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This page contains frequently asked questions (and answers) about games for mobile phones.

Downloading games

Instructions on how to download games from the Spiky site are contained on the Download page.

What is Download?

Download is the process of getting a game or application from a central computer. With a mobile phone the download is performed using the mobile phone's radio interface to communicate with the central computer. The game program is transferred to your phone using the WAP protocol and this is carried using either GSM or GPRS.

When downloading a game from the Spiky web site you may browse through the games available.

Note that your mobile operator may charge you for accessing the Spiky WAP site and for the use of their data network used to download the game.

Payment

Since October 2005 we have decided not to charge for our games. If you would like to make a donation to help keep the Spiky website running then please email us.

What is a Web site / What is a WAP site?

You are currently looking at the Spiky Web site. It consists of a set of pages accessed using a web browser over the internet. A WAP site is very similar and consists of a set of pages accessed using a WAP browser. Your mobile phone contains a WAP browser and can access WAP pages. A computer run by your mobile operator converts the WAP protocol to internet protocols to allow your phone to access WML pages on the internet.

The Spiky WAP site address is "http://wap.myspiky.co.uk/".

Can I download Spiky games from my mobile network?

You can access and download games from Spiky from almost all mobile networks. Your phone must be configured to access your mobile operator's WAP gateway to allow access to the internet from your phone. If your mobile operator does not support a WAP gateway or you are travelling abroad you may need to reconfigure your phone to another WAP gateway.

We have found that the 3 network does not allow browsing to sites not controlled by 3. Therefore if you are on the 3 network then you will not be able to download our games.

Technical explanation

• What is download?
• Payment
• What is a web site / What is a WAP site?
• Can I download Spiky games from my mobile network?
• What is Java?
• Are there alternatives to Java?
• Why have different versions for different phones?
• Will my chosen game run on my phone?

What is Java?

Java is a computer programming language and a standard environment used to run the computer programs. This standard environment means that a Java program written for one phone should run on all other Java phones.

Computers and devices that support Java implement the Java environment so that Java programs may be run. Java programs may be run on a variety of devices ranging from large enterprise computers down to smart credit cards.

A Java program calls functions to interact with the device's screen, keypad and other hardware. These functions depend upon the type of device and are standardised in a set of related functions called profiles.

• MIDP is a set of functionality for mobile devices and defines functions for drawing on the screen, determining key presses and a way of a program being told that it can start or it needs to pause operation.
• CLDC is a set of functionality for communicating with other computers or devices using WAP or SMS.

Are there alternatives to Java?

Some phones do not support any downloadable games at all however most new phones now support one of the following downloadable game engines:

• Java - this is by far the most popular and hence has a wide range of games available.
• Mophun - supported by some Sony Ericsson, Nokia and Siemens phones.
• In-FUSIO - supported by some Sagem and Philips phones; limited game availability.

Why have different versions for different phones?

You may very well ask that if Java programs can be run on different devices without change then why are different versions available of the same game for different phones? There are a number of reasons for this:

1. There are different versions of MIDP; 1.0 is the first implementation, 2.0 adds additional capability such as sounds. Programs written using MIDP 1.0 may be run on phones that support MIDP 1.0 or phones that support MIDP 2.0. However programs written using MIDP 2.0 may only be run on phones supporting MIDP 2.0.
2. Different phones have different sized screens and some phones are colour whilst some are greyscale and others are only black and white. Phones also vary in what keys they have. MIDP attempts to isolate the program from these differences but compromises have to be made to do this.
3. MIDP 1.0 does not support all the capabilities of some makes of phone. Phone manufacturers often extend MIDP with their own functions to support the extended capabilities of their phones. Programs written using these extensions may not run on phones that do not support these extensions.

Games written by Spiky are aimed at the widest possible range of phones and configure themselves, when they start, for the capabilities of the phone.

Will my chosen game run on my phone?

The Games page lists the games available for each phone. If your phone is not listed on the games page and it is Java enabled then please email us with your phone make and model so we can tell you which games are supported.

Do you have questions that are not answered here? If yes then email us with your question.

Java is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc. in the USA and other countries.