Xbox Companion

 

Windows Phone 7 users got a nice treat with the launch of the new Xbox Companion App. It’s a pretty simple app that allows us to view some content, play it on the Xbox 360 and we can also use it to navigate the dashboard. I think that is very useful, especially if I’m going to watch a movie instead of playing a game.

It’s free on the marketplace and easy to get setup and ready to use. First download the app, then go to the Console Settings on your Xbox 360 and tell it the companion is available. That’s it! The app will log on and you can use it any time your Xbox 360 is turned on with you logged in.

We have a few screens that we swipe our finger to get to. The main screen is the home screen which shows us the game we are playing and or recent games. We can get more info on the games here and also update our beacon. Under the info for that game you can swipe to the left to give us the friends screen and like the same screen on the Xbox 360 dashboard, it shows who’s playing. Swipe again to view your achievements for the title and tapping each achievement icon shows more detail. This can be helpful if you need to view your achievements real quick to determine what your missing.

If we then tap the button in the lower left that looks like a house, we get transported back to the home screen and swiping left get’s us to the featured screen. A great way to browse for the latest content available with all the info needed right there. There is also an option to search via Bing for content. But then again, my favorite feature is the little button in the lower right. Tap it to bring up a directional pad with the A button directly below and below the A is you X Y B button. This let’s us tap away on the phone and move about the dashboard on the big screen.

While it may seem to come up short on features, the Xbox Companion does indeed do a great job of showing us content, achievements, and giving us some control. Yes, this is a worthy app for users of both Xbox 360 and WP7!

Mango, Mango, Mango, It’s A Windows Phone

 

When Microsoft first announced the update to Windows Phone 7 would be code named Mango, well I couldn’t help but think of that Weebl’s Animation and Song. Ah it may be stuck in your head now too, but while Mango is a catchy name it was all the talk of improvements that got me excited. I’ve now updated to 7.5 Mango and have had time enough to see what it can do and what’s better.

First, I should remind you that I am using the classy HTC Surround and as a music lover that built in speaker is sweet! Before Mango I could go to work for eight hours and maybe a few pit stops or shops along the way. However, by the time I got home I had to charge this phone in the worst way. And I had Wi-Fi turned off most of that time and data is always turned off. Now with Data still off, but Wi-Fi turned on all the time as well as Bluetooth-I can go 24 hours on a single charge. I found this out while doing Extra-Life in October where I played video games for 24 hours. During that 24 hours I was using my phone to update Facebook and Twitter, check e-mail and play the occasional game.

Now with better battery, I was stoked. Meanwhile at work we have a hidden Wi-Fi network and before Mango I could not connect to them. This made it difficult to stay up to date with all these wonderful e-mail messages and terrifying Spam. Now with Mango I was able to add hidden networks with ease. I was also now able to directly connect other social networks to my phone in the People Hub. I no longer needed an app for Twitter and LinkedIn, while I rarely use it, is nice to have on the go once in awhile. Now I have all the Social and all my e-mail accounts on the go and ready for action. And as a side note, I was even able to add my Apple Mobile Me mail account with ease!

A funny thing happened on my way to work one day. As always I have a Bluetooth Speaker phone that auto connects to my phone when I get into my car. However, this time I was driving to work and all of a sudden it says something to the tune of “Incoming text from Becky, would you like to read it or ignore?” And of course being adventurous I told it to read it  and it did just that, it read me my text message. That is a sweet feature and helps encourage people not to physically txt and drive. Furthermore if you have Data turned on, you can reply to that message via voice!

These are just a few on the changes, these are the ones that stand out to me. I must admit it is obvious they made some serious improvements to core of Windows Phone 7. My phone is more responsive, it works better with Xbox live, Office, SkyDrive and it’s tailored to fit. I think their idea to design a phone for people was an awesome choice and now with Mango making this a much more personal experience that is also enjoyable-great job Microsoft! I love this Phone! I can’t even think about switching to any other phone now. It’d be like going to get an Ice Cream and being served a double chocolate fudge sundae and coming back for just a single scoop of plain vanilla.

Gravity Guy WP7

Gravity Guy has made his way to Windows Phone 7. It is a highly addictive, fun, challenging, and sometime frustrating. I mean that in a good way. So what is Gravity Guy? The story is that Gravity Guy was held captive for breaking the laws of gravity. However, he escaped and is running for his life from the gravity troops (robot cops, anyone?). Your goal to escape and keep running using gravity by flipping it to get through each checkpoint. In Story you get 30 levels and 3 worlds and you can choose an endless option that keeps going longer than the Energizer Bunny, well maybe. Being an Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 we get achievements and there are leaderboards. You also get 4 player Multiplayer for a challenge amongst friends.

Gameplay and controls are pretty sweet and easy. Simply tapping the screen with the right timing to flip gravity and progress through the stage. That’s really it. Simple but fun. The levels get harder and faster as we go and that darn Gravity Troop is always right behind you. One wrong move and your either falling out of screen or caught by the trooper.

Graphics on this game a crisp and clear and just look amazing. The frame rate appears to be moving at a good speed. The soundtrack is perfect as it gets you pumped and is very energetic. It sounds like a game that would be too simple to enjoy, but once you start playing don’t expect to put it down too quickly. At $2.99 it is a reasonable price for on the go fun.