iPhone game ported to Zune HD in less than a day

by Richard Mitchell 

Redmond Pie reports that developer Foundation42 has ported its iPhone game WordMonger -- which sits somewhere between Bejeweled and Scrabble -- to the Zune HD. While this is interesting in itself, it's actually very impressive given that the port was complete is only twelve hours. The game was written in C# using OpenGL, and ported to Zune HD with XNA Game Studio 3.1 using Visual Studio 2008. It really is an exceptional achievement.

At least, it would be if Microsoft had a firm stance on third party development for the Zune HD. As it stands, there is no rote submission process à la Apple's App Store, with Microsoft instead opting to work with publishers on a "case-by-case" basis. Still, at the very least, WordMonger will hopefully be available on the App Store this Thanksgiving. See video of both the iPhone and Zune HD versions after the break.

Wow....MS is light years behind Apple with the service they provide for Zune.

Microsoft needs to get a grip on the mobile devices market. They have Windows Mobile and Zune and neither seems like a worthy device and definatly not like an ''Iphone'' killer. Windows Mobile should become what it's name implies: Windows on your mobile as it stands it doesn't really have any benefit over other smart phone systems that also have Office and games on it. Windows Mobile needs a more user friendly look and feel and Zune needs to be transformed to the Mobile phone of Microsoft or compleetly disappear because you can't compeet with the Ipod. They have a chance if they give it a sense of unity to all Windows Phones similiar to Apple's Iphone. That way people can get the phone they want with the knowledge that inside is a easy to use system that plays all applications out there. It won;t be easy since all phones are different but right now Microsoft isn't even trying.

Wow, lots of irrational Zune hating in this thread. It is a quite wonderful PMP with an amazing UI. It is a hell of a music discovery device when paired with the ZunePass and WiFi. The ONLY negative I have about it is the lack of a third party app store, but in time this will change.

Grey21 - Windows Mobile has got to be one of the most fraud cellphone OS' I've ever used.

Microsoft isn't standing still on Windows Mobile, though whoever WinMo's leadership were were inept and visionless.

My guess is that Zune HD is just a trial balloon (albeit one that will be supported for years).

Windows Mobile 7 will likely be the Zune HD Phone - and based on comments from recent Microsoft interviews about not wanting to have multiple app stores, Microsoft is seeing what works with Zune HD and how to best tweak it for usability before WinMo 7 is done and the Zune HD Phone is released.

That's probably why the Zune HD isn't outside of the US (that's right, isn't it?) - rather than spin up a world-wide product launch for a device type that is nearing the end of its tenure (really - phones will subsume PMPs), release the PMP in MS' biggest and friendliest market, see what works and tweak as needed for the world-wide Zune HD Phone release.

THEN comes the unified app store.

...all of which will *undoubtedly* be arriving in 2010.

Oh, and WinMo 7 is a 'rewrite' of the OS, branched some time ago - WinMo 6.5 isn't a direct parent to WinMo 7.