Review: Nokia N-Gage

Nokia N-Gage Review

Phone rating:

Is it a phone or a games console? Available in time for Christmas 2003, the Nokia N-Gage offers both! Forget the kind of games that mobile phone users are used to, the Nokia N-Gage is a full-blown games console; lightweight and ergonomically designed for 2-handed game play, with a high-res 4096 colour screen and 3D graphics. The controls are designed for gaming, although this does make it tricky to use as a phone.

A key feature of the device is multiplayer gaming, either using Bluetooth™, or the mobile internet. Example games include:

• Sega Rally (Sega)
• Marcel Desailly Pro Soccer (Ubi Soft/Gameloft)
• Pathway to Glory (Nokia)
• PuyoPop (Sega)
• Rayman 3 (Ubi Soft/Gameloft)
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (Ubi Soft/Gameloft)
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell (Ubi Soft/Gameloft)
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (Activision/Ideaworks3D)
• Virtua Tennis (Sega)

The Nokia N-Gage is also a phone, with features like Bluetooth, Java, high-speed internet and multimedia messaging, based on the same core platform as the Nokia 3650 or 7650. With the N-Gage, Nokia have created a product designed to satisfy both hard-core gamers as well as those seeking an all-round fun mobile phone package with games thrown in. However, it isn't the most practical phone to use, being unergonomic as a phone. The graphics aren't all that great either, and the fact that you have to remove the battery to change games makes it a bit awkward.

Features of the Nokia N-Gage include:

• Large 4096 colour display (176 x 208 pixels)
• 5-way directional controller (works 8 ways in games)
• Online gaming and multiplayer gaming via Bluetooth™
• Digital music player (MP3 & AAC formats) & digital recorder
• Stereo FM radio
• Stereo headset
• Nokia Audio Manager PC software
• WAP, GPRS, HSCSD (high-speed internet), Email, XHTML browser
• Symbian operating system
• Java™
• MMS multimedia messaging & enhanced SMS
• 64 Mbyte external memory card
• USB connectivity for music download from PC
• Built-in handsfree speaker
• Calendar, contacts
• Voice dialling
• Size: 134 x 70 x 20 mm
• Weight: 137g
• Battery standby: 150 - 200 hours
• Battery talktime: 2 - 4 hours (3-6 hour game play; up to 20 hour radio play)
• Vibration alert
• Tri band

Nokia N-Gage Consumer Reviews

Average rating from 100 reviews:

Please, do not submit any more reviews of the Nokia N-Gage - 100 reviews is enough!

Reviewed by Smiffy from UK on 5th Apr 2004
I got this fon in november and im still havin fun playin with all the cool extras. the games are well better than a gameboy advance, fair enough its a bit annoying having to take the cover off to change the games but it's worth it. Buy this fon! its the coolest!
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Reviewed by Peter Guetzov from USA on 2nd Apr 2004
This is pretty amazing considering all the things it can do. Having even a small MMC would allow you to put hundreds of games on it very easily. (they're all over the net)I have to say that the mp3 player is very good and being able to use mp3s as ringtones is a nice feature. If you know just how to convert your movie files, you would get a kick out of watching them on the real player. I got the whole Scarface on there and that seems to turn heads. Just a whole lot of nice options and i don't think there is anything you couldnt find on it. However, the design still makes me and most people be hesitant when it comes to using it as an actual cellphone. It shouldn't bother me because of the many things it can do but it still does and that's the biggest minus on the phone. It could've had infrared and been a little smaller but that's just nitpicking. If you strictly want a cellphone, consider whether u could put up with it but if you want some entertainment value then try it. Let's face it, why are people buying phones like Nokia 3300 but they're not buying this...its the same deal. Just consider how much success nokia will have with this when they fix up the sidetalking and game swapping on their next ngage.
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Reviewed by Blake from USA on 1st Apr 2004
I work at a specialty game store and we had to pull the N-gage off our shelves within 2 months because we could only sell 3 units, and that was after dropping the price by a full $100 Dollars and throwing in 3 games for free. When speaking into the phone it looks like you're talking into a taco. The games themselves and VERY low quality, and have a horrable lag. The N-Gage managed to even ruin Bubble Bobble! And to add that, the mp3 player stores less than 20 songs, the phone itself gets horrable reception, and getting games in and out a complete hassle. You want gaming get a Gameboy, mp3 player? Get a ipod, but stay away from the N-Gage. Great Concept, terrable product.
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Reviewed by Murph from ENGLAND! on 22nd Mar 2004
The N-Gage is a great concept phone, no-one else has done it as well as nokia, it is almost as good a PDA, with huge mmc cards now being used (tried and tested) upto `1 "gig"` of memory is available - anything is possible *.mp3 *.rm pictures - anything , which is amazing in it own right. i upgraded and it cost me a "£30 admin fee" - hopefully when nokia bring out the (i think) "nokia 7770" it will go a long way to bridging the gap between phone and PDA (touch screen)&(no buttons) - and remember there are 3 types of people in this world, those who can count and those who can't!!
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Reviewed by Jarred Douthit from U.S.A. on 19th Mar 2004
I hust got this phone and it is awesome! Everybody just naggs and naggs about how you'll look like an idiot if your using it as a phone. Well maybe if your smart enough you'll know that they have headsets now and that is what everybody uses. You'll already look like an idiot if your talking on your regular phone because headsets is the new "in" thing to use.
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Reviewed by sum1 from wales on 16th Mar 2004
all u people who wrote this phone as poor av no idea wat ur tlkin bout ive ad mine 4 a week and its the beat thing i ever did its an awesum fone the games r wicked so its the colour screen gt a life and buy an n-gage
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Reviewed by sammy.k from england on 13th Mar 2004
hi guys,the realone player is soooooooo small can u get it bigger ive bought some films off ebay and want them FULLSIZE plz some1 help me where can u get FREE game n stuff haz ene1 got a bluetooth dongle its commin in the post 4 me so i cant wait!plz can some 1 plz plz plz help coz im new 2 n-gaging so i need a helping hand,my gprs isnt working y is dat im geting so frustrated as if nokia arnt happy with the 200 quid we spent they then tell us we need blutooth and a mmc for god sake nokia get a grip!!! but it still is a sweet fone
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Reviewed by som1 from kosavo na jus jokin england on 9th Mar 2004
no doubt this dabes phone eva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!eva get bored on da train or something then u can jus watch a video or a clip like the simpsons
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Reviewed by kevin from canada on 9th Mar 2004
don't have this phone yet but by the reviews i know that its gonna be a treat.waitin for mine to arrive in three weeks or so.& whoever says nokia phones aren't good suck royally its the best cell phone company.they've been producing neat phones right from the beginning.i think sharp samsung & the rest of the lot better concentrate on electronics other than mobile fones.its not their piece of cake.i've had 3 nokia fones till now 3310,8210,8250 all of which have appealed to me & lasted me inspite of innumerous falls from my hand.all of u dicks who say that a fone need not have games & music players & that u rather have a psp,gameboy,or discmans .i think u guys need to change attitude.the n-gage has a great deal of goodies in it.nokia have come up with another excellent phone.with nokia u always have tough choices coz before then-gage i thought of buyin the 6100,6610 & 5100 but the wholesome of the n-gage impressed me thoroughly.good work nokia.
