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Games Entertainment

Nokia's Cellular GBA - The N-Gage 217

Posted by chrisd from the hope-it-has-a-better-backlight dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Hold on to your Game Boys, folks! It appears that the Finland cell phone manufacturer, Nokia, will be throwing in its lot in the handheld gaming industry with its N-Gage. Not only is this critter capable of playing games, but other noticeable features include a cell phone, radio, and MP3 player. Game companies such as Sega, Taito, and Eidos have already expressed support for it."
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Nokia's Cellular GBA - The N-Gage More

Nokia's Cellular GBA - The N-Gage

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  • Well, /. ate my long and insightful post so I'll just give you the gist of it.

    Read a fucking book.

  • It will fail. (Score:1, Flamebait)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Besides the fact that Nintendo has the obscene stranglehold on the world when it comes to portables, Nokia creates terrible, unreliable, buggy phone software. I highly doubt that their gaming software will be much different. I also bet that people will look at you like you have the retardation if you are trying to have a conversation with a friend through what appears to be a gameboy.

    • Re:It will fail. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by prell ( 584580 )
      1) nokia will probably not make any games. perhaps they agree with you ;-) As far as their APIs for gaming.. that has yet to be seen. You may be right. I have had no problems with their phone software however (using a 3360 and an 8890).

      2) the n-gage can offer wireless internet play to any game, if it wants to. If it does this, it really has a chance. I do read, though, that it only uses local bluetooth multiplay! come ON, this is Nokia. Give me nationwide multiplayer or give me nothing.

      However, I am concerned about the screen. Its square. If it were 1987 maybe this would be proper competition

      ps, dont make fun of people with mental disabilities.
    • It'll fail only because nintendo has such a strangle hold on the portables market.

      The only way it'll succeed if AT&T and Cingular offer these phones for cheap, or for a small price as an upgrade to the standard 3390/3360 phones that they practically give out. If I could trade my 3390 for one of these I would. I wouldn't pay more than 20 dollars for a portable gaming platform that might not sell, and I wouldn't waste 20 bucks on a cel phone that doesn't do more than what my current cel phone does right now. I'm looking to get a GBA SP, and keep my 3390. If they could make the N Gage cheap, nicely supported and had removable storage(I remember reading an EGM article on online gameplay that stated that most PCS/Cellular gaming doesn't stick around on the phone after purchase. I don't want to be stuck with a device that won't work with out access to games elsewhere. I mean, atleast my NeoGeoPocket Color can still run the games I purchased for it) I'll bite. until then, I really don't mind carrying around two devices for my phone and gaming.
    • the way they seem to have no target market with this product.

      Is it for the same kinds of people who carry a GBA around constantly? no, those are mostly kids.

      Is it for wired techno business folk who like to play games, too? no, they wouldn't want to be seen talking to a Game Boy by the boss.

      Is it for people who just like toys too damn much? Sorry, I think that the only product the slashdot crowd can support on its own is slashdot.

    • Re:yup, it's fucked (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Bastian ( 66383 )
      Nokia has chosen not to release it in Japan because they don't support Japan's mobile phone protocol.

      That alone is a good reason to assume that it will go the way of the Atari Lynx.

      Which is too bad. . . the handheld game system market really needs a kick in the pants.
  • I'm very excited about this. The only bummer about any non-Nintendo gaming platform, though, is the lack of Nintendo games. I'm a big Mario fan...

    Carl

    • True that.

      I'm quite a Nintendo fan, myself and I have to say that serious competition in the portable is something I've been hoping for, for quite a while now. Yes the GBA is a great system, but it could be a whole lot better (don't start with the screen brightness debate, I'm sick of it).

      Nokia, however, will not offer competition to Nintendo. The N-Gage is likely, based on other Nokia phones with Bluetooth et al, to cost in excess of $450. Why would any gamer, hardcore, hobbiest or casual, drop that much cash on a device that looks to only have a few developer's support, when dropping $200-$300 will get them a GBA(SP) AND a very good phone?

