Blackberry fails upward, AT&T goes all in on 4G, and everyone recovers from their iPhone 5 buzz in this week's Mobile Weekly Wrap.

A week after the iPhone 5 made it into the hands of nearly 5 million people, the world finally started spinning on its correct axis again. As the dust settled from the lines of stampeding early adopters, other companies started to unveil their own upcoming offerings. Whether its new tablets and phones for the holiday rush, leaks for the long term, and fallout from the iPhone launch, we’ve got the goods — along with apps and games — from this week in mobile tech (Sept. 23-28, 2012).

AT&T goes all-in on 4G

While the iPhone 5 is the biggest addition in terms of name recognition, AT&T is improving their 4G device offerings in quantity and quality. Teaming with Samsung for much of the new wave, AT&T announced four new devices, three phones and one tablet, from the Galaxy line up that will be available in the coming months. If users have trouble managing the madness of having so many devices on the 4G network, they can connect them all to AT&T’s newly announced touchscreen mobile hotspot. The first of its kind, the MiFi Liberate has a 2.8-inch touchscreen and will allow up to 10 devices to connect to it. It’s all part of AT&T’s plan to cover the world in LTE, which is pretty non-threatening on the scale of evil plots against humanity.

Where the Apple went rotten

Apple’s mobile OS brought quite a few innovations that have people clamoring for what might be possible in the future. For the time being, though, it’s not all pretty. The move away from Google’s products and embrace of Apple-made apps has left Maps users lost. It’s been so bad that Apple CEO Tim Cook openly apologized for the debacle. The switch isn’t the only wrong turn that Apple made. The newly redesigned headphones, dubbed “earpods,” seem to put the emphasis on “piece” in the term “earpiece.” That is to say, “piece of junk.” (That was a long way to go for that joke, I know.)

Blackberry fails upward

As more and more iPhones and Android devices creep in to the business space, Research in Motion is doing its best to dig in and wait out the storm. While it hasn’t really been working, it has managed to spin some losses into wins this week. The first “win” came with its second quarter reports. The company lost $235 million, which actually beat expectations of just how bad it was doing and led to a jump in its stock prices. Later, video of the yet-to-be-seen BlackBerry 10 L and N series phones leaked onto the web, blowing whatever surprise the company had planned for an unveiling. The thing is, the video generally impressed consumers and may mark a potential comeback for the oft-forgotten phone company. 

Apps and games of the week

Street Fighter X Tekken ($3, iOS) – The button-mashing, combo-smashing fighter that has been a favorite on the consoles now makes its way to mobile. This iOS title will allow for you to take your fist to your friends online or play through single player battles.

Scape ($6, iPad) – Carry a composer with you. Scape lets you pick between a variety of different soundscapes, mixing and matching them as the app creates a custom, computer-generated soundtrack for your listening pleasure.

Draw Pad Pro ($2, Blackberry) – Just because you’re on a BlackBerry doesn’t mean you’re all business. Let your creative side flow with the inner artist’s dream app.

LazyLog (Free, Android) – While some missed calls and texts are important, others are the equivalent of inbox spam. Cast them to the side and get back to the people that matter with LazyLog.

eTrade Mobile (Free, Windows) While it’s been out on iOS and Android, Windows users can finally get their hands on this powerful portfolio manager.

Skitch (Free, iPhone) This app is already available for iPad and Android and has been beloved buy its owners on those platforms. It’s finally making its debut on the iPhone, and is sure to get just as much love.

Friendizer – (Free, Android) – This app will close the gap between your charming inner personality and unfortunate lack of social skills. Check out who else is near by and if your interests match up without having to go through awkward small talk.

BDrive (Free, iOS/Android) – The social cloud memory bank, use BDrive on your device of choice and share files between other devices and users to create a completely virtual community database.

A recent report says the two Android-loving companies responsible for the Nexus 7 are working on a $100 tablet.

If you’re wanting to buy a Nexus 7 then now is the time to do it because Google’s still offering a $25 credit for Google Play with tablet purchase. But if you can wait until Christmas there may be a brand new, even cheaper Nexus tablet to get your hands on. 

According to Digitimes, a source that seems to be right as much as it’s wrong, Google and Asus are working on a $100 Nexus tablet. The new Nexus will reportedly be ready in time for Christmas, the most magical time of the year (at least in sales numbers). The rumor comes from unnamed sources invloved in Asus’ supply chain. Apparently the tech giants are working on slimming down the Nexus 7 and offering it in two different variations: one running for an extremely budget-friendly $100 and the other staying at the $200 price point.

