Google Sync has pushed Gmail messages, calendar updates, and contacts to iOS since its launch in 2009, but this half-baked solution previously lacked some key functionality. Beginning today, users can finally perform mail server searches and confirm appointment requests from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This means that you'll be able to search for messages in your entire mailbox, not just for emails stored on your device -- a feature that first appeared with iPhone OS 3, but without Google Sync support. You can also respond to calendar invites from within the Calendar app. Fancy that! A third update brings support for sending messages from other addresses listed in your Gmail account, though only the first two features worked when we took Sync for a spin this afternoon. (Curiously, Google omitted a "Send Mail as" screenshot on its blog, so this last update may not actually be available yet.) This latest trio of updates is available for both gratis and Google Apps accounts, so head to the source link for set up instructions and the full feature rundown.

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Nintendo has made the decision to omit DVD or Blu-ray playback capabilities from the Wii U to save on manufacturing costs.

The information came from a Q&A session for investors.

"We feel that enough people already have devices that are capable of playing DVDs and Blu-ray," explained Satoru Iwata, Nintendo president, "in such that it didn't warrant the cost involved to build that functionality into the Wii U console because of the patents related to those technologies."

The report also addressed the disappointing sales of the handheld 3DS, with Iwata admitting they "have not met our expectations."

"What we have analysed up to this point is that the initial move by the early adopters has not translated into broader movement by the broader market in the ways that we had expected."

He was quick to reassure investors that this is expected change as new services become available. "I think that we'll be able to show you that as Nintendo eShop and 3D video services come online, and a number of key software titles become available, we'll be able to regain momentum for this hardware."

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Microsoft Gamefest 2011 will take place on 14 – 15 July in London, for anyone working with Microsoft platforms.

The event attracts developers, producers, publishers and programmers interested in Games for Windows, Xbox 360 and Windows Phone.

Sessions this year include "Xbox, Listen": Using Speech Recognition with Kinect," "Graphics, including Learning from Others to Create Meaningful 3D" and talks on user generated content and compliance testing.

Scott Selfon, senior audio specialist at Microsoft, Tiago Sousa, principal R&D graphics programmer at Crytek and Richard Hackett, studio technical director at Blitz Games Studios will all be appearing at the event.

Microsoft Gamefest takes place at Chelsea Football Club, and until 24 June registration at href=" http://www.microsoftgamefest.com">MicrosoftGamefest will be priced at £250, rising to £300 after that date. Registration onsite will cost £400

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Electronic Arts has confirmed that it will release more titles digitally exclusive to its Origin service, as well as offer unique content for games sold via Origin to distinguish them from releases on competing services.

However, the aggressive move isn't a sign EA is ready to ditch its other digital partners such as Direct2Drive and Impulse, as it still intends to reach the widest audience possible through other retailers.

"We are going to continue to be great partners for our retail channel partners as they evolve their business models to account for digital," Frank Gibeau, president of EA Games, told GamesIndustry.biz.

"But at the same time you talk about platform exclusives like Halo or Uncharted, EA's going to have some of our own platform exclusives."

At the same time you talk about platform exclusives like Halo or Uncharted, EA's going to have some of our own platform exclusives
Frank Gibeau, EA Games
The publisher has already confirmed forthcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will only be available digitally from Origin, with Gibeau admitting it's using the Bioware title to attract new consumers to the rebooted service.

"In the case of Star Wars we're trying to build an audience for Origin. And it's also an opportunity for us to better manage the downloads and how we bring people over from the beta and that sort of thing. For a lot of reasons it made sense for an MMO, which is a highly complex deployment.

"I think long-term you'll see we believe in reach so we will have other digital retailers for out products because we want to reach as many audiences as possible.

"But at the same time if we can use exclusive content or other ideas to help grow our audience then we're going to do that because we're growing a platform," added Gibeau.

The recently released Crysis 2 has been removed from Valve's Steam service, and other PC versions of titles including Alice: Madness Returns are being positioned as "only on Origin" on the official website.

But EA wants to get across the message that Origin is more than a retail site, and will evolve with community features borne from the company's history in games creation.

"For us it's really about, we're the worldwide leader in packaged goods publishing, we'd like to be the worldwide leader in digital publishing.

"And we think that EA has unique strengths there related to what we can do with our content, because we're a content creator as well as a retailer in this business. But in general it's not just a retail site, it's a community, it's a platform, it has traits much like you see with Steam or PSN or Xbox Live, but it's unique to EA.

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EA CEO John Riccitiello has refuted suggestions that a new generation of consoles is needed as a catalyst for innovation in the industry - arguing that cross-platform publishing is already inspiration enough.

Speaking as part of a new interview with website IndustryGamers, Riccitiello was responding to suggestions made by Ubisoft founder Yves Guillemot that the longer console cycle for current hardware is hurting creativity in the industry.

