Pocket-sized breathalyzer plugs into your phone

It’s easy for those of us that live in an urban setting to forget the precarious predicament one can find themselves in after a night of imbibing. It doesn’t matter if we have one or 10; at the end of the night, we can just hop onto a train or in a cab and safely make our way home.

For those who need to get behind the wheel in order to get home, certain reservations must need to be taken. But mistakes happen, and we sometimes find ourselves ordering that one last drink that pushes us just over the edge.

In such a situation, it’s always best to err on the side of caution. Earlier today, Gizmodo reported about a new start-up is aiming to help people make the right choice. Breathometer is a pocket-sized device that plugs into your iPhone 5 or Android (as long as it’s running 4.0 and up) phone and, after blowing into it, it tells you — via an app — what your blood alcohol content, so you know if you’re good to go, or if you need to hitch a ride home with a friend.

If you have time to kill and prefer to not leave your car abandoned, the app keeps track of your history so that it can help you determine how much time will need to pass before you should be able to safely drive again. (Of course, you shouldn’t just assume it’s accurate, and should run another test before doing so.)

The company is still raising funds via Indiegogo; so far it has raised $9,400 of the $25,000 it needs to get off the ground. While the device isn’t set to ship until July, and retail for about $100, if you contribute to the raising of funds, just $20 will get you one. But, you’ll have to wait until January.

Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power Rangers, it's really no surprise that all things digital would continue to inspire Josh to the point that he would one day make a living writing about the things he loves. After graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2006 with a degree in journalism/anthropology, he spent years working as an editor for Travel + Leisure. Josh doesn't look forward to a Cylon takeover, but he does eagerly await the day he can become half cyborg.

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Hands on: Asus’ Fonepad is an OK tablet, but an awful phone

Two days ago, I wrote an editorial about how happy I was that screen sizes on phones may finally be stabilizing  and not continuing to grow out of control. In it, I said it wouldn’t be long before 7-inch tablets would become phones themselves. I spoke too soon. Yesterday, Asus unveiled a 7-inch device named the Fonepad. It’s basically a Nexus 7 with a phone built into it. We caught up with Asus on the Mobile World Congress show floor to check it out.

If you want to know what it’s like to use the Fonepad, you need only pick up your Kindle Fire, Nook Color, Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab 7, or find any other 7-inch tablet (or a paperback book or older Kindle) and pretend to use it like a phone. Do you feel empowered? Is this the kind of life you want to lead? If you don’t mind barely being able to hold your phone in one hand, or having a phone dialer large enough to read from across the room, the Fonepad may be the Fone for you. To me, it’s like a special accessory the phone company might give to people with fat fingers. Something given to anyone who walks into a wireless store in a muumuu.

The tablety-phoney thing is really a modified Nexus 7 with 3G built in. Though the Nexus 7 is branded a “Google” device, Asus actually manufacturers it. One look at the Fonepad and you know it came off the same assembly line. Unfortunately, a Chinese worker must have hit the “crappy” lever at the front of the plant, because many of the nice flourishes of the Nexus 7 like the grippy design, are missing, instead replaced by a gray plastic look common to devices a couple years ago.

The insides of the Fonepad aren’t as impressive as a Nexus 7. Instead of a speedy quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, Asus has shoved in a single-core 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor. It does the job in standard use, but if you plan to tax your tablet phone with any difficult applications or games, you’ll find it slowing down fast.

Other specs include 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal memory, a 1280 x 800 pixel LCD screen, a 3-megapixel rear camera, a 1.2-megapixel webcam, and a microSD slot for expanded file storage. It runs a modified version of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and looks about like what you’d expect an Android tablet to look like.

As a phone, it’s awful. The microphone sits extremely low compared to the earpiece and if you hold it up to your head, it’s pretty much the equivalent of wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask or gluing a big book to the side of your face. You look like an idiot and won’t be able to hear your friends. It’s a lose, lose. There are some benefits to having a larger screen, but there’s almost nothing this device can do that you can’t do well on a 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch phone like the LG Optimus G Pro or Galaxy S3. If you really want a small tablet that provides benefit, you’ll want to opt for a Galaxy Note 8.0 or iPad Mini – two devices with 8-inch screens. Eight or nine inches is a great size range for tablets. Seven inches is not.

