The Playstation 3 online music video store, VidZone, will be offering downloadable mobile content in early 2009. This cool new PS3 service will launch in Europe, Australia and New Zeland. VidZone will also give PS3 users the option to donload full tracks, music videos, ringtones and a whole host of other sweet content directly to their mobile, all for a small charge of course.

Sony fanboys and fangirls can even build their own playlists and personalise their VidZone experience, to create a totally unique environment for every user! This mobile service is just the beginning as Sony also has plans to launch a massive “comprehensive film, TV and music download service at a later date”.

The Ringtone Rant #3 - August 2008

Welcome to the Ringtone Rant. A monthly post about the wacky world of ringtones!

Hot Ringtone of the Month :: Rihanna - Disturbia

Rihanna continues to dominate the charts with her freakish new single ‘Disturbia’. The ultra-scary ‘Disturbia’ music video is currently shocking everyone on YouTube and the ringtone is a must-have for any pop lover. It’s unique beat coupled with some crazy lyrics makes for a top ringtone that should turn heads. Get this ringtone now and start disturbing your friends!

Classic Ringtone of the Month :: Anything by ABBA

ABBA is scorching hot right now. Any ringtone by them will be considered cool for the next month, so hop to it and download them while the hit movie ‘Mamma Mia’ is still in cinemas. Hit ringtones include ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘SOS’, ‘Thank You For The Music’ and ‘Waterloo’.

Want ABBA mobile ringtones in Australia? Just click here and head over to our friends at MobileActive!

Random Ringtone of the Month :: Shwayze - Corona and Lime

This smooth new track by Shwayze is already set to be one of the hottest songs this year. The chorus just rolls off your tongue and leaves you wanting to knock back a few drinks and chill on the beach. If you haven’t heard this song, here’s the video from YouTube:

Annoying Ringtone of the Month :: Jesse McCartney - Leavin’

This song was kinda cool when it came out but since then it’s been flogged on the airwaves and no longer carries that special something. Avoid this ringtone at all costs and instead checkout the new song ‘Dangerous’ by Kardinal & Akon, it’s absolutely going off right now!

Here at Mobgizmo we don’t usually hype up new release movies, but considering the last Harry Potter mobile game was so cool and this year’s one is shaping up to be a monster, I thought I’d share this with you.

The new Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince trailer has just been released and here it is:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter 6) Trailer:

To celebrate this glorious day, I’d like to invite all Mobgizmo to stock their phones chock full of Harry Potter ringtones by heading over to our friends at MobileActive. Click this link to get Harry Potter ringtones on your phone today!

On my signal, unleash hell!

Finally, the wait for the mobile game that towers above all is over. Paramount Pictures have just teamed with the genius 3D games developers at Fishlabs to create one of the most anticipated mobile games in history, Gladiator: The Mobile Game. The new epic Roman arena-based beat em’ up is getting a global release sometime in late 2008 and will be available for both Java and Brew devices in 3D and 2D, dependent on the handset.

A colossal list of nine major characters from the blockbuster film will be selectable. Each character brings something new to the arena with a variety of strengths and weaknesses that should have you battling it out with mates for hours. Single players will work their way up the ladder until they reach the final Colosseum battle. The various game modes include career, survival and even one-on-one battles via Bluetooth.

Wall-E, now arguably the most famous robot in the entire world, has made his way onto mobile. The cute little robot stars in a new mobile game, developed by Universomo that was recently given a Bronze Award by our friends over at Pocket Gamer. The puzzle-based game has a casual and friendly approach to it that runs off a simple game mechanic. The user simple guides Wall-E around various levels to collect two pieces of trash, of which he will then combine to form a cube. There are 15 levels of mayhem, a total of 40 collectible items and plenty of extra unlock able content to keep even the most avid gamer happy as Larry.

Clean and smart level design combined with a generous reward system makes Wall-E one of the best mobile games of the year for young gamers who want a little bit of fun during school breaks. Get the game over at MobileActive by clicking here.

Nokia have secretly soft ‘launched’ the much anticipated XpressMedia 5800 Tube by featuring it on the sly in the new Batman film, The Dark Knight.

Nerds around the world who were quick enough to make the connection were given seconds of pleasure when the sexy device flashed on screen. Many anti-Apple mobile users are anxiously waiting to get their hands on the new Tube and the association with Batman has just made it that much cooler.

The Nokia Tube XpressMedia 5800 will be Nokia’s first real jump into the world of touchscreen devices. Personally, with the recent iPhone failure (as a result of media locking) in Australia, I’ll be lining up to get the Nokia Tube as soon as it arrives on Aussie shores!

One of the biggest US D2C mobile content providers, Thumbplay, has just announced the exclusive launch of their long awaited Jay-Z mobile package that includes everything from ringtones to wallpapers.