"What I don't agree with is the implication that we're waiting for the hardware guys to transition to help us realise the innovation," said Riccitiello. "I think the greatest innovation in the history of gaming is occurring right now. It is happening in the cross-platform arena - where publishers are linking the best IP from console to PC to mobile to social."

"This is hard to do, but it will change the way gamers interact with our IP. Five years ago, I said that the industry had been making the same five games over and over. That pissed some people off - but it was true," he added.

"Since then we've seen an explosion of quality and creativity from publishers like Take-Two, Ubisoft and EA. On top of that, we've got to acknowledge that platform partners like Nintendo, Facebook and Apple have given us enormous new canvases to work on."

Although many expect Microsoft to announce their next generation console next year, including a prediction today of an E3 2012 reveal by Crytek, EA has always seemed less impatient for the new generation consoles.

After previous rumours suggested that EA had already taken delivery of development kits for the new Xbox the publisher went out of its way to deny them, describing the story as a "total fabrication".

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Bungie has announced Bungie.net Mobile on its official site calling it a "first, small step into the mobile world. The first of many."

The app allows Halo: Reach players to check their stats and keep up to date with Bungie news, operating in a similar way to FPS stat trackers mooted by both EA and Activision.

"It really is just a beginning - our first, super cute baby step. We already have adult-type plans to keep updating Bungie.net Mobile with new features and enhancements in the months and years to come."

Bungie.net Mobile is a free service and is available in the Apple App Store now.

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A developer from Crytek has reportedly leaked information that the successor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 console will be on show at next year's E3.

The anonymous programmer also revealed that popular FPS Timesplitters 4 is currently in production for the new machine, using DirectX 11, and that the game was being demonstrated behind closed doors at this year's event. Crytek, who recently developed Crysis 2, are reportedly also preparing for PlayStation 4 development.

The news was leaked by a "high ranking" member of the Crytek staff to Videogamer. The source also said that the visuals for Timesplitters 4 show a marked improvement on the current Xbox 360, largely in part to the tessellation effects possible with DirectX 11.

Both Crytek and Microsoft have refused to comment on the rumour.

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It could be another two years before Kinect ushers in new types of genres and gameplay, according to Turn 10's Dan Greenawalt.

Speaking at E3 last week, the Forza Motorsport producer said that developers are only now getting to grips with the possibilities of Microsoft's motion sensing peripheral.

"We're two years away from having entirely new genres that are born out of this kind of thinking," said Greenawalt.

"Getting an idea to market, especially on a big title, takes years. So it's not a matter of seeing something in a game that you think is cool and six months later you throw it into your game - that's really not the case."

This is a new country, it's a brand new frontier to explore
Dan Greenawalt, Turn 10
Kinect was central to Microsoft's message last week at E3, as it revealed long-anticipated core gaming support for the device from franchises such as Ghost Recon, Fable and Mass Effect. But Greenawalt believes this is only the start of something new and hopes that further down the line Kinect will have pushed gaming into entirely different spaces.

"If I'm honest, I still think the development community is just getting started," he said. "Three years from now, four years from now we're going to look back at the types of games that were originally launched and the types of games you're going to see coming forward and we're going to say 'that was the start of something big.'

"I can't tell you what those big things are. Some of them are secret but most I just don't know about."

Forza was one of the first core games to be shown using Kinect at E3 in 2010, with the Turn 10 team taking the technology and working from scratch to create something unique for the series.

"When Kudo [Tsunoda] was first showing this inside of Microsoft, this sensor, for us we got really excited because I thought about my kids playing Hot Wheels, how people drool over cars at a car show, and all the different ways people interact to cars at a car show," added Greenawalt.

"This is a new country, it's a brand new frontier to explore. We had to start from square one because there wasn't a large development community, everything was in its infancy."

Forza Motorsport 4 is set for release this October.

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Internal teams at Activision are already working with the Wii U, according to publishing boss Eric Hirshberg - although the company is still yet to announce any specific titles.

Speaking to US trade site IndustryGamers, Hirshberg spoke about Wii U's increased relevance to his company's catalogue.

"I think Nintendo's an incredible company and it looks like this is a platform that's going to be even more relevant to the kinds of games we make," said Hirshberg.

When asked whether Activision studios were already working on ideas for the system Hirshberg responded: "Absolutely, yeah."

Hirshberg refused to announce any specific titles though and would not be pressed on the possibility of a Call Of Duty game on the Wii U, even though versions of previous titles have appeared on the original Wii.

"There are some first person shooters out there that are using motion control and Kinect and we're not and that's a conscious choice. Call of Duty runs at 60 fps. It's an incredibly precise game. It's an incredibly smooth game. We still think the DualShock controller is the best way to deliver that game," he said.

"But there are other games where new innovations make all the sense in the world. I was very excited about some of the things that I saw in the Wii U because I thought it was an innovative take on the next gen controller and the next gen console. I was really excited to see Nintendo taking their console into something that I think is going to be friendlier to core games."

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