The Fonepad will hit shelves around the world in the next few months for about $250, but don’t expect to see it in the United States. Because Asus has only included 3G support, and no LTE, no U.S. mobile carrier is going to want to stock the Fonepad. Of course, for you die hards, just remember: If there’s a will (and there shouldn’t be), there’s always a way.

As the Mobile Section Editor for Digital Trends, Jeffrey Van Camp is responsible for the content and direction of coverage on smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and other mobile gadgets and software. Jeff has been writing about tech, video games, and movies on the Web for more than a decade. Before joining DT, he spent several years working with mobile app/game developers and wireless carriers. You can reach him @JeffreyVC on Twitter or Facebook.

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Microsoft announces that Windows Phone Store surpasses 130,000 apps

In this world of smartphones, many manufacturers are doing a pretty decent job of keeping up with all of the advancements in mobile technology. But let’s face it: most normal users aren’t really all too concerned with the processor, contrast ratio, or specifics about the audio formats. They’re interested in battery life, speed, camera, and the number of apps available to download.

It’s the app selection that many operating systems are struggling to keep up with. Of course, iOS and Android dominate the market by a landslide. App offerings are so important, in fact, the beefed up Blackberry App World was one of the biggest selling points for the suffering phone manufacturer when it recently released its new line of phones.

But, ahead of them, is Microsoft. The company just reported on its blog that the Windows Phone Store recently surpassed 130,000 app offerings. To boot, Microsoft is starting to see a huge boost in the number of downloads. The company saw an astounding 91 percent bump in paid app revenue, with an overall download increase of 75 percent. The number of apps downloaded per user has also steadily increased to 55 each.

Helping to increase these downloads, no doubt, is the increase in Windows Phone sales, which, over the 2012 holiday season, increased to four times the normal number. They also claim to have 10 percent of the market share in a number of countries, but didn’t reveal which ones.

Since the launch of the Windows Phone 8 last October, 15,000 pre-existing Windows apps have been upgraded for the latest operating system. And Windows Phone 8 SDK downloads have surpassed 500,000, meaning that this growth is expected to continue, as more and more developers continue to work on creating new apps.

We’re excited to see where all this leads, particularly because we enjoy a little friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition, and it’s nice to see a former underdog begin to make some headway.

Spending a childhood engrossed in such technologically inspiring television shows like Voltron, Small Wonder, and Power Rangers, it's really no surprise that all things digital would continue to inspire Josh to the point that he would one day make a living writing about the things he loves. After graduating from SUNY Purchase in 2006 with a degree in journalism/anthropology, he spent years working as an editor for Travel + Leisure. Josh doesn't look forward to a Cylon takeover, but he does eagerly await the day he can become half cyborg.

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How stolen phone blacklists will tamp down on crime, and what to do in the mean time

Smartphone theft is on the rise – and often violent. How can consumers protect themselves, and why isn't there a national stolen phone blacklist?

Now that 46 percent of Americans own smartphones, it should come as little surprise that thieves have developed their own taste for the indispensable devices. According to data released by the FCC earlier this year, between 30 to 40 percent of all robberies in major urban areas now involve stolen cell phones, with areas like New York City and Washington D.C. coming in at the high end of that range. In some instances, cell phone owners have been injured or even killed by thugs after their phones.

While wrestling with the issue of crime remains an age-old struggle, cell phones do present a unique technological twist: They can be “blacklisted” from service when reported stolen, preventing the new owners from using them. Although individual carriers have been deactivating stolen phones for years, unlike several other countries, the United States lacks a centralized system of reporting phones lost or stolen, which can make it complicated for a victim to figure out what to do. Worse, many mobile phone users have no idea stolen phones can be deactivated, effectively giving thieves a free ride on their voice and data plans until they can find a way to cancel their accounts. Even if accounts get canceled, thieves are happy to swap around SIM cards on many phones, meaning the handsets themselves are still valuable commodities.