      And on the subject of networked, handheld gaming; Nintendo has a cellphone gaming network in Japan, if they really saw it as a viable way to make money, they would have introduced it to the US, but since the US cellphone market is in such a fragmented condition, they're probably going to avoid such networks outside Japan for the forseeable future.

  • not 'till fall (Score:4, Informative)

    by theoramus ( 592848 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:16PM (#5236685)
    It's been delayed until fall. They didn't mention that did they?

  • But that's not all! (Score:3, Funny)

    by bluesoul88 ( 609555 ) <{bluesoul} {at} {thelegendofmax.com}> on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:17PM (#5236693) Homepage
    "Not only is this critter capable of playing games, but other noticeable features include a cell phone, radio, and MP3 player."

    It's also a flashlight, keyring, and garden hose!
  • plus an MP3 player and a TV
    now all it needs is a PDA and GPS !
    i think thats enough TLA IMO

  • hack support? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    i think the big question will be how is Nokia going to be on supporting you and i, the folks without the dev kits, for writing the games. if they let us write some of the games and do emulators and stuff, they could have a huge hit on their hands... a gba emulator using bluetooth for zelda ;)

  • Technology marches on (Score:4, Funny)

    by worst_name_ever ( 633374 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:18PM (#5236698)
    Wow, the rate of technological progress these days is amazing. I mean, wasn't it just last year that everyone was excited about HO-gauge Nokias?

  • Hrm... I like it! (Score:2, Insightful)

    by nhaines ( 622289 )

    I *just* got a cell phone through T-Mobile, and the games suck. Oh, I love the phone otherwise, and I certainly love my plan so far.

    I didn't even look at the games until after I bought the phone. "If I want games," I said, "I can bring along my Game Boy." Indeed, depending on where I'm going, maybe I'll just swap SIM cards and bring my GBA after all. At the very least, this'll be something fun to carry around. Price it right and I'll probably get one.

    i don't see as it's the most useful, ground-breaking thing in the world, but it might just be fun!

  • My two biggest concerns... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by CommandNotFound ( 571326 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:21PM (#5236718)
    ...are price, and battery life. Neither of which were addressed on this web page. If it's $200 and lasts three hours on a battery charge, then we've probably got another Lynx. (is that what is was called? There were a couple of those deluxe handhelds out in the early 90's)

    The GameBoy has survived because it's cheap and the battery life lasts forever (well, an impressively long time, at least). That, and the Mario/Zelda/Pokemon franchises.

    • Maybe Nintendo will strike back and start to make GPRS gamemodules for GBA, that would be great. And I wouldn't be suprised if the next Gameboy would have some sort of phone technology, GSM or GPRS, inside.

      Best option would be that Nokia would make small black boxes with the phone stuff in it and then you could use bluetooth hands-free-set for calling people, PDA for surfing and pocket game console for gaming.
    • I can play a GBA on an airplane. Would I be able to turn on my N-Gage?
      • The N-Gage is a Series 60 phone, like the 7650. That means it runs the SYmbian OS, which is a new generation of a PDA OS for Psion PDAs. It is a real OS, but optimized for phone-usage. Outside developers have already written the module to shut off the phone part while leaving other parts of the software running.

        If this capability isn't included in the phone outright -- and I'll be stunned if it isn't -- I am sure you will be able to download it from places like handango.com.

    • Re:My two biggest concerns... (Score:4, Informative)

      by otis wildflower ( 4889 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:37PM (#5236843) Homepage
      If it's $200 and lasts three hours on a battery charge, then we've probably got another Lynx. (is that what is was called?

      Believe it or not, display tech has progressed since the early 1990s.. The Lynx IIRC had a backlit passive color screen, while the even hoggier portable turbografx had a TFT. Lynx could run about 4-5 hours on a full nicad charge on its 6 AAs.

      I owned both the original [vidgame.net] and extra crispy [vidgame.net], and I was a big fan of both, until I 'got a life'..

