Tag Archive for 'N-Gage'

So Nokia’s N-Gage is out - but what is it exactly?

Published by Fraser MacInnes on April 7, 2008 in Games. 0 Comments

n-gage-n81_medium.jpgDue to our almost preternatural powers of news detection (and the fact that we spend almost every waking hour slumped infront of our laptops) we got wind of the N-Gage’s launch late last week, ahead of its official announcement.

Nokia has gone and caught up with us all by letting loose a press release about the launch and just in case you haven’t gleaned every printed fact about the service from our sister site, Pocket Gamer, already, we thought we’d break down a few of its essential features for you here.

Continue reading ‘So Nokia’s N-Gage is out - but what is it exactly?’



N-Gage is go, go, go!

Published by Fraser MacInnes on April 4, 2008 in Games. 0 Comments

picture-2.pngIf your thumbs have been twiddling impatiently in anticipation of the official N-Gage launch,  then fear not, it’s here, at long last, it’s here.

After a delay, an information drip feed and the conspicuous absence of any sort of a marketing campaign, the service has been switched on. There are four titles available so far: Asphalt 3: Street Rules, Brain Challenge, World Series of Poker Pro Challenge, and Creatures Of The Deep and they will all work on the N81, N81 8GB, N82, N95 and N95 8GB. The site recommends that PC users download Nokia’s PC Suite to install the application on their phones, although it’s apparently not essential.

Despite the muted launch, expect the service to be very busy over the weekend. Indeed on of the readers of our beloved sister site Pocket Gamer commented that due to the presence of up to 17,000 guest users, signing in has been problematic initially, though at least its a healthy indication of enthusiasm.

Head here to get started and get climbing up those N-Gage Arena rankings.



Nokia N-Gage delayed further by ‘unexpected difficulties’

Published by Chris Leonard on December 21, 2007 in Applications and Games. 0 Comments

03_n811.jpgGuess what? Nokia’s N-Gage service has been delayed YET AGAIN! It was originally going to be launched this week with much fanfare and a sigh of relief from expectant mobile gamers.

Now it seems it won’t be launching this side of Christmas after all. A post on the official N-Gage blog says that despite teams of people ‘around the world, literally, working overtime’, there are still some ‘unexpected difficulties’ with the N-Gage First Access software.

Apparently an internal test run with over 1,000 testers found an undiscovered issue with the service. Thankfully the games and service in general are apparently working okay but N-Gage First Access isn’t.

Now it looks like the New Year at the earliest. Damn.



Nokia launching Tamogotchi-like Creebies on N-Gage

Published by Chris Leonard on December 14, 2007 in Applications and Games. 0 Comments

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Following the news that the N-Gage service launches the week before Christmas, Nokia’s also announced that Creebies - 3D virtual pets – will be available through it in the New Year.

Each player will get their own 3D Creebi to care for, entertain, feed and even breed. With a little bit of virtual cash, you can customise your pet with accessories, helping the little Creebi develop its own personality and appearance.

So far, so Tamagotchi, but via the magic of mobile technology, you’ll be able to let your Creebi can play games and breed with other Creebies via Bluetooth technology.

Better yet, if you get fed up with your Creebi or its little rug-rats, you can send them to Adoption Centre in the N-Gage Arena. So far so nice, but Nokia hasn’t said what will happen to those unfortunate Creebies who don’t find a new home in the Adoption Centre. Is there going to be a virtual vet ready with a big needle?



Nokia N-Gage finally arriving next week… at least on the N81

Published by Chris Leonard on December 14, 2007 in Games and Handsets. 0 Comments

03_n81.jpgThe official N-Gage blog has announced that the new N-Gage service launches next week (Yay!) Unfortunately it’s only on the N81 for the time being (Boo!).

While Nokia’s keeping to its promise of a pre-Christmas launch, the restriction to N81 and N81 8GB will surely disappoint N82 and N95 8GB owners hoping for some gaming action this Crimbo.

There’ll only be a few games available at launch and won’t be the full version of the service, but it’s a start. Those who want to leave feedback (i.e. complain) about the lack of support can do so on the First Access forums, which will also be opened for business.

Looks like we’ll all have to wait until 2008 for a full service on the rest of Nokia’s Nseries handsets.





Nokia’s N82 cameraphone to beat all cameraphones finally unveiled

Published by Chris Leonard on November 15, 2007 in Handsets. 1 Comment

n82front.jpgAfter lots of hype and feverish anticipation, Nokia’s N82 has finally had its official unveiling.

It’s being heralded as one of the best ‘if not the best’ cameraphones around, boasting a five-megapixel camera, and the now standard NSeries Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss optics.

It features pretty much the same features as the N95 and others, being a ‘multimedia computer’, but also a ‘navigation device’ courtesy of built-in A-GPS and Nokia Maps.

The N82’s big selling point is the camera. As well as the features above, it has fast camera activation (around two seconds), autofocus (with an assist lamp), quick reloads between shots and ‘DVD-like’ video capture. Hi-res pics and video can then be saved on the 2GB microSD card that’ll come as standard.

If you want to share content, Nokia’s included wi-fi connectivity and one-click uploads to file sharing sites, and the ability to connect the N82 to hi-res TVs.

And this isn’t all - the N82 also has Nokia’s new content-driven 3D multimedia menu, plus Nokia’s Ovi mobile internet services (Nokia Music Store, N-Gage games (well, from December anyway) and Nokia Maps).

It might not look as sexy as the iPhone or even the N95 8GB, but one thing’s for sure, the N82 certainly looks like it’s going to live up to all the hype.



Nokia N-Gage service pushed back to December

Published by Chris Leonard on November 5, 2007 in Applications and Games. 0 Comments

03_n81.jpgIf you’re having a bad Monday morning, spare a thought for Nokia. Not only has Warner pulled out of its Music Store, but now Nokia’s N-Gage games service has been delayed.

Apparently, the service was expected to go live this month but it has now been put back to December because of problems in getting the software right.

The N-Gage service was a deliberate switch from its original games phones to a mobile games distribution model, letting users of compatible Nokia handsets trial games for free before deciding to download them.

At launch the N-Gage application will have to be downloaded onto handsets, but next year Nokia will start to launch handsets with it pre-installed. Games are expected to cost anything from €6-€10 each, and will be purchased either via credit card or via the user’s mobile contract.

[Via Next-Gen]