Given the scale of mobile phone theft, why doesn’t the U.S. have a national blacklist of stolen phones? And what can consumers do to protect themselves – or at least make their devices useless to thieves?

The basic idea behind a stolen phones blacklist is simple: When a device is reported stolen, its unique identifier gets entered into a mobile providers’ systems. If that device connects to a carrier network, the network recognizes it and refuses service (with an exception for 911 emergency calls).

The reality in the United States is a little more complex, thanks to different mobile technologies in use. Verizon and Sprint’s CMDA networks identify phones based on unique Electronic Serial Number (ESN) or Mobile Equipment Identifier (MEID) numbers. AT&T and T-Mobile’s GSM networks use a 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number that uniquely identifies each device, but account information is tied to a particular SIM card. Up until very recently (more below), AT&T and T-Mobile would disable the SIM cards on stolen devices, effectively taking the phones off their networks. However, since SIM cards are removable and easily swapped, so unscrupulous sellers would just remove the stolen SIM card, perform a factory reset of the phone, and put it up for sale online or in a shop.

The situation is further complicated by devices like the Apple iPhone 5 that have both GSM and CDMA hardware. The Verizon iPhone 5 is available GSM unlocked, which means a stolen Verizon iPhone 5 can be brought online on AT&T’s GSM network – and reporting the theft to Verizon will do nothing to stop that from happening.

Other countries that have implemented blacklists for stolen mobile phones – including Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as other European nations – have based them on IMEI numbers. That approach wouldn’t fly in the U.S., since many Verizon and Sprint devices don’t have IMEIs. However, that’s changing, since all LTE devices have IMEIs. As U.S. carriers push towards LTE, an increasing number of their devices will have IMEIs, and be able to participate in consistent blacklist program.

Despite these technological hurdles, the United States is working towards having a nationwide blacklist of stolen mobile devices, and that database will also interoperate with global stolen device registries.

Back in April, the FCC unveiled a voluntary industry initiative to have a centralized database of stolen phone identifiers up and running within six month. That would have been October of this year, and in the nick of time – October 31 – AT&T and T-Mobile activated a database that blocks stolen mobile devices based on their IMEIs, rather than on SIM cards. The system works across both carriers: A phone reported stolen on T-Mobile can’t get service on AT&T’s network, and vice versa.

That’s a step in the right direction. When will CDMA operators Verizon and Sprint get on board? Right now, the target date is November 2013, although there’s some hope the carriers’ aggressive moves toward LTE may make it happen sooner.

The system used by AT&T and T-Mobile (and, eventually, by Verizon and Sprint as well) interoperates with the GSMA’s IMEI Database, a shared resource of stolen devices currently used by 19 countries (mostly in Europe). That means that devices reported stolen in the United States won’t be able to be brought up on networks in other countries where operators check against the same IMEI database. Case in point: the FCC just announced a new joint cooperation agreement with Mexico on mobile device theft based on use of the GSMA IMEI database.

“The notion here is to dry up demand,” said Brian Josef, Assistant Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for CTIA–The Wireless Association, via telephone. “Combined with broader education efforts, we think that these initiatives will be effective.”

There is evidence that blacklists of stolen mobile devices are an effective theft deterrent, although blacklists don’t magically make phone theft go away. 

The United Kingdom began blacklisting in 2003. In addition to coordinating with the GMSA IMEI Database, the UK also set up a voluntary Immobilizer service where consumers can set up an account and register their devices’ IMEIs. If a device is stolen, they can log into their account and report the theft. The information is quickly made available to UK network operators (so the phone can’t be brought back online with any provider) as well as to police, insurers, and recyclers.

“Whilst mobile phone theft will always occur,” said Jack Wraith, Chair of the UK’s Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum (MICAF) via email, “the processes that are in place here in the United Kingdom have gone a long way to ensure that the incidence of theft have been mitigated and have provided the user of mobile phones the ability to have an impact on the aftermath of a theft or loss.”

