Blog > Archive for the ‘Nokia’ Category

Nokia N82, a winner is you! From the official release:

Nokia today announced that the Nokia N82 multimedia computer has been awarded the ‘Best Mobile Imaging Device in Europe 2008′ by TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) - Europe’s largest photo and imaging press association.
 
“The Nokia N82 is a compact multimedia computer that integrates GPS, web, video and music functions around a 5 Megapixel camera with a high-speed, f/2.8 autofocus lens,” the TIPA jurors said. “This Carl Zeiss Tessar focuses from 10cm to infinity and produces sharp prints up to and beyond A4 size. Several scene modes are also available to optimize the Nokia N82 for great images, whether shooting portraits or night shots,” TIPA continued. Other Nokia N82 features highlighted by the jurors are the Xenon flash and 20X digital zoom.”

The N82 of course is an N-Gage compatible device, something the judges surely did not overlook in their careful deliberations. To learn more about this device, visit the N82 page.
 

Attention game developers, professional and amateur alike! I wanted to give you a heads up about a new book called Games on Symbian OS: A Handbook for Mobile Development that’s coming out this week.

The book, by Jo Stichbury, is an overview of developing games for the Symbian operating system, including an overview of the mobile games industry, key aspects of both writing games for and porting games to Symbian, chapters on audio, graphics, and multiplayer, and other exciting, computer nerd stuff.

Also included is a chapter on the N-Gage platform written by our product management team featuring Peter Nielsen and Roland Geisler. This portion of the book covers the history of the platform, the current application, and offers a deeper look into the N-Gage SDK and just what it all means for a game developer.

Here’s a snip:

“The set of S60 phones that are N-Gage compatible will grow to add more phones and, of those, a large number of additional phones will come to market after a game is shipped. How is the developer to implement the game code? How is the developer to implement the game code?

It would require a logic flow that that takes into consideration the behavior of each N-Gage phone (current and future) so that the game can adjust the graphics for the screen mode and input keys accordingly.

As you expand the number of devices the decision tree for handling all this logic becomes untenable in a single SKU. When using the N-Gage SDK, a developer does not have to manage all this logic, since it is handled for them at a platform level.”

There’s plenty more, take a look at the Amazon page for details.

A news blast from the mothership this morning announced a new device that we’re planning on making N-Gage compatible. Called the Nokia 5320 XpressMusic, it is a music-oriented entertainment device, and the first that is not an Nseries device. From the official word:

The full featured Internet browser, access to Ovi and Nokia Search 4.1 allow users to find and share media content and information with ease.  In addition, dedicated N-Gage gaming keys and landscape view deliver a true gaming experience, while HSDPA provides fast access to N-Gage, which will be available for download. The Nokia 5320 XpressMusic is expected to begin shipping in the third quarter of 2008 with an estimated retail price of 220 EUR before taxes and subsidies.

Welcome to the family, Nokia 5320 XpressMusic. And before you guys ask, no I am sorry I do not have an update on the N73 and N93 support for you at this time.

If you ever wanted to play Breakout with human beings — or just wanted to see Nokia throwing some more support behind N-Gage — you’ll want to check out this new viral video thingy called Get Out and Play!

It features a “chiseled bloke,” in the words of Pocket Gamer, starting a giant Snakes procession through an unnamed metropolis, and includes an interesting stop-motion version of the classic tile breaking game.

What are your reactions?

Do you want to develop mobile games? Do you want to win prizes or even have your game published by Nokia? Then you came to the right blog post.

We are  pleased to announce the Mobile Games Innovation Challenge, your chance to rock the gaming world. Originally announced at GDC, the Challenge has just gone live, inviting you to submit your mobile game concept.

We are looking for the best, most ground breaking concepts from the brightest and most creative minds in our industry. This is your chance to shock the mobile gaming world and possibly have your game concept published by Nokia.

Learn more…

We are live! The games, the devices, and the community are all here for you to finally get your teeth into. The Forums are back up and the new N-Gage application is here.

There will be an official announcement on Monday, but for you, the N-Gage faithful we wanted to let you know we’re up and running! So come join our moderators in the Forums for our launch party, and start enjoying the next generation of mobile gaming.

Now let’s Get Out and Play!

The quiet time has arrived. Yet the banner of N-Gage goes on.

Post your comments, questions, feedback here! Just don’t ask me when we go live.

I don’t know! If I could tell you, I would!

As previously advised, N-Gage First Access has now closed. We thank you for your participation, and to everybody who took the survey.

In the mean time, we have begun preparing for N-Gage Go Live. While we do this important work, some N-Gage functionality will be temporarily removed. There are a few key points to remember during this time:

1. Login, registration, and reserving a new N-Gage Player Name will be inactive during this time. Note that if you are currently logged into the Forums, you will be able to post for as long as your session lasts.

2. We are no longer supporting the pre-release version of the N-Gage application.

3. You can continue to play your games and game trials using the pre-release version of the N-Gage application. However we strongly encourage you to upgrade to the full release version of the N-Gage application and games once it becomes available. Don’t miss out on the fresh start!

4. The Player Name and password you created for First Access will not be valid for full rollout, unless they were the same as your existing Player Name and password on the Arena forums.

5. Game licenses you purchased during First Access will carry over into the commercial launch, but you will need to install the new version of the N-Gage application and re-install the games.

6. Saved games, Point Pickups, and N-Gage Points accrued will be reset, to give everyone a fresh start.

Because logging in to the Forums is down for this period, I will create a new Open Thread for you to discuss up until the point we are ready for Go Live. Today’s thread can begin right here.

Unfortunately because of the amount of spam our blog attracts, comment moderation will need to stay on, but we will approve the comment backlog more frequently.

Stay tuned!

Due to popular demand, we’ve opened up our First Access Experience Survey to all who participated in N-Gage First Access, and not just N81 device owners.

 As a thank you for completing the survey, we’ll send you a complimentary Activation Code for a copy of the upcoming game, Mile High Pinball. Once the game is released, you’ll receive the Activation Code via email and/or message board Private Message system. We will also be adding 1000 community points to your profile.

So go fill out the survey and have a great weekend!

All good things must come to an end, including N-Gage First Access, which will end on March 27.

We thank all First Access participants for their valuable feedback. Our development team is working as hard as it can in order to implement as many changes and fixes as they can in time for our rollout in the next few weeks.

There are a few key points to remember during this time:

• We are no longer supporting the pre-release version of the N-Gage application after March 27.

• You can continue to play your games and game trials using the pre-release version of the N-Gage application. However we strongly encourage you to upgrade to the full release version of the N-Gage application and games once it becomes available. Don’t miss out on the fresh start!

• The Player Name and password you created for First Access will not be valid for full rollout, unless they were the same as your existing Player Name and password on the Arena forums.

• Game licenses you purchased during First Access will carry over into the commercial launch, but you will need to install the new version of the N-Gage application and re-install the games.

• Saved games, Point Pickups, and N-Gage Points accrued will be reset, to give everyone a fresh start.

We’d like some final feedback on your overall experience with First Access. As a thank you for completing the survey, we’ll send you a complimentary Activation Code for a copy of the upcoming game, Mile High Pinball.

Once the game is released, you’ll receive the Activation Code via email and/or message board Private Message system. We will also be adding 1000 community points to your profile.

Just complete our survey to sign up!