Grand Theft Auto III released for mobile devices

Celebrating the 10 year anniversary of GTA III, the game has been ported to iPhone, iPad and a series of Android phones.

GTA III marked a revolutionary step forward in gaming with the game receiving several game of the year awards and high praise from critics. Moving the series from a top-down camera style to camera controls more in-line with a 3rd person shooter or driving game proved to be a successful move for the series. This move helped transform the GTA series from a cult classic to a mainstream hit.

The mobile version of the game remains faithful to the 2001 original. Minor changes include the addition of touch-screen buttons and a new lick of paint with some improved graphics and character/vehicle models. There is also a new auto-save feature put in place as well as the ability to instantly restart failed missions.

The game is supported on 4th generation iPods/iPhones and both iPad 1 and 2. The App store version of the game is priced at £2.99 and can be purchased here.

The Android version is compatible with a wide range of phones, including; HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R and T-Mobile G2x phones, and the Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S and Toshiba Thrive tablets.

The game is also unofficially compatible with a variety of other Android devices including the Xperia Play. The Android version of GTA III is available for the slightly higher price of £3.23 and can be purchased from Google's digital marketplace here.

Novelty SLR clock (oh snap!)

The clock is ticking as the countdown to Christmas reads ‘12 days to go’, leaving many of us pondering over what novelties and nik-naks to pick up for our friends, co-workers and loved ones. If you're a bit of a camera nut (or professional stalker) you probably know a few people who are as passionate about photography as you are, making camera themed novelty items a good bet for putting a smile on their faces...or not if they were expecting an actual camera.

This charming pseudo-SLR (Single Lens Reflex) clock, from internet retail giants Amazon, is relatively cheap as far as collectibles go; priced at £19.98. A nerdy novelty and timekeeper rolled into 1? Genius

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Star prefix franchises unite against common foe

Perhaps the biggest debate amongst those with a predisposition towards geekery is the answer to the great question 'Star Trek or Star Wars?'

I shudder to envision the carnage that follows such a question. The crunch of footsteps trampling the shattered lightsabers carpeting the ground, Starfleet badges piercing flesh. The scene engulfed by the piercing shrieks of blasters and phasers as collectibles are torn from their mint condition packaging.

Thankfully, disturbing images such as these may be but a bloody memory of our troubled past. As a mediator between the two sci-fi classics, George Takei offers words of wisdom as he identifies a threat to both universes.

Cleverbot wants to catch 'em all

For those of you that are yet to use it; Cleverbot is an AI chat program. The general idea behind the website is that it learns from previous discussions and supposedly becomes more adept in the art of conversation as it matures.

In reality, the frivolous entertainment program refuses to acknowledge that it isn't human and occasionally decides to insult you. An unavoidable consequence of people trying to illicit a humorous response from various lewd comments.

With a little free time on my hands I decided to have a play around with the program myself. The attached image is the accidentally brilliant result. There's something about typing out a digital duet of the Pokemon theme with an AI partner that makes it impossible not to smile.

Click the image to read through the start of a beautiful friendship.

FENTON!! FENTON!!

It's interesting how certain videos, slogans and images get elevated to meme status. From mild distractions to internet hits, spawning their own series of satirical emulations and fanfare.

These 47 seconds of chance hilarity present us with one poor bloke trying to keep his dog under control at London's Richmond Park. Fenton (or Benton) the dog is now associated with any stampede, with stock footage from several films and documentaries receiving an audio make-over. The result is a series of absurdly brilliant adaptations. Follow some of the related videos on youtube to check them out yourself.

Pen to Paper

I think it's about time I cleared the cobwebs from this old blog and started putting pen to paper. The plans I have this little slice of web space are very different from those I had a couple of years ago when I decided to piece together a digital portfolio of sorts.

As I say, it was all getting very messy. What was previously a never ending string of links will now be replaced with original content. Only the most relevant of my articles published on other sites will find their way here.

Under Maintenance

Nothing much to see here at the moment. Lots of links were down and it was getting a bit over crowded. I'll be starting from scratch when I have the time.