That said, IMEI blacklists aren’t 100 percent effective. For one thing, they can be circumvented by shifting stolen phones to countries and carriers that don’t participate in the GSMA IMEI Database – two prime candidates there are China and Russia. There’s still good money for smartphone thieves to nab phones in the U.S., UK, and other participating markets and ship them off where they can be used with impunity.

Blacklists also rely on consumers to proactively report thefts. Australia launched its blacklisting program back in 2004, yet statistics show that there has been a 25 percent decline in the number of blocking requests it has received since then, despite substantial growth in number of Australian mobile users during the same period.

Furthermore, IMEI’s aren’t immutable. With the right software and expertise, most phones can be reprogrammed with new IMEIs to evade carrier lockouts. It’s more complicated than swapping a SIM card, but usually no more difficult than jailbreaking. Back in 2002, a British Telecom spokesperson indicated 10 percent of IMEI’s on its network were duplicates. In emerging markets like Pakistan and Kenya, duplicate IMEIs are apparently very common today: Pakistan’s MORE Magazine reports more than 3 million phones in that country are operating on faked IMEIs.

Having your phone stolen doesn’t just mean you’re out the cost of a phone, it means your contacts, calendars, email, Web history, social networking information, and even mobile payment capabilities are in danger. You aren’t just trying to protect your phone: you’re trying to protect your digital life.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself in case your phone is stolen:

Record your ESN/MEID and/or IMEI number in a safe place. Most smartphones can display their identifiers in their settings or about screens. Most devices with IMEI numbers have them printed on their packaging and inside their battery compartments. Having these number available will help you quickly deactivate the phone if it’s stolen.Though not foolproof, set a PIN or security lock for your phone so it can’t be accessed without entering a combination. Don’t set it to something easy like your birthday or “1234.”Back up your phone’s data, whether to a cloud-based service (like Apple’s iCloud) or to a personal computer. If your device is stolen, you can easily restore the most recent data to a new device.Consider a tracker or security service for your mobile phone, such as Apple’s Find My iPhone, services from mobile carriers or security software developers. These can help trace your device, if stolen, but by no means guarantee you’ll get it back.Consider a remote wipe service for your device. In the event your phone is stolen, you can remotely delete all apps, media, and data from it to prevent misuse or identity theft. On Android, this means using a third-party app (usually, anyway). Apple’s iCloud service also offers remote wipe capabilities.Above all, be careful how you use and store your phone: Stay aware of your surroundings while texting or using the device, never leave your phone unattended in a vehicle or public place, and even be careful displaying headsets and earbuds in public. Nothing says “possible iPhone here” like white earbuds.

If your phone is stolen, here’s what to do:

Contact security or authorities

If you’re at an event or venue, contact any on-site security immediately; they may be able to help, or it’s possible the phone has been turned in to lost and found. Otherwise, contact local law enforcement as soon as possible to report the phone as stolen.

Contact your carrier

Contact your carrier as quickly as possible to report the phone lost or stolen: this may help you from being liable for fraudulent voice and data charges. (It’s not uncommon for phones to be stolen and quickly used to make international calls.) If you have the phone’s ESN/MEID or IMEI, that will help carriers shut down the phone quickly.

Try remote location

If you’ve installed remote tracking software, you can try using it to see if your phone can be found using GPS and location services. Sometimes phones really are picked up by venue security, good Samaritans, and folks with no ill intentions who will happily return phones to their owners. (Apple’s Find my iPhone feature can even let phone finders call the owner.)

Remote wipe

If you’re pretty sure your phone is gone, triggering a remote wipe can be the only way to protect your data. Many thieves don’t care about your data anyway – they just want the device – but many will be happy to look for addresses, birthdays, credit card numbers, banking information, and anything else that can be used to commit identity theft. Remote wiping won’t get your your phone back, but can help keep your private information secure. And you can restore your data to a new device because you’ve been saving it regularly using a syncing service or backup utility. Right?

