoot.

"I'm still in shock," Nicholas said, "I've given my two week notice at Sun Microsystems. I'm gonna do this full time now."