PaRappa the Rapper developer NanaOn-Sha recently teamed up with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to provide owners of Apple's fifth generation iPod an original music visualizer game known as musika. The said game is available now on the iTunes Store for just US$ 4.99.

Basically, users can just have fun with musika and enjoy the rather unique imagery provided by Nanaon-Sha. If you want to progress in the game though, you have to play along by pressing the center button in time with the letters in the song's name to display different visual effects.

"The iPod is a device that revolutionized music and it is now poised to be a progressive gaming platform. Many years ago Apple's tools first opened my eyes to the power of music and multimedia, so it's exciting to release my first game for this device", commented NanaOn-Sha President Masaya Matsuura.

musika was created with the help of video game development studio Method Solutions.

 

Aside from its previously announced release for the Xbox 360, PC, PSP, Wii and DS, D3 Publisher's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is being prepped for other consoles. According to the ESRB's official site, Puzzle Quest (rated E10+ by the way) will also be heading for the PlayStation 3 and Mac systems.

Given that its Xbox 360 releases is a downloadable on Xbox Live Arcade, the safe bet is that Sony will probably be making similar arrangements for PlayStation Network. Information we lack at the moment are details on what sort of unique features these other ports will carry. That's all the detail we have for the moment - stick around in case we pick up more information.

E3 is over and done with, leaving some of us hopeful for games queued up for the next couple of months. That doesn't necessarily mean we should turn a blind eye to this week's releases though. There are still a couple of gems not worth passing up.

While Nintendo doesn't have anything up for this week, it's going to be a busy one for the Sony and Microsoft camp as things heat up on the gridiron with All-Pro Football 2K8 and NCAA Football 08, both available on the 360 and PS3.

Over at the handheld side, we've got a rapping dog in the form of PaRappa the Rapper and Namco Bandai's latest Tales installment, Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology, for the PSP.

Desktop gamers also find a treat this week: the PC version of GRAW 2 is to be released, as well as the Mac OS X version of World War II Online.

On with the festivities then! We've got a touchdown to score.

All-Pro Football 2K8. Sports-buffs wanting to scratch their jock-itch for more football titles might want to give this a try. Boasting realistic football mechanics and, more importantly, a roster of football legends like Jerry Rice and Joe Montana could make this a sports title that competes with the likes of Madden.

• PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 - July 16, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB E (Everyone 10+)
• 2K Sports

PaRappa the Rapper. Kick-punch-block your way through this rhythm-based remake of the classic PSOne title. Help PaRappa rap his way to Sunny Funny's heart, as this journey into music will have you encounter a strange lot of characters, including a moose as your driving instructor, a Rastafarian frog at a flea market, and the ever-famous Master Onion.

• PlayStation Portable - July 17, 2007
• US$ 29.99
• ESRB E (Everyone)
• NaNaOn-Sha and Sony

Check out this week's "On Shelves" list by clicking on the Full Article link below!

Accessories maker Tekkeon Inc. just announced a new portable USB power adopter known as myCharger to be used with many mainstream mobile phones and gadgets, as well as Apple products iPod and iPhone. The wide range of compatibility is attributed to the power charger's retractable prongs and several adapter tips.

Tekkeon Inc. Jerry Yang had this to say, "Rather than carry a power adapter for each device, myCharger lets users carry a single power adapter with a few tips. And myCharger is produced with high quality components to regulate the output voltage and current to ensure optimum charging conditions for the device battery".

The device myCharger is said to work with the following: iPhone and iPod (uses iPhone/iPod USB cable), Blackberry, and mobile phones from LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson. Using the said adapter tips will make myCharger also compatible with other 5V devices like Bluetooth headsets, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.

The Read link below will take you to Tekkeon's official site where you can purchase the product online. myCharger is priced for US$ 24.95 and its package include:

• myCharger USB power adapter
• Retractable USB cable
• Mini USB adapter tip
• LG adapter tip
• Nokia adapter tips (2)
• Samsung adapter tip
• Sony-Ericsson adapter tip

A lot of talk on the net has focused on the iPhone's lack of support for the Microsoft Exchange Server, Research in Motion's Blackberry servers, and Motorola's Good Technology e-mail servers.

While there still has been no word regarding support for the Blackberry and Good Technology servers, ZDNet was able to get some information from a "reliable source" that the iPhone will be supporting the Microsoft Exchange Server.

Apple's promised big announcement this week is allegedly the confirmation that it has licensed the Exchange ActiveSync licensing protocol. If this holds true, we're going to be able to use Activesync to connect to Exchange Server and use its wireless messaging and synchronization capabilities.

Apple and Microsoft were asked about the said agreement and while the former has yet to respond, the latter gave a very cryptic answer, "we canÂ?t comment on (these) rumors. In general, Microsoft is always in discussions with other companies about licensing its intellectual property."

This shouldn't surprise a lot of people considering that a number of mobile phone developers such as Nokia, Palm, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson have already licensed the technology. Microsoft analyst Matt Rosoff spoke about this deal and downplayed it a bit, though he did hint that it is a step forward in the adaptation of Microsoft IPs.

Apple and Microsoft would sign a deal to incorporate ActiveSync into the iPhone, just as Nokia, Motorola, and PalmOne are doing.

So this wouldnÂ?t be anything new from MicrosoftÂ?s perspective, just a deal with a new telephone handset makerÂ?Apple. ItÂ?s in MicrosoftÂ?s interest for Exchange to be supported as widely as possible, even on what will probably be a consumer-oriented product.

