Dan Perron » Android

Android Render

Dan Perron — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 07:31:32 +0000

The Future of Smartphone Video Chat

Dan Perron — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:34:06 +0000

Yesterday Apple announced the iphone 4, along with it’s new video chat feature, FaceTime. This will be the second “superphone” to have a front facing camera with chat features. The HTC EVO 4G supports video talking with QIK, an app on the Android Market. My concern is that iPhone 4 buyers will not be able to get Qik video chat on their phone, or any video chat service for that matter, other than FaceTalk. Apple’s policy on iphone applications has usually been that an application can not replicate any of the phone’s standard functions. So it may be that when the iphone 4 comes out, there will be no ability to video chat between an iphone4 and an HTC EVO 4G, or any other phone with video chat capability. I’m not sure how Apple will deal with this, if they will allow third-party video chat applications (or have already) or restrict users to using their FaceTime app. Another thing that concerns me is how many other video chatting services are going to show up because of these new devices. The more services there are the less likely that the person you want to video chat with is using the same service. I think it’ll be interesting to see how this capability will evolve and how long it will take to catch on.

Shooty for Android

Dan Perron — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:45:22 +0000

Today, my very first game for Android is going on the Android Market. Shooty is a classic style space shooter I put together which started as an experiment, and kinda turned into a full game. If you have an Android phone you should check it out on the Android Market, and be sure to rate it and leave comments.

Android Games That Kick Ass

Dan Perron — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:07:19 +0000

A few months ago I whined a little bit about how there were no big name titles in the Android game market. This time, I’d like to list some games that are in the Android market that totally kick ass.

Abduction! World Attack
The first game on the list is Abduction! World Attack. You start off as a cow (no, I’m not kidding). And aliens have abucted all of your friends. In order to save them you have to jump up platforms to make it all the way up to the hovering alien ship. The game uses the accelerometer for the controls which let’s you move the charactor left or right. As you progress you unlock different animal characters. Levels are themed around different areas of the world, and the graphics are very well done. The developer set up a wordpress site for the game at http://abductiongame.wordpress.com.

Abduction! World Attack

Buka

Buka

In Buka you are tasked with saving a cute blue planet from other evil space debris. You do this buy either tapping the screen and sending shock waves that send debris in different directions, or by touching the screen and releasing to blow stuff up. The game mechanics are pretty simple, but the game itself becomes pretty challenging relatively quickly. The only problem I had with this game is that you access the game menu by double tapping Buka, resulting in many accidental trips to the game menu. Otherwise, Buka is the type of game that is perfect for mobile devices. You can spend one minute playing it or you can spend hours, and it doesn’t really get that old.

Robo Defense

Robo Defense

Robo Defense is typical tower defense game. The graphics are awesome. The game mechanics are awesome. That’s all I really have to say about Robo Defense. You can learn more about the game at http://lupislabs.blogspot.com.

Parallel Kingdom

Parallel Kingdom

Parallel Kingdom is an MMORPG that is played based on your GPS location. You fight monsters, build flags, fight other players, etc. It is quite the time killer, and since there is an iphone version as well, you are bound to run into other players while inside the Parallel Kingdom. The game has an in-depth website and guide to accompany the game. You can check it out at parallelkingdom.com.

I’m sure there is plenty more awesome games out there on the Android platform, and as more wireless providers release more Android devices, I’m sure there will be much more gaming awesomeness coming to Android.

Why are there no big game titles in the Android Market?

Dan Perron — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 04:03:51 +0000

The iphone now has games like I Love Katamari and Metal Gear Solid: Touch, and I am jealous. Android pretty much has Pac-Man and Guitar Hero. Granted there are a lot of great games put out on the android market by lone developers, which is awesome. But it seems like the only big players in the Android gaming market the same casual game developers we’ve seen developing Java games for our old flip phones.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against games like Bonsai Blast and Block Breaker 2 Deluxe, but when we start seeing iphone owners taking control of Solid Snake and tearing shit up, there’s something wrong. So what’s the deal? Are there just THAT many more people with an iphone than an Android device? Is the Android platform still just too new? Or, is Android just not being taken seriously as a mobile gaming platform?

I’m not sure what the reason is for game studios lack of interest in Android. What I do know is that if I don’t start seeing more quality games in the Android market, it might be enough to make me trade up for an iphone, and that is something I really hope I don’t have to do.