Images via
Shutterstock/RioPatuca
Shutterstock/Alexey Arkhipov
UK National Mobile Phone Crime Unit

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BlackBerry 10 L Series phone leaked again, still weeks away from launch

Research in Motion's touchscreen BlackBerry 10 handset, the L Series, has been leaked again, this time showing it compared to a BlackBerry Bold 9700. RIM will officially announce BlackBerry 10 and its hardware on January 30 next year.

The L Series BlackBerry 10 phone has been leaked again, this time appearing in CrackBerry.com’s forums, where a handful of pictures showed the phone up close, as well as being compared to a BlackBerry Bold 9700.

Research in Motion’s L Series handset is one of two phones on which it will launch the BlackBerry 10 operating system next year, where it will be joined by the more traditional QWERTY keyboard-equipped N Series.

In the snaps, the L Series — marked as an evaluation unit — looks the same as it did back in September, when both it and the N Series phone last appeared. The long, black chassis remains, while the front has the slight look of Sony’s Xperia range to it, thanks to the edgeless screen. Sitting next to the Bold, it also looks quite long.

The source of the leak hasn’t provided any more information on the specification, but if previous rumors are correct, that’s a 4.2-inch screen with a 1280 x 768 pixel resolution, and a dual-core processor should be hiding inside.

RIM has already announced when the L Series will be made official, as it will be holding an ambitious, global launch event for BlackBerry 10 on January 30 next year, where both phones and the new software will finally make their public debut.

There were concerns RIM would miss the first quarter release date, which it has continually stood by, but according to the company’s COO Kristian Tear, BB10 handsets will on sale within 30 days of that event. This means it’ll make its self-imposed deadline, but only by a whisker.

Despite the fact the OS is still a bit of a mystery, and there are several months to go until we get to try it out, the company’s stock has been performing well; perhaps assisted by BlackBerry 10 gaining government security clearance and RIM drip-feeding us details on new, interesting features such as BBM Voice.

Will the L Series be enough to tempt iOS, Android and even Windows Phone fans away and into RIM’s waiting arms? We’ll find out next year.

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Microsoft also unveiling Windows Phone 8 at event in Spain

Microsoft is set to hold an event on October 29th for Windows Phone 8 in Madrid, Spain. The company plans to unveil the next version of its mobile operating system to the world, which will pave the way for hardware to be released and carriers to begin rolling out new plans for Windows Phone 8 devices. Much like Munich, Germany and Milan in Italy, Microsoft appears to be attempting to synchronise each event to progress simultaneously.

Windows Phone Central will be heading along to the events that are being held in San Francisco and merry ol' London, so be sure to stay tuned to our feed and homepage for all the details from the day.

via: WindowsPhoneApps.es

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Google Voice client MetroTalk on Windows Phone goes free for 48 hours

MetroTalk for Windows Phone v2.5

If you use Google Voice because like us, you have multiple phone numbers or you just like the free data-driven SMS feature, then you should check out MetroTalk for Windows Phone.

The app started off decent enough when it was first launched months ago but it has quickly ramped up to be one of the best, most fully featured Google Talk clients for Windows Phone—that’s specially good since Google doesn’t seem interested in supporting their own services.

Now, the developer has made the normally $1.49 app free for the next 48 hours. That’s a heck of a good deal especially since the app was just updated on October 13th to a version that will work with Windows Phone 8 and will be updated for WP8 features in the coming weeks.

We’ve used MetroTalk for quite some time and we think it’s a solid app with some great developer support behind it. While you could use the free, ad-supported version, why not head to the Store and grab yourself the full paid iteration for $0? The app does have push notifications done through a simple setup procedure on the device to ensure timely updates and the UI is quite sharp. 

Go grab MetroTalk here in the Windows Phone Store before the price goes back up. And if you like it, remember to leave a positive review for it in the Store.

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Lots of updates going out and Amazon Mobile picks up Windows Phone 8 support

Just like our London busses, you wait around for ages and then they all come at once. It seems that someone has flicked a switch somewhere and released a few updates today for Windows Phone.

