London Startup what3words is a Strange Location Service

Natasha Lomas over at TechCrunch:

London-based U.K. startup what3words has set itself the ambitious task of reinventing postcodes/ZIP codes. Instead of a tricky-to-remember string of letters and/or numbers, it’s created three-word sequences that can be more easily memorised and shared. Or that’s the thinking. It launched its three-word location pinpointing service last week, assigning trios of words to the 57 trillion or so 3 meter x 3 meter squares around the globe. The system apparently pinpoints locations to the nearest 2 million, making it more location-specific than a postcode in some more expansive postcode areas. what3words also argues that its system has the benefit of being universal, whereas postcode/ZIP code conventions vary by nation.

A search for "Seattle, WA" in what3words returns the words "crowd.next.stops" for a location in Seattle's downtown area.  That search result isn't something that is inherently meaningful or actionable by a user. I suppose a user could fire up their browser, navigate to what3words, and enter the three words to find that particular location, but why would a user want to do that? It would be much simpler and quicker to use the mapping and sharing tools already available on the user's phone.

Seriously. Fire up your phone's mapping app, drop a pin or enter an address, then use the nifty 'share' button to share that precise location with your friends and family. Easy as pie. The folks at what3words have created a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. In fact, their proposed 'solution' is a bit convoluted compared to what is already supported in every smartphone out there.

Why would they do this? This is why:

Bingo.

It comes down to money. This company wants to make itself into the 'go-to' location services platform, all the while charging users and business for something that is inferior in almost every way to existing technology and standards.

Folks, I have three words that could be used to describe this startup: Whiskey.Tango.Foxtrot. 

Third Party Developers Aren't Happy with the Nintendo WiiU

Chris Morris, in a post at GamesIndustry International:

Yves Guillemot, Chairman and CEO of Ubisoft, is typically one of the biggest proponents of new systems, but betting big on the Wii U didn't work out well for the company. ZombiU, one of the most popular launch titles for the system with players, was not profitable, he says. Not even close. As such, he says, there are no plans (or even desire) for a sequel.

Ouch. 

As I've written about previously, the Nintendo WiiU isn't selling particularly well. It seems as though the poor console sales numbers have translated into poor sales numbers for games. In the article, Morris notes that EA does not currently have any games in development for the WiiU. When one of the largest videogame dev shops in the world doesn't have games in development for your platform, you're in a tough spot.

Folks, everyone is going to want to play Nintendo's first party software (e.g. Mario, Zelda, Metroid). That's a virtual certainty. Unfortunately, it's unclear if gamers and third party developers will stick around for the long haul.

Amazon Has Caused a Shift in How Books are Priced

David Streitfeld, writing for The New York Times:

One consequence of this shift is that soon no one will know what a book’s “real” price is. Price will be determined by demand and perhaps by whim. The first seeds of this can be seen in the Justice Department’s suit against the leading publishers, who felt that Amazon was pricing their e-books so low that it threatened their viability. The government accused the publishers of colluding to raise prices in an anti-consumer move. Amazon was not a party to the case, but it emerged the big winner.

There seem to be two different topics mixed together here, yet are presented as being the same topic. The first topic is the notion of a 'real price'. Folks, the market price for a product is whatever price the buyer and seller are willing to agree upon. If the market is willing to pay a higher price, then the price will rise. If the market is not willing to pay a higher price, then the price will stay the same or will fall. There is no reason to believe that books should operate under a different set of rules than other products in the market.

The other topic revolves around Amazon's role in the market and whether they might be hurting the viability of book publishing with their pricing tactics. As a whole, readers should be concerned about the health of the market for books. While Amazon provides a way to acquire books cheaply, there is a danger in letting cheap prices take the focus away from good content. The best way for consumers to make sure that they continue to get good content is to continue to buy (and read!) books that they enjoy, even if the price isn't the absolute lowest possible price. As well, a good way to ensure that one market player (e.g. Amazon) or one industry group (e.g. the publishers) don't have a disproportionate amount of sway in what gets sold and how much it is sold for is to support authors when they self-publish or offer a book through their own website. 

Folks, vote with your wallets. 

Nintendo Needs to Do a Better Job Justifying Region-Locking Its Games

Richard George, over at IGN, describing a conversation with Nintendo President Satoru Iwata:

"From some people’s perspective, it might seem like a kind of restriction. However, we hope people can appreciate the fact that we’re selling our products worldwide," Iwata told me, acknowledging that Nintendo has "historically" worked with region-locked systems. "There are many different regions around the world, and each region has its own cultural acceptance and legal restrictions, as well as different age ratings. There are always things that we’re required to do in each different region, which may go counter to the idea that players around the world want the freedom to play whatever they want. "

Nintendo, quite frankly, is dancing around the issue here. Rather than admitting that it region-locks its games as an effort in market segmentation, they are trying to hide behind vaguely described 'cultural' and 'legal' reasons. Folks, that is rubbish. Sony and Microsoft seem to have found a way around requiring region-locking, as have the makers of PC games. As noted in the IGN article, the original Nintendo DS and DS Lite did not have region-locking.

Region-locking is a valid tool for generating higher profits by segmenting the market for a product. In the case of videogames, this has allowed Nintendo to keep the USA, Japan, and Europe markets (among others) separate from each other. Games from one region do not work on consoles from another region, which allows Nintendo to price games differently depending on the market. If one market is more price conscious than another, then Nintendo can safely price a game lower in that market without worrying too much about that lower price hurting its profit margins in other markets.

