Brits in rush to plug Iphone games hole

DESPITE BEING described as more like a home entertainment device than a serious business tool, proud owners of Apple Iphone have discovered it ships without any games.

Brit mobile content specialist, Player X, claims it is rushing to fill this gap. According to a source inside the company, games for the Iphone will almost certainly be converted over to Java.

"Cingular (now AT&T) only has a content/games delivery system for Java. They don't use [Qualcomm's] Brew. So I'd guess they'll be looking to OTA (over-the-air) delivery of games using Java.

Player X has just struck a deal with AT&T's arch rival, Verizon Wireless. It will be delivering its family orientated entertainment channel, Zapper TV, as streamed mobile.

The service will only be available to those who own handsets capable of supporting Verizon's V CAST video-on-demand service. Which basically means EV-DO capable handsets.

The content on Zapper TV is a mixture of Brit stiff like Wallace & Gromit and US shows like Miami Vice.

Tony Pearce, Player X's CEO, claimed that Zapper TV has been especially created for the North American market. He said, "We firmly believe content dedicated to the mobile media is what the consumer is looking for in mobile video."

One source claimed the reason why AT&T hasn't moved on Iphone games yet is that it is, "currently in a state of turmoil." He also claimed that the big games houses will be going the Java route "because everyone expects Vodafone to offer the Iphone in Europe."

Once again, Vodafone isn't an operator than favours Brew. The only Brew friendly European operator the INQ knows of is TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile). µ

L'INQ
Player X