Of particular note, Amazon Mobile on its way up to version 1.9.1 and picks up support for the oh-so close Windows Phone 8. It’s good to see some developers with early access readying their apps for the shiny new operating system which is only days away.

As regards to the Amazon Mobile update, we can’t say if it’s going to bring any new WP8 specific features or just being brushed up so that it works.

Also in the update to-do list today is

Xbox Live Extras – No change log (tsk tsk!) – I am unable to login to this at the moment with an error “We can’t access you avatar items, try later” so cant see what has changed, if you see something, do let us know.

Ceton Companion App – Brings a host of minor updates including Password authentication support and improved syncing and recording adjustments.

Podcatcher – Adds support for podcast audio and video streaming, podcast description improvements and some other UI changes.

Nokia’s App Highlights – No change log (tsk tsk!) But we know Nokia are constantly updating this to help improve app discoverability.

Good to see the updates train up and running again, if you are seeing any interesting updates going out, do let us know.

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Nokia's Cardboard Windows Phone Challenge winners announced

Remember earlier this month Nokia announced a cardboard challenge where participants had to build a Windows Phone out of... well... cardboard. At stake, a Nokia Lumia 900 Windows Phone and Nokia 808 Pureview.

Nokia describes the turn out as impressive and we have to agree, the level of detail, accuracy and creativity is impressive.  Hard to imagine how much time it took with the hot glue gun and X-acto knife to create some of these cardboard Windows Phones.

Dhaval N Damar walks away with the Lumia 900 for his rendition of the Lumia 920 with pop-up Live Tiles.

Davide Ilvicino Marin won the Nokia 808 Pureview for his rendition of the yellow Lumia 920 and Monster headphones.

Source: Conversations Nokia

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Reading magazines on Nexus 7, Phone functionality is still important [From the Forums]

Just in case you missed out on some of the Android news today, now is the time to go ahead and get yourself fully caught up. Here on the blogs and in the Android Central Forums there is plenty to talk about. Have some questions? Need some help or just looking to chat Android? You know where to go, check out some of the threads below to get started.

We've got nearly 1 million members helping members and nearly 2 million posts in our Android Forums. Are you one of them? Join today!

"Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada. Chris is fluent in all mobile languages and loves anything with a power button."

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Windows Phone App Review: Photo Shader

Photo Shader is a decent little photo editor for your Windows Phone. The app has a healthy amount of filters and effect to apply to existing photos in your Pictures Hub or new images captured with your Windows Phone camera.

Layout is simple and clean with most filters/effects having setting to fine tune the application. When you first select a photo to edit, cropping tools will appear to let you crop and/or rotate the image. From there, all you need to do is apply your effects and save when done.

Photo Shader's editing tools include Color adjustments, Stylize filters, Retro effects, Blur effects, and Distortion filters. The effects total 38 in number and can be stacked.

Effects will have varying adjustments that let you fine tune things. You also have the ability to apply the effect to only a portion of the photo with the draw tool that will appear in the preview screen. Just tap draw and touch the area of the photo you want to remain unaffected.

Swiping over from the editing page, Photo Shader has a page that displays your Undo History and a page to suggest features, review the app and tweak Photo Shader's settings. Settings cover Photo Shader's theme and Live Tile settings (show last saved image, a collage of images, or disable).

Photo Shader does not have a native share feature. You'll need to go into your Pictures Hub and share any Photo Shader creations. While Photo Shader has a healthy selection of editing tools it felt a little odd in how the tools were laid out.  Nothing critical to be concerned over it just felt odd scrolling away from the preview image to get to the editing tools.

Overall, I liked Photo Shader. It gives you another creative tool to customize images through your Windows Phone. There is a free trial version available that lets you try things our but you won't be able to save your images. The full version of Photo Shader is running $.99 and you can find it all here at the Windows Phone Store.

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Xbox on Windows Phone Review: Gerbil Physics

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Xbox and Windows Phone Store and services temporarily down

We’ve been getting tips for the last few hours from users that the Windows Phone Store has not been working, specifically when you try to go download an app, you get an error message (we’ve seen a few mentioned).