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Reviewed by Dean from England on 8th Mar 2004
THE FONE ROCKS U MUST BUY IT, THE GAMES ARE GREAT, THE MUSIC IS AND THE APLLICATIONS ARE TOO
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Reviewed by Steve from England (near france) on 7th Mar 2004
If you lot out there want a nintendo, BUY ONE, and stop slating this phone! Cheers. I'd like to see you using a PS/2 out on the bus! You look like an even bigger idiot with the generator strapped to your back! The n-gage does exactly what it says on it's box and does it well! Easy Life!
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Reviewed by daniel from england on 7th Mar 2004
does it matter the size and shape of the n-gage it is brilliant i know loads of fones i could shame but when u dont have the fone u will say it is **** maybe cos financially u cant afford it but lets say u did buy it ur not gonna say to everyone it is **** having bought it and anyways weigh all the good points to the bad points and this fone will beat all simply because of the nice and simple layout and have u heard tht it has bluetooth so get a bluetooth earpiece then u wont need to hold it to ur ear so use a bit of common sense for dissing a phone tht is probs the best fone so far
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Reviewed by shutimant from Thailand on 4th Mar 2004
I read any review in this site already, I think anybody stick your mind in old phone -- call, sms, design of phone's body, everything -- You will open your mind for a new modern design. OK! In my idea, This phone is a good phone,and the most function is same Nokia 6600 - deference only N-gage don't have phone camara and display resolution is 4096 color and os version is 6.0, other is same Nokia 6600..../- -/ Prize for N-gage
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Reviewed by SEXBOMB from WALES, UK on 3rd Mar 2004
Love the N-Gage! Yeah it got it's pluses and minuses and yeah it looks like a pastie but WHO CARES!! - it still rocks!! MP3? Radio? Phone? Games? PDA? Internet? It's got the lot!!
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Reviewed by Aaron Smith from England on 1st Mar 2004
1st the bad things 1 the way to change games is not good (gets on you nervs) 2 the size is a bit big for a phone (but all the things in it make it small) 3 yes yo look a twat with it on you ear 4 not easy to use from the other nokia's (3310 3330 3410 3510 3510i now the good things 1 mp3 player all the songs you like in your hand (a lot more then a cd) 2 looking at the wed is better then a lot of col. screen moble (3510i) 3 card games are not the only games you can play there are java (jad jar) and sis and thay are cool to from www.gameloft.com 4 you can buy a camera for it (concord eye-Q go wireless @ carphone on your high street) 5 you can record your self on it 6 you can take a pic of what is on your screan at any time 7 it is better to use then the old sistm 8 you can do more then one thing at a time 9 you can see terminator 3 (poor pic) on the go with a dvd to .rm converter 10 there is a lot of oter things but it will take too long to put it all
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Reviewed by forgot from mine on 22nd Feb 2004
da bes!
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Reviewed by Timmy Trumpet from UK on 21st Feb 2004
This little 'GameBoy advance' loking phone is a gadget fans top treat. it's got everything a techno kid would need. Cool, really 80's arcady style graphics on games, nice button layout. But the poor things are the size and shape of it. i mean holding a giant thing like that to your ear looks kinda stupid. Good phone, with a few too many bad points.
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Reviewed by Tom from UK on 19th Feb 2004
GOT MY N-GAGE FROM THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE FOR £99, AND I HAVE TO SAY IT IS THE BEST FONE I HAVE EVER OWNED. PROS: 3D GRAPHICS,MUSIC PLAYER,FM RADIO,REALONE PLAYER (WHICH IS V.COOL COS U CAN WATCH MOVIES ETC ON IT) AND LOTS MORE... CONS: YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE BACK,BATTERY ETC OFF TO CHANGE THE GAME, ALSO NO PREINSTALLED JAVA GAMES. BUT OTHER THAN THAT IT IS A VERY GODD ALL ROUND FONE. WHICH I RECCOMEND TO ANYONE. IF U WISH 2 CONTACT ME FOR WHATEVER REASON MY MSN IS TOMDN@HOTMAIL.COM
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Reviewed by John from England on 17th Feb 2004
THIS PHONE IS A TOTAL BARGAIN. £99 FROM THE WWW.CAREPHONEWAREHOUSE.CO.UK WEBSITE!! GET THIS, FOR £99 YOU CAN GET A BRILLIANT LOOKING PHONE WITH AN MP3 PLAYER, (ON THEIR OWN WORTH AROUND £100 BUT AS YOU PAY THIS FOR AN N-GAGE, IT IS ONE OF THE MP3 PLAYERS AND MILLIONS OF OTHER THINGS.) AINT HEARD THE RINGTONES YET BUT MY COUSIN HAS ONE OF THESE AND THEY ARE GREAT. UNFORTUNATELY.... MY DOG HAS RECENTLY EATEN MY SAGEM MYX6 CAMERA PHONE, BUT I HAVE MY EYES ON THE NAKIA N-GAGE FROM THE CAREPHONEWAREHOUSE!! BRILLIANT, OUTSTANDING QUIALITY MOBILE. BUT IT IS A MISSION TO GET USED TO USING IT. OH, IF YOU GET ONE AND HAVE A DOG...... !KEEP IT AWAY FROM THE BLOODY HOUND!
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Reviewed by david from England on 6th Feb 2004
Good all rounder, useful PDA facility,, E mail function works well, and the menu system is simple. There are design flaws as previously commented upon i.e cover removal,pc connection etc. But paid £99 from Carphone Warehouse on Virgin Pay as you Go (check web site), and at that price I can forgive the flaws.If you can get it at the right price, highly recommended
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Reviewed by Robert.C from UK on 3rd Feb 2004
Uppers: 3D Graphics Bloothtooth Radio MP3 Playin vidoes Mobile internet Email is an excellent feature storing pictures and using them as wallpaper Downers No camera No infrared Big, clunky, but considering whats its capable of its not that big. Dismantling the phone to change a cartridge (most annoying flaw) Nothings perfect but this is still an excellent phone
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Reviewed by hayley from England on 31st Jan 2004
the n-gage is only for playin u cant go and sending messages and tht stuff iv had tht fone for 2 days and ive exchanged it and bought a nokia 3510i, nokia 3510i is such a cool fone and nice ringtones and is got everything u need init n-gage is not a fone its like a gameboy now i tell u never get it (cuz its new people say its nice) no n-gage is a game u get games and play withit i tell u get nokia 3510i cool fone.
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Reviewed by DeathAngel from Croatia on 30th Jan 2004
Man you people who are saying that this phon is rubbish are stupid that's all i can say for you.Yes maybe it has some flaws but what phone doesn't.My englis sucks he he he.Well anyway you can download games from the net so you dont have to swap mmc.The screen is a bit small but hell compare this phone with siemens st55 and tell me that this phone sucks.And for the price,you don't have to buy it in store you morons ever herad about blackmarcet???In my country in stores price is 400euros and if you buy it on blackmarcet it is 200euros.In all it is a gret thnological achivment and it's lot of fun.NOKIA is the best,and this phone has confirmed their theory Conecting People.Bluetooth rules.