      I would definitely appreciate a phone with improved games, if only to pass the time on the ferry [siferry.com].. I can get seasick reading..
    • ah, the truness. But why do people always pick on the Lynx? I mean there's also the Game Gear, which was the least sucky of the sucky portable systems. But people always forget the portable Turbo GrafX 16. I forget what it was called, but it blew. Heck, barely anyone even remembers the Turbo Grafx, let alone its handheld version.
      I like the handheld games, but the biggest gripe with cell-phone/pda games is the interface. I like snake, but not with a 9 button phone pad.
      • What rocked about the Game Gear was that it was just a Sega Master System in a handheld, and you could easily hack it up to run SMS games. Assuming, of course, you were the kind of guy who had the SMS in the first place and lots of games burning a hole in your desk drawer. Of course, if you were the kind of guy to have a Game Gear, that's not too far off.
    • You are forgetting something:

      N-gage isn't just a handheld console, it's a phone and pim tool as well. Thats a good excuse for spending more money into it, but phone operators will sell this thing half-free with a expensive calling plan.

      Battery life is a bum, but as N-gage has a li-on recharchable battery instead of AAA alkaline batteries, like lynx had. You don't have to buy a new battery every time you run out of the old ones. Just recharge anytime you are near electricity :) And you can buy a car charger for those overlong car trips.
    • we've probably got another Lynx.

      or another Nokia "introduce, undersupport and drop" failure like Airhead.

      Nokia's mesh wireless broadband radio system had tremendous potential, but they found about every way to screw up a free lunch, including:

      - having shipped units delivered with unpatched, known bad software. "Oh, you always have to patch them before you use them" said our Tessco rep. A year later, same rev shipped and newer patches still to apply. Can someone say single production run?

      - restricting software patch access. We played games with Nokia and Tessco for two months, while watching 200 Airheads collect dust and not go on rooftops. Patch software required a special login to Nokia's site, but passwords were only assigned by the distributor. Distributor couldn't get them from Nokia.

      - Pricing just didn't reflect the real world. $740/unit for a home subscriber?

      - Performance, well, was good when you only had three customers. See the website with the picture of a housing developing with every house having a unit? Hahaha... not.

      But hey, it did have a kick-ass management GUI.

      Nokia seems to be the next Apple of stillborn & abandoned product lines...

      *scoove*

  • 3 Games announced? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by stratjakt ( 596332 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:23PM (#5236733) Journal
    And all from Sega. Puyo Puyo, Tennis and Sega Rally.

    I cant find any specs, but this sounds like a cellular phone with a lame-o processor in it that will play very weak game-n-watch type stuff, like the T-Mobile, and not a serious competitor for GBA.

    I'm assuming I cant find specs because they're thoroughly unimpressive.

    I mean I might choose it over another cell-phone, but I doubt it will compete seriously with nintendo in the handheld gaming arena.
    • Ok, I found the 'Tech Spex'. I hate misspelled hipster talk.

      Anyways.

      Still no meat.. Just a vague "High performance mobile interactive gaming" line and some more marketing type buzzwords.

      Is "Stereo FM radio" still technically impressive?

      Oh yeah, no mention of OGG and "Requires Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows 2000 professional, Windows XP"

    • Gimme Karma (Score:3, Informative)

      by ObviousGuy ( 578567 )
      N-Gage specs [nokia.com]

      And back to Excellent for me!
      • I already found em. And theres still no real information. Just a bunch of marketing buzzwords.

        From the pictures (real? mockup?) the screen looks wayyy to small to be a real gaming machine. Looks like the screen from the Dreamcast's VMU (in color)

        I'm the first to get stoked about a new gaming console, but this sounds like more of a cheesy cel-phone cash grab.
      • Is it just me, or does that look like something someone would cook up as a "futuristic" interface in a movie? Am I the only one who finds it ugly as sin? It looks like an interface nightmare to boot, with virtually nowhere to grip it while you try to use those tiny buttons that are helpfully arranged in a random manner?
    • The GBA's specs are actually pretty awful compared to what was possible for a $100 device when it was released.

      It has a 32-bit mutant (ARM/THUMB) processor running at 16.78MHz. The processor's THUMB mode is actually 16bit, and is used extensively because the instructions are smaller and the data bus is only 16 bits wide anyway.

