Ngage QD Vol 2. Review on Nokia N-Gage QD

I always wanted to write a review on Nokia NGAGE series handsets (NGAGE & QD) on mouthshut, part of the reason was that before buying this handset, I read all the reviews of NGAGE by members on the site and although they were informative, but lacked details. So I thereby hope this would help anyone who is interested in this amazing handset and wants to know how to make use of it's features and options effectively.

NGAGE QD, is the second in line to it's predecessor, NGAGE. It's by far a controversial model to debate on when compared with the latter. Unlike NGAGE, QD is smaller, round and has a far better design. It is a series 60 phone running symbian O.S 6.1 with it's CPU an ARM Integrated (ARMI) compatible chip running at 104 MHz. The good thing about this phone is now the speaker and the microphone are mounted on the flat side eliminating the ridiculous side way talking on the older NGAGE. Another convenient thing is the hot swap MMC option on the handset enabling you to place an MMC without removing the battery and for those who have the need of working on multiple MMC's , this is a life saver and it's about time Nokia gave attention to that. Looking at the functioning of the handset, the QD's LCD display is a 4096 color 176 x 208 px is much brighter than the old NGAGE and has a TFT screen needed for faster refresh rates required for gaming.

QD keypad have gone through some changes with 4 way keypad with an additional button which frankly speaking I found a pain to operate. The keys are more softer and responds easily unlike the older NGAGE. It takes time to get use to using both hands while composing a SMS on this handset. But in due course you will get use to it. Do remember not to be complacent with your grip as you might end up dropping the cell once in a while.

On to it's network capability, QD is a dual band compatible handset, yes it is not a triband but I guess it does not matter, unless you plan to travel abroad. As most Nokia handset, I found the signal strength and sound quality when on a call exceptional. Even in basements, My QD had no issues in signal drop. The speakerphone option is a useful facility and is loud and clear. QD speaker is the loudest in it's sound output I have seen so far in a Nokia handsets and for those who have the knack of using this option, QD works like a dream. The battery of the cell is pretty decent and lasts me up to 2 days without charge even after a moderate use on calls and playing mp3s and gaming.

The audio of QD is the biggest drawback of this handset. In the heat of countering the criticism of older NGAGE deficiencies, Nokia decided that it was OK to scrap the QD of its stereo CD quality 44hz output, to a pathetic mono 16hz in order to make the QD cheaper. On a global scenario it might make sense as NGAGE is a gaming console and was competing with the likes of Game boy and Sony PlayStation portable consoles. However, in India, people go more for value for money and older NGAGE was an instint hit, not to mention it still sells in the grey market at a very lucrative price. Personally, just for the audio quality I would go for the older NGAGE, as variance in the quality is huge. Also older NGAGE has a build in FM and USB connectivity option which has been scrapped in QD. The only other handset which betters in sound quality is Sony Ericsson's W800, but that is three times it's price.

QD comes with hot swap option which let you play MMC games made for QD. I have tried games like Ashen, Pandemonium, Ray men, Sonic, Tom Clancy series to name few. The graphics considering the 4000 color display is good but then you do wonder if it was a 64k then how good it would have been. You can purchase game cards for 1000 bucks. With Arena launcher installed, you can play online games by logging to various gaming servers.

A word about the memory, never install application on the device memory, rather install it on your MMC and do take care of always keeping at least 2 MB for free space on your device memory or else chances are you might encounter WSOD, (White screen of death), a state where your QD would hang and won't start and may require you to take it to nokia care. If you are looking to buy older NGAGE, make sure you check it by testing its battery and how the keys responding to the inputs. Older NGAGE is more buggy and prone to crashes more often than QD. Also don't install an application named, ''Wildskin'' on QD, it would completely mess up your cell as it is not meant to work on QD even though the developers claim it's compatibility.

On to the connectivity to PC and other devices, QD relies totally on blue tooth and as mention above does not have a USB option. You can also use a card reader to transfer data to the MMC from your PC and this way you can transfer as much data your card can support. The internal memory of 4 MB is far too less and it really hurts when you want to transfer any data file larger then 4 MB from any blue tooth enabled handset and you can't. Ngage supports upto 1GB MMC card, though I have heard a 2GB is compatible too. Cheaper MMC cards of NCP, Samsung and Kingston are available in 128/256/512/1000mb types. People who have used NGAGE have experienced the traumatic experience of MMC card corrupted scenarios, so it is advisable to always make backups and store it on your PC.

The best thing about the handset is since it is a symbian 6.01, you can use countless third party applications which makes the cell a clear winner in terms of deriving the most out of this handset.

1. File Explorer and File man - Both are the most critical software your QD must have in order to manage and edit with your data on the handset. It works like a windows explorer, showing you all the folders and drives in your cell as well as your MMC. You can download the File Explorer from, https://gosymbian.com/fexplorer_new.php. Additionaly you can also use an alternative application, ''Fileman'', which can be downloaded from, https://symbianware.com/download. php?id=fileman60&pl=n-gage.

   
   




2. Ultra MP3 Player - This a must to have software, as the QD does not come with any mp3 player. You can use the trial version from, https://lonelycatgames.com/index.php?chapter=ultramp3.

   
   




3. Smart movie Player - As the name says it is indeed a must have video player. The best thing about it, you can use its PC converter and make compressed movies out of any movie CD or video clip you may have. A 600 MB movie can be compressed to as low as 60 MB in a decent picture and sound quality. And there are customized tweaks you can use to reduce or enhance the quality of the clips you are making. You can use the trial version from, https://lonelycatgames.com/index.php?chapter=smartmovie.

   
   

In conclusion, QD is a total paisa vasul cell which gives you maximum options of doing time pass and it comes within 7K price tag. Although the stereo sound output and FM options are not included and the 4096k color screen lag, there is still a lot to expect from Nokia if they launch a new NGAGE model in near future.

Iam attaching some additonal URLS where you can read more about the NGAGE QD. Do check the comment section where I will be adding cool links to NGAGE downloads and forums shortly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N-Gage

http://www.mobileburn.com/review. jsp?Id=1003&source=ARCHIVE