Motorola's Sidekick Slide smartphone (otherwise known as the Motorola Zante) boggled the techies when it got pulled out of T-Mobile's product line. T-Mobile's official statement explains that some of the devices were confirmed to have faulty slide functions, making the phone to suddenly switch off every time the sliding panel were opened or closed.

The "not-so-fortunate" folks who are experiencing these glitches get their Slide replaced by a blue Sidekick LX with free shipping! Wohoo!

Two new games are lined up from the Singapore-based dev team who worked on the Phoenix Wright ports to the mobile platform. Mikoishi will be showing off their new titles at the Games Convention Asia on September 6 to 8 of this year. Sorry. No. Not Phoenix Wright games. But they definitely look promising enough to hold their own ground despite the courtroom big shot eating up the market.

SteamIron. This title will be spanning across various platforms; its epic journey will start on 3G mobile phones later this year, with other installments on the Nintendo DS and PC platforms to follow. It's a sci-fi fantasy game that is set far into the future in an alternate timeline where electronic revolution never happened. Think futuristic technology (space ships and satellite radars included), but all of which are designed in a retro fashion. The game isn't called SteamIron for nothing. It probably hints on something very much like a steampunk world.

DropCast. Mikoishi's DropCast will follow the life of Ingrid and her living, breathing plush dolls. While a series of casual games are planned across different platforms, the first installment will drop in as an action-puzzler on the Nintendo DS early next year.

Specific details about gameplay for both titles are close to none, however, if there's one thing to keep an eye on, it's that upcoming game convention in Singapore where Mikoishi will finally reveal their games. And with that, watch this space!

A supposed PSP Phone from Sony Ericsson is nothing new. It's long been talked about, debated upon, and debunked even. Regardless of whether or not Sony Ericsson really would give the raging community what it wants, it definitely won't stop certain graphic artists to release their own design concept in the hopes of spurring the phone manufacturing arm of Sony.

QJ reader PWW sent us a tip of yet another PSP Phone concept which surfaced on the Internet. Right off the bat, it looks pretty sweet - it's clean, shiny, and finished with a black matte casing. There does seem to be a lack of buttons, both for mobile functions and gaming - unless of course the artist designed this to be a mobile phone with touchscreen capabilities.

Will this get the attention of Sony Ericsson? What's your take on it? Personally, what I would want to see is a PSP iPhone. Now that's breaking barriers. But then again, Apple's trying to establish their own army in the gaming industry. So who's to say that they Sony Ericsson and Apple could make ends meet?

Popping into the press wire is none other than PopCap Games, announcing that they've geared up their Flash game repertoire by adding an iPhone-friendly version of their classic puzzler, Bejeweled.

Via their website, you can access the custom version of Bejeweled, which is now tailored to by playable in the iPhone's Safari browser. And it's for free, too - that's enough for us to keep our eyes glued to the grid and match the gems three or more in a row. (Maybe say bye-bye to our social life in the process, too.)

With this release of the popular game, PopCap's director of the Mobile Platforms division, Andrew Stein, concludes with:

We're excited to be providing the most popular puzzle game of the 21st century to users of the most advanced mobile device yet created. We wanted to give the hundreds of thousands of iPhone users a fun, fast gaming fix -- and at no cost, no less.

Visit the Read link below to access the iPhone-friendly Bejeweled.

Seems like a lot of people are having quite a riot over this rather ingenious anti-theft accessory. And we at QJ also think that humorous posts make for good leisurely reading in the weekend, especially after a torrential luge of E3 news. But moving on...

The Anti-Social has released an accessory that could prevent your precious iPod from getting stolen. And what better way to deter thieves than by showing them that all you've got... is a Zune. Hence, the Hide-a-Pod was born. It acts as a case to store your iPod, the case here being a mock-Zune skin.

We've linked the product page below via our Read link, and through there, you can check out the many features that the Hide-a-Pod has. There's an FAQ section as well, explaining other details regarding compatibility, custom colors, and whatnot. For example: "Can I choose my Zune color? Sorry, no. We only use brown Zunes for the maximum anti-theft protection." They've even extended the accessory to have an iPhone counterpart. You wouldn't want it to be stolen now, would you?

Now here's the catch. People should learn to read the fine print too, y'know. At the bottom of the website is a little caveat:

iPod and iPhone are trademarks of Apple and Zune is a trademark of Microsoft. We are are not associated with them in any way. This is all just a big gag and you couldn't order a Hide-a-Pod if you wanted to. So there.

Aaaw. It was fun while it lasted. If you check out the page, it's riddled with a lot of humor as well. A dash of wit, a pinch of LOL, and a healthy dose of Easter Egg giggles. But for those who aren't Apple fanboys, look on the bright side. "Imitation is the best form of flattery." Or maybe it's just... Oh. Snap.

Click the Read link to check out the Hide-a-Pod website.