Market segmentation, and by extension, region-locking, is a valid business move that is not in any way sleazy or unethical. Videogame console buyers are not necessarily entitled to playing videogames available in other regions. This can, of course, be frustrating if you happen to want games that are not available in your region.  However, the best path to change this situation isn't to sit back and complain but instead to spend your money on platforms that don't have region-locking restrictions. This is the best way to make a business understand that you, the consumer, truly care about freedom of choice.

Folks, I can't emphasize this enough--vote with your wallets. 

'Home' is a Good Horror Game for iOS

'Home' is one of those games that sneaks up on you, no pun intended. At first glance, it doesn't seem like much but as you progress through the game you find that there is so much more to be found. Without going too far into spoiler territory, the story revolves around a character who wakes up with a damaged leg and then has to unravel a mystery surrounding his amnesia.

Source: iTunes App Store

This is a game that follows the traditional 'point-and-click' adventure style. The graphics have a retro feel to them, and the use of the flashlight provides an appropriately creepy feeling. Likewise, the audio effects are excellent in the way they emphasize the tension being felt by the character (and by extension, the player). 

Tension and anticipation are the main draw of this game. Transitions between different rooms use a door animation that is reminiscent of the transitions between rooms in Resident Evil. You never know what to expect next around every corner or every item you pick up (or don't pick up), and the choices you make throughout the game impact the ending of the game.

Folks, give this one a try. I recommend playing late at night in a dark, quiet room. The experience is so much better that way.

'Zombiegal Kawaii' is an Odd Yet Fun Game for iOS

Zombiegal Kawaii is a side-scrolling game for iOS (iPhone/iPad) that pits players against hordes of zombies that have taken over your hometown. There are other games that follow this same basic plot, but where Zombiegal Kawaii separates itself from the pack is through its unique character design and character audio.

The main character is a gun-toting schoolgirl that is drawn chibi style. As the player plays the game, the girl will make some sort of context sensitive utterance (in a stereotypically syrupy sweet voice). If you pick up ammo, she will say 'yokatta wa (good)' . Picking up a health kit will elicit a 'daijoubu (I'm ok/not hurt)' . If you go on a bit of a rampage and get multiple kills in a row, she will exclaim 'shinde! shinde! (die! die!)'.  These character quips, coupled with the fact that you are fighting chibi-zombie girls, make for fun and fast-paced gameplay.

Shooting Zombies

Zombiegal Kawaii is $0.99 in the App Store, but plays like a freemium game. I've previously written about how certain games have really missed the mark and others have done really well with integrating freemium aspects into the gameplay, and this game leans towards the latter. There is a 'energy meter' that limits how many levels you can play in any one sitting. This energy meter, of course, is intended to encourage you to pay for an in-app purchase that gives you more energy (and thus more play time). This game is best played in relatively short bursts, so this energy meter never really bothered me much (though I can see how it might bother folks who want to play more).

As you progress through the game, your character gains experience and picks up money from fallen zombies. These can be spent in the 'store' screen where you can buy new guns or other kinds of weapons such as a baseball bat or katana. You can also purchase 'attribute enhancements' that impact character stats such as speed, accuracy, or counter-moves.

Additionally, you can purchase outfits for your character. This brings up what is perhaps the biggest downside to the game--the somewhat sleazy way that the character is presented in some of the loading screens and the in-app store. Tapping an item that you don't have enough in-app currency to afford brings up a prompt to go to the shop to buy coins, which is punctuated with a picture of the main character in her underwear and in a suggestive pose (drawn in a much more realistic style than normally seen through gameplay). The juxtaposition of the cute, chibi-style and the sexualized versions of the character is odd, to say the least.

Folks, Zombiegal Kawaii is a game that is worth a look. The touch controls work well, and the visual design and audio work is appealing. The art style may not appeal to everyone, but fans of anime and manga will find the style familiar and inviting.

The Windows 8.1 UI Designers Might Have a Special Message for You

The guys at Penny Arcade pretty much nailed it, folks. 

Not Going to Violate Apple's NDA

Some folks have asked me to write about my impressions on iOS 7. Unfortunately, as an iOS developer I am bound by the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) regarding software and features that are not yet released. In essence, if Apple did not show the information at their WWDC Keynote, it can't be discussed with the general public. While Apple did show a lot of good stuff in the keynote, the things that I found most interesting were not shown/described in the keynote and therefore under NDA.

I currently have the iOS 7 beta installed on an old phone and I have been trying out its various features and getting a better idea of how its new design language works.  Folks, rest assured that I will write about iOS 7 when it becomes publicly available sometime this autumn with the release of this year's new iPhone.

What If Creating a Startup Was Like a Videogame?

The folks at GeekWire have produced a nifty animation that shows us what it would be like if creating a startup was a videogame. The graphics and sound are deliciously retro, and the story has tons of industry in-jokes. I almost spit on my screen when I saw the 'pivot' sequence.

Bonus: The story takes place in Seattle. Pay attention to the Space Needle for something amusing.

John McAfee's Crazy Video Showing Us How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus

John McAfee, creator of McAfee Antivirus, has posted a crazy video about how to uninstall the McAfee Antivirus software. In the video, McAfee reads emails from angry users complaining about the software (which it turns out he has had nothing to do with for the past fifteen years). Then...things get weird . 'Charlie Sheen' weird.

Folks, this one has scantily dressed women, drug references, and profanity in it so be careful where you watch this video.