If the incorporation of Activesync support on the iPhone is true, it should make the transition for those already using Activesync for their mobile phones easier. Could this be another selling point for the phone? We'll have to wait and see how the market reacts before we can really give anything definitive. We'll be keeping an eye out for more updates on this as it develops.

Not content with just selling movies and music online, Apple is now engaged in talks with major movie studios about renting movies for a paltry amount of US$ 2.99 for a 30-day rental period.

This may be a challenge toward existing cable and satellite TV companies, most of them offering Video-on-Demand (VOD) which lets people download movies into their cable box or gain access to premium programs.

This move may prove to be advantageous to Apple, who already sells films through distribution deals with Walt Disney as well as Paramount. Other entertainment moguls are hesitant to make deals with Apple simply because of fear that online distribution may hurt optical media sales.

But because of the 30-day limit made possible by the Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, DVD sales will unlikely get affected by Apple's proposed download-to-rent format, purportedly to be launched in autumn.

A studio executive has acknowledged that Apple's plan would most likely "compete against cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home". VOD and similar formats have already become a staple for the cable TV industry such as Comcast, DISH Network, and TiVo. Apple's edge over them, however, is that it has a larger customer base.

Currently, Sony Pictures Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Bros., and Disney have no comments regarding this issue, though the inside buzz have studios getting inwardly excited with Apple dabbling in the VOD market. Says one studio executive, "When you think about Apple customers they are so connected to the brand they will try anything to do with it."

The New York Times came up with an analysis regarding Apple's phenomenal success in the retail front and what Sony and other companies could learn from it. Simplicity seemed to be the operative theme.

When Apple launched an ambitious project to open retail stores nationwide back in 2001, it was largely criticized and condemned by traditional business knowledge as a self-defeating move that Apple will regret. It happened in a time when once-mighty retail chains like Gateway were closing down, prompting almost everyone to write off the idea.

It seems, however, that everyone forgot the tremendous knack for innovation that Steve Jobs and the boys at Apple have. Damning the torpedoes and doing away with unnecessary aesthetics and exorbitant store spaces, the retail stores were built at a minimum cost and were designed to be compact, simple yet accessible and loaded with products that sell themselves.

New York times correspondents documented the amazing story and watched as Sony opened its own Sony Style chains which were spacious, trendy and in most cases, virtually desolate with staff outnumbering consumers even on peak days. This scenario was repeatedly observed by NY Times correspondents in various Sony Style outlets located in malls and other good locations.

In contrast, Apple stores always seemed loaded and vibrant with a sense of excitement omnipresent in the expressions of customers. Apple stores were often much smaller than the typical 6, 000 square-feet that Sony Style outlets occupy, yet they're doing far better.

The article hints that bigger isn't always better and sometimes it boils down to product appeal and service quality. There are a lot of things mentioned in the article that Sony can take more of and perhaps adopt, if it isn't too late. Follow the read URL and see what the celebrated paper has to say.

Yearning to hear some geek nostalgia blasting out of your iPod? Here's your chance. According to Next Generation, Konami and Sony BMG Music Entertainment have inked a deal that will bring Konami's library of music to major online music retailers such as iTunes and Rhapsody.

This will be the first time that original music from Konami titles will be available through digital distribution (we're guessing they mean legal distribution here). Some of the featured music included in the deal will come from popular video game franchises including Contra, Castlevania, and Silent Hill.

Next Generation also reports that Konami has said in a statement that the music will also be downloadable through major mobile carriers as well as the official Konami website. To celebrate, here's a vid of one of the best Contra theme covers ever by the insanely great Minibosses.

A lot of people in the gaming circuit have already made up their minds on the question of which gaming company is the most innovative of them all. However, it's a different take in the eyes of business executives around the world as Business Week conducted a survey on which companies did the most to bring new products that made sense to consumers.

Apple led the bunch with a comfortable margin over second-placer Google. As far as game-related enterprises are concerned, Microsoft led the way. It was fifth on the overall standings by virtue of software advances. Amazingly, there was no mention of games in the explanation.

Sony was at the tenth spot powered by its new PlayStation 3 console.The magazine says that it took gaming technology to the next level by transforming the game system series into a gateway to a virtual world. The reference was probably aimed at the PlayStation Home system, but hey, hasn't that been done by Second Life and Miis by Nintendo already?

Nintendo lagged behind at the 39th spot with its independence from sequels and its ability to appeal to all age groups.Yes, we know what you're thinking. Go ahead and post them in the comments section.

Reuters reports that British Home Secretary John Reid is planning to approach Apple and Sony to join a summit that will focus on fighting crime in Britain. Reid wants mobile phone and mp3 player manufacturers to focus as much on security features for their devices as on other design features.

"New technology, lifestyle changes, new commodities and new gadgets mean that the criminals continually move on," Reid told the BBC's Sunday AM program. "So when we defeat them on mobile phones, they move on to Sat-Navs and then on to iPods." Reuters noted that crime figures released last week showed an 8% increase in the number of street robberies in Britain.

"We already have a close working relationship with mobile phone manufacturers," a Home Office spokesman said on Sunday. "John Reid is likely to approach Apple and Sony in the coming weeks to join this summit." The spokesman also added that during the coming week, they will be drawing up a list of other manufacturers to include for the summit.