While the fragmentation of the Android universe canoccasionally be frustrating for users who are tied into a manufacturer-specificmarket, sometimes it does have its perks. Those using Samsung’s app market arein for a celestial treat on March 22: when Rovio’s new Angry Birds Spacelaunches, Galaxy users with Android 2.1 or better will have access to 30additional levels at no extra charge (for the first three months, anyhow).
The team-up between a hardware manufacturer and a softwaremaker isn’t anything new – just check out the bundles you can get with the Xboxor PlayStation consoles, after all – but it’s not too common with the world ofsmartphone, yet. At the official launch of Angry Birds Space at SXSW in Austin,though, demos of the game were tied to Samsung’s recent Galaxy Note device,partly to showcase the larger AMOLED screen found on the devices. Not a badstrategy, especially for people waffling about the Note’s larger form factor’ssuitability for day-to-day use.
As for the game itself, officially launched with a videofrom the International Space Station featuring NASA astronaut Don Pettit, AngryBirds Space will continue to use physics-based gameplay. But as per the name, itwill be set in outer space…that means figuring out trajectories not only inweightless environments, but working around gravity wells too. So in otherwords, it’s a more entertaining way to teach a few physics concepts to peoplewho otherwise wouldn’t have any reason to be interested. (The bonus, if Ilearned anything from The Last Starfighter: it’s quite possible that those whoget the best scores may find NASA recruiters knocking on their door.)
Despite the tie-in with Samsung and Android, Angry Birds Spacewill also be available on March 22 for iOS, PC and Mac…bonus levels will cost extra,of course.