The current Nexus 7 managed to keep the price low without cutting too many corners. The only drawbacks — depending on how you look at them — are its lack of 3G connectivity and scratch-resistant Corning glass in place of the Gorilla brand. The mini-tablet still managed to pack in 1 GB of RAM, a quad-core Tegra 3 processor, NFC, GPS, microphone, and a front-facing camera. Asus wrapped all that up in a tight, 7-inch package and it was sold for a steal at $200. 

This new, thinner Nexus would no doubt be an attempt to solidify Asus and Google’s place as the go-to budget tablet makers even if the much-anticipated iPad Mini makes an appearance near the end of the year. If Google could pull it off, the cheaper tablet would definitely end up in a lot of stockings over the holidays. The low price of $100 would definitely appeal to impulse buyers, much like the Touchpad’s fire sale.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likely this rumor will end up being anything but smoke and mirrors. We all know what happened with the $200 Surface tablet rumor… It didn’t come true. The truth is that Google would be losing a whole lot of money if it sold a tablet at $100 without dropping the specs to the point of embarrassment. It doesn’t matter how advanced the Jelly Bean software is, even Project Butter can’t save sub-par hardware. If Apple is good at any one thing, it’s delivering a smooth user experience and Google knows it needs to bring its A game in that department as well. 

Do you think there’s any truth to this rumor? Would you buy a cheaper Nexus 7 over an iPad Mini if you had the choice?

When you can't rely on your smartphone battery to last forever, use the SpareOne emergency phone as backup.

Tis the season for new smartphone announcements. Whether you are a diehard gadgeteer or a general consumer shopping for a new phone, one of the most important thing you want to learn about a product is how long the battery lasts. You never know when you will need to make calls during emergency situations. Luckily, you don’t always have to rely on smartphones in case of long term power outages. The SpareOne emergency cellphone is your perfect backup, running on a single AA battery and can reportedly last up to 15 years with 10 hours of talk time.

We received a demo unit of the SpareOne phone and it’s as bare as an emergency phone gets. The candybar style device has all the buttons in the front, is extremely lightweight, and comes complete with the one AA battery it needs to power on. You’ll need to insert your own micro SIM card to make calls, but 911 will always work with or without a SIM. SpareOne recently released the device with a new waterproof, floating bag so your one emergency won’t get destroyed, making it durable in an all-weather situation.

While it’s not a particularly fancy gadget, it does seem like a fairly useful one to have sitting in your emergency shelf. If necessary, the phone also doubles as an torchlight and and last up to 24 hours with the single AA battery. Though the idea is for SpareOne to be an emergency backup phone, the device could make for a good starter phone for younger kids whom you don’t believe has the responsibility of owning a smartphone just yet — but should still have cellphone access at the minimum. It could also make for a good rugged, traveling phone for when you take outdoor trips and don’t want to ruin your fancy iPhone 5. Of course, the only problem you’ll run into in these situations is having to actually remember your contacts’ phone numbers or carry a phonebook … and when was the last time anyone did either?

If you’re intrigued, SpareOne emergency phone is available for purchase now at $120 apiece.

In Jetsetter this week, Starbreeze unveils its first original, Dragon Quest X disappoints, and Jump Games moves beyond India's borders.

Welcome back again to Jetsetter, Digital Trends’ weekly look at the international world of video games. 

It was a busy week in the video game world abroad. Reports out of Korea suggested that that country’s big publishers Nexon and NCSoft were looking to purchase Valve; in Japan, it looked like Konami was going to stop farming Silent Hill out to European developers and give it to its premiere Japanese creator Hideo Kojima instead; and in Britain, Revolution Games greenlighted development on Beneath a Steal Sky 2. That’s not all that’s been going on beyond our borders though, as Jetsetter can attest.

* Starbreeze announces Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. 

At the beginning of September, Jetsetter reported that Swedish developer Starbreeze had signed a two-game deal with publisher 505 Games. The first title would be Payday 2, a sequel to Overkill Software’s multiplayer shooter. The other game though was more mysterious. All Starbreeze announced was a codename for the game, “P13,” and it said the game would be a collaboration with filmmaker Josef Fares. P13 debuted on Thursday as Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, a lush looking downloadable for PC, Xbox Live Arcade, and PlayStation Network. The story follows the titular boys as the try to find a cure for their dying father. As you can see from the image above, Starbreeze’s very first original game is quite a looker.

