Stolen in 60 Seconds Review

Stolen in 60 Seconds will be seen by some as a controversial title because of it’s subject matter, which in basic terms involves breaking into buildings and stealing things. It would be valid for some people to be hesitant about a game like this but it is hardly a deal breaker and I for one am not suddenly going to start stealing things just because I have played this game. It is in essence a puzzle game which has been surrounded with realistic graphics and animation, dazzling cut scenes and most important of all game play. This, like Robo which I reviewed last week, is not a title that you just pick up and play- it is one that you have to think about to succeed in and the more you think the more successful you will be at cracking each level.

Robo has had me scratching my head a lot over the past week and unusually for me I have actually spent time thinking about each level and have forced myself to progress further. It is with shame that I admit to still being on level 8 (with over 60 left to go!) but I am determined to try harder and get there- few games have done that for me in the past and this revelation caused me to investigate Stolen in 60 Seconds as well.

Starting off

The instructions in 60 seconds are minimal but after a couple of minutes I started to find my way around the controls. You are given training quests, which you should try to complete because it makes things easier later on, and as each quest pops up so does the complexity increase. The graphics remind me of Grand Theft Auto somewhat and thus have a familiar feel to them which is a bonus. Each quest is started off in a room where you are given simple instructions and a map of the building you need to steal from. You have to choose tools, your thief and plan your route on the map.

Once this is done you are taken to the ‘real life’ display where your thief will follow your plotted route and use the tools at the point you have pre-set for him.

Game play

As with most of my reviews I have not progressed as far as would have liked so far but know full well that much more is coming. The mixture of route planning, thief choosing, tool decision and marrying them all together makes for an experience in which you really do need to take your time to ensure you can achieve your task in the quickest time possible.

I have also found that there is often more than one way to complete a task and this adds more fun. Sometimes finding the only possible solution can get frustrating but these quests are somewhat less computerised in that way and leave more to the imagination of the player.

I have no idea how many quests are included and I really do not want to know because I would probably get depressed at the thought of how much work is needed in the future

Conclusion

The further you progress, the more you will enjoy this game. The training quests are good to start with and then all of a sudden you are hit with two thieves and multiple actions to complete. As you know, I am not often completely positive about a game but I have yet to find a fault with 60 seconds. After trying Robo and now this HeroCraft are way up the ladder in my opinion and hopefully we will see even more from them in the near future.

Available from http://smart.herocraft.com/sss for $3.90 to $11.75 (depending on platform). Works on Palm OS, Windows Mobile Professional and Standard, Series 60, Series 60 v3, UIQ and UIQ v3.

Robo Review

Few games are released today that work on all of the major mobile platforms. Robo was recently released and works on Palm, Windows Mobile Standard, Windows Mobile Professional, Symbian S60, S60 v3, UIQ and UIQ v3. I can think of few other developers that develop for all of these platforms and it is indeed refreshing to see. Anyway, on to the game itself…

Starting up

I completely ignored the tutorial and instructions (I am a man after all) and jumped straight into level 1. The controls are very simple- left, right, up, down to move and to push stones and the centre button to ‘look’ around the whole screen- pressing this enables the directional buttons to move the whole game map around. Within 2 minutes I was playing and enjoying this game a lot and knew it would be a keeper.

Game play

The idea of the game is to reach the exit on each level by blocking beams (that will kill Robo) which are diverted over the playing field by mirrors. You have to find the best path through to the exit and this is no way near as simple as it sounds. Even on level 3 I found myself struggling to think of the way out and have to face a further 73 which to be frank scares me a little

The 76 levels are split over 4 worlds and Robo needs to tackle them in a variety of ways which could involve blocking lasers with stones, using bombs to explode laser cannons or even making them destroy each other. Again, this does not sound complex but it adds a huge amount of variation to how you make up the final solution for each level. At this time, and it is early days for me with Robo, I can see huge amounts of longevity in this game and will keep you updated as I progress through the levels.

Graphics and sounds

The graphics are superb in this game and the way the environments are rendered adds to a feeling of wanting to jump back in and play some more. Robo himself is particularly cute and the animations used for him are some of the best I have seen. The music is a nice touch as well and can be switched to mute whilst leaving the main game sound on. Personally I tend to turn music to mute and leave the standard sounds on so at least the option is available.

Conclusion

Robo is a game that takes parts of Sokoban, Traffic Jam and another game, which I cannot currently remember the title of, and merges them to create a stimulating puzzler that is hard to put down. As I said earlier, it is early days for me with this game but first impressions are extremely good. Considering the price, which unusually ranges from $4.40 to $12.85 depending on the platform you use, it is superb value for me and one which I can highly recommend.

Time to bring the next 73 levels on by which point I will probably be begging for an extra level pack to keep me playing even longer!

Available from http://smart.herocraft.com/robo.

Aluminum Metal Case for Sony Ericsson P1i/P1 (Silver)

PDair has release a new Aluminum Metal Case for the Sony Ericsson P1i/P1 (Silver) and it sure looks pretty… A black version is available here.

Thin, Lightweight and strong.
1 Memory card slot.
With transparent plastic protection.
Removable 360 degrees belt clip included.
Anodized aircraft-grade aluminum prevents from scratches.
Neoprene inner lining for extra protection and shock absorber.
Easy access to all buttons and features. High tensil strength aluminum.
Cutouts give easy access to all handheld features.
Easy to install.

Questions…?

