via All About Symbian, UK

Nokia's Official N-Gage Blog has now confirmed that the "First Access" beta testing phase will end on the 27th of March. It's unclear exactly when the full version of N-Gage will launch, but it should be "in the next few weeks". Nokia's also started a survey about the beta test and will give away the next gen version of Mile High Pinball to all beta testers who respond. You can also now sign up for SMS notification of the launch. Click on the headline for some important details.

- If you've bought any games on the beta test, you will of course get to keep them on the release version of N-Gage, but you may have to reinstall them.

- All of the scores and other data will be reset, so none of your achievements in the beta test will exist after the full version launches.

- N-Gage Arena accounts created during the beta test will also disappear, unless you used the same username and password as your N-Gage Arena forum account.

- If you go to the N-Gage web site on your compatible Nseries device, you'll now be given a chance to sign up for SMS notification when the full service finally goes live. ...

via CNET News.com, CA

Adobe has admitted it can't bring Flash to the iPhone just because it thinks that would be a neat idea.

Comments made Tuesday by Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen were widely interpreted Wednesday morning as confirmation that Adobe and Apple have figured out a way to make Flash available on the iPhone. Unfortunately, that's not exactly what Narayen said, and the company has now also clarified that it can't simply use the iPhone software development kit to bring Flash to the iPhone unless Apple approves.

Narayen's comments weren't exactly definitive, but they were judged by several media outlets to be a confirmation of Adobe and Apple's plans to put a Flash player on the iPhone. They aren't; they're merely a statement of what Adobe would like to do with Flash. Wishing things to happen and actually making them happen are sort of different.

On Tuesday, Narayen said, "We are also committed to bringing the Flash experience to the iPhone and we will work with Apple. We've evaluated the SDK, we can now start to develop the Flash player ourselves and we think it benefits our joint customers."

The comments came during a conference call announcing Adobe's quarterly earnings (the company did pretty well). Adobe obviously would like to get Flash on one of the most buzzed-about mobile Web surfing devices in recent history, especially coming off its deal to license it for Windows Mobile, but let's look a little closer at Narayen's statement.

First of all, working with Apple can mean very many things, and that seems to have been missed in the early reports. "Working with (company)" often means you're trying to sell skeptical executives on the merits of your idea, not actually collaborating on technical development. If you call up Apple with a great idea, and leave a voicemail on Tim Cook's extension with your pitch, technically you're working with Apple.

But Narayen also seems to have misunderstood the terms of the SDK, much like Sun executives did when they announced, then backed off, plans to release Java for the iPhone.

Flash isn't a mere third-party application, like a game or an instant-messaging client. It's a plug-in that would have to work very closely with Safari on the iPhone, and that's something Apple has declared off-limits to third-party developers at this time unless they get a hall pass.

And even if Adobe was granted a special dispensation to dig deeper into the iPhone, it couldn't actually distribute Flash onto the iPhone unless Apple approved its inclusion in the App Store or bundled it with the iPhone. That is, unless Adobe wants to hook up all those jailbroken iPhones with Flash, which I guess it could technically do but would probably ruin its chances of ever getting an official blessing for Flash on the iPhone.

Adobe clarified Narayen's comments in an official statement on Wednesday.

"Adobe has evaluated the iPhone SDK and can now start to develop a way to bring Flash Player to the iPhone. However, to bring the full capabilities of Flash to the iPhone Web-browsing experience we do need to work with Apple beyond and above what is available through the SDK and the current license around it." Key words there: "beyond and above" (I always thought it was the other way around).

Now, none of this means Apple and Adobe really aren't working to bring Flash to the iPhone. There are clearly benefits to having Flash, even Flash Lite, on a mobile device, and the two companies have worked closely for years. Apple CEO Steve Jobs' main problem with the technology is that he believes Flash is too big, and Flash Lite is too small, for the iPhone.

