Nokia's N-Gage hasn't sold very well. But why? Looking at the specifications of the phone, you'd be hard pushed to find a reason. The opinion on the street is that it tries to be a phone and a gaming console, but comes away doing not very well at either. It's about time the veil was lifted ... Read review
Featuring 10 of the world's most exotic racing bikes, plus some of the world's top racing more
circuits, MotoGP brings the adrenaline of motorbike racing to the Nokia N-Gage game deck. Supplied on a Multimedia card. Bluetooth wireless technology allows up to four people to take each other on at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. Do you have what it takes to emerge victorious? Who said four wheels are better than two?
Advantages: Feature-packed, great value, and a definite GBA beater. Disadvantages: Two-hand typing impossible, sidetalking looks silly, annoying MMC slot
...and an e-mail client. Nokia claim that you can only access the Internet via GPRS, but I'll let you into a little secret: if you have a SIM with free WAP access, you can get full Internet access through dialup. All you need to do is set up a GPRS connection, tell everything to use it, then go in and change the connection type to dialup! Having a Genie SIM with unlimited free dialup, I can tell you I'm glad of that.
It doesn't stop there, ... ...storing data on - well, Nokia have thrown an MP3 player and an FM radio into the N-Gage. They didn't stop there, either - the phone comes with RealOne player, so that you can play back videos and RealAudio files. You can get MP3s on to the N-Gage either by using a card reader for your PC to put them on an MMC card (you'll have to get one of these yourself), or plug in the USB cable and upload them to the card through the phone (the N-Gage appears ... more
Nokia's N-Gage hasn't sold very well. But why? Looking at the specifications of the phone, you'd be hard pushed to find a reason. The opinion on the street is that it tries to be a phone and a gaming console, but comes away doing not very well at either. It's about time the veil was lifted from this phone, which is £100 in Orange shops at the moment on pay-as-you-go. With remote unlocking at £5 a go, £105 gets you an unlocked version of the phone.
So, let's start off by opening the box and getting a few hints about what this phone has in store for us. In addition to the standard phone, battery and charger, there's a USB cable, a stereo headset, and two adaptors - one to allow you to connect the phone to a set of active speakers or a hi-fi; one to connect the phone to a CD or MiniDisc player. I'll leave you pondering on what those could be for, and move on to some of the basics of the phone.
The N-Gage may look a little odd for a phone - it looks more like a small version of a Game Boy Advance with lots more buttons - but it seems a lot more sensible than some of Nokia's recent incarnations which put two number keys on one piece of plastic or arrange the numbers in a circle.
The keys are arranged with the numbers on the right-hand side, and the joypad and application keys on the left. The keys taper slightly towards the middle of the device, but overall this arrangement is quite easy to use when navigating around the phone's menus. There are also two softkeys, which change function according to what you're doing, one either side of the colour screen, which is the same size as the screen in the 3650 - very large for a mobile phone. It has a resolution of 128x168 - less than that of a PDA but more than on your average phone.
Take off the back of the phone and you get access to the battery, SIM card and MMC memory card slot. Irritatingly, this is located such that you have to switch the phone off and remove the battery in order to change the card. I'll explain more about that later.
Overall, build quality is much more solid than many Nokias - the handset doesn't creak when you attempt to flex it. I'd be confident throwing an N-Gage at a wall. There's only one other phone I've owned where I'd say that, and that's the Ericsson R320. The battery life, too, is excellent, even with Bluetooth enabled - four hours' talktime is claimed, and about eight days' standby. In reality, though, you'll likely get through your battery a lot quicker, because the N-Gage is one of those gadgets that you just can't put down.
Working solely as a phone, the N-Gage is pretty good. The call quality is good from both ends; the ringtones are clear and loud. Of course, it has polyphonic ringtones - what phone these days doesn't - and it allows you to use an MP3 as a ringtone too. There is one strange thing about using the phone, though - the speaker is on the long side of the phone, so you end up holding the phone to your head sideways on - to see what I mean, take a look at sidetalkin.com. You can overcome this by turning the volume up, or using the wired headset that comes with the phone, or even using a Bluetooth headset. Oh, sorry, using a Bluetooth headset makes you look dorky too...