* Dragon Quest X nets 300,000 subscribers.

Japanese MMO culture is peculiar. While online role-playing games like Final Fantasy XI are played in the country, they’re far less popular than multiplayer RPGs like Monster Hunter played on portable devices but over local wireless connections rather than online. How popular are local multiplayer RPGs? Square-Enix sold 4.3 million copies of the multiplayer Dragon Quest IX for Nintendo DS within six months of its release. The company released the first fully online entry in the series, Dragon Quest X, this summer on Nintendo Wii. Not great, comparatively. According to Nihon Securities Journal (via Siliconera), there are only 300,000 Dragon Quest X subscribers paying the $13 per month fee to play. If Dragon Quest can’t get Japanese citizens playing MMORPGs in the millions, nothing can.

* Jump Games expanding to either Canada and Singapore.

Indian mobile game developer Jump Games—a purveyor of numerous movie tie-in games for iOS like Total Recall and Real Steel—is opening new studios in Singapore and Canada. “We’re clear that we need to have a studio outside India,” Manish Agarwal told MCV. Agarwal is the CEO of Reliance Entertainment, the parent company of Jump Games. “We’re looking at exploring the talent pool in either Singapore or Canada by opening a studio there because it’s going to take time for the local talent to develop.”

This is Jetsetter’s second week at its new Saturday slot. Any suggestions for the column? Drop us a note in the comments. You can also follow me on Twitter at @ajohnagnello.

We recently spoke with Katsuhiro Harada, creator and producer of the Tekken franchise, about his favorite fighting style and how the series changed forever.

Recently, we had the chance to sit down with Katsuhiro Harada, the creator of the Tekken series. In the gaming world, when it comes to Japanese developers there are a few that have transcended the anonymity associated with most developers, and have developed a bit of a rock star image. Some of this is a natural evolution of giants in an industry that is still small enough to seek out icons, yet not big enough to have the public scrutiny on headliners that is attached to stars in other billion entertainment industries. Some of it is a deliberate attempt to embrace the quirkiness of their popularity. Katsihiro Harada is a bit of both.

On one hand he is a long time industry vet, who has become the face of one of the world’s biggest franchises, a role he has embraced whole heartedly. Whether that means showing up at Namco events in Vegas with champagne for everyone and models on each arm, or engaging in faux-feuds with Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono (which included an epic prank rivalry that turned into a brilliant viral marketing campaign for the games’ crossover offerings — see below), Harada has been up for it. On the other hand, he has been known to snap at gamers for “whining and complaining” and “practice being an adult.”

But putting aside his personality, Harada is a respected developer for a reason. His work on the Tekken franchise has been influential, to say the least, and the gaming landscape would not be what it is today without him.

We had the chance to ask him a few questions (through translator , including where he thinks the industry is going, what keeps bringing him back to the fighting genre, and what his own favorite fighting style is.

What is it that keeps bringing you back to the fighting genre?

It’s probably because you are fighting — not against the CPU — but against another player. So depending on the player the experience is quite different. And not just that, but after creating the game we are able to go out to these various tournaments and events and play against the fans in the community, and so you actually get a lot of feedback at that point as well, “you know this is really cool, but we’d like to see this or that implemented,” or “this feature changed in a certain way.” Being able to implement that to make an even better game is really good.

How do you select which fighting styles to include in Tekken?

Well you know, early in the series we started off with some of the more famous fighting styles, obviously, and then from there progressed throughout the series to more styles that aren’t as well known, but the movements are quite interesting and fun to watch. And then more recently, since most of our game designers and animators are very familiar with all of the various more well-known martial arts, we kind of leaned more towards actually making our own fighting styles.

What is your favorite fighting style? If you could choose one style to master, what would it be?

[I] like the martial arts, especially where you’re not doing grappling, but more hits. Something with not very long combinations, but more power with into each blow. For that reason perhaps, karate.

With new consoles coming soon, where do you see the fighting genre going?

