Phonica Lite Issue 24 by PhonicaMagUK

The mobile phone and video gaming magazine www.phonicamagazine.co.uk

Issue 24

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ODE TO STEVE JOBS I’ve have always been a diehard PC fan. It was my comfort zone, and for many others I am sure. Coupled with Microso there was no way I would shi to anything else…pre y much the same way I felt about my tradi on of Nokia phone ownership. Enter Steve Jobs and what truly became the start of the Apple era. Now Jobs was no newbie to the Apple camp. A er all he did co found the company. His me away did something not only for the mastermind but for Apple as well. To us it showed he had the ‘Midas Touch’ in crea vity and innova on. To Apple it proved without him they will amass to nothing. Steve Jobs did for Apple what Mar n Cooper did for Motorola…unleash mass genius, a en on to detail and a passion to reinvent from the inside out to create ground breaking advances in technology. Under his Modern Caesarean rule the world watched as Jobs breathed life back into Apple. Not every product launched was a massive success. But at its core is the founda on many companies are now trying to replicate or adopt…a balance between business governance, crea vity and innova on, the employee and the needs & feedback of the consumer. My PC s ll plays an important part in the day to day opera ons; but now so does my iPhone, iPad and soon to be MacBook Pro. Join us as we take a moment or two to acknowledge and salute Steve Jobs….and congratulate Tim Cook. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish Enjoy reading, Your Editor in Chief

Kevin Leonce

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iMAC G3 THE MAGIC OF THE FLAVORED ORB When I was a ending school during the mid-1990s, the computer was s ll a rare commodity. Unlike today when the PC is abundant as head lice and truancy, in my youth, the sight of the “school’s computer” was entrancing. It was a fresh way to learn, and more importantly, it was a new way of ge ng into mischief. Copy-pas ng vast extracts of Encarta 95 was a me saving method of subs tu ng homework, and typing “fat ts” into the library’s search engine then running away in a fit of giggles, ensured lunch mes passed with a chuckle. But, although computers were technologically exci ng, as blocks of cubular gray plas c, they were just plain ugly. Fast-forward to the late 90s - past the puberty, sudden weight gain and the revela on of inadequacy - and I’m at college, studying Art & Design. At this point, the computer in the educa on sector was rela vely common place, but s ll, pre-millennium’s PC was the cubic elephant in the room - a block of dreary nothingness. Enter a design studio and you’d be greeted with rays of bright watercolour, heaving cabinets of luxurious materials, waves of fresh enthusiasm: an environment designed to s mulate crea vity. But there, stacked awkwardly in the corner like a tax officer at Mardi Gras, was the PC - its greyness and lack of any conceivable flair, sucking the energy from the room. PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

THE iPHONE

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It may shock some of the regular readers to learn this, but I haven’t always been a fan of Apple. I’m not afraid to admit that up to around 2008, I was ignorant to Apple, thinking that they were just high-speciﬁca on, expensive pieces of kit only useful for music, photo or video edi ng.

enjoyable to use. The interface is all but perfect, user-friendliness is at a premium, and the updates, although irregular, are so important, the main updates at least, that every one that comes through means that the iPhone feels like a newer, be er model.

However, that all changed when, in August 2008, I decided to take an iPhone 3G as my upgrade for my Sony Ericsson K850i. Since then, I’m not afraid to say that I have become an Apple convert, having bought 3 diﬀerent iPhone models, as well as an iPod and a Mac Mini. Apple has quickly become an obsession for me, so much so that using a Windows-based computer, or any non-iOS mobile phone, feels strange and alien to me.

“I THINK THE MAIN REASON THAT THE IPHONE CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME WAS THAT IT WAS SUCH A REVOLUTIONARY PHONE.”

