Nokia N-Gage QD Gaming Phone (Cingular)

Rating:
Summary: excellent system
Review: Having purchased a new N-Gage QD about a month ago, I have to say that so far I am very impressed and pleased. The phone contains most of the features available on other high-end mobile phones, plus special features that are pretty astonishing. The most obvious advantage of the system is its gaming capabilities. The screen, though smaller than that of a Gameboy Advance, is still large enough to allow a window into the gaming world; you don't feel as if you have to hold it right up to your eyes to see what's going on. The graphic clarity is awesome, and the game sound is excellent and adjustable. You can easily change games on the fly (my phone case even includes a special pocket in which to store games). Outside the gaming environment, the phone is a fully functioning PDA with Internet access, built-in wireless Bluetooth communications and more. With minor adjustments, it can display full-length movies and play MP3s. The device supports music tones as well as polyphonic tones, and the Internet interface is made better by the size of the screen. It's more intuitive than on phones with smaller screens. Unlike its predecessor, the QD's phone is also intuitive; you hold the flat end up against your ear. (On the previous version, the phone had to be held sideways.) If there is a problem with the phone, though, it is the phone itself. It's difficult to hear what people on the other end of the ether are saying. Actually, the phone works best as a speaker phone. In short, I recommend this phone to pretty much everyone. My wife bought a Motorola V400 the same day I got my QD; she already regrets it.

Rating:
Summary: I dig it, man
Review: I was a bit hesitant after reading about the crash and burn of the original N-Gage. It sounded like a complete flop. However, it seems as though Nokia may have redeemed themselves by releasing a new and improved N-Gage-the N-Gage QD.

After wrangling with Cingular to get the internet working, I was finally on my way to exploring the full capabilities of this phone. Obviously the main draw is the gaming function so I'll cover that first. I was very impressed with the clarity and sharpness of the picture. Games load and run very fast and the keys allow for quite a bit of versatility. You get used to the controls pretty quick and in my opinion, it just as easy as say, the Gameboy Advance. So far I have played Ashen, Tony Hawk & Tomb Raider, all of which have been quite fun. You forget you are gaming on a PHONE after awhile! I even purchased a Nintendo Emulator and have had a blast playing all the games from my childhood, including all the Super Mario Brothers and Castlevanias. The sound is pretty loud for such small speaker, which really surprised me.

Now for what the phone really is-a phone. I thought I would be compromising the functionality of an actual cell phone for the game features. But fortunately I was wrong. I have very little criticisms. I originally owned the Sanyo 4700 and then 4900 and I wanted a phone that had similar offerings (speaker phone, voice dial, speed dial, ergonomic, etc). First thing-thank God you do not have to talk sideways on *this* N-Gage! You actually hold it like a normal phone! And although it has a lot to do with the carrier, the reception is very clear and crisp. The speaker phone works much better than my 4900 and since I use the headset most of the time, I appreciate the easy access to the jack. Battery life is awesome, especially with the rapid charger which takes about 1½ to 2 hours & gives me anywhere from 24 hours of heavy usage to several days with light usage before needing another charge.

Other cool functions are the MMC card slot for expandable memory and games (again easy access - no removing the battery to insert your card like the old N-Gage), Bluetooth (which is awesome especially if you have a PDA or a dongle for your PC/laptop), a notepad, voice recorder, image viewer, to do list, ring tone composer, video player (software includes Real Player) and image viewer. You can even play MP3's and watch movies if you look in the right place!

All in all this is a great phone. The only gripes that come to mind are: you aren't able to play MP3 and QCP ringtones, you can't display a picture for an incoming call, and a decent case is very difficult to find (hint - the Nokia 3300 fits almost perfect).

To sum it up I would definitely recommend this phone if a) you like games and b) you want your phone to do a lot of cool stuff.