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Reviewed by yi_shiang from Indonesia-Jakarta on 25th Jan 2004
When I see people side talking with this phone, it makes me laugh!
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Reviewed by G Hughes from UK on 24th Jan 2004
Dont listen to half the ppl that have slagged off this phone, they dont know what they're talking about. First off, u DONT have to look like an idiot using it, cus as with most modern phones the earpiece and mic are quite strong so it works perfectly holding it like a normal phone. Secondly, yes its stupid having to take the back off to change the games but think about it...who is actually gonna buy the games?? Anyone with any sense will download all the games, get a massive memory card and then u have plenty of storage and as many games as u want on there at once. Final point is that it is a GREAT price for a symian OS phone, theres 1000's of appas and games u can install for it, and features like the radio and music player add more functionality. The ONLY downside is that its quite large but its slim enough to fit in your picket, and considerin it does everything except take photos, its a brilliant size. If its for you...get one!! Dont listen to half the idiots on here who probably have barely used one
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Reviewed by DEan from England on 24th Jan 2004
YOU PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB, WHICH FONES DO U NO WHERE U CAN WATCH A WHOLE FILM, I HAVE PUT MATRIX ON IT ALL U DO IS CONVERT .AVI INTO .RM USING HELIX PRODUCER SEND TO UR FONE AND WATCH IT...... WAT OTHER FONE CAN DO THAT??????????? I ALSO PUT A SIMPSONS EPISODE ON IT , BY DOWNLOADING IT OFF KAZAA THEN CONVERTING IT. U PEOPLE ARE SO DUMB, WHO SAY IT SUCKS.... IT RULES U MUPPETS IF ANYONE WANTS INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PUT FILMS ON IT THEN ADD ME TO UR MSN MESSENGER... VENOM164@HOTMAIL.COM AND I WILL GLADLY GIVE U INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO WATCH THE FILMS AS WELL AS PICS
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Reviewed by fahad from pakistan on 21st Jan 2004
i am using nokia 6600 but i had a wish 2 go 4 N-gage u know its awesome i can convert my songs as a ringtone when i am on holidays i carry N-gage along me and ppl who says its not good i want 2 slap there faced they r idiot americans i had a msg for them kiss my ass
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Reviewed by si from england on 18th Jan 2004
This phone is rubish the screen is so small u cant see the game u are playin dont buy it u also have to open it up to insert a new game and the games themselves are 30 quid each same price as ps2 or xbox games. Just buy a 7250i and a ps2 or xbox much better!
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Reviewed by Freddy from Canada on 12th Jan 2004
OK THE GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING! You don't see every person carrying around a playstation, do you? Playstation has better graphics cuz its bigger and can hold better technology! Your looking at a phone that is 5 inches by 1 inch! Not only do the games amaze me, but the features! Downloading from your computer to phone is so easy...including installing apps and java games is what i think an amzing feature. People who diss the n-gage or give poor ratings OBVIOUSLY have not tried it or even bought it yet. Whining about the phones size and looking like an idiot is just stupid...thats what the privided headset is for! Don't diss the n-gage...i was highly impressed with this!
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Reviewed by Andrew Rayn from Abu Dhabi UAE on 10th Jan 2004
THIS IS THE BEST FONE EVA NO DOUBT NO QUESTIONS
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Reviewed by Jamie - Age 12 from UK on 8th Jan 2004
This is an amazing phone, the rest of you who haven't got the phone don't just go out and buy it go and read the reiview first. I have read othe reviews and they are all suggesting different phones. But they are DUMB, how can you un rate this phone. I would never go with anyone else other than Nokia(t) (Mostly because I am best friends with manager of Nokia(t) Thiland) but because every phone is the same, most simmens have the same dull shape but think who has always lead with great new phones (First true, small, mobile phone. The comminicator), Nokia rule. BUT THE N-GAGE ITS THE GREATEST, YOU CAN'T OUT SMART IT THE MEMOREY CARDS STORE GREAT MUSIC, SMALLER THEN CD PLAYERS, BETTER THEN PREVIOUS MODELS!! THE GAMES ARE THE SAME IF NOT BETTER THAN Game boy Advance SP (t) But there is definatly no phone better than this!!The down side is there is no camera but I have shown off to all my friends with it!!
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Reviewed by me from england on 8th Jan 2004
all you people that say the phone is poor, then i think u need to wake up!!!!this is by far the best phone on the market and should be for a long time to come!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by rufrufmeowmeow from philippines on 8th Jan 2004
the fones good but it has a lot of flaws the controls are hard to use, u have to get used on talking to a taco if u forgot to bring your headset lol! anyway the reason some people dont like the new toy its because they lack a lot of programs. but as soon as you download some freakin new applications its good to go baby!!!!!!!!!!! give the nokia people a break there doing there best considering its there first attempt on making such a phone its not perfect but its got everything you need! yo email me at rufrufmeowmeow@yahoo.com
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Reviewed by Micah from USA on 4th Jan 2004
OK I have one and it is AWESOME!!!I wish i had a camera on it but what will i do w/ that?The radio connection is average and the games are tight!Don't listen to what otha peps say bout the phone.It's easy to use and some peps think that you look funny talkin on it,but i like talkin on cuz everyone is like whooaa what kinda phone is that??If you don't like the way to talkm on it the use the loudspeaker or headset!Buy one Now!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Ant from UK on 2nd Jan 2004
This fone is poor for a gaming fone. only 4k colours! Get a Sharp Gx2o! its got 65k colours and a bigger screen AND a top quality camera with flash. don't waste ur dosh on a N-Gage!
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Reviewed by Calv from UK on 2nd Jan 2004
This phone is by far the worst you can get.. too overated, plus you'd look like a fool walking in the street with one. As for the games, Nokia can never overcome Nintendo on handheld gaming of this type. A phone's meaning is to make calls, not to play games on, that's what your PS2 is for.. duh. Buy this and you might think you're cool 'cause you have the latest handset, but really you'll look like idiot. Stay away from this phone, period. Get a Samsung E700 instead, nice and sleek, good cam.
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Reviewed by Alison from Malta on 30th Dec 2003
This phone/game deck is truly amazing! I fell in love with this technology gem! Most people complain about the size but would you be comfortable playing games on anything smaller? The n-gage is even better than a palmtop and you can install all kinds of stuff! Sure it has some flaws but what new technology in its infancy doesn't? Once you get over the taco-to-your-head phoning you will not look at any other mobile with envy any more! Nokia has taken a very bold step with this little beauty - it is definitely not a phone for everyone, but for all of you who want lots of features in your mobile look no further. But if you just want to make phone calls and send a couple of SMS, you can surely get a better deal.
