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PocketGamer: Nokia’s N-Gage client will be installed on more than 50 million phones by the end of this year, according to Ideaworks3D chief technology officer Tim Closs.

He made the claim in a presentation at the Develop Mobile conference, and said it was based on Nokia’s own estimates.

That’s actual clients on handsets too – the 50 million figure covers the number of people who’ve already downloaded the client, plus the number of handsets expected to ship with it preloaded.

Meanwhile, Closs also said that there will be 30 N-Gage games available by the end of this year, and that by December, the N-Gage Software Development Kit (SDK) will support hardware acceleration.

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Telegraph: Users of Nokia’s N-Gage mobile gaming platform have reacted angrily after discovering that the games they have bought to play on their mobile phones will be rendered unplayable if they upgrade to a new handset.

The games are ‘locked’ to the individual mobile phone, rather than simply being tied to an individual’s user account. It means if they swap their current device for another N-Gage-compatible Nokia handset, their library of games won’t transfer with them. Instead, they will have to purchase the games again if they want to continue playing them.

The story first broke on the All About N-Gage fan site, and gamers have been quick to vent their frustration. One user, Kazutoyo, said “the N-gage suddenly got a lot less attractive to me”, while another, Krisse, agreed and said: “The platform has so much potential, and this policy just ruins it”.

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Just Another Mobile Phone Blog: Hollywood’s classic Film Noir world creates an atmospheric backdrop for this story-driven detective game. Dirk Spanner and the Fallen Idol by Nokia Games Publishing brings classic detective gaming onto mobile devices with unique twists and turns around every corner.

Set in the stylish, yet seedy fictional city of New Haven, Dirk Spanner and the Fallen Idol comes to life through its comic book ambiance. Gripping yet funny stories of conflicts, romance and deception with plenty of movie stars, rip-offs, double-crosses, wigs and moustaches make this an entertaining game that will engage novices through to the most experienced game players.

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Absolute Gadget: If you have a Nokia N81 or N81 8GB then you will be able to get a sneak preview of the next generation N-Gage mobile gaming platform – the Finnish phone giant is lining up on of the softest launches ever as it unveils its “N-Gage First Access” next week.According to its blog, owners of the above phones will ” have exclusive access to the pre-release version of the N-Gage application and one or more N-Gage games”. Bad luck if you have an N95 – you’ll just have to make do with the sat-nav.

The launch looks like engineers need some input from gamers to improve the platform as it said on the blog that it will “open up our N-Gage First Access forums, where you can give us your feedback on the experience, make suggestions, and help us co-create the N-Gage games service.”

The company will also integrate N-Gage into its mobile social networking webstie Ovi and has promised to make games more affordable with a games rental service model and free trials.

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