Mobile Karaoke is a mobile application using a Nokia phone and the J2ME programming language that allows users to sing karaoke with their mobile phone devices in a playful way. It requires players to sing along with the music in order to score points. In this application, a user can choose between three main modes: regular singing, shout out singing and recording music video.
In the regular singing mode, the user follows the song\’s pitch displayed as dots on different positions like a music staff. The singing should also correspond to the lyrics shown on the bottom of the screen. This application analyzes the player’s pitch and compares them to the original song track. The player gets scored based on how accurate the singing is. A high or low score determines the qualification to get into the next level.
In the shout out singing option, the user follows the regular singing\’s rule and has a chance to shout out some of the lyrics at different parts of the song. When the song comes to the shout out part, the player is scored base on how loud the singing is.
The game records videos of the player when they choose the recording music video function. This option is only available on phones with a built-in camera. Once the recording is complete, the video can then be saved to the cell phone memory and sent to friends or uploaded it to the Mobile Karaoke website. On the website, users can rate each others performances and choose the best singer and leave comments on other people\’s profiles.
Mobile Karaoke makes singing more playful and on the go. Not only does it let players sing when they are happy, but the shout out mode can also let players sing a song in a pressured or depressed moment to help them release their stresses. Moreover, with the video clips uploaded by users and the social networking components (rating/ voting/commenting the video) on the website, Mobile Karaoke seeks to bring the relation between people closer through sharing their feelings and experiences.