Electronics and cellphone manufacturer LG Electronics has unveiled what they claim to be "the worlds fastest 3D game phone." Their latest 3D Game Phone is equipped with a 1M polygon graphic accelerating chip, running 5 times faster than its competitors; according to LG.

Other features of the phone include it being equipped with an acceleration sensor to enable users to control their games by moving the headset up and down. I suppose this is similar to Samsung's latest idea: they've designed some kind of dialing system where by the phone is swung around to make the numbers "in the air" and the ability to answer or hang-up the phone by just shaking it. Can you image how stupid this is going to look?

The game development company Nexon has currently developed some games for the device, and a greater number of games will be "offered soon."

Source: [ Telcoms Korea (http://telecomskorea.com) ]

While phones and PDAs are a logical step for combining them, at least in some people's minds, I believe gaming machines should be gaming machines, no more. Phone/games don't really fit together... One has nothing to do with the other.

And waving the phone in the air? Can you IMAGINE seeing someone doing that... I hope those get widespread just so I can get a good laugh... Imagine, a few people in the mall walking around waving their phone in patterns in the air... Or seeming to throttle it trying to hang up...

I had the same impression of the "shaking" functionality. Samsung's phone has an 'Accelerometer' built-in to calculate and ascertain movement in three dimensional space and then carry out commands according to those calculations. It's an interesting technology, but I see greater benefits in recognizing that the phone is being dropped, or using it in a device like a portable MP3 player with a hard-disk, so you can park the head of the drive and stop play before it hits the ground. Apple is/has applied for a patent on this technology. Of course, IBM invented it a couple of years ago... go figure! I suppose Apple feels invincible these days?! :)

-Paul
Blogologist

If I remember correctly, patents can be filed as long as no one objects... Look at Microsoft's patent profile... CLEAR prior art on many of them.

And (semi-offtopic) software patents are evil.

Yeah and Google's recent patent (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,839,702.WKU.&OS=PN/6,839,702&RS=PN/6,839,702) for "systems and methods for highlighting search results". Patents of this kind show the growing absurdity of the matter.

Also read Groklaw (http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=2005011407083826) today what it says about the misuse, especially in the computer industry, of the patent system. Interesting!