Blog Banter 12: Eve On Mobile Devices? Eh.
Welcome to the twelfth installment of the EVE Blog Banter, the monthly EVE Online blogging extravaganza created by CrazyKinux. The EVE Blog Banter involves an enthusiastic group of gaming bloggers, a common topic within the realm of EVE Online, and a week to post articles pertaining to the said topic. The resulting articles can either be short or quite extensive, either funny or dead serious, but are always a great fun to read! Any questions about the EVE Blog Banter should be directed here. Check out other EVE Blog Banter articles at the bottom of this post!
This month’s banter comes to us from CrazyKinux himself, who asks the following: First there was the MMO on the PC, and now with the recent announcement of DUST 514, EVE will soon be moving onto consoles. But what about mobile? Allow your imagination to run wild for a second and describe how you would see EVE being ported to mobile devices, whether the iPhone/iPod touch, Blackberrys or Android-based devices. Dream the impossible for us!
Frankly, there’s not too much impossible to dream about concerning this topic. But for the purposes of this discussion, I will restrict the term ‘mobile’ to internet-friendly handheld devices with developer-friendly operating systems – essentially “smartphones” like the Apple (iPhone/iTouch), Palm WebOS (Pre), Android (G1), and Blackberry devices.
Under that definition, the phrase “EVE being ported to mobile devices” is misleading. Even if CCP somehow managed to get an Eve client working on a mobile device with any sort of usable frame rate (4 frames per minute? no thanks), it would be ridiculously impossible to use. Not even worth speculating about.
So then what could be done to bring mobile devices into the Eve world? A COSMOS-based app with status updates, friends lists, limited account management, skill updating, etc. In iPhone terms, essentially a Facebook-esque app (the iPhone Facebook app is quite a good social networking app) blended with Capsuleer and iClone. Obviously, such an app should balance features and usability; I don’t want over-the-top graphics and a zillion-and-one features at the price of functionality and speed.
As I stated earlier, not much to be terribly imaginative about. But then again, even an app with the features I mentioned might be too much to ask for – I am still waiting for the iPhone Capsuleer app to get more than 3 icons on its main screen.
Other blog banter participants: Blog Banter 12.
Yarrbear Tales 
I think an API based mobile app that allows you the ability to market trade, skill change, job/research interactivity, and limited corp management, as something that would greatly benefit a player. I would also agree with you that there is no need to have an actual game interface that would allow you to fly anything. Sadly this seems like some simple stuff to hash out. They have 3rd party sites all over the internet that have limited interaction to the DB but why not some simple authentication method to have both read and write access?
I guess we are all still stuck until CCP decides that they can actually secure an interactive interface into the API against issues.
Ya got no WinMo love for us dood? :(
Whoops, I knew I was forgetting something. Yes, Windows Mobile would definitely qualify as a mobile device. Unfortunately for Windows Mobile users, serious Eve mobile application development only seems to be present for the iPhone.
Skill queues would be the most valuable to me, being able to shift them while travelling. Security would be the biggest issue.
mike
Dude! We just got v2.0.4 finished and bug free and are working hard at v2.1 which will fill a few more spots on that home screen for you, including enough reasons to delete iClone! lol
Anyway, I agree with you 100% on this blog.
A game can be done you would just not see the EVE client being done. Rather a new slim client with a focus on one specific specialization.
pleasingly answers i like it