      Ram is critically low (only 288kb work ram, 32kb of which is inside the processor), so every byte counts. Moving data across the 16bit bus in 32bit mode would just be a waste, as well. You have to wait two cycles to get 32 bits of data no matter what you do. The cpu's 32bit mode is basically only used when working purely in RAM, which is scarce enough that 32bit mode isn't as common as you'd expect.

      You'll find some beautiful and engaging games and demos for the GBA, but their technical merit is not the result of powerful hardware. It's due to very clever and efficient code.

      At the same time, you'll find a lot of abysmally terrible games (the bulk of the GBA library, really). In these, the game design and code is not very clever and far from efficient.
  • "Game companies such as Sega, Taito, and Eidos have already expressed support for it."

    Expressed support? The resolution hasn't passed?
  • ... bluetooth, games, tri-band, PIM, etc. Is this the first Nokia with integrated bluetooth that hasn't sucked? No camera, but then again cameras aren't terribly useful on fones imho, less'n they support live video.

    Now if only it's supported in iSync...

    • yay! finally something to use iSync for! mm.. download roms..

      now, on to Zaurus support for iSync..

    • Cameras (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Cyno01 ( 573917 )
      The cameras aren't that useful, but they're fun. My friend has one programed with visual caller ID, when it rings, the person whos calling's picture shows up if its loaded on the fone.
    • Is this the first Nokia with integrated bluetooth that hasn't sucked?


      I have 6310i, and the phone is good and I haven't had any problems with the Bluetooth. So I fail to see your point

  • Make it so, number one! (Score:4, Funny)

    by JanusFury ( 452699 ) <kevin...gadd@@@gmail...com> on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:26PM (#5236761) Homepage Journal
    EN-Gage!

    Ah, that was a knee-slapper.

    More seriously, what the hell kinda name is 'N-Gage'?

  • I'm gonna get burned for this one (Score:4, Funny)

    by duren686 ( 463275 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:27PM (#5236764) Homepage Journal
    Nokia's N-Gage??? more like celda!
  • http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/11/04/155920 3&mode=nested

    Okay so its from back in Nov. but its still a dupe.

    So okay at least they link to the new story

    Okay so its not even a real dupe

    Damn it, I like screaming Fire.
  • from the hope-it-has-a-better-backlight dept

    the gba sp doesnt have a backlight. it has a reflective lcd and a frontlight

  • all-in-one technology (Score:3, Insightful)

    by minionman ( 643063 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:38PM (#5236847)
    I dont understand why everyone is trying to jump on the all-in-one unit bandwagon. If I want a cell phone, I want a cell phone, not a bulky handheld that has 50 other functions and is 10 times the price of a standard cell phone. If I want something to play games on, Im going to choose something like a gameboy that has a large game base. I just dont think the mass markets are going to support and hold on to this type of all-in-one technology.

    On the bright side, I guess these make cell phones less likely to be discarded - repair prices would probably be under the cost of a new phone unlike most standard cell phones today.

    • I dont understand why everyone is trying to jump on the all-in-one unit bandwagon. If I want a cell phone, I want a cell phone, not a bulky handheld that has 50 other functions and is 10 times the price of a standard cell phone.

      Not everyone is like you. If they were, camera phones like the Nokia 7650 [nokia.com] would be flopping, but in fact they appear to be doing quite well.

      Some people want more than just a cellphone.

    • Re:all-in-one technology (Score:5, Insightful)

      by n1ywb ( 555767 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:57PM (#5237370) Homepage Journal
      What do all these devices have in common?
      • handheld game system
      • pocket pc/palm/etc
      • MP3 player

      Thats right, they all have a microprocessor, some buttons, and an LCD, and take batteries! Whats the real difference between an iPod and a pocket PC with a big microdrive? Not a lot.