Thumbplay signed the recent deal with Universal Music and managed to secure some of Jay-Z’s biggest hits to be offered to fans all over America. The tracks available as ringtones are as follows:

o 1-900-Hustler, The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000)
o Can I Get A, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life (1998)
o Encore, The Black Album (2003)
o Excuse Me Miss, The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002)
o Girls, Girls, Girls, The Blueprint (2001)
o Heart Of The City (Ain’t No Love), The Blueprint (2001)
o IZZO (H.O.V.A.), The Blueprint (2001)
o Jigga What, Jigga Who, Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life (1998)
o Roc Boys (And The Winner Is), American Gangster (2007)
o S. Carter, Vol. 3: Life and Times of S. Carter (1999)

“UMG is committed to ensuring that fans are provided with new and innovative ways to access the music of their favorite artists,” stated Adam Flick, Vice President of Marketing, Digital, Universal Music Group Distribution. “And our partnership with Thumbplay provides an engaging and dynamic means of doing just that.”

“The availability of exclusive content from Jay-Z marks the continuation of Thumbplay’s leadership and commitment to delivering excellence to its consumers in the mobile music arena,” commented Are Traasdahl, Thumbplay’s CEO and founder. “We are pleased that Universal Music Group has chosen Thumbplay to be the first to launch this exclusive collection of Jay-Z’s chart-topping hits and look forward to sharing more exclusive UMG content with our consumers in the future.”

Nokia is well aware that big brands sell. Verizon Wireless have just teamed up with Nokia and Warner Bros. to release the new 6205 handset that has been inspired by ‘The Dark Knight’ Batman movie.

The new Batphone ties in with the movie’s upcoming July 18th release and is expected to be snapped up by comic book fans faster then you can say ‘Holy Smokes’. The 6205 is exclusive to Verizon Wireless and features a slim flip-style design coupled with a mysterious black shell that’s emblazoned with the Dark Knight emblem. Fans will appreciate the phone being jam packed with Batman wallpapers, voice tones, animated screensavers and even the full movie trailer. Unfortunately the mobile will not fool villains with its array of gadgets, but it will make you look cool in front of friends.

To get technical for a second, the 6205 does come with complete Mobile Web access, an outdated 1.3 mega pixel camera, 58MB of internal memory (expandable to 4GB via a microSD memory card), VZ NavigatorSM, Bluetooth, Get It Now multimedia downloads, and Voice Dialling and Voice Commands for touch-free control. On the cool side, this Verizon Wireless exclusive handset also boasts a decent 2-inch display screen along with touch-sensitive external music keys for quick and easy user access to tracks purchased through the Verizon Wireless “V CAST” music service.

If you haven’t already jumped in the Batmobile to pick one up, then you obviously haven’t heard about the complimentary ‘Joker Card’ that every lucky buyer receives. The card carries a unique code that directs the consumer to FightForGothamCity. Customers simply enter the code and are entered into the draw to win US$10,000 from Joker’s private money bag stash. I’m quite possibly even more excited about the movie now!

It’s tough luck once again for all us Aussies. No announcements have been made regarding whether or not we will get our hands on this sweet gizmo. With less then 10 days to go, I don’t plan on holding my breath either. If you want some more pics of this beastly phone, head over to our mates at Gizmodo.

Recently while holidaying in Portugal, a Prison Break fanatic from the UK decided to download an episode using his handset as a laptop modem to catch up on the latest Scofield action. The Yes Telecom (part Vodafone) customer was then slapped with a massive £31,000 mobile phone bill.

Iayn Dobsyn, an IT contractor from the UK, knew that his bill was going to be high, but expected that £150 would be about as far as it could climb. Dobysn said “I knew i used a lot of data while abroad but not to the tune of £31,000. The figures didn’t make sense.”

Thankfully, Yes Telecom has agreed to reduce the charge to the appropriate sum of £229 and has advised other customers to check the small print on their contracts before attempting to download any data while they are overseas.

The Ringtone Rant #2

Welcome to the Ringtone Rant. A blog that highlights the world of ringtones!

Hot Ringtone of the Month :: Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl

This powerful chick ballad works as an attention grabbing ringtone that is sure to keep you at the top of the cool list. Katy Perry’s controversial hit is essentially about girls kissing girls, which is probably why it’s such a great ringtone. Although the track might sound a bit irritating when you first hear it on the radio, it grows on you like some fungus.

Classic Ringtone of the Month :: Mario Bros Theme

Koji Kondo’s magical video game theme song for Mario stands the test of time as quite possibly the best ringtone anyone will ever have. It has outsold every other ringtone ever made and spent almost 200 weeks in the billboard ringtone charts. Nothing grabs the attention of nerds everywhere like the theme song to this cult classic.

Random Ringtone of the Month :: Flo Rida ft. Will.i.am - In The Ayer

The simplistic beat and cool rhymes from Flo Rida makes this one hell of a catchy ringtone. When this goes off, don’t be surprised if everyone around you throws their hands in the air. It’s a great party track and works well to get you buzzed for the weekend. If you want to stay ahead of the ringtone game, then get in early and put this on your handset!

Annoying Ringtone of the Month :: Miley Cyrus - See You Again

This screeching audible annoyance is getting way too much air time in Australia. It’s the kind of song that makes you change radio stations. If you hear this coming out of your girlfriend’s phone, it’s time to give her the flick. Miley Cyrus may be a money making magnum, but she definately won’t be on my phone anytime soon.