As it turns out, heading to support.xbox.com alerts us to what appears to be a general system failure on several fronts, including Xbox 360, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Zune PC Client and more. That’s the bad news.

The good news is you’re not alone and clearly Microsoft is on top if it, though we have no idea if it’ll be back in 20 minutes or 2 hours. Just standby and we’re sure some of these last minute hiccups will pass on by. Thanks, everyone, for tipping us

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Zombies!!! escapes, becomes the Xbox Windows Phone Deal of the Week

It’s board game week for Windows Phone. First the long-awaited Carcassonne debuted on Xbox Live, and now another board game has become the Deal of the Week. Babaroga’s Zombies!!! is on sale for the first time for $2.99, down from $4.99. Are you ready to roll some dice and do battle with the undead?

Like Carcassonne, Zombies!!! (review) is a board game in which players place a land tile every turn, effectively building the board. In this game though, some modes start with a completed board, which happens to represent a single zombie-infested city. The city, players, and zombies all come to life with 3D graphics (as opposed to Carcassonne’s mostly 2D visuals), while the cards that players draw, play, and discard every turn feature Dave Aikins’ hand-drawn art. Some of the many card effects include restoration of health and other supplies; stealing items from other players; and even sending zombies after your opponents.

Survival of the fittest

One of the coolest aspects of this game is its dice-based combat. Whenever a player runs into a zombie (controlled by the AI or other players), a battle ensues. Players must roll a four or higher in order to avoid taking damage. Carrying a weapon (which you mostly get from playing weapon cards inside of specific buildings) adds one or more points to your roll, increasing the chance of coming away unscathed. You can also elect to use one of your precious bullets to boost your roll, though ammunition tends to come in scarce quantities. All told, combat provides an enjoyable mix of chance and strategy.

The game currently supports single-player and 4-person pass-and-play multiplayer. Single-player is more fun than you might expect thanks to the Survival Horror mode, which pits a sole human survivor against the entire city of zombies. Kill them all full of holes (everyone knows they deserve it) or reach the helicopter to win. As for the online multiplayer long ago promised in our developer interview, see the section below for an idea of how that will be delivered.

DLC and Windows Phone 8 plans

Once you’ve spent enough time with the game and unlocked its precious GamerScore, you may still hunger for more. Zombies!!! has one downloadable expansion right now – ‘3.5: Not Dead Yet!’ The DLC costs $2 and includes 50 GamerScore worth of Achievements. It’s not a bad buy if you want more variety in your cards and weapons or more GamerScore. Check out our full impressions here.

Babaroga’s plans for the game’s future are even more exciting. Not only is it coming to Windows 8, but it will be coming to Windows Phone 8 too. As I understand it, there’s a good chance the WP7 version will receive an update that upgrades it to WP8. That way, people who buy the game now will still have access to WP8-specific features once they’re introduced. Future expansion DLC will be WP8-specific as well.

Zombies!!! is on sale for $2.99 for one week only. Get it here on the Windows Phone Store before those pesky zombies get your brains!

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Samsung sees Windows Phone and Windows 8 seen as opportunity in business market

With the operating system juggernaut called Windows 8 looming closer by the day it seems everyone is talking about Windows. Is the conversation going to include Windows Phone more frequently too now?

Samsung’s UK vice president has dropped a few encouraging words about where the company sees opportunity in the business sector for an end-to-end solution for tablets and smartphones based on Windows 8.

Samsung unveiled its ATIV range of devices a while back which include Windows RT, Windows 8 and of course Windows Phone 8 products. The ATIV S has for the most part been fairly elusive but with questions still lingering about general availability. Here is what their UK VP said:

"In discussions we've had with IT directors and chief information officers we've been able to tell them we'll be able to provide a smartphone, a tablet, a PC and an all-in-one utilising the IT they've built their business on for the last 25 years."

There are signs that business is now keen to standardise on a smartphone platform and that IT heads are looking to Windows Phone 8 to fill their needs. With the rapid circling of the drain that Blackberry are experiencing there is a distinct opportunity for Windows Phone to fill that gap. The next generation of the mobile OS will support excellent encryption and other business friendly features.

