Filed under: Gaming

We’re always a little skeptical of piracy impact numbers, especially when companies try to factor in things like “lost sales,” which can’t be adequately measured, but it’s still interesting to hear how large the hit is estimated to be — like Nintendo’s recent filing with the US Trade Representative that piracy cost it and its partners some $975m worldwide in 2007. Saying that the popularity of the Wii and DS makes Nintendo an “attractive target” for counterfeiters, the big N broke the problem down by region, highlighting its efforts to stem the tide and proposed solutions and regulations. We’d say that with profits soaring and plenty of people clamoring for hard-to-find systems, Nintendo could probably get back a little of that cash by finally getting some boxes on shelves instead of pushing for new laws, but hey — even Mario’s lawyers probably get sick of being paid in mushrooms.

[Image courtesy of Nick Cueva]

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LG are touting the KF700 slider as the world’s first mobile with three input/navigation methods. So what are they?

Well the 2008 MWC was the year that everyone got their touch on and LG sure didn’t let us down. The KF700 has a slick, although not particularly quick, touchscreen interface that emits a pleasant vibration in response to your tap – the latter being a particularly nice touch.

You can pan across the screen and scan through your contacts – a la the iPhone – as well as the keypad-like functionality of the 3-inch, wide-ratio touchscreen.

Second of this heralded trio, comes the navigation click wheel. As well as cycling through contacts and menus, it also can be activated as a shortcut to your favourite applications. This real-time widget works particularly well as it saves the hassle of trawling back through the screens to access, say, your contacts.

Finally comes the keypad. Wait, we’re counting the keypad? Yes, OK? we’re counting the keypad. Well that’s nothing to post a myspace bulletin about really.

The phone has a pretty standard 3mp camera, but it does interact very well when using the touch screen to view and organise your pictures.

So have a gander at the video – it’s our fifth this week from MWC – leave a comment and let us know what you think. Which handset has been the King of the Congress for you?

So you’re getting tired of your phone, but don’t want to shell out for a new one. Well soon you’ll be able to change it completely, without spending a fortune.

It’s called modu, and is the world’s first modular phone. Want to turn it into a music mobile? Just slide it into the boombox casing, complete with speaker.

What about transforming it into a satnav? No problem. Like the Lego bricks of our youth, just bolt on extras to the core device. And as new ones come out, theoretically the number of phones you can have is limitless.

Extras touted at present include MP4 players, digital photo frames, cameras and DECT phones. Those signed-up to make the modu ‘jackets’ (skin-like enclosures) and modu ‘mates’ (electronic devices you slide it into) include Blaupunkt and Universal Music Group.

“What modu have done is incredible,” said Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, Universal Music Group International. “Their revolutionary platform has opened up mobile phones to new music products and services that simply didn’t exist before modu came along.”

So when will modu come along? Expect it and Universal’s range of jackets based on their artists to land on the shelves around October time. Forget the N96, this is every phone you’ve ever dreamed of in one. Check it out at the link below.