You get more space for contacts and text messages than you'd know what to do with, and of course predictive text input comes as standard. Having the number pad over one side of the phone does, though, mean that it becomes awkward to type text messages using both thumbs. As with most phones now, the phone incorporates a calendar with the ability to schedule appointments, meetings, anniversaries and reminders.
Improving the N-Gage comes with a mobile internet browser that can view proper web pages), and an e-mail client. Nokia claim that you can only access the Internet via GPRS, but I'll let you into a little secret: if you have a SIM with free WAP access, you can get full Internet access through dialup. All you need to do is set up a GPRS connection, tell everything to use it, then go in and change the connection type to dialup! Having a Genie SIM with unlimited free dialup, I can tell you I'm glad of that.
It doesn't stop there, though - you knew there was a reason for the phone having an MMC slot for storing data on - well, Nokia have thrown an MP3 player and an FM radio into the N-Gage. They didn't stop there, either - the phone comes with RealOne player, so that you can play back videos and RealAudio files. You can get MP3s on to the N-Gage either by using a card reader for your PC to put them on an MMC card (you'll have to get one of these yourself), or plug in the USB cable and upload them to the card through the phone (the N-Gage appears like another disk drive on your PC). There's one more option - record them on to the phone. You can record either off the radio, or from some external source using the adaptor cable - see, I told you there was a reason for having one of those, right? You can use the other adaptor cable to output to speakers, so the N-Gage becomes a very neat multimedia device.
Now, someone at Nokia must have thought that people wouldn't be content with all of that - Nokia have based the N-Gage around the Series 60 platform - simply put, it's the same system as runs Nokia's advanced phones, and it allows many applications to be developed for it which can make full use of all the features of the phone. You can find these all over the Internet - start at www.handango.com and you'll see exactly how much there is.
To expand on that a little for the geeks out there, the Series 60 platform is based on Symbian, the operating system which originated on the Psion organisers. As such, it will run applications written in OPL (Organiser Programming Language), Java or C++. The phone includes a 104MHz processor, which makes it about three times more powerful than a Psion Revo or Series 5. When you start putting it in terms that show that this is a mobile phone with three times as much power as a pretty good PDA, you start to realise that this is a pretty powerful device.
Now, you can transfer files to the N-Gage via USB, but what about synchronising it with a PC? Well, the good news is that you can do this - not, unfortunately, via USB, but via Bluetooth. The N-Gage's Bluetooth functionality is quite impressive - not only can you synchronise the phone's calendar and contacts with your PC and use a wireless headset, but you can also send messages to other Bluetooth devices and even connect to the Internet via your PC's Internet connection via Bluetooth. £105 gets you rather a lot, really, doesn't it? That's half the price of a 6600, which does everything I've mentioned so far apart from the MP3 and radio functionality. And I haven't even mentioned the best bit yet...
The N-Gage has been marketed as a gaming device, despite all its other features. So, is it aiming to convince people that they can do better than the little downloadable games? Is it trying to beat the Game Boy Advance at its own game? I think it does both. The screen is a slightly unusual shape for a gaming device, being taller than it is wide (thus making it about half as wide as a GBA's screen, but the same height), but it carries two huge advantages: firstly, it is far clearer than the screen on the Game Boy Advance; secondly, it is backlit. The fact that you have a whole number pad to play with (but the 5 and 7 keys are raised) means that, although there are only two action buttons usually used in a game, up to 12 action buttons can be used, making first-person shooter games (think Quake) a possibility. Red Faction, indeed, is a fine example of this.
In addition to Red Faction, many kinds of game have already made it on to the N-Gage - puzzle games such as Puyo Pop, platform games like Rayman and Sonic N, and driving games including Sega Rally and GP. Tomb Raider is pretty much a direct copy of the PC game, and Pandemonium a clone of the PlayStation game.
Each game comes on an MMC card, so, to change the game, you need to take the back off the phone and remove the battery. This is a pain, but, fortunately, once you've bought a game, if you can find it in the Blizzard installer format, you can install it on to an MMC of your choice. The quality of the games themselves is very high, and the N-Gage allows far more potential than the Game Boy Advance.
