Granted, The Boston Globe basically tossed up a bunch of softballs but it still gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling any time Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, or OPK as he is affectionately nicknamed, simply utters the words “US market”. It lets us know that somewhere, somehow, Nokia does in fact still remember that Americans use cell phones. Yes, Nokia’s track record with supporting the US 3G spectra (AT&T’s at least) in high-end phones is most definitely improving. We still aren’t seeing Nokia actively push S60 devices to market here however, and Nokia’s US market share sits in the mid-single digits as a result. S60 fans here in the US are hoping that the recent release of the Nokia 6650 via AT&T is the start of a trend but we’re skeptical at best. Enthusiasts hoped the same thing when the E62 was released, and then the N75. OPK was pretty direct while speaking to the Globe however:

We are investing more in the US market. We are expanding our research and development activity in San Diego. We’ve got lots of people there designing phones now that are specific to the US needs and the US market.

Kallasvuo went on to say that Nokia’s approach will cover all market segments here in the US, not just smartphones, and that LTE will be the technology of choice for Nokia when it comes to 4G. Nokia will still dabble in WiMax as we’ve seen with the N810, but LTE is the way to go for the Finnish giant. Oh well, there’s plenty more fish in the sea, Sprint. Hit the read link for the full yet brief interview with OPK.

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Sorry S60 gamers, it looks like Nokia tried to pull a fast one on you. Back in May it was learned that despite initial claims made by Nokia reps, N-Gage purchases were tied to device IMEIs and transfers would not be allowed. Woh there, Nokia! After an eruption in the S60 blogosphere, Nokia responded by insisting that the issue would be addressed and purchase transfers would be allowed by way of a quick phone call to customer care. Yay, crisis averted – or not. As it turns out, what was omitted from the initial response was the fact that game purchases can only be transferred to a new handset once. Once? Seriously? This policy may be acceptable for the casual user who might switch handsets every couple of years but for many, new handsets are more of an inevitability than an event. In other words, Nokia’s best customers – the ones who go through two, three, even four S60 handsets each year – are hung out to dry when it comes to N-Gage purchases. Big problem. So, loyal S60aholics, unless you don’t mind the fact that each payment you make on the N-Gage platform is a rental fee rather than a purchase, you may want to hold off on shelling over that cash until Nokia addresses this issue again – if Nokia addresses the issue again, that is.

[Via Symbian Guru]

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Impressive response time Nokia, although this really shouldn’t have been an issue to begin with. This past Wednesday, in case you missed it, the discovery was made that N-Gage games are locked to a device IMEI rather than an account. Translation: Buy a new phone, kiss your games goodbye. Here we are two days later and as history would dictate, word has come out that Nokia is addressing the situation immediately. In the short term, Nokia Care will be able to take care of IMEI changes for N-Gagers with new devices. Apparently a long term solution that will automate the system is already in the works. Granted, this shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place but it’s good to see Nokia responding so quickly. Gamers, commence forking over your cash.

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Meet Scrooge McNokia. He loves his recently-launched N-Gage platform because it does an amazing job of putting access to payware games in the hands of countless S60 device owners. It couldn’t be easier for them to fire up N-Gage on their handset and fork over some cash for a few titles from the ever-increasing N-Gage catalog. McNokia even worked out a few deals with top gaming labs Electronic Arts and Konami to include top notch titles that no mobile gamer can refuse. Already garnering acclaim across the internet, N-Gage popularity is growing every day as more compatible handsets are released. All this should give McNokia enough gold coins keep him swimming for years to come, right? He wouldn’t try to milk his customers for even more would he? Oh yes, he would. Despite information presented by N-Gage reps at Nokia’s Go Play event last year, we are now learning that N-Gage titles are not – we repeat, not – transferable from one device to another. Reps at Go Play clearly stated that N-Gage purchases would be tied to a profile rather than a specific handset. It only makes sense; after all, a customer who ditches one Nokia handset to purchase another Nokia handset is the prefect customer! But no, word is now coming through that despite initial info from the N-Gage team, purchases are locked to a device’s IMEI. Buying a new handset means you’ll have to either repurchase all of your N-Gage titles or simply lose them. The only known caveat to this point applies to handsets with manufacturer defects that are exchanged by Nokia customer care. Makes you think twice before clicking that purchase button…

[Via Symbian-Guru]

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No, the graphics won’t be quite as sweet as pictured above. All the same, S60 gamers are very excited to learn as of this morning that Nokia and Konami are officially teaming up. The partnership will bring a variety of popular high-quality Konami titles to Nokia’s N-Gage portable gaming platform, first and foremost is a mobilized version of the extremely popular Metal Gear Solid game. The award-winning Konami title takes players through an epic packed full of espionage and covert ops, but you already knew that. Creator of the Metal Gear Solid franchise Hideo Kojima states:

I believe that this cooperation between Nokia and Konami will form the perfect match to share the vast potential of mobile entertainment content with users all around the world.

Gregg Sauter, Director of Third Party Games Publishing at Nokia adds:

We’re excited to see Konami tap into the performance and community features we’ve built into the N-Gage platform… Metal Gear Solid on N-Gage will raise the bar with respect to graphical detail and made-for-mobile features. We look forward to the launch of this great franchise on N-Gage.

Right on; quite a pair indeed. Nokia’s N-Gage platform has a vast reach to say the least and Konami titles will only enhance the already-solid offering that is N-Gage. Electronic Arts, Konami… We have to wonder who’s next!

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