Nokia announces smartphone gaming plans

Following the poor performance of gaming-dedicated mobile phone the N-Gage, Nokia has unveiled plans to release a new generation of smartphones as part of a strategy to secure a firmer foothold in the market.

The new gaming-enabled smartphones will give consumers the option to save games to memory card, download wirelessly or access them via a PC connection.

Nokia is also planning to release a new development tool kit which will standardise games so that they are compatible with all types of handset, with no need for rewriting.

The gaming-enabled smartphones will go on sale in the first half of next year. Nokia expects to sell 25 million current-gen smartphones by the end of 2005.

Nokia's earlier venture into the mobile gaming market - the N-Gage, a phone that doubles as a games console - was not a hit with consumers, despite a redesign in the form of the N-Gage QD and subsequent relaunch.

But the Finnish firm says it will continue to offer support for the platform, with new games, new accessories and a limited-edition silver version on the way.