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The Nokia N-Gage Lunch

esterday was the official launch of the Nokia N-Gage Game Deck, and we here at Game Informer Online decided to commemorate this important day by putting the N-Gage up against a Taco Bell Taco.  You ask why would we choose a taco?  Well, for some reason Nokia designed the N-Gage in such a way that you needed to hold the system sideways up to your ear like a taco when you’re making a phone call.  Since Nokia also stated that they weren’t competing with Nintendo and their Game Boy line, we decided to put the Nokia N-Gage up against something similar – The Taco Bell Taco Supreme.

 


Really, this is how you talk on this thing.

 

So it was settled.  Chris and I would head to Taco Bell for launch lunch, and see which would win in a battle.  The Taco Bell Taco, or the Nokia N-Gage Game Deck.  So, without further ado let’s bring out the contestants:

 


The Nokia N-Gage Game Deck vs. The Taco Bell Taco Supreme

 

Both are roughly the same size, but the N-Gage seems to weigh slightly more at 137 grams, whereas the Taco Bell Taco Supreme is 113.4 grams.  Under the hood, however, we see a completely different story.

 

The guts of the N-gage


The N-Gage Game Deck features:

 

- Large color screen with backlight, 176x208 pixels with up to 4096 colors

- Series 60 platform and Symbian Operating System (OS)

- Bluetooth wireless technology for gaming

- An eight-way directional controller "Rocker" for game play

- Multimedia messaging (MMS)

- Triple band GSM (900/1800/1900), GPRS mobile phone

- Digital Music player (AAC/MP3) & Stereo FM radio

- Nokia Audio Manager PC SW for managing own music files 

- Comprehensive range of applications; e-mail and personal information management

- XHTML browsing

- Java application support

- Connectivity: calendar synchronization with PC, USB for music file and application download

 

Usage times:

- Games up to 3 - 6 h (depending on game type)

- Talk up to 2 - 4 h

- Standby up to 150- 200 h

- Music up to 8 h

- Radio up to 20 h

 

Size:

- Volume 139cc

- Dimensions (L x W x D) 133,7 x 69,7 x 20,2 mm

- Weight 137g
- Total Fat: 0g
- Total Calories: 0

 

The N-Gage is a multi-purpose device that allows you to not only play games, but it’s also a GSM phone, an MP3 player, a stereo FM radio, mobile web browser with e-mail, and a multimedia messenger (MMS) and more.  If you look carefully at the picture above, there is no memory card slot on the outside.  That’s right, to put a game into the N-Gage you have to take off the back side of the deck, take out the battery, and slide in the card.  Wonderful.

The N-Gage also has a wide variety of first and third party accessories, including headphones, Bluetooth headsets, memory cards, and car chargers.  But all of this costs money, and the N-Gage retails for 300 bucks, plus which ever phone plan you choose which will also vary in price.  AT&T and T-Mobile are the only two mobile companies that are supporting the N-Gage currently, but when you buy the Game Deck you’ll get 30 days of free service. 

Retailers do have bundle deals in place for launch, and if you purchase a N-Gage Game Deck and 2 games, you’ll get a $100 gift voucher to buy more games and hardware.

 

Inside the Taco Bell Supreme Taco


Features:

Taco Shell

Cheddar Cheese

Lettuce

Seasoned Ground Beef

Sour Cream

Tomato

Total Fat: 14.0 grams
Calories: 220


The Taco Bell Taco Supreme is well…er…a taco.  It basically does what it’s there to do.  The Taco Bell Taco really doesn’t do a whole lot outside of get devoured and pass through your system until it heads out to where all the good little taco’s go when they die - taco heaven.  Taco Bell also sells lots of first party accessories that you can compliment your Taco Bell tacos.  Something also worth noting is the Taco Bell Taco doesn’t need batteries. But at a little more than a buck for one, or a combo meal which retails for about 4-6 bucks, you really can’t go wrong.

  Just like the N-Gage, the Taco Bell Taco Supreme has no slot for games 


Chris attempts to call his mommy with the Double Decker model


Chris plays a round of Squishy Squishy Crunch

 

Billy adds some Fire Sauce to give the N-Gage some kick

Down the hatch!

The Verdict:

 

Well currently it’s hard to say because we don’t have finished hardware or games from Nokia yet, and we were really hungry and already finished lunch.  One plays games and does a multitude of things, and the other gets devoured within moments.  At the end of the day, it’s really your money, and you just can’t beat the price of a Taco Bell Taco Supreme.  Plus, the Nokia N-Gage tastes like s%&t.

 

-Billy Berghammer 

 



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