Well, when you say “next generation” you are probably talking about consoles, and as far as fighting games on next gen consoles, it probably won’t change much from what you see today. Obviously there will be some new mechanics and stuff you normally see on an updated sequel. But rather than that with the newer consoles, the really big changes [I] foresee is perhaps with mobile, like cell phones or perhaps tablets, or some of these things that are becoming very popular. They are also becoming much more powerful. You also have the capabilities that are increasing with the networks — wireless networking connections and such. So there is going to be that line where fighting games will probably continue on their current path on consoles, but also this new way of playing, perhaps on a cell phone or a tablet via a wireless network. And that’ll be something that might make a bigger impact, and might come sooner than you think.

So are you excited for the next gen of consoles, or are you happy with where fighting games are right now?

The one thing that [I] really am looking forward to regarding the next generation of consoles is that they’ll probably be more focused on online — they all do that now, but more so. Always being connected to the internet, always being able to access. And everyone being connected to the internet via the consoles as the foundation, to mean that we would have more freedom to design moments that rely heavily on online play. And that is also something to be excited about for fighting games.

Also, for Tag 2 we actually expanded a lot of the online capabilities, and included a lot of new features, but these obviously — voice chat as well — require a certain percentage of the CPU of the console. That is probably an area that will be greatly improved with the next generation. So that’s something that will benefit fighting games as well.

Regardless of genre, where do you see gaming technology evolving years, even decades down the road?

It’s kind of hard to read, a lot more so than it was in the early 90s, for example, to predict what would happen in 2000 or so. Things are much less visible that way. But if [I] had to pick one thing, it would probably be graphical capabilities – the graphics will look similar to life, they will be very realistic. And this will probably help increase the feeling that players get, that they’re represented inside the game. The barrier between the game and the screen and themselves kind of collapses, and they feel like they are pulled into it as a result of the technology. That’s probably the one thing that’s easy to foresee.

It’s kind of hard to think that there will be some drastic change. For example, any input device that has a directional pad, any controller — that’s something that has been around for years and years now. Perhaps long ago people would have thought that would have been done away with in favor of analog sticks or something else as the main way of inputing direction, but that’s not the case. Also, people have been saying for some time that touch panels are more prevalent and they’re taking the place of keyboards, and that still hasn’t happened yet either, so it’s hard to think that drastic change will happen in the next 15 years or so.

But at the same time [I] feel that creating that drastic change — or something that is a real change out there — is almost the responsibility of us as game creators. So [I] have to start working on that big idea now.

Do you see a point where gaming rivals, or even surpasses movies?

Well, games have always looked at movies as far as presentation. For example, the angles you capture a certain scene from, the way you have the rhythm of when it really explodes or when it is more subtle. The tempo. Those are the kind of things video game creators have taken as an example in games. But there are some areas where movies can’t compete. For example, the Metal Gear series and Call of Duty. Up until now you’ve seen these movies where the main figure is portrayed, but it was from a pulled back perspective. But with these games you are in the battlefield, spinning about, and everything going on has been recreated.

From a different perspective, EverQuest, or some of these online games. You can connect and play in the same atmosphere and environment with hundreds of other people, and that itself is entertainment that movies can’t recreate. So there are instances where games can go beyond what movies can do

Tekken has a universal appeal. Do you deliberately design it for an international audience, or do you not worry about that and just make the best game you can?

Early on in the series, perhaps [Tekken] 1, 2, 3, maybe even 4, was a time when Tekken was mainly not developed as a fighting game to build all these players, but almost to try and implement new technology and showcase that, as well polish it. And this technology also ended up being used in other Namco games, whether it be the polygon models, or moving the characters on a 3D plane with X and Y and Z coordinates. So each time we went in with technical goals we wanted to achieve. It wasn’t really until about Tekken 5 that Tekken started being viewed as a relevant fighting game that was tournament worthy. Up until then Street Fighter and the Virtua Fighter series were on that level. It was at about Tekken 5 where we reached that. From then obviously the development was more focused on trying to develop certain audiences.

Are you lining up for the iPhone 5 because it’s tailored to your needs better than any other phone, or because it’s the new iPhone?

Given the massive success of the iPhone despite a number of problems (Wi-Fi, maps), tech pundits have been writing stories this week about the death of Android and suggesting it become more like iOS. This is ironic, considering Apple still maintains that Android was essentially a stolen product.

Microsoft isn’t even in the discussion, because the few of us who have Windows phones are just thankful that we aren’t in lines, that we have more hardware choices than the iPhone buyers have, and have fewer malware problems than the Google folks have. Because everyone else is on the other two platforms, in our minds, we Microsoft users are the new elite geeks. In everyone else’s heads, we’re just geeks.

