Alison from Astraware has just passed on this month’s Club Astraware discounts; this time you can save on the game Golden Skull!

The Club Astraware Member-only discount offer for May 2008 is Golden Skull for just $9.95, that’s a huge saving of $10 off the regular price!

Golden Skull is a puzzle adventure game that will take you on an unforgettable journey through undiscovered Mayan pyramids and long forgotten ruins.

Featuring amazing graphics, and an entertaining story mode, Golden Skull delivers challenging gameplay with unbelievable production value. It’s a puzzle adventure game the whole family will enjoy.

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Can you believe that it has been ten years since HanDBase came out? This was one of the first business tools I bought to run on my Palm, and it was also an application that I eagerly added to my Pocket PC once they crossed platforms. Modern versions of HanDBase will seamlessly sync between Palm OS, Windows Mobile (for Pocket PC and Smartphone), Symbian Series 60 and UIQ, and BlackBerry smartphones, and can be run from either a Windows or Mac computer. Pretty slick, right?

So what is HanDBase and why should you care?

HanDBase is a light and fast relational database manager for desktops, PDAs, and smartphones which offers data entry, searching, sorting, filtering, printing and synchronization across a wide variety of desktop computers, handheld computing devices and smartphones.

With HanDBase, you can create database forms to keep track of everything and anything. If you aren’t up to creating your own personalized forms, you can also download ones that others have created from DDH Software’s extensive database repository - which currently has over 2,000 titles!

That’s where the competition comes into play:

To mark their 10th Anniversary, DDH is “reviving its “HanDBase Applet of the Year” contest, seeking the most innovative uses for its popular HanDBase mobile database program for PDAs and smartphones. The goal for this year’s contest is to demonstrate how easy it is for anyone to develop a mobile solution for either work or personal use. The company will reward the Best Commercial Applet and Best Personal Applet with “HanDBase Runtime” licenses (a US $1,000.00 value) which will enable the winners to turn their entries into commercially-available standalone mobile applications.”

Are you up to the challenge? Read on…

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Astraware has just released their latest game, Platypus, which is based on the cult classic for PC and Mac. According to Astraware, “Platypus is a fast, frantic and fun side-scrolling arcade shooter with a difference - the entire game is made from clay!”

What’s the back-story? Astraware’s site says that the “vast continent-spanning city of Collosatropolis has finally reached the limits of its expansion, and tall buildings cover every available space. The Collosotropolan leaders have decided the simplest solution is to invade the neighbouring country of Mungola. They don’t anticipate much of a struggle - Mungolans are simple, earthy types without much love for industry. In fact, Mungola’s entire defence force consists of a single squadron of fighter planes - the venerable F-27 ‘Platypus’. Your mission is to pilot your trusty Platypus and save peaceful Mungola! Fly across the squashy fields and trees, avoid the snowy mountains and protect your planet. Shoot down the enemy ships and marvel as they disappear in a splat! Collect fruit bonuses and a range of power-ups to aid you in your quest!”

Our own Doug Goldring has already got it covered at My Today Screen, where he says:

The game is divided into four worlds, with five levels in each world, for a total of 20 levels. Once you have unlocked a world, you can always start a new game from the beginning of that world. The game starts off relatively easy with smaller fighters flying toward you in waves, and larger attack cruisers coming in from behind (these are your primary targets).

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I like handheld games. I spend a good bit of time playing games on my Windows Mobile handheld and on my Nintendo DS. There have never been, for me, enough good games written for the Windows mobile platform. For all the potential there, the selections have too frequently been knockoffs of each other.

A while back, I bought and played the original Bejeweled, and although I enjoyed it, it didn’t exactly “wow” me. It’s gameplay was basically that of match 3-or-more to remove objects. The variation, however, is that more pieces fall into place, and there are special objects that perform more effective removals. The gameplay was a little choppy, but still playable. So, while Bejeweled was a fun, and certainly popular game, I wasn’t overly impressed.

Now now some time goes by and I’m presented with the opportunity to try out the new Bejeweled 2. I started it up expecting a small variation on the original. What I got was a much improved display, smoother gameplay, and more play options.

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Vincent managed to get a little bit of one-on-one time with Derek Snyder, Product Manager of Mobile Communication Business at Microsoft, the result of which was this video of Windows Mobile 6.1 in action. As Chris Davies pointed out on PhoneMag, “Nestled in among Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.1 announcement was word that they’ve also been fettling Mobile Internet Explorer; the browser, which used to be the weak link in the smartphone OS, has been updated to support H.264, Flash and Silverlight content, as well as full-screen viewing options.”

It looks like Microsoft is finally doing something about PIE MIE, and the ability to view Flash content is a definite improvement.:-)

via PhoneMag

So let’s say that you have a Windows Mobile phone and you have a desktop computer. Dashwire allows you to “automatically mirror the content on your phone to the web, helping you access and share your mobile experiences - no cables required.”

Now…in plain English please?

Dashwire is a free service which synchronizes your contacts, text messages, photos, videos, calls and voicemail with a private web account. Once your phone is synchronizing with Dashwire, it is an easy thing to control it via your desktop. One of the key features is the ability to create, read, forward, reply to and save SMS messages on your computer, while using your phone’s plan. Texts sent will actually appear to have been sent from your mobile number, and you can also, “view messages on you computer as they arrive on your phone.”

Let’s take a deeper look and see if this might be something you would want to try…

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Alison has just sent word that we should expect two new games from Astraware for Windows Mobile devices: Hexic and Mozaki. Both games are based on popular MSN games of the same name.

Let’s take a look…

Hexic 240 x 320

This is a very short preview this time as we’re almost ready for release, but I wanted to alert you to these two games so you can pass this exciting news on to your readers!

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The lovely (and always ready to interrupt work with fun new games) Alison from Astraware has just sent notice that the dangerously addictive Bejeweled 2 has been updated to include 240 x 240 and 320 x 320 support for WM Professional (touchscreen) devices, and also…drum roll please…support for WM Standard (non-touchscreen) devices.

There are some other tweaks, but those alone are pretty darn cool.

Let’s look…

 
here’s the 240 x 240 version

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Try your luck with 11 of the best known casino games in one pack!

• Blackjack, Texas Hold ‘Em No Limit Poker, Video Poker, Video Derby, 3 Card Poker, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, Slots, Video Keno and Texas Hold ‘Em Limit Poker in one easy-to-use pack
• Instructions on how to play each game
• Low stakes games to begin, with higher stakes games unlocked as you play
• Earn rewards for special achievements to put in your ‘Souvenir Suitcase’
• $1000 dollars in your virtual wallet to play with

If you’re looking for an all in one casino game for your mobile device, look no further. Astraware has you covered with Casino. With 11 different games, the value is hard to beat. Check it out!

Our giveaway program has been a huge success, and that’s why we’re doing it again! 

This time our partner Paragon Software Group is giving away Handy Weather for Windows Mobile Smartphones. 

Handy Weather has consistently received rave reviews for it’s great graphics and user interface. 

This top-selling application normally sells for $14.95 but for one day only, this Thursday, March 6, we’re going to give away a free copy with any purchase over $4.99 from the Gear Diary software store.

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