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N-Gage:

n-gage

There’s been much ink spilled over Nokia’s stab at the mobile games market. Mostly, it has been statements like, “This sucks!” In general, I might agree with that assessment but I’d qualify that blunt synopsis with the statement, “But it’s great to see someone trying something new.”

As a mobile game machine, the N-Gage fits in your hands like the original GameBoy Advance. There would be no mistaking one for the other as the N-Gage has way more buttons and functionality that a GBA. But that doesn’t make it great for games.

The N-Gage sports all kinds of features including an FM radio, calculator function, personal and contact information, and, of course, cell phone technology. (For a complete list of features, see below.)

As a cell phone, the N-Gage is embarrassing. The clarity and reception is good but try making a call in public without feeling less obvious that Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl. The problem is that the N-Gage doesn’t lie flat against the side of your head. No, you have to hold it like a taco (as one journalist described it) along the edge and is a reminder of the big loaf-of-bread-sized cell phones of yesteryear. To avoid social embarrassment it’s easier to plug in the special headphones and mic. People will think you’re talking to yourself but that’s a small price to pay.

Switching games out of the N-Gage can be a tricky proposition but it’s not nearly as hard as I had been led to believe. The back snaps off, you pop out the battery (good from 3 - 6 hours of straight gaming), slide in the flattened Chiclet-size game chip, slap the battery back in and return the backing to its place. I got the process down to about 1 minute, which is a far cry from my GBA record of 3 seconds.

I’m not sure that judging the N-Gage’s gaming capabilities on the first-generation of games (including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Tomb Raider and Red Faction) is fair. First-gen software tends to suck cheese as developers come to grips with the capabilities of the hardware. (Don’t believe me? Do some reading on the early Xbox titles, excluding Halo.) Irregardless, I couldn’t game for more than about 15 minutes at a stretch without coming down with a headache. The review unit came with the three aforementioned games – none of them got played for more than 20 minutes at a stretch. The screen size and vertical orientation may be to blame but more likely it was the stuttering, pixalized graphics that had my eyes straining.

Like any new piece of hardware, acclimatizing to the controls can be a laborious process. This is accentuated by the N-Gage’s flat key pad and mushy directional pad. There are two slightly raised buttons on the keypad (the main action buttons) but because everything is so jammed together, it’s easy to accidentally press a button you didn’t mean to. After some patient learning – in 15 minute spurts – the inadvertent key presses happen less frequently.

The N-Gage may never be exploited to its full potential. Although games are still being released, some reports have the total number of units sold in North America at 5,000. That’s not a very big audience to sell games to. Not helping things are the “egg-like” games that have been cracked and exported to play on other cell phones

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or the $200US price tag. For the price of an N-Gage you can pick-up a dedicated mobile game machine or even a GameCube! Truly, the deck is stacked against the N-Gage.

Even when all is said and done, it’s good to see an attempt at something new. Someone has to be a trailblazer. The next generation will do things better, but as it is, N-Gage is a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none.

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- Omni

(February 21, 2004)

FULL SPECS:

Size
Metric:
- Weight: 137 g (with standard battery)
- Dimensions: 133,7 x 69.7 x 20,2 mm, 139cc

US:
- Weight: 4.83 ounces
- Dimensions: 5.26 x 2.74 x .80 inches

Exciting Games-Oriented Design
- Game controls designed for two-hand use
- Five-way directional controller works up to eight ways in games
- Built-in vibra feature (not used in games)
- IHF speaker for game sounds

Display and User Interface
- Illuminated high-contrast, full-graphics color display (size 176 x 208 pixels)
- Series 60 graphical user interface enabling application multitasking with five-way navigation
- Separate application key, music and radio short cut keys, highlighted game keys

GAMES

Interactive Games
- Catalogue of branded AAA-quality games available on game cards (MMC)
- Single-player and local multiplayer games using Bluetooth wireless technology

MUSIC

Digital Music Player
- Digital music player for AAC and MP3 files
- Stereo line-in for audio recording (analog)
- Music file download from compatible PC over USB cable
- High-fidelity stereo headset for music player, radio, and voice calls (mono)
- Integrated recorder (AAC) from analog stereo line connector and radio
- Handsfree speaker
- Shortcut button to start the music player

Stereo FM Radio
- News and music available from favorite radio channels
- Automatic next/previous channel seek
- 20 radio channel memory
- Integrated recorder (AAC)
- Handsfree speaker for radio
- Shortcut button to start the radio

Nokia Audio Manager PC Software
- Requires Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP, USB port (for detailed requirements see User's Guide provided in the sales package)
- Create AAC music files from CD
- Playlists to organize music files in PC

MESSAGING AND CONNECTIVITY

Enhanced Messaging
- Email protocols (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, MIME2)
- Multimedia messaging (send, reply, forward, play audio, stop audio, insert multimedia content) enabling easy and more colorful messaging with compatible devices
- Enhanced SMS support including: Multiple SMS sending, SMS concatenation, templates, smileys, and picture messages

* Messaging features are dependent on the network as well as on the compatibility of devices used and content formats supported.

Wireless Connectivity
- Data support HSCSD, GPRS Multislot Class 6 (2+2, 3+1, class B)
- Bluetooth wireless technology
- Wireless phone-to-phone or phone-to-PC connectivity
- Send/receive pictures, graphics, and business cards
- Play games
- SyncML

High-Speed Data
- HSCSD up to 43.2 kilobits
- GPRS up to 40.2 kilobits (Class B, 3+1, 2+2)

Java Technology
- Supports the standard Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME™)

Content with XHTML Browser
- XHTML browser
- Over-the-air download of new Java™-based games/game levels

WAP
- XHTML over GSM data, HSCSD, and GPRS
- Access current WAP services with the XHTML browser

Some features are network dependent. Please check the availability of WAP services with your network operator and/or WAP service provider.

PHONE

Memory
- 3.4 MB internal + external memory cards (32, 64 and 128 MB available separately)
- Shared memory for images, contact data, calendar, messages, and add-on applications

Operating System
- Symbian OS with Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME™) support

Personal Information Management
- Calendar
- To-Do list
- Contacts/Address book
- Pinboard

Polyphonic Ringing Tones
- Mono ringing tone composer
- MP3, AAC, MIDI, and WAV ringing tones

Triple Band Operation
- GSM 900/1800/1900; automatic switching between bands

Voice Features
- Voice dialing; memory for 20 names and numbers
- Voice recorder
- Integrated handsfree speaker

Standard Sales Package
Transceiver
ACP-12 Charger
HDD-2 Stereo Headset
DKE-2 USB Cable
ADE-2 Recording Cable
ADA-2 Adapter Cable
BL-5C Li-Ion Battery
Booklet (including User's Guide and Warranty card)
CD-ROM
Games brochure


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