Nokia N-Gage

Click for more pictures of the Nokia N-Gage.

Nokia's gaming cell phone is finally here. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the older Game Boy Advance, the N-Gage rolls a portable gaming device, an MP3 player, an FM radio, and a cell phone into one package, all for a list price of S$488 (with a two-year plan). While the N-Gage delivers a decent gaming experience, its relatively high price and awkward design choices may keep it from achieving Game Boy-like ubiquity. And all the while, Sony will be prepping its PlayStation Portable for a late 2004 release.

Design
At first glance, the N-Gage looks nothing like a phone. At 69.7mm high by 133.7mm wide by 20.2mm inches deep, it shares the same horizontal orientation as its text-messaging cousin, the Nokia 3300. While its 137g weight is a bit heavier than that of most mobiles, its rounded edges and semicircular bottom lend it a natural, solid feel.

The centered 2-inch-diagonal backlit screen displays 4,096 colors at a resolution of 176x208. It's flanked on the left by a directional thumbpad and a backlit dial keypad on the right, all of which pull double duty as game controls. Other assorted function buttons fill in much of the remaining front real estate.

With the N-Gage's face completely dedicated to the screen and the controls, it's left to the unit's narrow edge to house the earphone and the mouthpiece--so the handset juts out perpendicular to your head when used for a call, rather than pressing flat along your cheek. If that sounds a bit ridiculous, it is--but callers can opt to use the built-in speakerphone or the bundled stereo headset. Separate 1/16-inch jacks on the bottom edge handle the mike and earphone inputs, which are directly next to the unit's tiny but powerful built-in speaker. The left edge sports the AC connector and a standard mini USB port, while the power button sits stealthily on the right.

The back panel of the N-Gage easily slides off to reveal the phone's innards--and its primary design flaw. In order to insert one of the MultiMediaCard (MMC) games, users must open the back, remove the battery, insert the game, replace the battery, and pop the cover back on.

Features
The N-Gage packs an impressive set of features. While gaming functionality is its raison d'être, the unit is also a triband GSM world phone. And courtesy of the N-Gage's Symbian 6.1 operating system, the look, feel, and features of the graphical user interface will be instantly familiar to anyone who's seen it on similarly equipped phones, such as Nokia's own 3650. The litany of data features include SMS and MMS text messaging; IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, and MIME2 e-mail for up to six accounts; and WAP and XHTML Web browsing over GPRS data networks. Full J2ME support means that a world of downloadable games, applications, and screensavers are available, as well. Furthermore, Nokia's included software suite enables syncing with PC address books via USB or Bluetooth connections but not infrared, as the N-Gage lacks an IR port.

Music fans will find a lot to like in the N-Gage, starting with the built-in RealOne player that they can use to download streaming music and video from the Web. Attach the included stereo headset, and choose between the built-in FM radio or user-supplied MMC media loaded with MP3 or AAC files. Digital music sounds surprisingly good, and Nokia even bundles an adapter so that you can use your favorite stereo headphones as well--a feature not available on its cousin, the 3300. The N-Gage can even record voice memos, FM radio, or external stereo sources via an included line-in cable. And you can use MP3, AAC, WAV, or MIDI music clips as ring tones.

Of course, any gaming platform lives and dies by the quality of the games available. The N-Gage is launching with 20 titles, mostly limited to ports of familiar console favorites such as Tomb Raider and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. But the pledge by Electronic Arts to begin releasing titles for the N-Gage by year's end certainly bodes well for the nascent platform. Be prepared for sticker shock, however, as N-Gage titles list for US$30 to US$40 apiece.

Thanks to an advanced processor and a bright, robust screen, the unit does a decent job with more-advanced 3D graphics, so titles such as Red Faction and MotoGP look pretty sweet. However, frame rates occasionally struggle on more graphically complex 3D scenes. By comparison, Nintendo's aging Game Boy Advance platform can't handle such sophisticated games. That said, the GBA's screen is twice as large, with a wide 240x160 resolution as compared to the N-Gage's more squarish 176x208 screen.

Performance
As a mobile phone, the N-Gage delivers the same sort of impressive performance we've come to expect from Nokia mobiles. Using T-Mobile service in New York, we found that calls were clear in both directions. However, we opted for the headset whenever possible rather than try to align the awkward placement of the earpiece to our head. While the 3 hours of talk time were well within Nokia's claims of 2 to 4 hours, the lithium-ion battery delivered only about 72 hours of standby time--far less than the company's estimate of 150 to 200 hours. Alternately, we got about 4 hours of game time, 6 hours of music playback, and more than 15 hours of FM playback on a single charge. In comparison, Nokia claims the N-Gage can deliver 3 to 6 hours gaming, 8 hours of music, and 20 hours of FM reception.

Gameplay on the N-Gage was fun, but movement in 3D games was a bit of a challenge because of the lack of analog controls. Also, the boot time of the phone's operating system, paired with opening graphics of the individual game title, often meant an interminable one-minute delay between powering up and playing a game. Setting up head-to-head games between two N-Gages was fairly painless, and it was cool to be able to compete wirelessly via the Bluetooth connection. But those who want to play friends across town or across the country will have to wait for games that support online play.

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