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Reviewed by aLi Hodroj from Oregon on 30th Dec 2003
Man im waiting for my N-gage to arrive in the mail today, im 15 years old and i cant wait....from wat i heard and read from reviews i think i will be highly satisfied with this phone, nokia is always the best for phones, menu's are easy browsing is easy, but i tell u...i paid 250 for this phone and i think its definetley worth it....everything you want in a phone is in this gadget...its just so buetifull.....if ur thinking of getting one ill tell you...DONT EVEN THINK!! go ahead and get it you will be really happy....you guys have a good one....later
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Reviewed by Matt from England on 29th Dec 2003
This phone is absoulutley rubbish. The screen is tiny, the games are numpt, the polyphonic rings sounds awful, and how on earth you make a normall phone I have no idea. DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Mandy from united kingdom on 28th Dec 2003
first of all i would like to say that the people who wrote the really poor things abou n-gage either havent got an n-gage or arent even intrested in games, music and radio. also the people who say this phone is great for people who like games, well DUURRRRR! if u didnt like games u wouldnt buy this phone! and so wot if its big? its amazing! being able to download pictures from you computer is fantastic. they also come out really good quality! anyone who has got an n-gae i recommend u buy fifa 2004 cos that is so amazing u get stuck to for ages! i woz on it for nearly a whole day. its so amazin! u thumbs get a bit sore though. u also get to record things from the radio, computer and cd player. it takes about half an hour to fully charge aswell! this is the best phone from nokia so far. if u havent got one yet bin your phone u got at the mo no matter wot phone and get an n-gage straight away. this is a FANTASTIC PHONE!
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Reviewed by y,do u want to know? from UK on 26th Dec 2003
it is ace
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Reviewed by all from everyone on 26th Dec 2003
it is a wicked phone
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Reviewed by Nokia Gangster from Hong Kong on 18th Dec 2003
Hello.....CAN U HEAR ME NOW?.....Opps...... side talking...... Mind as well toss $300 out the window......Buy 7250i.....Or sharp GX22........or playstation2 if u wanna.....but NOT n-gage.....Opps....can u hear me now?......lol
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Reviewed by Sahir from UAE on 16th Dec 2003
BUY IT!!!!! do urself a favour, its a gr8 phone, mp3, gamedeck, EVERYTHING
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Reviewed by alex from uk on 15th Dec 2003
i am still waiting for my na gage but just looking at the endless possiblities available ill give it 5 without even playing it lets power the n gage phonominon chant with me "N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE N GAGE" la la la la la N GAGE we rearlly need to push this fantastical amazing thing we love you nokia XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX N GAGE will rule the world............
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Reviewed by abid from bulgaria on 15th Dec 2003
good...but hard to use. (not to worry, it comes with a novel like user guide!!!)
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Reviewed by Sinead from Ireland on 11th Dec 2003
What a load of rubbish. This phone should get 0 stars!! The idea was good but Nokia screwed up the design and build. I had the phone as a free upgrade and it arrived this morning. After spending 3 hours playing with it, it is now back in the box and waiting to be sent back and replaced with a better designed phone. The fact that you need to take off the back and the battery to change the game card is such a stupid and badly designed idea. This should have been made so that you can change the card from a slot on the side or top like a gameboy or the sony p800 with its memory stick. As a phone the N-Gage is oversized and not very comfortable to use. As a games machine the screen is too small and having to take the battery out to change the game card is not good. As a PDA it is useable but what is the point of giving you a USB cable if you can't use it with any apart from transferring music. (You need to buy a bluetooth Datacard for your PC to transfer data & contacts etc...)And as for the radio and MP3 player I already have one combined in the form of an I-Bead that can also carry data and has a longer battery life. Overall the N-Gage is a very nice idea BUT it manages to disappoint on all areas.
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Reviewed by Kong Kong from Hong Kong on 10th Dec 2003
do you like talking to a taco? ÜD get the picture? that's how you make calls with an N-gage.
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Reviewed by richyrich from USA on 10th Dec 2003
I do not have this phone, but have one concern. What happens when it's time to get a new phone? After spending lots of $$ on games for this thing, does the N-gage turn into an oversized low resolution game machine? Is it TDMA, CDMA, GSM??? What happens if I want (or am forced), to switch phone types?
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Reviewed by Patrick from UK on 9th Dec 2003
I don't own one but I have been looking at this phone for a while now, BUT a company called Woolworths is knocking them out at £129.99 on the Orange service. Its got to be a steal at that price. A GBA sp over here costs £89.99 and that does not make phone calls etc. I will have to sell MY Sagem MYX6 but its got a good screen. And its got 5 games downloaded from orange in it too. 2 are builtin. vey small keys let it down. camera is ok on sagem.
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Reviewed by Jack Roberts from Wales on 9th Dec 2003
Just got this phone and it is amazing.The quality of the games is outstanding not forgetting the mp3 player with excellent quality.A great list of features.definently the best phone ive owned
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Reviewed by ted from u.k on 9th Dec 2003
all paul is trying to say with his review is that he is in fact a completeCOCK and cant afford an n-gage so he goes and slags it off through jealousy nehoo i got one last month and it does everything it says it does all very well the fone isnt too big any smaller and you wouldnt be able to play games on it at all tony hawk pro skater is an amazing game its real good to play the original again with near perfect graphics its all good my friends GO BUY!
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Reviewed by ben from nokia n gage on 7th Dec 2003
the phone is a brick and has rubbish featres such as the mp3 player the sound quality is abismal and the screen quality is poor 4096 is terrible this was technology 2 years ago we are on 65000 colours now. Come on nokia u can do better than this!
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Reviewed by Charlie from England on 5th Dec 2003
pff. RUBBISH. this fone is the worst I have eva had. I mean how would you look walking the streets with that up against ya ear! People would look at u like you a queen! Look I text alot and textin on this was a nightmare!!! Ok so you got full level based games, but the graphics are naff, why don't you buy a cheap fone, a gameboy advance and a radio! thats another thing, copying the gameboy! Look if u wanna buy a fone get the GX10i. that fone is da bomb and the best fone eva! Stay away from the N-gage. I was stuck with it for a month, I tried to like it but... no chance!
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Reviewed by Calvin from UK on 5th Dec 2003
I can't believe this phone exists. My mate looks like a fool walking around for one, A phone is a phone, to make calls, not to play games all day long.
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Reviewed by Drew from USA on 5th Dec 2003
THIS IS THE BEST f'ING Phone u got ur mp3, ur games , ur online play what else is there in life jesus!!! If u dont get this soon u might miss out. Everyone saying GBA is better??? Wtf is that about GBa sucks i rather play With a dead parrot but n-gage is awsome overall $300 plus a $100 rebate Which is only 200 dollars you jackasses who paid $300. well anyway everyone should buy n-gage and for the people giving it a poor review go buy one because i know u dont have one cuz maybe u too poor or u rather play GBA. The only thing this phone needs is MARIO or Counter strike ohter than that GO GET it
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Reviewed by Anish from England on 3rd Dec 2003
Ok, this phone does have it advantages and its disadvantages. I got this phone free, as it was a contract upgrade. I wud NOT buy this phone at its current price. A bit too much 4 me. But nowadays a phone does need a digital camera and a 16bit colour screen to go with it. This is the only major downfall for the N-age, In games (Tomb Raider) it clearly noticable, the graphics are let down by the colour of the screen, and the graphics aint all dat either. But i supose it is because of the realisticness of tomb raider it-self, it does require a lot of processing power. In most cartoonistic games(pandimodium), i must admit the graphics are good. I mean very good. I, my-self use my Sony Ericsson Z600 as my day to day phone. I jus keep my N-gage in my bag 4 wen i get bored on the bus. Ok, the N-gage does have Bluetooth (thank god). Come in very usefull tranfering files, Graphics wirelessly. I have installed many other applications on the N-gage, a few games, a HTML browser(Opra) and a File explorer. The N-gage is only use-full as anything other than a games machine if u know how to use it. To test out my knoledge of JAVA, i have developed many test programs to run on my N-gage, just to see it they work. As a phone, Its crap. I jus cnt figure out how to hold it against my ear without lookin like somthin out of StarGate-SG1. Oh yea, u can play short videos on it aswell, U have to get the converter from nokia(convert MPEG and AVI to the format needed). All in all, its a game machine. Not so much a phone, but can be used as one. Go buy 1!!!!!! U can do much more with it than what the reviews and what nokia tell ya!!! Go 4 it!
