Minecraft: Pocket Edition landed on iOS weeks ago with a $6.99 price tag and barebones gameplay that mirrors the creative mode from its parent sibling. Minecraft fans will have no qualms in having a small playground to explore and construct buildings in, but the mobile version (designated as an alpha) does leave something to be desired. While building with a preset list of block choices is fun, there’s virtually no want to explore (especially since you can’t construct any tools), and the Pocket Edition leaves some in-game elements from the desktop version such as coal and gravel (that you can’t mine) which can be found on mountains. This might leave you to believe that the iOS and Android versions will eventually grow into the same game that’s finally reached 1.0 status as of Minecon. While it’s true that the mobile version will eventually get a survival mode, it won’t necessarily mirror the expansive world generation and gameplay that the desktop game provides.

Daniel Kaplan for Mojang writes,

The plan now is to start digging into making Minecraft – Pocket Edition with Survival features!! Please note that we will NOT replicate Minecraft and try to bring all the features that are already out. This is not possible and does not match the touch platform. I’m trying to be as detailed as possible to show you why some stuff may take some time.

This is what the plan looks like right now and being worked on:

• A new file system – to make sure we can support items and mobs in the world
• Item system – to be able to pick up items
• Crafting – we know you want this. This will probably need some iterations since the interface will be customized for the touch devices
• Inventory system
• Mobs – animals and enemies!
• Optimizing rendering code – we are experimenting with caves but need to make it work better before we are able to release it
• Clean up of code and overall optimization

These updates will take time: Minecraft has to be optimized for mobile devices, and the current controls are only good enough to get by for what the game currently implements. Just like with early Minecraft, you’ll have the opportunity to watch it grow into a product that’ll have a lot more interaction than its predecessors. Even if the Pocket Edition could only match the early Minecraft beta days, that’s what I remember best, and it would be a nostalgic blast from the past.

[Mojang via Cult of Mac]

Grand Theft Auto fans are going to have an early Christmas present come December 15th as Rockstar Games celebrates the 10 year anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III with a launch on iOS and Android mobile devices. Grand Theft Auto III made waves when it was launched on the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox back on October 22nd, 2001, introducing players to a vast open world with a gripping story line and hours of endless gameplay. There’s nothing quite like GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas, and I’m terribly excited to see games from my youth (in hindsight that I probably shouldn’t have been playing) find its way onto iPads and iPhones. Here’s the list of supported devices:

iOS:

• iPad, iPad2
• iPhone 4, iPhone 4S
• iPod touch 4th generation

Android:

• Acer Iconia, Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Dell Streak 7, LG Optimus Pad, Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, Sony Tablet S, Toshiba Thrive
• HTC Rezound, LG Optimus 2x, Motorola Atrix 4G, Motorola Droid X2, Motorola Photon 4G, Samsung Galaxy R, T-Mobile G2x
  

The game will only cost $4.99 when it launches. An official trailer will be released next week with the launch of the mobile remake. Be sure to check out Rockstar’s post for more iOS and Android screenshots.

[via Rockstar Games]

Shorcuts

I manage bluetooth constantly on my iOS devices, thanks in part to the JAMBOX. Jeff Broderick’s iPhone Settings Shortcuts provide a much needed shortcut to Bluetooth settings that are otherwise buried. Where iOS doesn’t provide quick access to much beyond volume and brightness sliders, Android has always an advantage when it comes to managing settings between widgets or toggles in the notification tray. Being able to turn off the 3G signal and leave my phone on Wi-Fi was something I did in the evenings with my Droid to avoid late night phone calls and text messages, while still receiving incoming email and Twitter notifications to read in the morning. A silent phone’s display will still light up when rang.

As of the iOS 5.1 beta that was recently released, Apple’s blocking access to the Settings app through these Home screen shortcuts. Clearly I’m not a typical iPhone user, but even if I was, so what if I want to clutter my Home screen with harmless shortcuts? I don’t understand the motivation to kill off a feature like this unless it’s a security concern.

These setting shortcuts are great because they provide a clear and easily labeled path to things I want to change or manage. I can’t say the same about the Settings app, especially if something is buried in a submenu under ‘General’.

iOS 5.1 isn’t final yet, but there’s a pretty good chance system setting shortcuts are going to remained blocked. If these kinds of shortcuts are important to you, then you may want to hold off on the update when it’s seeded to the public.

[Cult of Mac via TiPb]