If you can help Peter please post a reply- “Hi hoping you can help, had the P1i now for a week, can’t find anyway of accessing sms’s etc on the phone via the PC. Also can you manage the phones contacts directly via the PC ? tried syncing with outlook but it really does a poor job and limits you to just name and number information, no picture management etc..Thanks and good work on the site.”

iSkoot

From A.A.S.- “iSkoot, which allows you to make and receive Skype calls and instant messages on your phone, is now available as a native application for all UIQ 3 phones (P1i, P990, M600 and W950). iSkoot works by using a normal phone call to reach a special iSkoot number before passing the call on to Skype over the Internet. By using an ordinary phone call for the first stage iSkoot minimises the amount of processing power required on the phone and means there are no data latency issues. However you do still have to pay for the cost of local call, although in many cases this will comes out of the allowance provided by your contract.”

FolderMirror 1.1

FolderMirror 1.1 is a simple tool to take more of your desk on the road with you- “Away from your desk, out of the office or on the road, FolderMirror allows you to stay connected to any Outlook Calendar or Contacts folder.

Carry additional Outlook Calendar and Contact folders. Wirelessly. Increase your connectivity. Using your current wireless synchronization solution, wirelessly access and stay connected to more of your business and personal information from Outlook while you’re away from your desk with FolderMirror.

Key Features of FolderMirror Include:

Carry and stay connected to multiple Outlook Calendar and Contacts folders, including:

Public folders
Subfolders
SharePoint Contacts and Calendar folders
Business Contact Manager (BCM) Accounts and Business Contacts folders

Works with your current synchronization solution- FolderMirror replicates the desired information in your main Outlook Calendar or Contacts folders and allows your current synchronization solution (cabled or wireless) to transfer that information to your device.

Transparent flow of information - The replicated items will be filtered from your view in Outlook providing a transparent flow of information from any Outlook Calendar or Contacts folder to your mobile device.

Compatible with ALL wireless synchronization solutions.

Compatible with ALL smartphones, PDAs and all other mobile devices including:

All iPhone models
All Windows Mobile devices
All Palm OS devices
All BlackBerry devices
All Symbian devices
All other mobile devices

No server software to install - this product runs on your desktop PC in conjunction with your current wireless solution.”

Sony Ericsson P1i - part 2: software

AAS are continuing their look at the P1i with Sony Ericsson P1i - part 2: software- “The shortcuts are flexible in what they can do; you can assign a shortcut to an application, a common task (e.g. new SMS, Bluetooth toggle, new appointment etc.), a contact, a document, a radio preset, a video, a web page or to a setting. Each of these types has differing set up, adding another layer of flexibility, for example contact shortcuts can specify the type of action (call, SMS, MMS, email). You can also customise the icon used for each of the shortcuts.Although the shortcuts can be used to duplicate the application launcher, this is rather wasteful. I think they are best used for shortcuts to common activities. For example if there is someone you SMS regularly you could use a shortcut to allow one tap access to this rather than the multiple taps that would normally be needed. Alternatively, if have a regularly visited web page (e.g. for a weather forecast) set this up as a shortcut. Since phone usage patterns often revolve around the same regular activities (e.g. sending an SMS as you leave work) these shortcuts can save a lot of time if you take the time to set things up optimally.

One item of particular interest is that one of the default shortcuts on the idle screen is for ‘More applications’. This is a mini application which opens up a web page offering links to third party software and services. Giving this sort of space and prominence to the ability to add third party software to the device is a step that should be applauded. It is exactly this kind of measure which is needed to educate new users about the abilities of smartphones and the potential for extra functions to be added.  The web page is question offers four links: one to free applications - currently a VPN Manager and iSkoot (which offers Skype calling), one to Try and Buy applications – a broad range of some of the best third party software for UIQ 3, one for fun and downloads – free downloads of wallpapers, themes and ringtones, and one for the Sony Ericsson Application Shop (a mobile version of Motricity)…”

fring

Just received this- “We saw your post regarding fring on the P990, which also worked on the P1.

We wanted to let you know that our oh-so-clever and speedy technical guys have now made a version of fring dedicated to the recently released and critically acclaimed Sony Ericsson P1i handset.

Users of the compact and stylish P1 can now enjoy all the benefits and freedoms of fring – including IM and voice communication through Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN and ICQ, microblogging with Twitter and calls through hundreds of SIP providers.

For more information and screenshots check out our blog.”

Up to 50% off P1i software

SymbianGear are offering up to 50% discounts on P1i compatible software (offer page is here). Discounts include 50% off Media Studio, 41% off Handy Tools and 35% off Documents To Go.

AAS P1i Review

AAS has posted part one of their P1i review, great writing as ever- “Although the P1i is the latest in the venerable P series of phones, a family ancestry which stretches back to 2002, it represents something of a departure from its predecessors. Whereas its earlier incarnations all featured optional flips (featuring numeric keypads) and a flip closed software mode which offered a subset of the phone’s software functionality, the P1i presents a form factor more closely related to Sony Ericsson’s M600 communicator. The P1i takes the form factor and styling of the M600 and combines it with the hardware features of the P990i and adds a number of significant improvements of its own.

The obvious result of the form factor change is a significant size reduction, previous P series devices have tended to be on the chunky side. At 106 x 55 x 17 mm the P1i is a comfortable, pocketable size, and compared to the P990 (114 x 57 x 25 mm) is nearly 33% thinner. Managing to squeeze the form to this extent is a considerable achievement and, while the P1i remains relatively heavy at 125g, this is 25g less than the P990i and it retains the pleasing sense of solidity which is sometimes missing in competing devices…”