The N-Gage is on to a definite winner on two-player gaming: two people can play against each other wirelessly via Bluetooth. I've not had the opportunity to test this out, but the ability to play someone at a game when all you each have with you is your phone is a definite bonus.
So, with the N-Gage available on pay-as-you-go for £100, and with phones in the same price range not having Bluetooth, MP3 player, or even radio, let alone the ability to play such good games, and with the Game Boy Advance retailing at only forty pounds less but being able to do nothing the N-Gage can apart from play games, there's no choosing is there?
If you're just after a gaming device but not a phone, I'd have a few reservations about recommending the N-Gage - it's not child's play to change games over. If, however, you're just after a phone but don't really need a gaming device, I'd recommend it to you unhesitatingly. It does have a few quirks because it's designed for games, but the only one that gets in the way is the fact that the keypad's on one side. Other than that, it's a cracking phone at a great price, and you'd be mad not to buy one, even if you've just gone out and bought a new phone.
Advantages: Games engine, games, bluetooth, mp3 player, radio Disadvantages: Look stupid when on the phone
...recently bought one of the Nokia N-gage's and I have got to say it was a very good buy. I sold my Ericsson T68i (which i also loved) and decided to purchase one sim free for around the £200 mark from Amazon.co.uk. I put my own Orange sim card in and got straight to work with all the features. Some of this phone's main features are shown below, I have written a comment about each one to help show you whether this phone is all it's hyped up to be:
... ...this technology over distances which Nokia state (10 metres or less) as me and my mates have been playing from opposite ends of lecture halls, pubs etc without any loss in signal or slowdown.
I have got to say bluetooth gaming has GOT to be the future. No costs such as what you get with online gaming through xbox or PS2 and also can be setup almost instantaneously through radio waves, so hands down this has got to be the feature that sets this device ...
thefeature 24.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nokia N-Gage Game Deck
Advantages: Ergonomic design for games, great phone features, PDA applications Disadvantages: Bad physical shape for a phone
...those who don't know, the Nokia N-Gage was designed to designed to be both a powerful mobile phone and a handheld gaming device (such as a Nintendo GameBoy) all in one neat little package.
As for the gaming part, the N-Gage does what it says it will do and mostly does it well. The games were originally priced at around £30 but are now sometimes available for just £2.99, and are supplied on tiny MMC memory cards that are roughly the size and thickness ... ...quite consistent with modern Nokia phones. One of the biggest problems with this phone is that the earpiece (what you hear the other person through) is located on the side of the device and not on it's front part, so you need to hold it on its side to your head so it's length sticks out. This kind of makes you look like you have big dumbo ears and can lead to ridicule. Some people ridicule it by calling it "sidetalking" or talking with a bit of toast.
...
gmx13 08.06.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nokia N-Gage Game Deck
Advantages: Games, Music, Videos, Entire Entertainment System Disadvantages: Error Corruption, Battery Life, MMC Swapping.
...plenty to do with the Nokia N-Gage, So if you're already reading this then good luck on trying to find one in the shops as Nokia have now stopped production.
With that out of our mind though it's time to tell you how amazing this little device is, i call it a device because it's not just a mobile phone and a games system but more like a PDA with added extras.
As soon as you unwrap this little baby you just want to hold and protect it for fear that ... ...Thats the feeling you get when holding the N-Gage.
The main features of the device include;
Mp3 player
Radio
High Quality Games
Calender
To do list
Movie Player
Screen Shooter
Calculator
Converter
Internet
And plenty of other stuff you'll get round to using eventually over the course of your contract :D
People claim that each of the above are possibly the greatest things about the phone but what they really neglect to consider is the ...
skateboardkid 14.12.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nokia N-Gage Game Deck
The Nokia N-gage was the first Nokia mobile phone, in fact any make of mobile phone to incorporate the usual bits and bobs of a mobile, with a hand held games console, and well they have done it well for a first try.
Nokia are leading the way with new phone technology. They were the first phone company to have Bluetooth added to phones (along with Samsung).