However, underneath all of the buying activity is an unfortunate trend: Consumers are thinking about what they need and want less and less. Did those in line waiting for the iPhone first sit down and think through what they liked and didn’t like about their existing phones? Did they consider what features were worth their money? Did they eventually come to a well-thought-through conclusion, or did they just go rabid when the words “new iPhone” came from Apple?

Despite the massive amounts of information on the Web that should help us make better decisions, we increasingly focus on stuff that agrees with a decision we’ve already made. That is foolish, and it even could be dangerous.

Ultrabook example

Because passion surrounds anything Apple, and I don’t want to get buried in hate mail for suggesting another phone might be better for you, let me use a different platform as an example. I was recently asked, if I to buy an Ultrabook today, which I would choose.

Currently I’m using a Samsung Slate running Windows 8, so the thought of returning to a laptop configuration forced me to sit down and think through the decision. The number one priority for me is battery life. I’m always forgetting where I’ve left my laptop and forgetting to keep it charged. But as I thought some more, I realized battery life really wasn’t what I needed. What I need is the ability to fast-charge the device, because I generally have 30 minutes to an hour to get ready. But even a 20-hour battery will be dead if it has been sitting for a few weeks. (Unless you completely turn off a laptop, it will slowly drain its battery in suspend.)

So I decided what I really wanted was a fast-charging battery with decent life. This led me to the Lenovo Carbon X-1, which also has the best keyboard, one of the best touchpads, and a decent set of ports. The Carbon X-1 is also is sturdy (semi-hardened). But I would have traded all of these things (well, maybe not all) for that eight-hour battery that can charge to 80 percent in 35 minutes. The sexiest notebook does me no good if the battery is dead. Most of the events I attend have many analysts, and typically only three or four plugs, most of which the A\V guys use. So I regularly need a good battery.

Despite not being the most popular Ultrabook, the ThinkPad Carbon X-1 is a perfect fit to my particular needs and situation.

Why I ‘ve avoided the iPhone 5

The feature most important to me on a smartphone is a keyboard, because I’m often writing long answers to long questions. Usually I’m carrying something in one hand, which means I need a single-handed phone experience. Yes, I can and have lived off a screen phone, but I’m far slower typing on it single handedly. I prefer a portrait keyboard. That’s why I keep returning to my old, obsolete, 3G Dell smartphone. I have no doubt that eventually I’ll have to give it up, but I’m not going to do it easily. I can get around the 3G to 4G thing with a Verizon 4G hotspot (which works just fine with my tablets and notebook computer).

If I need a bigger screen, my 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is far better than even the biggest super smartphones, and all my data flows fast through that Verizon hotspot. When I travel, the hotspot stays home, forcing me onto Wi-Fi and keeping my data charges from nosebleed range. (If you want an impressive cell phone bill – as in four digits – let your kid use his or her iPhone on roaming while on vacation.)

The iPhone 5 lacks my needed keyboard, its Wi-Fi is having problems, and its navigation is totally broken. Until those last two things are fixed, I’d be very unhappy with the iPhone 5. (I actually use phone navigation a lot.)

Based on the things I do with a phone, the Windows platform is the best one for me. Maybe I’m unique, but I’m OK with that – I’ve never liked looking like everyone else.

Pick what you want

The point of this piece isn’t to slam the iPhone 5, but to point out a practice that likely causes too many folks to buy a phone that doesn’t meet their needs. People who need and use phone navigation and Wi-Fi should buy a different phone, or at least wait until Apple fixes the iPhone issues. (The Wi-Fi issue may be fixed by the time you read this; the mapping issue likely will take far longer.)

A smartphone will cost you around $1,000 a year. Everyone should think through what they need before spending that kind of money. You may discover that your existing phone — or a phone other than the one folks are lining up for — better fits your needs. Because you have to live with a phone for about two years, taking time to make a good decision makes sense. And if more of us planned before we purchased, we’d likely find more phones tailored to our unique needs, and be less likely to stand in line for hours to get a phone that almost everyone else has.

Guest contributor Rob Enderle is the founder and principal analyst for the Enderle Group, and one of the most frequently quoted tech pundits in the world. Opinion pieces denote the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Digital Trends.