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Reviewed by Sahir from U.A.E on 2nd Dec 2003
This phone is amazing.... i have owned it for like a week now and have intstalled a gazzilion apps. on it... i have stuff like Powerpoint, word, excel, tony hawk, red faction, lie detector, etc.... it is amazing... if the ngage doesnt have something you want, search it on google and get it! lol the size is gr8... i mean even if it was a little smaller i wouldnt have fitted 2 hands on it for gaming.... the controls are excelent by the way... the best part is its compatibility... which is what nokia is good for.... all the series 60 are compatible perfectly!
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Reviewed by jake from uk on 30th Nov 2003
I bought an n-gage for my birthday and it was a waste of money once i had played on it once i got bored quick my advice is get a nokia 3650 it's camera is excellent
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Reviewed by jamie from england on 29th Nov 2003
i think the n gage is a great step in technology it has managed to fit so many things into one phone i recon the phone is a bit to big but definetly worth 160.00
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Reviewed by shane from UK on 27th Nov 2003
i'd say if ur a person into computers n gamin n stuff (a geek basicly) then this phone is ideal for u. howeva, if ur more into goin out drinkin wit mate n stuff then dont go near this. sure the games are gud and the mp3 playa in it is a good thing, but it doesent even look a little bit like a phone. if u held that thing up to ur head in the steet u'd get a lot of funny looks, not to mention an arm ache. ive got a sharp gx20 - top phone, fair enough it hasent got the best lukin games, thats wat my ps2 is for duh!
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Reviewed by Rob J from UK on 25th Nov 2003
I recently bought an n-gage and think it's outstanding. I cannot believe that I can fit everything onto it that would otherwise cost loads! People say that size counts, I KNOW!!! Loads a me m8s have now bought 1 cos it's sooo good.
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Reviewed by Ryan Turner from England on 24th Nov 2003
this phone is just spectacular u might aswell get rid of ps2 coz the n-gage is here. trully outstanding no phone beta. Ime 13 and ive had had 6 phons: nokia 3210,3310,5100,sharp gx10 and the n-gage. the n-gage beats all of them.
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Reviewed by Rixx from New Zealand on 24th Nov 2003
Hi, I advise you to get a Nokia 3650 or 3660. The only bad thing is that there's no radio. But it's way better than a N-Gage. You can donwload application that lets you listen to mp3, you download a emulator that lets you play all the N-Gage games. Now I have all the N-Gage games on my Nokia 3650, like SonicN, Poyu Pop and the rest. And I didn't even have to buy them. Other than the radio thing, it's another N-Gage. You can even view WWW sites on Nokia 3650 by downloading one software.
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Reviewed by Alex from England on 24th Nov 2003
I got this phone off a friend for a little less than what they are selling for on the high street (She didn't like it!), and I can safley say if I did pay full price I would still be happy!! This phone is fantastic!! The phone works great no problems with phone, battery life or reception! The menus are easy enough. The speaker is loud and clear. The Games are fantastic!! Better than my GBA! Havn't tried the bluetooth system yet so can't comment on that.I had no problems hooking the thing up to my PC via USB. So many things are on it that i Didn't even know of. Voice dialing and it even has a realplayer on it for video clips! Calls cna be made on hands free, Bluetooth headsets, speaker phone, or even holding the thing to your head like a normal phone! This is a great phone! I would reconmend it to anyone!
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Reviewed by The Scotsman from Scotland on 21st Nov 2003
Brilliant Phone. Everyfing u need plus a little bit more for the money you pay. Nly downfall is it has no camera but Whu needs a camera wen u have an mp3, radio and XHTML Wap internet. Not forgetting it has the best games to play on a small gadget. Games are abit To Pricie
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Reviewed by Dan the Man from U.S.A on 20th Nov 2003
I'm so sick of everyone saying the N-Gage sucks. The only people who say that are the people who wish they had one but they don't so they say bad things about it. I have one and I think it's great. I think everyone should have one, they are so cool. You can play games, use it as a phone, listen to the built in radio, record music, and do so many more things. It's like a 50 in 1 deal. Jesus what more could you want. All the GBA sp does is play games. I have a GBA sp also, I still play that because I love the mario games and stuff but I also like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, SonicN, and Tomb Raider. The n-gage is the best thing that I ever bought.
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Reviewed by Alys W from Wales on 20th Nov 2003
this fone is huge and the games arnt even that good!!!!
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Reviewed by Fred from Canada on 20th Nov 2003
It's the coolest thing I've ever bought. The phone rocks, the game graphics rock, and the built in radio, calender, to-do list, and everything about this phone rocks, it's so cool, I'm so glad I bought one.
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Reviewed by Shadow from The Moon on 19th Nov 2003
Ok, My Samsung V200 (the matrix phone) got stolen a few days ago, while i was at a party. So, I talked to the insurance people and it turns out i can get any phone that is round about the same price, so now i'm stuck... I don't know if i should get the N-gage or not! I read the review and a lot of people think it rules and a lot of people think it suck! So what should I do? Who actually has a N-gage and is willing to give me an answer?!!!!!! To get or not to get... Or to just get the V200 again?...
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Reviewed by Venomi from Finland on 16th Nov 2003
Sure it has few flaws and little annoying things like the chainging of the card. But as this is designed for gaming, it still has lotsa other great uses. The symbian OS is greatly developed and new software are comig out all the time. Like a lie detector for example. And it's good at surfing the internet too. FTP and telnet software are available too and because of the java support, it's easily to get java based programs to work in it too. This is not a game phone, it's a mini PC if you just know how to use it. :D
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Reviewed by Tim Chisholm from United Kingdom on 14th Nov 2003
Nokia are the worlds leader of mobile phone manufacturing. I couldnt wait for this phone to come out, then i got it and i was a little bit disappointed, 4056 colours, Nokia should move all their phones onto 65,000 colours. I was also a little disappointed with the shape and size, 60% of a mobile phones appeal is the appearance, but Nokia havent managed to crack that. The weight was also disappointing, for a phone that doesnt have a camera, it shouldnt weigh 137g. The memory card slot was also a bit small. Nokia are good at making phones, but they cant seem to combine all the technologies into one phone. KEEP TRYING NOKIA!!!
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Reviewed by Bobby Kibler from U.S.A on 13th Nov 2003
The N-Gage...for anyone who is looking throught reviews trying to determine if you want an N-Gage, you should get one. They are frickin' awesome. I just got one and I love it. The phone is great. I'm sick of people sayin' the GBA SP game graphics are so much better! I have a GBA SP and an N-Gage. Are GBA SP graphics 3-D?No. Does GBA SP have games like Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater(by the way is awesome), or Pandemonium? No. Don't get me wrong, I love GBA SP...I mean, I don't care what game it is, it will never be better than the classic Mario games. But I think the N-Gage is much better. $300.00 is a little overboard, but I think it was worth every single penny.
