Nokia
Free Nokia Games from Gameloft
Perhaps envious of the success of the iPhone app store, cellphone manufacturer Nokia shut down its free and open Mosh app repository earlier this year, in favor of its glossy and restrictive Ovi app store. The transition hasn’t gone as well as Nokia might have hoped; the exciting plethora of apps on Mosh has been replaced by a limited handful of apps on Ovi.
Ovi doesn’t even carry the Nokia lightsaber, an old Mosh favorite. Even Skype doesn’t bother putting Skype Lite on Ovi. This is what happens when you alienate your developer community in favor of shiny marketing.
For the moment, at least, Nokia’s mistake is Nokia customers’ gain. In a belated bid to kindle interest in Ovi, Nokia has tied up with developer Gameloft to offer ten free games for Nokia handsets. This isn’t trialware; these are the full versions. The list includes top-tier titles like Assassin’s Creed and Prince of Persia.
Personally, I’m suffering a severe Tetris effect from finishing Block Breaker Deluxe 2. If you own a Nokia hanset, these little gems should help you temporarily forget your disappointment over Ovi.
Lightsaber for Nokia N97 Released
iPhone users can brag all they want about their walled garden of an app store. Nokia’s open and free Mosh app repository gives Nokia N95 users something iPhone users can never have: an ad-free lightsaber app.
The Nokia N97 isn’t out yet, but Mosh already carries a lightsaber app for the upcoming handset. It should also work with other S60 5th Edition phones like the Nokia 5800, and 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 phones like the Nokia N96, Nokia N85, Nokia N79, and Nokia 6210 Navigator. It should even work with the Feature Pack 1 Nokia E66.
Unlike the N95, the N97 doesn’t lengthen like a lightsaber when it slides out. It’s still more elegant than carrying a blaster around. Nokia’s about to close down Mosh, so download the app while you can.