It's quite possible that the two companies are working together "beyond and above" on making this happen, and Narayen simply spoke out of school regarding their secret project. However, it's important to note any such collaboration is not what Narayen implied, which was that Adobe could just put Flash Lite on the iPhone using the SDK.

I asked an Adobe representative to comment on whether or not that technical collaboration was taking place, and they're looking into it. Don't hold your breath waiting for an update. ...

GlideHQ is a texture enhancements module for Glide64 (a graphic plugin for Nintendo 64 emulators).

Changelog:

* Various fixes
(includes texture pack support updates, and Glide3x wrapper, etc)

Download and give feedback via comments ...

New beta of the PlayStation 2 emulator for PC.

Changelog:

- Should fix some of the problems introduced in 327. and a small speed boost on some games.

Download and give feedback via comments ...

What's going on with the development of the Nintendo DS emulator for PC.

From the official website:

There ware so much spam messages went into my email box, so I have deleted the contact email account and created a new one, it is now ROT13 twisted so you need to figure out it yourself how to reach me!
I was busying on my new job recently and I did not work on this emulator project for several months. Hopefully I can have time working on it soon. Thanks! ...

What's going on with the development of the Nintendo DS emulator for PC.

From the official website:

There ware so much spam messages went into my email box, so I have deleted the contact email account and created a new one, it is now ROT13 twisted so you need to figure out it yourself how to reach me!
I was busying on my new job recently and I did not work on this emulator project for several months. Hopefully I can have time working on it soon. Thanks! ...

via IGN

SEGA of America, Inc. today shipped SEGA Superstars Tennis to stores in North America. Featuring several of the most recognized SEGA video game characters smashing it up on the most outrageously designed tennis environments, SEGA Superstars Tennis is now available on the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the Wii home video game system and Nintendo DS.

Developed by Sumo Digital, makers of Virtua Tennis 3, SEGA Superstars Tennis combines responsive, pick-up-and-play controls with fantastic tennis action to deliver an exhilarating and entertaining experience. Each of the 16 SEGA characters has their specialty in speed, power, control, spin, and all-around ability, as well their own unique Superstar power. Each Superstar power pays tribute to the unique characteristics of each character; from Sonic The Hedgehog's Super Sonic transformation, the trail of banana peels left by AiAi from Super Monkey Ball and even the dancing power of Amigo's floating maracas from Samba De Amigo, players will be captivated by the over-the-top atmosphere experienced in SEGA Superstars Tennis.

All this exciting tennis action is played out on over-the-top tennis courts inspired by a host of different SEGA worlds. These include Green Hill Zone from Sonic The Hedgehog, Advanced Arena from Super Monkey Ball and many more. Each of these theme park-like tennis venues exudes energetic charm and marvelous style that will delight gamers of all ages.

In addition to the fun-filled experience, SEGA Superstars Tennis features a host of unlockable content ranging from archives of classic SEGA soundtrack music and addicting mini-games that take tennis to new hilarious levels. Whether it's smashing tennis balls into a horde of hungry zombies in the House of the Dead-inspired Curien Mansion or hitting groundstrokes to help guide "ChuChu" mice in Chu Chu Rocket, up to four players can compete in these comical mini-games. Hidden features will be revealed as players complete different tournament and mission games in the "Planet Superstars" mode.

SEGA Superstars Tennis is rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB and is priced at $49.99 for the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3 system and Wii, $39.99 for the PlayStation 2, and $29.99 for Nintendo DS. ...

From the official website:

Just had a talk with [thUg] 3 hours ago and he already had his hands on tileset number one. He should be done with fixing and cleaning by this weekend. We are all excited!

As soon as the sound fx are comming in and the clouds were fixed as well, we will present an updated video of World 1. ...

New update of the Nintendo DS emulator, this time for Linux.

Changelog:

• Fixed a bug in bind textures.
• Added visual debugger.

Download and give feedback via comments ...