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Reviewed by Ting Wing Dinger Ling from China on 13th Nov 2003
The N gage is rubbish i have one.whatever you do dont buy one.All the games are poorly made.
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Reviewed by jimbo from england on 11th Nov 2003
IT'S FANTASTIC, EVERYONE SHOULD GET ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Jaz from UK on 10th Nov 2003
Great phone and you get games from www.Allack.co.uk
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Reviewed by Jeff from England on 9th Nov 2003
OK...I've had my phone about a week now, so I guess I have pretty much had enough time to judge it. First off, this isnt really a phone for those that like to "ring" people - by that I mean putting it to your ear and speaking. Dont get me wrong theres nothing wrong with it, in fact its pretty clear but because of the way its designed it looks like a brick to your ear. The music is fantastic, I managed to get about 6 MP's on the phone, and have one as my ringtone - it turns heads and is better than some mono rubbish. Apart frm that the standard ones are okay, nothing special. My only wish would be that you could have your own tone for TXT messages. I came from a Sony J70 which had (if a bit gay) unique tones for text messages. Games - this is what you buy the phone for. I have Tony Hawks and its pretty amazing, I'd say probably on the same level of the GBA. Obviously its not amazing but what did you expect!! Still awesome. Basically this phone has it all and I plan on keeping it a long time. Its like a mini computer, lots of standard (but neat) features like a Calender, To Do list and an alarm which isnt the greatest to wake you up!! Overall this phone is great for people like me who like to have music (and did I mention radio!!) on their phone, the games add that extra bit to make this a unique phone. it hasnt got a camera, but lets face it the cameras on phones arent all that great. Battery time isnt bad unless you constantly use the phone. i had mine on 3 days, with average use e.g. texting, a couple of calls and a few games. The music player is good. My ONLY downer is its size, I couldnt get a case and have this pouch thing which isnt ideal to carry around. i dont wanna keep it in my pocket through fear of scratching. Also, there is a USB cable supplied to connect to your PC and put your MP3 files but another cable for Bluetooth data transfer - WHY!!!! Why not be able to do it via USB? Thats my only grinch about this truly fantastic phone. It has put a bit smile on my face, and it organises my life for me too!!!
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Reviewed by Alex from sweden on 7th Nov 2003
i just got the phone,it is very good,quailty of games(tomb raider esp) is very good,i find it very good,gprs is good,flash can be added on
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Reviewed by none from irlend on 7th Nov 2003
i love the phone it is great thinks for bring this out
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Reviewed by J-Ry from USA on 6th Nov 2003
WWWAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! That's all I'm hearing. Buncha spoiled ass snotty rich-kid gamers. If you have a $300+ dollar phone, quit bitchin. And for the kid complaining about the load time? Go meditate. Or go conspire with the Comic Book Guy from the simpsons. This is a pretty good phone. It's packed with features, and hasn't messed up on me yet. And I'm SURE there's a few flaws! Thats what you get for buying the the first of a new breed of phone! You need a perfect one? Hold your breath for the next 5 years- they'll have worked out any design bugs by then.
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Reviewed by LebRogue from Lebanon on 6th Nov 2003
What can i simply say??? from the first moment I bought n-gage, I couldn't call what i am using "a mobile" cos simply if all the other "phones" in the market are called mobiles, then It would be really bad for n-gage to have the same name... It's soemthing else, something really different... I can't find a better name for it than "the n-gage"... Great, simply great... To anyone who still doubts about the term "smart phones" they started using saying that it's inaccurate, you should get n-gage and then tell me if it's smart or not... Big in size? sure it is... I wouldn't imagine myself playing a game on a match box... and I never understood since when smaller is better??? In anything!!! n-gage is the smartest phone I have ever seen, especially if softwares are added to it 9and i don't just mean "games" but applications that would make your life easier...) People usually have two negative questions when they see me holding the n-gage... Why is it soo big, How on earth would you pay so much moey for such a big phone? and Does it have a camera??? Well, duh, size does not matter when you look at all the great thing n-gage has to offer... and who needs a camera that takes very low quality pictures when one could get himself a professional digital camera... Digital cameras are WAY better than a phone with digital camera built in... yet I am not so sure game decks, mp3 players, sound recorders, personal organisers, or anything else are better than n-gage with all those features it has... Simply great... I've had it since like five days and I still get amazed by it day after day, it really was a positive shock to me... And hey, before judging the phone, do try it first and do not judge its size before you hold it in your hands, cos it's not as big as you might think, and now that i use it, i don't think I can use anythign else... :o) Nokia has created THE PERFECT MOBILE PHONE...
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Reviewed by tom Ato from us on 3rd Nov 2003
yeah, I would rather just duck tape my game boy advance to the back of my cell phone. most of the games on the phone suck plus I already have most of them. Not long battery life either cant compete with GBA SP game play. plus way too much money for it. So Im lucky I sold it to my friend.
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Reviewed by Ryan from USA on 2nd Nov 2003
Its not as big as the images show, i agree. its a handy little gadget works like a little computer and can move files around etc. i have a gameboy advance its good esp metroid but tomb raider is really something else...its throwing colors everywhere in 3d and doing it very smooth with great sound on a very clear bright display...this thing must have a very good proccessor. i also like the radio, its great speaker phone, and audio recorder which can record radio, line in,conversations or your voice, and not to forget a very good calender, oh yeah plays videos, mp3s, views pictures, and has bluetooth for wireless transfer up to 30 feet. i dont know why it uses mmc cards not the sd mmc cards, but its great
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Reviewed by Sam from UK on 19th Oct 2003
It seems as though 99% of people who are rating the n-gageas poor dont even own one. I bought this phone 1 week ago and sold my panasonic GD87 and i cannot beleive what a great phone this is. Yes this phone has got some bad features but that is very quikly cancelled out with the great features. Unfortunatly you do have to turn the phone off to change games but dont you have to turn off a gameboy to change games? Also pictures make it seem bigger than it actually is. I saw go and have a look at it in real life and you will be suprised (and of course it is going to be bigger than most phones because it needs to be for the gaming features). When i got the phone out of the box i was not looking 4ward to see what phone calls would b like because of all the critisism. So i phoned my freinds in public and i could not beleive how clear it was. It was the same for them aswel. At first i did think it was a bit weird but it is growing on me and now i really like it and so do my freinds. This phone is fantastic. At first i saw a preview for this phone and thought it was aload of rubbish. I was then thinking about it one day as i was waiting at a bus stop and other times i had been bored. I then looked at the phone into greater detail. Im not going to bore you with all the tech spex but it has soo many things on it to keep any body entertained. As i am now waitng for the bus i can choose whether i play a game to kill time or listen to my favourite MP3's or even the radio. My freinds and family could not beleive that i sold my virtually new Panasonic GD87 for the N-Gage and i explained that the camera phones were overated. I could not send my pictures to anybody since they did not have MMS phones. The quality was never great and things always happen too quick for you to catch them on camera and before you get the phone out the thing you wanted to capture had probably finished. I showed my brother first and he was gobsmacked. He then counted his money and traded in his GBA for the N-Gage. We now play each other on our favourite games and send files via bluetooth. The ringtones on this phone are fantastic. Even if you don't like the sound of polyphonic ringtones you can put your favourite MP3 as a ringtone! This phone is great and there is nothing wrong with the battery life. It maybe the case that this phone is not for everybody's taste. But that is why there is a wide variety of mobile phones on the market. This phone is great for me and all my freinds now want one after thinking they were **** (not very good). i soon proved them wrong.
