Here's a treat for gamers in the UK. Rumor has it that Eidos Interactive just got the rights to the BBC's highly popular EastEnders soap opera. Speculation goes that Eidos is planning to release the game as a casual title for either the DS or mobiles.

First, a game based on the BBC's Little Britan TV sketches, and now this. Visit the Full Article for the rest of the details for this particular rumor.

 

Kicking off the Golden Joystick Awards' (GJA) 25 years of honoring gaming excellence, the organizers have announced the current short list of nominees for Publisher, Innovation, Retailer and UK Developer of the Year categories, not including several Game of the Year awards for mobile, PC, online, PlayStation, Nintendo, Xbox, Ultimate (with the inclusion of Blizzard's World of Warcraft), Handheld and Family types.

Other categories include Girls Choice of the Year, All Nighter Award, The One to Watch, and Soundtrack Award, each displaying their respective set of nominees for public scrutiny and voting. These nominees are survivors of the first round of voting, and this time around they will need your every support to make the Golden Joystick grade.

So head over to the Read link provided below to vote on one game per category (click the big Vote Now button), each set of votes earning you a chance to win some secret prize that the organizers have in store. And if you're up to the (financial) challenge, you can also head over to the Hilton Hotel in London's Park Lane this October and witness this year's winners rise to the occasion.

 

So it seems that Eidos is building one heck of a New Media department. After acquiring Bluefish, it now has struck a deal with Morpheme Wireless Limited.

Morpheme is an award winning (BAFTA and Develop) developer of mobile and casual PC games. In expanding their New Media division, Eidos acquired eight of the staff and the assets of the company based in North London. Simon Protheroe, Eidos' New Media and IT director, had this to say,

We've worked with Morpheme on a number of successful games already, so we know how well we work together. Its great to have Matt (Spall) and his team on board in a deal which fully complements our existing development resources.

Morpheme and Eidos formerly worked together on titles like Hitman and Prism: Light the Way for the mobile (and PC download for Prism). Matt Spall, CEO of Morpheme, was enthusiastic about the acquisition. "This is a really exciting opportunity for both Morpheme and Eidos," says Spall. "It will allow us the opportunity to take our experience, talent and creativity and elevate it to the next level and to a much wider consumer audience."

Eidos is really on a roll now, with the acquisition of Rockpool and Bluefish Media. So is Eidos on a shopping spree? If so, who's next?

Ever wonder what features could a US$ 1 Million laptop have? Well, we already gave you an idea what a US$ 300,000 cellphone looks like, so if you're interested as to what kind of laptop a million bucks could buy, then click the play button on the video below.

Well, we don't know what this laptop from Luvaglio London has for it to cost that much. But we do know that it would come in two colors - a black edition for the rich guys and a pink edition for the gals. And if you're expecting on picking up your own Luvaglio London contraption in any run of the mill Best Buy, then prepare to be disappointed. The million dollar laptop can only be ordered by appointment from Luvaglio London. So... any takers?

Mobile games publisher Ojom is working on resurrecting the terror of the classic zombie scare-fare Land of the Dead right in the comfort of your cell phone.

The setup is simple: You are one of the few remaining humans in a city crawling with the undead. Your mission is to kick as much zombie butt as you can while digging up scraps of food and ammo in the devastated city. In the end, it will all save the human race for some reason.

Be careful, though- the creepies are just as intent on finding a new home for your viscera in their smelly bellies. This game will be a handy steam-blower when you're stuck in traffic or really bored as it provides hours of thrills. The game is now available from all major mobile providers across London and Berlin.

 

All of you millionaires-in-training out there, here's a good news: Hands-on Mobile's Monopoly Tycoon 2007 has already been launched in London. There are now more opportunities to bankrupt Ollie, Gertrude, and Arthur as this sequel to Monopoly Tycoon boasts of new features: you can now employ managers to help run day-to-day properties, the graphics are more realistic, you can take control of other new businesses, and there is also an added community chest and chance cards, like in the real board game.

While we have never played Monopoly on a board game (way beyond our time!) we have always had Monopoly Tycoon on our cellphones. Others give the game a rating of "fair", and we think it plays pretty decently; a handy time-killer on a long commute or in the waiting room.

