Nokia N-Gage Gray Console

The Nokia N-Gage is trying to be both a phone and a gaming device. How well does it hold up as either? Well, not very good. For 200 bucks, you can get yourself an N-GAGE, (100$ with an provider). Well, would I pay 200$ for a Gameboy? Depends, how good are the games? Well for the N-Gage, not very good. They actually are no better than any other phone games, because, well they are phone games, just with a better layout in a portable console design. If you're looking just for a gaming device, a Gameboy Advance is the way to go, because, well it has hundreds of games, with fantastic titles. I've played several "N-GAGE" games and well they suck, from Virtua Tennis, Crash Bandicoot to Tomb Raider, they all are poor mock versions of the originals. And charging 30$ a piece? yikes, this is a very expensive console for gaming. The most ridiculous part is when changing games, you need to open the back of the device, remove your battery, pull out a memory card, and insert a new one. But how about as a phone?

Well as a phone, the N-Gage, is probably the worst design ever. It talks like a taco, seriously. Imagine picking up a taco and talking into it, that's what the N-Gage does. And well, it's extremely awkward and bulky. Talking on it makes anyone look, just a bit foolish. Not sure quite what Nokia was thinking on this one, maybe like what they thought on the 3600 with a round dial for numbers... I couldn't help but pressing buttons while trying to talk on this phone, as well as the awkward styling just made it really difficult to hold a conversation.

N-Gage Appearance
It looks like a portable game system, and talks like a taco.

Features:

Resolution: 176x208
Color: 4096
Talk time: 2-4 hours (depending on memory card, network settings)
Standby time: 150-200 hours
Music: 8 hours
Radio: 20 hours
Gaming Time: 3-6 hours
Size: 5.26L x 2.74W x .80 inches
Weight: 4.83 oz
Cellular Modes: Tri-Band

Other Features:
3D Gaming
BlueTooth (Very Cool)
MMC-Card (for games or storage)
Full Email Support
XHTML browser
Midi / Wav / MP3 / AAC ringtones
Multi Media Messaging
Built in MP3/FM radio tuner

The N-Gage has some sweet features, especially the bluetooth. If it weren't for it's design flaws (fixed in the N-Gage QD), the N-gage would be better. The built in Bluetooth is fantastic, for transferring files, games, MP3's and ringtones. The color display is great, and it really does play games well (pending on games there are). It gets great battery life, and does really good on WAP browsing. The MP3/FM tuner is an overkill and not really necessary (removed on the QD version)

Accessories

- Headphones for MP3/Radio
- Talk headset
- Charger
- USB Cable
- Recording Cable

My Opinion:

Just an overkill on jamming as much as you can into a single device. It works better as a console than a phone, but for the price doesn't justify. Especially when they chage 30$ for games, when Cell phone download games are 3-6 dollars. I use a N-Gage on a daily basis, but that's because I'm a game developer, and it plays games great. The downside is no Midp-2 support, that's what would have pushed this to a great gaming device, but with just Midp-1, and Symbian, which makes great games, but isn't nearly as popular as Java, it falls short as a gaming device. Phone, well, I don't use it as a phone after looking like a goof with a taco glued to my ear.

Overall

If you really want a hi-bred phone / Console, then get the N-Gage QD, the original N-Gage isn't worth it. It's a cool console, but the game prices are outrageous, it's ridiculous to have to remove a battery to change games, and it just talks bad as a phone. The FM/MP3 is not necessary. The QD fixed all this, and got rid of the Taco Phone! All in all, it's ok, not really worth it though as a phone option, which is really what people are looking for when they look at Nokia. If you like games, get a gameboy.

Websites

http://www.n-gage.com
http://www.handango.com
http://www.6foot3foot.com