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Reviewed by Tazman from UK on 27th Oct 2003
For all the features it has, this device should get 5 stars, but the implementation is lame ... wouldn't use it if it were given to me free.
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Reviewed by sorry from us on 26th Oct 2003
As a phone, it's a phone. It gives what it promises. I don't like the taco idea. As for the gameply, it sucks. It's the worst 300$ I spent. I think I'd rather duct tape my old cell phone to the back of a GBA.
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Reviewed by jigga from uk on 22nd Oct 2003
i just got this phone and i can truly say i am amazed the colour is great u personalize it fantasically and the games will blow neone away. lukiyl i got tomb raider for free with mine and i cant get enuff of it! the bad points are the mmc cars is half full and u cant delete those files and it is a little hard to talk becoz u is big and unless u want ur ass jacked i wudnt pull it out in an alley at nite...in all GREAT PHONE!
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Reviewed by Rey Mysterio from Mexico on 18th Oct 2003
THE N GAGE IS A EXCELLENT PHONE. I OWN ONE. THE FEARTURES ARE PHAT. P H PHAT.THE GRAPHICS KICK ASS AND IT IS WICKED.
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Reviewed by Graham from Ireland on 15th Oct 2003
Why have an N-Gage when you can eat a kebab? Nokia’s new ‘wonder-child’ the N-Gage has been touted as the next generation handheld gaming console, but just happens to be a phone, radio, organizer and MP3 player to boot. It also happens to look like you’re putting a kebab to your head and talking into it! But if you don’t mind looking a bit odd, then you could enjoy it’s other features. Take all of today’s biggest pieces of gadgetry and compile it into one small, easily portable kebab shaped piece of hardware. Stuffed with junk (just like a kebab) it offers an impressive sounding bunch of features, but are they any good? Game-console- Being a veteran of the Gameboy Advance I know how a handheld should handle. And the N-Gage fails miserably. The screen which is too small and shaped as if you turned your monitor on it’s side doesn’t allow some games to actually use the whole screen area. SonicN plays with a large area of the already small screen cut off top and bottom making everything horribly squashed. Games that use the full screen height (Tomb Raider) lose the visibility to each side. Playing the game is like forever looking down a narrow tunnel even when in an open area. Loading times are atrocious. Not only when booting up the device in the first place, but loading a game too. The games are on thin little game cards, yet loading information is slower than the first generation Playstation (and that was CD based). Now we come to the mother of all design flaws – the game insertion method. I don’t know about you, but having to open the back cover and remove the battery to change games is a farce. It could have easily been an external port with a little snap shut cover for protection. Radio/MP3 Player First off, the headphone jack is not a standard one. Boo-sucks to that. You have to use Nokia’s 2-jack connection headset to even get the music player or radio to work. The radio functions as expected, and the MP3 player is fine, but music is stored on the memory cards that use the game card position and so you’re also left with the dilemma of fiddling about with your cover and battery to swap around. Needless to say, because of this you cant listen to your music and play a game, though you can listen to the radio. Phone Well it’s got all the usual phone paraphernalia, and probably a good deal more. But let’s face it, do you really want to walk around looking like you’re talking into an AbraKebaba reject? You could use the headset, but who here ever uses them? You only look like you’re talking to your self! It’s got some very good organiser features but most cheaper phones have the same. Battery-life A real concern for a lot of people. And sadly it fails. While suggesting that it has 8 hours MP3 playing, 20 hours Radio, 6 hours game playing, 4 hours talk time, and 10 days standby time, you combine this into an average and what you get is about a days life over all…unless you’re simply not going to actually use the thing!!! So if you play a game for 2 hours, you’ve cut by a third, the life of all the other features. And these are only suggested times in an ideal environment, so they are all actually much less. Verdict Terrible and awkward game system, decent but ugly phone, standard radio and mp3 player, and a half-life of about a day. See you in AbraKebabra instead, they look and taste nicer, last longer, and are much cheaper. Graham
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Reviewed by james from UK on 13th Oct 2003
Sorry to say that everyone is looking at the game side, which after buying one on th face value of being a great game platformsounds excellent, but once you try and start using it as a phone the whole thing falls down like a house of cards. The screen, keypads and game side of the hardware are excellent, even the ability to transfer music to and from you're computer/laptop using USB connection is excellent. But why would Nokia then go about making the phone connectivity only support Bluetooth, if you already have a USB connection which works well ? So you have played with the phoen for a day and now you decide it's time to actually transfer you're contacts setup you're calendar for birthdays of the people who matter. Well you better go out and buy a Bluetooth adapter for you're desktop or you're laptop because it's the only way you can use the sync software from Nokia, go figure on this thought process, you can connect using USB cable, but it does not support the PC Suite connectivity and transfer of information ? Hello NOKIA, dropped the ball in another littl area , like the 7250i, awesome phone, great camera, but no Bluetooth ? Duh what did we do wrong ? Well try and integrate it next time ! Hopefully the 6600 will deliver the complete package and I won't take it back and tell them that the phone is only half finished !
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Reviewed by Abdalla from Libya on 13th Oct 2003
I dont know why people do like it because it is very huge same as bread, may be it has nice features but it is not stylish, some times when you go out with your friend it will be a very bad look for you when you call somebody with it, because it will be as piece of wood, so I don't advice people to buy it but children who don't have gameboy could buy it.
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Reviewed by donn from MS in the US on 13th Oct 2003
uhhh ... yeah the engage has been in the US for like 2 months prior to its release on the 7th of OCT. DUUHHHH. many retailers had demos, as well as Corporate TMOBILES. i have been playing on it. The only REAL negatives compared to other SYMBIAN smart phones, is the MISSING camera, and the MEMORY card. Also, the size sucks. though for a game deck, a phone and a mp3 player what more could you ask for. its the all in one. ITS not a 3650, but adding sis programs, LIKE the mosquito device, the full screen caller id, the photo editor, the camera FX, ringtone studio, ON AND ON, makes this thing RULE. i give it TEN stars. show me another phone that works like a gameboy, and plays mp3s, and ill shut up.. 10 STARRS
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Reviewed by Rick from USA on 7th Oct 2003
It's a long, interesting story. I went to EB first, and asked the guys how many N-gage preorders they had, they said 19 and they were only getting 15 in. Then they tried to get me to preorder one, and they told me about how they inflated instore credit on everything by $5 if you preordered an N-Gage(store credit that isn't even half the value of the game to begin with) and said it would be getting one for free . I slowly backed away, and then went to Gamestop. I preordered XIII for PC, and then asked them about how many N-Gages they had preordered. 2. And they were only getting 6 in. They handed their display model over to me, with Tomb Raider in it. It was awful. Sounded like ass, it had sub PS1 graphics, and it was uncomfortable. However, I didn't find it too big, I found it too small, and too combersome because almost all the buttons did something. Well, I put it down and asked the guy how games were switched. He turned it off, tore the back off, took the battery out, remo ved the game,(the carts are really small and really easy to lose, they're about the sice of a quarter)put a new game in, put the battery back in, and then struggled for 5-6 minutes trying to get the back on again. He finally got it, and then showed us how to used the phone part. The screen faces behind you, and you talk into the top part. He then said "talk to the taco," which was god damned hillarious at the time. Then he said it's total BS and isn't worth more than $100, and offered to sell me a ps2 duct-taped to a cell phone for $200.