The iPad is also being used in business but has weak security and lacks Office, the ability for a company such as Samsung to offer an iPad alternative, ATIV TAB and Windows Phone 8 could prove a winner. Graham also had this to say:

"The launch of Windows 8 really provides us with that opportunity where we will have everything from a smartphone through to a tablet through the PC through to the all-in-one."

Microsoft is on a roll with its launches, yesterday we saw the reviews of the Surface device go out and with it the destruction of the iPad mini announcement momentum. The Redmond based company are owning the news cycle at the moment. Windows is a big deal whenever it comes around but combined with a new version of Office, Windows Phone 8 and the overhauled Xbox the positive effect on the whole catalogue is starting to hit home.

There has been some concern that Windows 8 is being aligned too closely to Windows Phone 8, people are often using Windows 8 to describe them both. Considering how little of the conversation Windows Phone garners maybe it’s time to stop worrying about such things. The halo effect from Windows 8 and the pervasive tiled interface we used to call metro should mean Windows Phone 8 is a very direct beneficiary of all this publicity.

If Samsung see the ATIV range of Windows devices helping them assault the business market and they want to call it Windows 8, so be it. We’d just like to see Samsung start pushing Windows Phone to the masses rather than their other smartphone products.

Source V3 via wmpoweruser

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New Zealand bank ASB teases upcoming Windows Phone app

The official Twitter account for New Zealand's bank ASB (www.asb.co.nz) tweeted a photo that teases a Windows Phone app for customers to make use of mobile banking. ASB joins numerous other banks that have released apps for the platform, adding another name to the pool of officially supported apps.

While no details are included, we can see the app offering a number of features. Amongst the list of menu items is an option for exchange rates and possible conversion calculators, as well as the ability to locate nearest branches and (we'd assume) ATMs, receive quick balance checks to stay on top of the bottom line without diving into feature rich account management, visit the official ASB website and to contact the bank for enquiries.

"The wait is almost over... #ASBmobile #WindowsPhone  twitpic.com/awrabl

— ASB Bank (@ASBBank) September 21, 2012"

Should the number of features present not be enough, a line of security is also illustrated in the photo - an account PIN. It's positive to see another bank taking Windows Phone seriously with security, features and usability in mind. No word on when the app will be available on the Marketplace, but we can't imagine it'll be too long.

Source: @ASB (Twitter)

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Hate contracts? Phone bill too high? Simple Mobile is your solution!

If you're tired of being tied into carrier contracts and paying too much for your monthly phone bill, Simple Mobile may just be the solution you've been waiting for. With no contracts, no credit checks, no hidden charges and monthly plans starting at just $40, Simple Mobile makes owning a smartphone, well, simple.

With Simple Mobile, you can bring just about any unlocked GSM phone onto their service, which is backed by a major national carrier. In other words, you'll get solid coverage throughout the USA, including high speed 4G service. Check out the video above for a simple and fun overview of Simple Mobile, then click on the link below to learn more.

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Chinese manufacturer Coolpad might be adopting Windows Phone

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Viber for VOIP now available for Windows Phone, but still exclusive to Nokia for now

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Nokia Lumia 510 with low-end specs headed to China, sports Windows Phone 7.x

It looks like Nokia is still pushing ahead with some low-end phones to compete with the likes of Android, especially in China.

News has come forward this morning that a new device caledl ‘Lumia 510’ has just passed certification in China. The specs aren’t anything eye catching for obvious reasons but it should sell well if priced right:

4 "LCD screen, 5MP120.7 x 64.9 x 11.51 (mm), 129 (g)GSM-WCDMA-HSPA800MHz MSM7227A + 256MB RAM + Windows Phone 7.5/7.8

No word on exact release date though we’re sure more information will come forward shortly. What’s interesting is that the device is running Windows Phone 7.5 and will get the 7.8 upgrade but alas, no Windows Phone 8.

Source: Tieba Badu; Thanks, Jack Lo, for the link and images!

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