iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Monday, December 15, 2008
News Category: Mix

Philips has previewed its new Docking Entertainment System DC350 for iPhone and iPod. The DC350 is a vertically-oriented system, featuring a built-in dock, six watts of RMS power, a screen above the dock, and hands-free conference call functionality. The system will also include a remote, and will be released in January 2009 for $150.

Namco has released its I Love Katamari game for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game is the latest in the Katamari Damacy series, which has seen titles released across multiple platforms including the PS2, PSP, and Xbox 360. In Katamari, players assume the role of the Prince, who must roll his Katamari ball over other objects in order to collect them. As more objects are collected, the size of the ball grows, allowing the player to collect larger objects. In addition, he game offers four different game modes, and accelerometer-based controls. I Love Katamari is available now from the App Store and sells for $8.

EAMobile’s Craig Law has revealed that the company will be submitting SimCity to the App Store for approval later today. According to Law, SimCity will offer the same experience as the PC version of the game. Law also revealed that the company’s upcoming Need for Speed title, originally slated for release this year, has been pushed back to 2009; Tiger Woods and The Sims 3 are also being developed for a 2009 release.

Taiwanese iPhone carrier Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) is now selling the iPhone 3G unlocked. Prior to the device’s launch last weekend, CHT representatives had said that iPhones sold in Taiwan would be locked to their network; however, early customers are reporting that the phones are indeed unlocked, a fact confirmed by an Apple Support document. CHT sells the iPhone 3G without a contract for NT$26,600, or roughly $803, for an 8GB model, or NT$29,900 (~$903) for the 16GB version.