      And furthermore, what do all of THESE devices have in common?
      • Cell phone
      • GPS receiver
      • Ham radio
      • 2 way text pager
      • FM radio
      • Scanner
      • CB radio

      Thats right, they have ALL of the same traits as the aforementioned devices, with the addition of an RF DSP chip. Again, a lot of overlap

      So whats my point? Sure you could carry one of each of these devices, but do you have enough pocket room? Or room on your belt? Do you want to fuck around with all those batteries and no convenient way to interface the devices to each other? You COULD merge all of these devices into one single SUPER DEVICE.

      Sound crazy? It's not. A PocketPC already can do most of this stuff. MP3s (DiVx to boot), games, PIM, whatever other software you want. They've already squeezed cell phones into pocket pc's without adding any (significant) bulk. There's no reason why the same DSP chip that is used to modem the cellphone signal couldn't be used to also demodulate FM broadcast, GPS signals, etc, all just by running a different program. That is the beauty of DSP. Yeah you might need to switch in and out some final amplifier or mixer stages but thats easy enough and it can all be integrated into a single chip with only a few external components. SHit they already have ham radios that are smaller than some cellphones that operate on 50mhz, 144mhz, 440mhz, and 1.2ghz. If THAT isn't a wide frequency range then I don't know what is.

      So my point is there is no TECHNICAL reason NOT to integrate the HELL out of devices. There are many practical reasons why integrated devices rule.

      Will this ever happen? Of course not. Well then again, insert $10M and I'll make it. Does anyone want to fund my startup?

      • So my point is there is no TECHNICAL reason NOT to integrate the HELL out of devices. There are many practical reasons why integrated devices rule.

        There's also a lot of practical reasons why integrated devices suck. The interface needs of all those are radically different.

        The way you hold and use a PDA, a game system, and a phone are all different. For a PDA you want a nice large screen and a comfortable input area. Make it too small, and it becomes unusable (think of the old Casio watches from the eighties).

        For a game player, I want nice fat buttons and a decently large color screen. I also want to hold it comfortably using both hands. Those properties make for a miserably large and uncomfortable phone.

        For a phone, you want something small and light that you can comfortably hold up to your ear for extended periods. Take an iPAQ and hold it next to your head for twenty minutes. Maybe you find it comfortable, but I sure don't. All of the integrated phone/PDA/whatever devices I've seen have either been too large and awkward to be good phones (I'm thinking of the latest offerings from RIM and Handspring), or too small to be good general-purpose PDAs (the Ericsson T68i).

        Who knows, maybe someday they'll find a magic form factor that fits every purpose. Until then, I'm staying away from the integrated super-widgets.

        • Now just a sec, I LOVED my databank watch! I kept all my BBS numbers in there!

          For speaker/mic purposes, use a little earbud headset like a Jabra. Handsfree. They rule. Period. Why does a phone have to look like a phone anyway? Why do you have to hold it to your ear? Bluetooth headsets! Lets get out of the 20th century.

          I guess the pocket PC form factor isn't the greatest for gaming, although with the touchscreen... Nevermind, I hate getting fingerprints all over my screen. It could be improved, anyway.

          Okay I will admit that one size does not always fit all. But I would still kill to compress my ham radio, AX.25 TNC, pocket pc, and gps receiver into a single unit. APRS [vtc.edu] baby!

    • I am holding off on buying a PDA for similar reasons... namely, the Utility Belt Factor will grow quite high. I recently read an article about a widget being developed over at MIT that uses a series of LED's to project a keyboard pattern on any flat surface, which can then be used as a keyboard. When they come out with something that is a small (like iPod size) box that has one of those keyboards and a pair of wireless glasses for a screen, and is a cellphone/pda/mp3 player... then i'll bite. right now, i'll stick to my cell phone and a pen.
    • Your life must be hard, with Nokia forcing you to buy the N-Gage.

      If you want a phone that is just a phone, Nokia has made one. [nokia.com] It will be available soon.
    • You don't understand why people want all-in-one units, and I don't understand why people want their pockets brimming with phones, text pagers, PDAs, digital cameras, gameboys, mp3 players, and GPS units. I'm as picky about size as you, so I don't know why anyone wants a huge phone either. I want a tiny phone that does everything, is that so much to ask? (see Samsung i500 for a phone that gets closer to what i want)

      Both of us are likely to have products to choose from. There's no need to lambast the other side for liking something you do not. It's like a VI/Emacs argument-- who cares? Just use what you prefer and try not to proselytize. Nokia still makes plenty of "just plain cell phones," although most do have at least a simple address book and calendar. I imagine most other cell companies do as well, and will continue to do so in the future.