I think the main reason that the iPhone changed everything for me was that it was such a revolu onary phone. On its release in the summer of 2007, mobile phones were stuck in a rut where the market leader was the Nokia N95 which, although a very good phone, was ul mately ﬂawed by poor manufacturing and being slightly ahead of its me. S ll, Nokia have arguably not made as good a phone since, including two failed successors, and in that me Apple have been growing from strength to strength. Touch-screen phones that were available in 2007 were limited to mainly PDA’s, with an excep on being the LG Prada KE850, a phone which was more concerned with being a fashion accessory than a func oning handset, and as a result didn’t rank well in the minds of consumers. That’s not to say that the iPhone 2G was ﬂawless; it has its shortcomings, but it was so revolu onary that I am not surprised when, even now, I some mes see people using an iPhone 2G, but more o en they’re the 3G and 3GS handsets, which are over three and two years old respec vely. Also, the impact that the iPhone has had on other manufacturers is stunning, in a word. I regularly see a handset made by another manufacturer that is not all too dissimilar to the iPhone, whether that is in appearance or, more o en, in opera ng system. And that, in my opinion, is the main selling point of the iPhone, and is the reason that I ul mately won’t go back to another phone un l I have to: iOS is so

The iPhone has changed my life, there’s no doubt about that. Before the iPhone, I was using standard mobile phones, ones that might do the internet, but it wasn’t a service I regularly used, and social networking integra on was unheard of, handsets like the Nokia 6300, or the closest thing that I had to a smartphone, the Nokia N80, which, although a good handset, was years ahead of its me in terms of the features that it had on it in comparison with what the market actually needed. Now, the iPhone means that I am always on my phone, always on the internet, whether I like it or not. I can now check websites three or four mes a day, emails come straight to my phone instead of having to wait un l I get to a computer to read them, and social networking has become an hourly obsession. Music is now a daily occurrence thanks to the in-built iPod, and travelling has become enjoyable, unless I forget my headphones, in which case going to anywhere further than the kitchen becomes a chore. All in all, the iPhone has had a massive impact on me. I’m now very technologically adept, whereas before I had nothing more than a working knowledge, and I am now a self-confessed Apple-phile, I recently had to be without my iPhone for just over four weeks, and they were without a doubt the most diﬃcult four weeks of my life, technologically. To Steve Jobs and Apple, thanks. You’ve changed my life!

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Ma Foley

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SAMSUNG ACE THE ACE STANDS UP TO HEAVY SCRUTINY When I ﬁrst heard that Samsung were releasing a phone called the Ace, I, along with quite a few other people (I imagine), groaned at the awful pun, thinking that Samsung had bi en oﬀ more than they could chew with a name sugges ng supremacy and a phone that was bound to be mid-range at best. Thankfully, I was wrong.

as I’d expect, and full customisa on, with the Ace being no diﬀerent. Samsung have opted for side-to-side scrolling, as opposed to ver cal, and this is a choice that I applaud, given that ver cal scrolling on an Android handset looks ques onable at best. Musically, the Ace is impressive, oﬀering a high quality playback and a very good loudspeaker, as well as YouTube integra on, and the video playback is slightly be er than average.

Now whilst the Ace isn’t as fast as the iPhone, nor is the camera as impressive as the Incredible S, or the internet as good as the Galaxy S II, this is all ﬁne because this isn’t the market that Samsung are aiming for with this phone, and to compare it to these market leaders would be unfair. For the purposes of this review, its main compe on is the LG Op mus One and the previously-reviewed Samsung Galaxy Mini which, all being said, are both inferior to the Ace.

Given the mid-range price of the handset, the Ace’s camera is very impressive, packing 5 megapixels, as well as an LED ﬂash and face and smile detec on, and the video capabili es are standard. Android’s impressive web browser is obviously found on the Ace, and the sparse interface that I’ve spoken of before is s ll there, with very li le actually on-screen when you’re using the browser, and most func ons found with a quick tap of the all-too-familiar Android Menu bu on, which is found at the bo om of the screen, albeit a virtual bu on, as well as another virtual bu on performing the Back func on, and the physical Home bu on. The only thing that the browser lacks is Flash support.