The Nokia N-Gage. Needless to say it didn't do all that well when first released as it was ... ...product and were then unsatisfied. But looking back at what it had to offer and trying one out myself it's pretty damn cool.
*****************************************
The Features minus the gaming bits
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N-Gage has all the usual features of a mobile which I won't go into detail with but things like SMS, alarm clock, calculator just standard stuff is all on the phone. But other things are not quite so common ...
mr.stubbs 24.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nokia N-Gage Game Deck
Advantages: Just keeps getting better and better ! Disadvantages: a bit odd looking for phone calls
...I found designed specifically for nokia phones...(More later).
Bluetooth works fine as well, me and my husband are always sending each other files/pics and ringtones we've found to each other. (He has a Sony Ericsson T610).
Email on the n-gage is great also. You set it up just like outlook express and download your emails as you wish. The fab thing out the n-gage is that I can also download the attatchments an open them within the phone. I have ... ...£3-400 top of the range nokia 'smartphones'...the N-gage IS a 'smartphone' and has exactly the same capabilities. These phones are based on an operating system called 'Symbian' and this means that there are LOADS of fab little programs you can add to the phone it increase its usefullness. From 'Opera' a webviewer designed specfically for top of the range mobiles and PDA's (view real web pages scrunched down a bit as opposed to wap pages which are ...
gahahfan 01.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Nokia N-Gage Game Deck
Meeting, Outdoors, Silent, Pager, General, Offline
Conference Call Capability
6-way, Yes
Call Timer
Built-in
Communicator features
Synchronisation With PC
Built-in
Operating System
Symbian OS 6.1
Synchronisation With
SyncML
Phone memory
Voice Dialing Memory
20 entries, 25 entries
Received Calls Memory
20
Dialed Calls Memory
20
Missed Calls Memory
20
Messaging & data services
Cellular Messaging Services
MMS, Nokia Smart Messaging, SMS
Supported SMS Functions
Picture Messages, concatenated SMS
Mobile Email Client
Built-in
Supported Email Protocols
POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, MIME
Data/Fax Capability
Built-in
Max Data Transfer Rate
43.2 Kbps
GPRS (General Packet Radio Service)
Built-in
High Speed Circuit Switched Data (HSCSD)
Built-in
Internet Browser
Built-in
WAP Protocol Supported
WAP 1.2.1
JAVA applications
Built-in
Messaging / Data Features
XHTML Browser
Organiser
Alarm Clock
Yes
Calendar / Event Reminder
Built-in
Reminder
Built-in
Conversion
Metric, currency
Calculator
Basic
Display
Type
LCD display
Display Resolution
176 x 208 pixels
Colour Support
Colour
Colour Depth
4,096 colours
Multi-language Menu
Built-in
Features
Wallpaper, screen saver, backlit
Technology
TFT
Digital player (recorder)
Supported Digital Audio Standards
AAC, MP3
Memory
User Memory
3.4 MB
Supported Flash Memory Cards
MultiMediaCard
Connections
Connector Type
1 x USB
1 x headset jack
1 x DC power input
1 x audio line in, 1 x USB
1 x audio line in
1 x DC power input
1 x headset jack, 1 x headset jack
1 x DC power input
Miscellaneous
Cables Included
USB cable
Audio cable, USB cable
Audio cable
Audio adaptor
Included Accessories
Power adapter , headset, Power adapter , hands-free headset
Battery
Technology
Lithium Ion
Talk Time
Up to 240 min, Up to 300 min
Standby Time
Up to 200h, Up to 264 h
Recharge Time
95 min
Capacity
850 mAh, 1070 mAh
Manufacturer's product description
It's a game deck, it's an MP3 player, it's a wireless browser, it's a phone. If it's a Nokia N-Gage mobile game deck, it's all of these and more. Entertain yourself on the way from A to B with your own personal soundtrack. The Nokia N-Gage game deck includes a digital music player and a stereo FM radio, plus a hi-fi stereo headset, a built-in loudspeaker, integrated recorder, the PC software you need. The Nokia N-Gage game deck is a lean, mean, messaging machine, with email support as well as MMS and SMS functionality to satisfy even the most hardcore msgrs.
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