      So, good luck to you in your cell-phone hunt, Giant-Bag-Of-Devices Man!!!

      Your friend,

      I-Do-Not-Have-Enough-Pockets-For-That Man.

  • Get Linux on it and I'll take one. (Score:3, Funny)

    by danormsby ( 529805 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:38PM (#5236848) Homepage
    If someone can get a kernel, a bash shell, X11 and Tux Racer running on it I'll have one.
  • Geez, these people and their technology, next thing you know they'll be putting cameras on cell phones. These people are just outa control.

  • This just in.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by TheVidiot ( 549995 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:49PM (#5236930) Homepage
    X has just announced that it has ported Linux to the N-Gage! No colour, phone or game support at this time....

  • I was lucky enough to have a play with one (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rcs1000 ( 462363 ) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <0001scr>> on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @09:51PM (#5236942)
    I got to see one last Friday when the nice boys from Eidos came to my office, and I can say it is a lot more impressive than the GBA.

    Height- and width-wise, it's about the same, but it feels a lot slimmer, which was a surprise to me as I'd been expecting something like Nokia's ill-fated 5510. It also seemed pretty light.

    It also has a very nice high-res back-lit screen. It sure blew my GBA away.

    Now, this doesn't mean it'll win the handheld console war. There is the question of price: can it compete with a $100 GBA? And then there are game; Eidos, THQ, Sega and Activision are (reasonably) big names, but they are not Nintendo.

    That said, it will be useful indeed to see the Big N get some competition.
    • Competition? Nintendo has competition [bandai-asia.com] on the handheld market. How could anyone overlook that wonderful device? Of course, there's always this [amazon.com] great piece of hardware, too.
    • Few questions, maybe you can answer them.

      1. How does the buttons on this bad little boy stand up to the dual task of dialing and game playing? Did you find yourself hitting the wrong number instead of the raised button?

      2. Nokia mentions 3D capability, but refuses to list real tech specs in their tech specs section... or for that matter any real screenshots. How would you rate the 3D rendering capabilities you saw on this early model?

      3. I'm quite worried about the screen orientation. It seems all wrong for playing anything other than vertical shooters. How did the aspect ratio effect the play of Tomb Raider?

      Don't get me wrong, I'm excited about all of this. I love the promise held in the launch of any new console... and a Symbian-based console gets extra bounus points. But if the feel of the controllers and the screen is wrong, that could severely hamper acceptance.

      So allay my fears, if you would be so kind. Buttons? Screen? Rendering?

      • Re:I was lucky enough to have a play with one (Score:4, Insightful)

        by rcs1000 ( 462363 ) <<moc.liamg> <ta> <0001scr>> on Thursday February 06, 2003 @05:31AM (#5239070)
        OK; I'm not a technical expert, I'm a finance guy who like to play with tech, so don't expect perfection.

        1. Buttons. I played for two minutes, the buttons seemed fine. Using the keypad to "do stuff" felt a little odd, but the directional controller felt just like the GBA.

        2. The game I saw (called Pandamonium - or something like that) was not in real 3D, it was more of a side-scroller. (Indeed, it could probably be desribed as Super Mario-esque.) So, I can't comment on its 3D rendering capabilities.

        3. Yes, the screen size is a little strange but it didn't feel any narrower than the original GB.

  • No wireless peer-to-peer functionality (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Wills ( 242929 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:02PM (#5237012)

    It would be great if one of the handset manufacturers would make a true mobile phone with wireless peer-to-peer walkie-talkie-style communications. You could talk free of charge for as long as you like on your mobile phone to other users on your chosen frequency channel whenever they are within range of your handset. Unfortunately, Nokia's new handsets can't do this. Here's hoping...

