Pocket Edition

Minecraft Pocket Edition is the mobile version of Minecraft intended for Android and iOS devices, initially launching exclusively for the Xperia Play on the Android Market for $6.99/£4.28/4.99€ on August 16, 2011, along with a free demo version.

It was released for other android devices on the 7th of October 2011.

Objective and Gameplay
The objective of the game remains the same as its original PC and Xbox counterparts, where players can build virtual realities in a sandbox-like environment.

The gameplay of the pocket edition is akin to that of the Creative gamemode, with minor differences such as having several of the blocks from the Beta version of the game. A video of an early prototype was released on Twitter, showing the game on the Xperia PLAY. The alpha version has recently been released, and as of October 7th is no longer exclusive to Xperia PLAY. The non-exclusive version was going to be released on September 29th for Android but there were several severe bugs that needed to be fixed; the release was delayed until the 7th of October. A version for iOS devices is coming before 2012.

Contrast of Pocket Edition and PC Version

 * When a block is broken in the Pocket edition it does not drop an item. Side blocks like Torches and Ladders also do not drop when breaking the block they are attached to.
 * There is no FOV slider, sound settings, Difficulty settings or smooth lighting in the Pocket Edition.
 * The PC Version has a Red Flower while the Pocket Edition instead has a Cyan Flower.
 * There are no player skins in either version of Pocket Edition.
 * Despite having Snow and Ice blocks, there are no weather effects in the Pocket Edition.
 * Pocket Edition's save files are not compatible with those from the PC version.

System Requirements
According to Aron Nieminen., the system requirements are:


 * Android 2.1 or later
 * The phone must have a CPU that supports floating-point calculations ("ARM-v7a code")
 * The screen must support multi-touch
 * An internet connection is required for multiplayer & to download the game

Aron says that the CPU called "MSM7227" is NOT supported, which unfortunately is in a lot of smartphone models.

According to Kappische, pocket edition won't work with phones that suck - this refers to phones that have under 1GHz processor and Android version lower than 2.3.

A full list of (in)compatible devices and the performance on said devices can be found here.

Trivia

 * Torches, Redstone Ore and Lava are the only form of lighting in the Pocket Edition.
 * Only 18/36 Blocks are available in the Demo Pocket Edition.
 * Not all of the blocks in the game are available to be placed. Some examples are Grass and birch Wood.

Helpful Hints & Tips

 * Make sure your battery is charged, and/or plugged in (As 3D gaming on Android Drains Battery).
 * Have at least a 500k internet speed for Multiplayer.
 * You downloaded Pocket Edition from the Android Market, and not a 3rd party application (which may include viruses in your download).
 * Get used to the controls before playing on servers (it is easy to mine the block under a torch by mistake).

Version-Exclusive Blocks

 * Cyan Flower
 * Camera