Unpleasant Horse arrives on the iPhone … ‘uncensored’

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4th & Battery’s first mobile game, Unpleasant Horse, is now available in Apple’s app store, and it arrives “totally uncensored,” according to the studio. You may recall that Apple rejected the game — the first title from PopCap Games’ newly-launched studio — three weeks ago for unknown (and somewhat mysterious) reasons. In a Tweet last… Read More…

Nine-year-old boy gets his wish, creates an iPhone game

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Most nine-year-old boys dream of meeting sports stars like Ichiro, Matt Hasselbeck or Kasey Keller. Not Owain Weinert. Weinert simply wanted to learn from the masterminds behind Bejeweled and Plants vs. Zombies. As part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the fourth grader at Loyal Heights Elementary School got a unique opportunity to develop his very own… Read More…

Apple to iPhone customers: We’re not stalking you, but we do plan to fix a location ‘bug’

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Apple is finally addressing criticism of location-based tracking technologies in the iPhone, a response that comes a week after the controversy broke. In a lengthy FAQ, Apple writes that it does not track the specific location of iPhone users but admits that the issues are “very complex” and “are hard to communicate in a soundbite.”… Read More…

SignalSet lands $6M, looks to quickly switch mobile devices between GSM and CDMA networks

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No matter what carrier you choose, wireless coverage oftentimes is spotty. But imagine if you could overlay the coverage of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile into one uber-network of sorts? That’s the promise of SignalSet, a 5-person Seattle upstart that’s developed technologies to intelligently route select devices on to wireless networks with the strongest signals…. Read More…

Madrona incubates new mobile analytics startup Sewichi

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Smartphones are now outselling personal computers. And that little factoid from IDC is creating an interesting opportunity to measure, track and analyze mobile data. A new startup called Sewichi — bankrolled by Madrona Venture Group and housed at the venture firm’s downtown Seattle office space — is looking to take advantage of that opportunity. Founder… Read More…

Mobile gaming company looks to capitalize on WikiLeaks

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Two buddies who worked as interns for the National Security Agency in high school are now turning their attention to mobile games. Their Seattle company, Happy Monster Games, is launching a new title this week for Android called Trickyleaks. The $1 game is a play off WikiLeaks in which game players take on the role… Read More…

Eternal optimists, AT&T boosts wireless capacity for crowds at Safeco Field

Safeco Field in fuller times.

Hey, you gotta build for the team you want, not the one you got, right? AT&T today announced that it has expanded its wireless capacity by 600 percent at Safeco Field to serve the crowds attending Seattle Mariners games, no matter how loosely the word “crowds” may apply at this point. It’s the third sports… Read More…

Microsoft, Nokia make it official: Turning point for Windows Phone?

Nokia's Stephen Elop and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer.

Sealing a deal they announced in February, Microsoft and Nokia have finalized their mobile partnership ahead of schedule, the companies said this morning. If the arrangement works as the companies hope, it promises to be a pivotal deal for Microsoft — with researchers predicting that Nokia will help boost Microsoft’s Windows Phone into the No…. Read More…

How cell phones are reshaping the developing world

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The mobile phone is transforming the developing world, reshaping how people conduct business and communicate. But that’s not always a good thing. In the latest episode of Media Space, the University of Washington’s Hanson Hosein chats with Gobee Group’s Jessica Rothenberg-Aalami about the impact of mobile devices and other technologies in places like Africa, Asia… Read More…

As iPhone battle mounts, AT&T holds its ground against Verizon

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Analysts, bloggers and other tech prognosticators (ourselves included) thought AT&T’s loss of exclusive iPhone rights might serve as a death knell. But the country’s second largest wireless carrier is still hanging in there against Verizon, despite losing the exclusive agreement with Apple earlier this year. AT&T added 62,000 contract customers during the first quarter, a… Read More…