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Reviewed by Leroy from New Zealand on 7th Oct 2003
Well even though i dont own one or have played on one yet from what I have heard about this phone I LOVE IT. I currently have a Nokia 5510 and love the sideways factor on that as well. As the other guy said, it has great features no matter what you have to do to get them working. If you have to take out the battery to get a game in ad out then wow. i mean thats not going to stop me from getting one. I think its just a pathetic excuse to say its not very good. I would reccommend buying one on these people!!!
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Reviewed by John.R from Australia on 6th Oct 2003
4096 colour again!??!!? Thats worse than Gameboy Advance quality!! Shouldn't they make it BETTER than something that came out like 2years ago..??!? Nokia really needs to catch up with the latest technology...
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Reviewed by Patrick from Australia on 4th Oct 2003
Ok so I have only played this in the shops but let me tell you right now... Nokia stuffed it big time. It couldve been good but considering the controls dont respond unless you smash the button down and that the screen is the size of some fat guys finger, I give this 1 star but I wish I couldve given it 0 stars. I played Tomb Raider the most and was thoroughly dissapointed. The controls for Tomb Raider were terrible and the run button kept on getting jammed. Not sure if that was only the stores thing that kept on getting jammed but still, its no good. Yes maybe if it cost 400 dollars... Actually 300... I mean no what am I talking about? How about 3 cents?
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Reviewed by Paul-Isa-Poof from Dunmatter on 3rd Oct 2003
First off I'd like to burn Paul (another N-Gage review) for being such an idiot. Mark has no doubt had his hands on an N-Gage for purpose of his review, you idiot, there's thousands of units released already (privately) to major magazines and software outlets. Moving on, I managed to get my hands on one at a GameStop and played Tomb Raider for a bit. The graphics were surprizingly good and fluid. I didn't have a problem with unresponsive keys or not being able to see the screen no matter what angle I held the unit. Also there's an import reason why the games are hidden away inside the case (it's a safeguard). Personally, I loved the idea of being able to use an mp3 or record a sample from the radio to use for your ringtone, that's awesome! The only thing I would change about the N-Gage is maybe give it some of those L and R buttons like GBA, to give developers a bit more to work with. That and a larger screen perhaps, but the screen wasn't all that hard to look at for it's si ze. Overall I give it 5 stars!
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Reviewed by All from UK on 27th Sep 2003
To tech-girly, sorry but you are wrong. It is not possible to play MP3's whilst playing a game.. (I did some testing on the N-Gage) Apart from that, the games are very good and the screen is very detailed too. OK theres a few design flaws, but in my opinion it is great for gaming! Shame that you look like a twat when making a phone call though...
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Reviewed by Calv from UK. on 25th Sep 2003
I have to say.. I've tried this phone out a couple of time at the n-gage exibition and I'm equally sided on how successful it would be in the market when it is released in October.. people will be wondering now how good the games are, and also, is it easy to use, affordable? It has many of the latest features, including radio etc.. but wouldn't it be excellent if there were a built-in camera, or even attachment made? Besides, some people think nintendo still own this kind of gaming technique.. so who knows?
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Reviewed by TechieGirlie from USA on 18th Sep 2003
I have to say that I agree....that these are currently making the rounds in the Americas even though they are not available for sales yet....sorry to burst your bubble Paul. I was sitting at the airport (DFW) next to a guy who had one. ( I think he worked for a software or aftermarket accessory company). Anyway, he let me play with it during our layover. I was playing Splinter Cell released by UbiSoft and Gameloft and Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf by EA Sports. Beginner pick up of game controls was easy. Soon I had figured out how to navigate the Symbian operating system. Was listening to some of his MP3's while playing...very cool! He also had some funny Real Media videos loaded that had very impressive frame rates and audio. Was initally worried about the hype on this product...but mine is now on pre-order.
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Reviewed by stephen from ireland on 17th Sep 2003
Dont drop marks off the n-gage because you have to turn it off to change the card. This thing is a mobile phone, Mp3 player, radio, and gaming platform. So dont complain when you have to turn it off. You have to turn off a gameboy to change the game and you have to turn off an mp3 player to change the memory card. I know it would be nice to keep the phone OS running while changing the game but for everything your getting in this tiny phone especially the game graphics, i think this is one thing i will be able to put up with, without even thinking about it. Mine is definitely pre-ordered
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Reviewed by C_MON from Finland on 14th Sep 2003
And I think Paul should also get his fact right. You can actually have a n-gage allready if you're working for example at a computer magazine. Gamespy, IGN, Gamespot etc. have allready got the n-gage so they can make previews of it. You can also have a n-gage if you're with the n-gage special forces, www.n-gage-special-forces.com . I have tested the n-gage (I don't own one) and IMO the screen is clear and good. The controls works proporly. Why I din't give it 5 stars is because of the design flaw with the changeing of games.
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Reviewed by Paul from USA on 5th Sep 2003
The Nokia N-Gage is not available in the USA yet. Nobody can actually buy one yet, just pre-order. Bearing that in mind, I was impressed how Mark Johnson managed to give this thing a 5 star review when he doesn't even have one. Nokia isn't dumb enough to send a crony to review something before it's even released. So our friend Mark must simply be a liar. And a bad liar at that... Personally, I find the N-Gage underwhelming. The controls appear to be, and are reported to be, poor and unresponsive. The screen is pitifully small, can only be seen from a direct angle according to reports, is VERTICALLY oriented, and has an extremely low resolution of 208x176 pixels. To change games, reports say you must power down the device, remove the back, remove the battery pack then switch cards. The whole thing just stinks of bad design. As a phone, it's just ugly IMO. I'm sorry, I just don't see this device as being very good. Of course, like Mark Johnson I don't own one. So don't listen to me when judging N-Gage, and definitely don't listen to outright liars like Mark. Do some research before you buy this, I did, and I don't want one at this point in time.
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Reviewed by Mark Johnson from USA on 28th Aug 2003
The game graphics are awesome! The phone connects easily to computer via USB. Very fast transfers. Currently using a 64Mb MMC card to hold about 7 games with medium to high graphics and 7 MP3 songs. The MP3 player and FM radio sound much better through normal stereo headphones than with the supplied stereo headset. I use the MP3 songs as ringtones and turn a lot of heads. RealOne player plays music videos with outstanding clarity and speed...no jitters or glitches in video quality. Very fun unit and highly recommended. Using Opera.SIS program allows me to visit any web page, not just the WAP pages that we are used to seeing on mobile web browsers. I used it the other day to download a doppler radar image from NOAA showing Thunderstorms in my area while in a meeting. Took about 60 seconds. Very Cool!
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