Angry Birds Android gets 15 new levels

Android gamers who were late to the Angry Birds party are coming in swinging.

Now, after coming to the Google mobile platform about nine months ago, developer Rovio has rolled out a new entry in the series – Angry Birds: Mine and Dine.

Mine and Dine is a rare non-holiday-related Angry Birds update for those who may have become accustomed to the anticipated schedule of Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, and St. Patrick’s Day levels.

The new version of Angry Birds brings 15 new additions to what has become a pretty impressive collection of bird-flinging, pig-pounding mayhem.

Angry Birds has, of course, grown to become THE mobile game. With millions of downloads counted across the iPhone, Android, and even Nokia’s overlooked Ovi Store, the series has grown into a global phenomenon.

There are now Angry Birds plush toys, board games, and even a tie-in to the animated movie Rio.

It has managed to keep this success going by staying on top of the game and constantly innovating. An example of this is an upcoming experiment with NFC (Near Field Communication), which Rovio announced months ago.

A new game called Angry Birds Magic, available from Nokia, takes NFC into the social world. When two users swipe their phones next to each other, they unlock new levels in the game.

We expect NFC to become one of the defining features of the smartphone market later this year and into 2012.