First of all, the Ace is a very fast phone. The 800 Megahertz (MHz) processor means that applica ons run as smooth as can be, and the phone can easily handle many applica ons side-by-side, with very li le slow-down experienced. Email accounts and phone func ons are as excellent as expected from an Android handset, and the quick contacts feature, oﬀering quick and easy access to various diﬀerent func ons on a contact, is an impressive inclusion, though we’ve seen it before.

“ANDROID MARKET IS A FANTASTIC INCLUSION TO ANY HANDSET, AND THE ACE IS NO DIFFERENT.” This handset came with Froyo pre-installed, with an update available, and regular readers will know that I am fond of Android, and Froyo in par cular, as I ﬁnd it very easy to use, the interface to be as user-friendly

Android Market is a fantas c inclusion to any handset, and the Ace is no diﬀerent, with its minimalist appearance pleasing on the eye and easy to use, and a vast number of applica ons available, both paid and free, from games to organisers, QR readers to news aggregators, there is without a doubt an applica on available for most of your Android needs. In conclusion, I really like the Ace, I think it’s a very good handset for the price, and has a very good camera, browser and music player. While its failings include an average video player, a limited storage capacity and no Flash support for the internet this is a very good handset for the price. And if you’re looking for a ‘droid that cks most of the boxes of the higher-speciﬁca on phones, but doesn’t match the price range, then I’d suggest the Ace hands-down. Ma Foley

RATING: 82%

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EDITOR’S CHOICE AWARD

DARK SOULS PUBLISHER: NAMCO BANDAI GAMES DEVELOPER: FROM SOFTWARE FORMAT: PS3, XBOX 360 GENRE: ADVENTURE RPG

PLEASURE OR PAIN? AGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Excuse me, I was just le ng out some pent-up rage, through the form of a down on my knees, fists to the sky scream. You see, I’ve been playing Dark Soul’s for the past few hours, and in that me, I’ve died, on average, once every 7 minutes. In the current climate of jocular, peasy, guide you by the hand gaming, Dark Souls is something of a twisted oddity. This is hardcore gaming in the most gut wrenching sense, where failure is more abundant than success. But, is that really a good thing? Dark Souls has been universally praised for being a properly fierce experience, but does unbeatable difficulty really quan fy praise? Dark Souls takes place in an open world of dank sewers, crumbling castles, depraved dungeons and flaming underground caverns. This is a realm of fantasy that has been violently dunked in paint

stripper, and held under un l its limbs go limp. There’s no gloss, no warm fuzzy glow, just horizon a er grim horizon of dilapidated, weary, depressed landscape. Even the plot has been striped to its naked bones, with you the player le to make it up as you go along, following the occasional pointer as you undertake your epic adventure into the unknown.

“IT’S DEATH AT EVERY CORNER, KICK IN THE BALLS GAMING.” How you tackle Dark Souls, at least from a start point, is up to you. At the start of the game, you can build your character from one of 10 diﬀerent classes, such as a Warrior, Bandit, Cleric of Hunter, and then add a few extra abili es and characteris cs. Once you’re happy with your crea on, you’re unceremoniously dropped into a prison cell surrounded by the undead, and le to fend for yourself. As you work your way through the opening sec on there is the occasional

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hint inscribed onto the ﬂoor, but mostly you’re on your tod. The game drops you oﬀ, tells you where to go, and, survival permi ng, will pick you up in around 60 hours. Ta ta! Freaks will kill you, falls will break your legs, bosses will trample you, arrows will pierce your skull and inescapable boulders will pancake you without any conceivable warning...umpteen mes. Yep, this is a rough sum-up of Dark Souls opening 30mins. It’s death at every corner, kick in the balls gaming, with even the most basic of enemies seeing you as easy meat, giving you a right good kicking before you’ve had me to blink. And if you think this is bad, wait un l a few proper bosses start showing up...and you’ve been defeated...over 100 mes. It’s not easy, not forgiving and to be honest, it’s not nice when all you want to do is get this opening level out of the way and crack on.. But eventually, through experience, you do toughen up, and start to understand that Dark Souls doesn’t want to help you; it wants to hurt you in the most sadis c and unfair ways you care to imagine. PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