 

To make buying an iPhone easier for the market, the Apple Store online has been updated with a product page of their latest world-dominating baby, the iPhone. It was released in retail just a few hours ago over at the east coast, and at that time, the online store went down for a bit to make way for the iPhone's online debut.

It's US$ 499 for the 4GB model, while the 8GB is clocked at 600 greenbacks. All relevant information relating to the mobile phone's features and AT&T rate plans are found behind the Read link below. You might also want to check out the Accessories tag of their product page - that's a snazzy looking Bluetooth headset. The Gallery section contains not just pictures, but even video walkthroughs that tour you through the iPhone's interface.

Shipping is free, but the downside is you'd have to wait around two to four weeks for it to arrive. Oh and don't forget to read the fine print: "iPhone orders limited to two per customer." Makes sense to echo the rule they've set up in their actual brick-and-mortar stores. Besides, stocks are limited.

Doesn't that Read link just tease you? Must... Resist... Urge..

 

For the zombie fans out there, you'll be glad to hear about Capcom's latest entry into the Resident Evil franchise on the mobile platform. Already out in Japan is Biohazard: Operations. It's actually a sequel of the previous installment Biohazard: The Missions, where gameplay mechanics remain somewhat the same, but of course, with graphical spruce ups.

Your goal is to take Chris or Jill through a series of rooms (numbering more than a hundred) without having to spend over a minute in each. Of course, going from room to room won't be that easy. You can't have a Resident Evil game without the zombies. Your performance in each "operation" will be ranked, and the higher your score is, the better your chances of winning some high-powered weapons.

Now, considering that Resident Evil: The Missions was released in North America a few months after Japan's version, we can expect RE: Operations to roll out soon enough. Here are more screens for the mobile game:

   

While the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are getting to roll around in Katamari fun with Namco Bandai's next installment in the franchise, Beautiful Katamari, who'd've thunk that the developers would expand and finally confirm a title on the mobile platform? Yes, it's been confirmed that Bandai Networks will be rolling out Katamari Damacy Mobile come June in Japan for 904i phones (iMode series).

The game will come pre-bundled with the phones, but owners of other kinds of phones can still download it through the Namco Games portal. It's yet to be confirmed if (and when, if ever) the mobile game gets a Western release.

The cosmic catch for the mobile version is that it will be using a tilt-sensing software called GestureTek EyeMobile as a method of control. SIXAXIS, anyone? And you thought that the PS3 version will be the only one to have it? If you can grab hold of a Japanese iMode, you can practice your tilt-rolling as early as June.

The GestureTek EyeMobile technology uses the phone's built-in camera to detect tilt and vibration (as to how a camera can detect vibration... let's just assume the Japanese have gone that far in their gadgets). Those who don't want to tilt their phone around to control a katamari space-ball, there' still an option to use traditional controls (of course, the dual analog sticks of the PS2 won't be there, so we can't quite figure out the definition of "traditional controls").

All this talk of a tilt-sensing Katamari (on the mobile platform, no less), has got us thinking... Maybe Namco Bandai's ready to post over a Katamari game for the Wii? While you're trying to ponder on that question, check out the screens for Katamari Damacy Mobile:

  

More rumors about the release of iPhone has found its way around the internet again. Freshly fueled by a report from the China Economic News Service, T3 has speculated that the iPhone could possibly get an earlier-than-when-everyone-expected release. This is due to the fact that Apple has already asked for parts for the iPhone, which will begin its mass manufacturing next month.

This little detail has led T3 to assume that Apple's probably gotten the green-light from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). With a go-signal for manufacturing, this could also possibly mean that a few "gaps in development" have now been filled in, and that the software for the mobile phone has been finished. Sound logic, T3; personally, I'd like to hope as much for an early release too.

As far as anything official goes, there's no word yet, so we'll keep you guys updated for sure.

While the Nintendo Wii and DS version for Line Rider has already been announced, it seems that the project's product line has stretched that much further: Line Rider is set to slide onto mobile phones as well. The PC internet meme game has surely become a phenomenal hit and it's, according to Chris L's words, "right up there with JezzBall and Internet pictures of Natalie Portman." Right-o, Chris.

Anyways, anyone who's familiar with Line Rider knows that one of the biggest features (and here's when the whole "meme" factor kicks in) is that you can share your very own Line tracks to other users. Both Nintendo versions have confirmed support for this feature, and now, with a mobile version (also with "track-sharing" support) set to be released, exchanging Line tracks with your friends becomes that much "on the fly."

Create tracks on your mobile phone, share them online, transfer them to the Wii, put them on your DS... this meme from Bostjan Cadez proves to be one unending ride. In-Fusio is picking up the publishing rights on mobile, and CEO Frank Keeling says:

Line Rider is a perfect application for mobile. It's fun, simple, addictive, and viral. We look forward to expanding the robust Line Rider community to mobile phones throughout the world.

While the game has strong a "pick-up-and-play" factor, adding the mobile platform to its version line-up will definitely stretch its influence.