      • Yes, the Nextel phone is a great example of a wireless peer-to-peer mobile phone. Thanks for the link. The concept of wireless peer-to-peer mobiles was discussed here in June 2002 [slashdot.org] in June last year but interestingly nobody mentioned the Nextel phone then although it seems from the Nextel website the phone has been around for longer than a year.
        • Sweet Christ!

          Nextel has had this since at least '97. Where have you been?

          Sure, they charge for "service" just like any other cell phone. But you don't have to pay extra if you use the walkie-talkie feature. Plus, it works wherever you have cell coverage (i.e. it is not peer-to-peer at all, but rather travels over the same network as your calls). So you can "walkie-talkie" to someone 30 miles away, which can be super sweet.

          Actually, I think they were expanding their network beyond 1 metropolitan area at a time. In that case, you could walkie-talkie to someone in NY from LA. (In '97 it was limited to the greater metropolitan area, which was about a 20 mile radius.)

          Man, if their ads haven't communicated that to you, then they really need to do some work. (And I've been overestimating the universality of my experiences again.)


          • "Where have you been?"

            In Europe. I've never seen any Nextel ads while here. Actually I don't think the Nextel mobile phones are as well known as you seem to think, even in the US. As I said in my previous post, Nextel wasn't mentioned once in the discussion [slashdot.org] on wireless peer-to-peer mobile phones last June, despite there being 216 comments.

  • Horrible Battery Life (Score:3, Informative)

    by doctor_no ( 214917 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:07PM (#5237042)
    According to the specs on Gamepsot the batterylife is 3-6 hours. So in reality would be like 1-4 hours in real world usage. That is too damn short, considering that the Gameboy advance claims 30 hours on two AAs(only around 20 hours in realworld usage).

    Considering that you can buy GBAs for around $70 and pretty soon the new back-lit lithium-ion GBA SP for $99, the Nokia better be priced to competitively or the consumer would just go out and buy a PocketPC or Palm device; considering that Capcom, Sega,and Verant are already producing games for those platforms (like Everquest, 1942, Section Z, Colomns, Ultima Undrworld, Simcity, etc.).

    Link to Gamespot;
    http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/ne ws/0,10870, 2910338,00.html

  • nethack (Score:5, Funny)

    by sirsampson ( 48252 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:15PM (#5237094)
    not even on my radar without nethack... :)

  • Specs (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:17PM (#5237109)
    http://www.n-gage.com/n-gage/gd_tech_spex.html [n-gage.com]

    Some random quotes:
    - Full email support (IMAP4, POP3, SMTP, MIME2)
    - Tri-band EGSM 900/GSM1800/GSM 1900
    - Bluetooth
    - Slave USB 1.1. for digital music download from PC
    - 64 MB memory card for music

    http://press.nokia.com/PR/200302/890630_5.html [nokia.com]

    Usage times:
    - Games up to 3 - 6 h (depending on game type)
    - Talk up to 2 - 4 h
    - Standby up to 150- 200 h
    - Music up to 8 h
    - Radio up to 20 h

  • Here's an actual evaluation of it (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Syre ( 234917 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:34PM (#5237199)
    Nokia N-Gage: First Impressions [gamesindustry.biz]

    Apparently you have to remove the back and take out the battery to switch games. Not very clever.

  • Likes and dislikes (Score:4, Interesting)

    by eyefish ( 324893 ) on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @10:41PM (#5237253)
    Likes:

    - The bluetooth wireless gaming will be AWESOME (I can already imagine finding people on the streets, airports, bus, trains and playing with them with no cables).

    - Integration of gaming, radio, mp3, agenda, sound recorder, cell phone, address book and [limited] internet is a HUGE plus (will this be the future of PDAs?)

    - Ability to play Java games.

    Dislikes:

    - The screen resolution is a joke.

    - No camera.

    - No Palm OS compatibility.

    - Size (I'd have made the unit as wide as the screen itself, and then make the screen larger to the sides, and to save space have the joypad or the keypad slide out from underneath.