Even taking a break is cruel. To save your progress you have to visit bonfires. When si ng in the safety haven of their warmth, you can heal, spend your collected souls (of which you’ve earned every crumb) on upgrades, new weapons and po ons, and in general just take a few moments to gather yourself before the next dal wave of death comes your way once more. But, when you heal, so do your enemies. It’s quite a shock when you scrape past a horde of nas es, congratulate yourself, only to find they’ve re-spawned. This issue raises a rather complex tac cal conundrum: do you heal at every opportunity, or take a risk and fight on? Do you keep figh ng the same baddies to boost your currency, or make a run for it? Do you keep torturing yourself, or just give up in despair?

“DARK SOULS IS A FIERCE, UNCOMPROMISING, BRUTAL, UNFLINCHING AND UTTERLY EVIL PIECE OF VIDEOGAMING.” Luckily, to help answer this ques ons (and keep suicide at bay), there’s a whole network of fellow players who bear the scares of experience and are willing to share them. Via Dark Souls’ online modes, you can live your adventure with other gamers, both seeking and giving advice when needed. Just like the hints that appear during the early stages of the game, you too can leave messages for any player that happens to wander helplessly along the same path - “watch your back”, “danger around the next turn” or “OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THIS IS HOPELESS!!”. You can also watch the moments before a player’s death to learn from their mistakes, and if you’re really heroic, come to their aid and fight by their side. This sense of camaraderie, that we’ve all in it together, almost brings a tear to the eye, and as there is no speak op on, your silent companions remain both close and distant. You can choose to kill your fellow adventurers and steal their hard-fought souls, but these despicable people are condemned by the community. Dark Souls is hard enough without infigh ng. Dark Souls is a fierce, uncompromising, brutal, unflinching and u erly evil piece of videogaming. It’s a game that you don’t so much as play, but survive through despera on and gri ed teeth. I

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would say that if you only play games for enjoyment, don’t play Dark Souls, but then that would be a massive contradic on – who plays games if not for enjoyment? And that leads onto the ﬁnal point: should Dark Souls be praised, simply for being hard?

“DARK SOULS IS A MAGNIFICENT TITLE, AND IF YOU CAN SUFFER IT, YOU’LL LOVE IT.” Of course, there’s more to Dark Souls than just an obscene difficulty level. It’s a magnificent game, that provides moments of genuine magic and pleasure. This is RPG gaming at it’s very very best, and even if you spend the vast propor on of it’s wondrous journey smashing your face against a wall of bloodied brick in despair, Dark Souls is s ll an excep onal tle. But, it’s staggeringly cut-throat. It’s a slog of a game, a test of pa ence and will, and for even the most endurance minded of gamers, it’ll be too much to stand. So how can this be praised? How can a game that is so punishing and frankly infuria ng be commended? It’s a stance that personally I find hard to accept, and although Dark Souls is a rewarding tle, it’s tough to say that it’s worth the effort. Some will strongly disagree, and say that this is a proper hardcore videogame that a so wristed industry badly needs, but can they counter that the hours they spent in death, the days they spent ba ling fruitlessly, the sadis c torture Dark Souls provides, was actually pleasurable? Dark Souls is Marmite – actually, it’s Marmite with broken glass and rat dropping in it. Some will love the sa sfac on of bea ng it brings, other will find it too hard to take. But, regardless, behind the savagery, Dark Souls is a magnificent tle, and if you can suffer it, you’ll love it....now, if you’ll excuse me... AGGGGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Sco Tierney

PRESENTATION: 18/20 STORY: 17/20 CONTROLS: 17/20 GAMEPLAY: 18/20 DURABILITY: 20/20

OVERALL

90/100 PHONICA MAGAZINE UK

PHONICA MAGAZINE UK