We go hands on with the Gametel controller at CES

At a pre-CES event, we had a chance to briefly sample Fructel's Gametel pad accessory for Android-powered smartphones. First spotted in November, the company is now working on making the device compatible with Apple devices as well. The devices attaches to phons using a spring-loaded clamps and pairs to the device using Bluetooth, while tablets rely on touch-free operation.

While it's nice the screen isn't covered by a user's fingers during gaming, the lack of a joystick and the presence of a D-pad could mean a sore thumb after an extended gaming session. Another possible issue could be battery life of the device and the accessory because it uses Bluetooth, but Fructel claims a nine-hour battery life. It proved fairly responsive, however, and we didn't notice any lag. The buttons also seemed fairly stout, but the spring mechanism and its moving parts could weaken over time.

The Gametel requires Android 2.1 or newer, Apple iPads with iOS 3.2 or newer and iPhones with iOS 4.0 or later. An Apple app is still in the works, though, which is required for pairing. After the first pairing process, the gamepad connects automatically on subsequent power-ups.

The gamepad supports 23 Android games, including No Gravity, Silverfish, and Super Crossfire HD. Supported iOS games include more than 50 titles and over 100 retro titles from iCADE.

Up to four of the controllers can be connected, and hooking up the smartphone or console to an HDTV over an HDMI cable could make for a games console-like multiplayer experience. Fructel is still looking for distributors in North America, and doesn't have a ship date for the gamepad. In Europe, it costs 50 pounds (about $77).

By Electronista Staff