Angry Birds will long be remembered as the first major success story in the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. The app has moved beyond its iOS roots and is now available on almost every platform imaginable. According to a Washington Post report, it’s even an officially sanctioned app in North Korea.
The story starts with the recent review of an Android tablet that was purchased in North Korea. The tablet was bought and reviewed by Ruediger Frank from 38North.org. The tablet was standard Android fare with a 1 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 7-inch display (800×480), 4 GB of internal memory, an 8 GB memory card and no onboard connectivity options. Among the apps on the device were Angry Birds, Field Runners, Air Control and an extensive eBook library that included Gone with the Wind. The device was likely manufactured in China and then shipped to North Korea. It was inside North Korean borders that its Android operating system and apps were installed as part of a software package that met the standards of the North Korean government. Though North Korea may approve of Angry Birds, the app on this tablet is not a version sanctioned by Angry Bird developer Rovio. Rovio told the Washington Post, “Angry Birds Rio has not been localized into Korean, and Rovio Entertainment has no affiliation with the version of the game being shown on the Samjiyon tablet.” If Rovio isn’t responsible for this app, then someone somewhere on the road from production to line to retail shelves in installing pirated software on the device.