    Overall, if the price is right (under US$200) I'll buy it.

    • Re:Likes and dislikes (Score:4, Insightful)

      by illusion_2K ( 187951 ) <slashdotNO@SPAMdissolve.ca> on Wednesday February 05, 2003 @11:38PM (#5237649) Homepage

      In fairness to Nokia, the fact that you can run MIDP apps on this device does provide a certain level of compatibility between this and Palms. So, for a java developer such as myself, once you write the game logic you just have to customize the interface to whatever device you're working with. Sure it's not 100%, but it's also not nothing.

      The thing that does suck though is that MIDP is only availble by way of an 'add-on' [sun.com] to Palms. So you can't expect a palm device to have it (unless you load it yourself). But, bearing in mind that this is a very different device than a palm, Nokias approach seems kind of reasonable.

  • It has only one thing I wish my GBA had which is the ability to multi-play wirelessly. Otherwise until it has a Zelda, Mario, Metroid of its own then feh...

    I'm surprised that nobody has said anything of "...digital rights management helps protect content." as mentioned here [nokia.com].

    If I can't play mp3's created from cd's that I legally own b/c it hasn't been authenticated, then this things worthless.
  • have been capable of these things for years. The cheapest ones on the market can play FFXI online. It's nice to see Nokia trying to keep up, but this is nothing amazing. What we really need is the network for phones Japan has.
  • I guess in a down market, it's really quite cheap to design these new models, and a company like nokkia is always looking for a good new investment in a slowing-growth field. Because of the presently low R&D costs on new devices, it doesn't take much to break even on something like this.

    Moreover, GBA doesn't have as much of a stranglehold on either the european or japanese markets. In Japan, there are competing devices (although GBA is of course the largest), and in Europe, it's just not as big.

    There are a lot of people who don't see themselves as nintendo buyers, and this is just the kind of utility device they want. Keep in mind that there are people who can play traffic or light cycles for hours and hours- they don't need GBA quality games, as long as the device has some degree of utility.

    The price point, of course, remains to be seen. But Nokkia is pretty good at altering production lines and producing hardware cheaply, so I think they'll do alright.

  • Dont tell the RIAA (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Derg ( 557233 )
    From the site:

    Digital Music Player
    - Digital music player for AAC and MP3 files
    - Stereo line in for audio recording (analog)
    - Slave USB 1.1. for digital music download from PC
    - High fidelity stereo headset for music player, FM stereo radio, and voice calls
    (mono)
    - Integrated recorder (AAC) from analog stereo line connector and FM radio
    - Music file download from compatible PC over USB cable
    - 64 MB memory card for music
    - Handsfree speaker for music listening
    - Short cut button to start the Music Player

    [emphasis mine]

    i think the fact that you have to add your own memory card is kinda crap, but not that bad. The fact you can record from radio though, and share via bluetooth, while I wouldnt dare do it, who listens to radio anyway, Sounds to me like the perfect thing to raise the hackles of the RIAA. I dont expect this to last all that long once the RIAA gets a wiff. And even if it does, I never bought into first generation devices, especially not convergence devices like this.. all it needs is a shaver and an expresso machine and its every stereotypical 20 and 30 somethings dream..

    Thank god I am not a stereotypical male..
  • I thought my HO Gauge phone was small enough!
  • The five-way directional controller can work eight ways in games, and the built-in vibrator takes you one step closer to the action.
  • Um, people. Lets talk obviousness.

    The point is that Nokia has realized that the cell phone is a genuinely asstastic action gaming platform, but the delivery mechanism for the games can't be beat. So whether they're hyping it or not, network game delivery is *the* next big thing that carriers are going to be able to support.

    Pay by the day. Pay by the month. "Lifetime subscription." Whatever. The carts are so hard to get access to because eventually you wont use the carts.

    --Dan

  • On collision route with Novell! (Score:3, Informative)

    by haggar ( 72771 ) on Thursday February 06, 2003 @10:18AM (#5240067) Homepage Journal
    In fact, Novell came up with the name earlier than Nokia did.

    Novell Ngage [novell.com]

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