iPhone 3.0

iPhone 3.0 was announced yesterday, and it adds a bunch of new features that will aid in development of this game. Originally the game was going to be developed for Android as it's main platform and then ported to iPhone, in light of these new announcements the game has been switched to the iPhone as it's main platform. While developing for the Android is simpler and cheaper it has some major setbacks. Since Android is an operating system that can run on many devices, you don't know what you're developing for. Devices have different screen sizes, system specifications and features. Also, with Android, the carrier has control over the operating system and can lock down certain features.

With the MapKit API the iPhone now officially supports maps in third party applications. This means that the GPS functionality of the game will work just as quickly as, or faster than, the official map application. The addition of Peer-to-Peer through bluetooth means that players will be able to battle each other in person, even if a WiFi connection isn't present. Using push notification, Pokédex will be able to push in game messages to your phone. It's important to note, however, that the GPS function will remain off when the phone is locked, so you will not get location specific notifications. Using voice communication you can work out trades through the phone and talk to players that you're battling. Of course, you'll be able to turn voice communication off to prevent spammers. If you don't want to listen to the Pokémon music, you can turn it off, or choose music from your library.

On top of all these great features, the iPhone has an established user base with an extremely competent application store. Once coding has been completed for the iPhone, look forward to seeing this on many other devices!