Nokia N-Gage

The Nokia N-Gage is an innovative hybrid games console and mobile phone.

The N-Gage has a large screen, measuring 208 pixels high by 176 pixels across, with a backlight and optimised 3D support. Gameplay is through the 5-way navigational key and the standard number pad, arranged on either side of the screen. In addition, the N-Gage has some supplementary keys for music control and the in-built radio.

The N-Gage isn't just a great games deck, it's a great music platform too. It supports many different formats, including MP3 and AAC, plus it has a built-in FM radio. The standard 3.4Mb is too small for serious MP3 playback though, but you can buy a 64Mb or 128Mb expansion card, holding roughly one or two CDs worth of high quality MP3s.

There's a huge variety of games available for the N-Gage platform, including Tomb Raider, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Red Faction, Sega Rally and many more. You can play against the handset, or even head-to-head against other N-Gage users.

It's much more than just a games and music platform though. It's a tri-band handset, it supports WAP over GPRS , the N-Gage has a decent XHTML web browser, plus email support. The phone connects to a PC using a USB cable or through Bluetooth.

The battery life is pretty good. When used as a phone it has 2-4 hours talk time and 6-8 days standby time. It can be used as a radio for up to 20 hours, play back music for up to 6 hours and be used as a games console for 3-6 hours. Recharge time is a little over an hour and a half.

Available to buy from Techoni, Lime Mobile and Gadgets.com.au.