The new version, says PocketGamer.co.uk, plays more like Sim City on a smaller scale. In this turn-based business strategy game, you can specify how many floors to include in a department store, conduct surveys to determine the demand for a particular service, or adjust prices. It also has a built-in online multi-player option.

Pocket Gamer recommends that if you've already played the original, the upgrade is just similar. Still, it'll be a good management game to first-time players, casual or otherwise. It will also be interesting to see what you will think of it.

 Darn, just when the Danish scientist screened 420,000 people to conclude that cellphones do not fry your brain cells or cause cancer, one European study found a slight association between the risk of brain tumors and using a mobile phone for more than 10 years.

Professor Lawrie Challis, a world expert on mobile phone radiation, feels that cellular phones could turn out to be the cigarettes of the 21st century. He is currently on the final stages of negotiation with the mobile phone industry and the Department of Health in London to go ahead with a £ 3million (almost US$ 6million) study. This time around, the effects are expected to be observable after the 10-year mythical limit and could grow dramatically.

After many other studies into the cellphone-cancer issue, many have simply turned up negatively concluded or "probable". And because there still remains that "probability", there will always be a chance another follow up study would re-investigate into the myth.

And what a puzzle this myth is, eh? We wonder if DCA works on brain cells...

Telcogames, one of the leading publishers, developers, and distributors of mobile games, has just appointed Sega mobile's former frontman Darren Newnham to be Telcogames' new Head of Licensing. This is part of the company's drive for global expansion.

He will be in charge of all the international licensing aspects and in pushing Telcogames's original IPs (intellectual properties and original franchises) to expand to non-mobile platforms as well. Newman was formerly a key person in keeping Sega's European Mobile division active in the mobile market.

Jamie Conyngham, Telcogames CEO, says,

Darren's experience and background in the industry will compliment our already highly skilled team, said Jamie Conyngham, CEO, Telcogames, and will also support our strategy of diversifying our existing IP towards other platforms outside of Mobile.

Darren's new office will be in Telcogames' corporate headquarters at Euston Fitzrovia, 510, 5th Floor, 85 Tottenham court Road, London, W1T 4TQ. Y'know, just in case any of you guys have to contact him for your mobile concerns. Hehe. We'll keep you posted for more.

Having Google on your mobile sure could be one of the sweetest things ever to happen to it. And why not? After all, it most likely becomes your golden ticket to unlimited internet-surfing fun!

Well, how would you like it if Google itself comes up with their own cellphone model? Good idea, huh? Actually, we wouldn't just say it's good. We'd say it's great! Although for now, nothing's still confirmed.

What goes on in the grapevine is basically that Google might be working with HTC and mobile/telecom giant Orange to come up with a Google Phone. The Observer of London reports that the head honchos of Orange flew to Silicon Valley, California for a meeting at the 'Googleplex for the preliminary discussions regarding a joint deal.

Here's an excerpt from the column:

Their plans centre on a branded Google phone, which could probably also carry Orange's log. The device would not be revolutionary: manufactured by HTC, a Taiwanese firm specialising in smart phones and PDAs, it might have a screen similar to a video iPod. But it would have built-in Google software which would dramatically improve on the slow and cumbersome experience of surfing the web from a mobile handset.

If this turns out to be true, this sure would prove to be an interesting breakthrough in the telecommunications industry. For now, the buzz is that it should be on sale by 2008. However, neither Orange or Google appears to be ready to comment on the rumor. So we guess you'll just have to keep it posted here for more updates, eh?

Move over, Lassie! Hollywood is soon to meet its newest canine superstar, Ben the Dog.

Ben stars in 60-second movies from the "Dog & Bone" series, the first episode of which will be pre-installed on the new BenQ-Siemens M81.

"Dog & Bone" is the world's first movie series for mobile phones. Tailored to a viewer's requirements on a small screen, the movies are in 3GP format. The storyline is kept cute and simply entertaining, with Ben the Dog setting out on adventures across London, carrying his master, Mr. Q's, mobile phone. Dialogue is kept to a minimum, and swift camera movements and panorama shots are avoided.

The "Dog & Bone" series format will be exclusively produced for mobile phones. Its first five episodes are directed and authored by Andreas Hafele, one of the up-and-coming directors nominated for the 2004 MicroMovie Awards.

The BenQ-Siemens M81 is set to come out this month. Click here to view the "Dog & Bone" movies.