Ultimate N-Gage Guide
Copyright? 2005 Alex Haro
Latest Version Always Found On Gamefaqs and can only be found on
Gamefaqs.
Think there's a mistake with this guide? Want To Contribute? Contact me
at
[email protected]
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Table Of Contents
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1. Introduction
2. Features
2.1 Tech Specs
3. Music
3.1Media Player
3.2 FM Radio Tuner
4. Troubleshooting
4.1 Movies
4.12 Smartmovie
4.13 Converting To RM Using Helix Producer Plus
4.2 Ringtones/Music
4.21 Non-Working Ringtones
4.22 Radio Hang
4.3 MMC
4.31 MMC Compatibility List
4.32 How To Format MMCs
4.33 Salvaging A Dead MMC
4.4 Formatting Your N-Gage
4.41 N-Gage Codes
4.42 Backing-up Your Contact Data
Version History
1. Introduction
I'm writing this guide primarily for the person who is having trouble
with their N-Gage and is curious about a certain problem. I assume
every person reading this has some basic knowledge of the N-Gage, so
I'll keep the feature section small. This guide is mostly meant as a
troubleshooting guide. The troubleshooting section in the back should
be very helpful for everyone, since the N-Gage does have a lot of
problems. It should answer all of those questions you have about the N-
Gage that the manual never even mentions. This is a complete guide on
every aspect of the N-Gage.
2. Features
The N-Gage is everything you'd ever want combined into a neat little
package that fits into your pocket. It is an MP3 player, radio, cell
phone and game device, not to mention all of the different applications
you can download for free on this Symbian system. The possibilities are
limitless! It plays java games and has Bluetooth capability so you can
challenge your friends from afar. Did I mention you could watch movies
on this? It supports any major movie type and has Real One Video and
Audio built right in. If you like chatting, the N-Gage Arena should
suit you needs nicely. It also comes with a clock, calendar, stopwatch,
and everything else a Nokia phone comes with.
2.1 Tech Specs
-Symbian OS 6.1
-Java Technology
-CLDC 1.0
-MIDP 1.0
-Nokia UI API
-Wireless Messaging API (JSR-120)
-Mobile Media API (JSR-125)
-Web Browser
-WAP 1.2.1
-XHTML
-Messaging
-SMS
-MMs
-Sound Formats
-MIDI tones
-AMR
-WAV
-MP3
-AAC
-GSM Phone
-900
-1800
-1900
-The Screen
-4096 Colors
-176x208 Resolution
-Physical Measurements
-Dimensions: 134x70x20 mm
-Weight: 137 g
-Memory
-Removable Media Type: MMC
-2.8 memory for shared storage
-3.8 total memory
-Connectivity
-Bluetooth
-USB
3. Music
This is possibly one of the best features of the N-Gage. The N-Gage
comes with a loudspeaker to play your music out loud. First, I'll start
talking about MP3s.
3.1 The Media Player
This is an awesome feature built into the 'Gage. All you need is an MMC
and you are set. Start off by linking your N-Gage to your PC by
Bluetooth or USB, you choice. Then just drag and drop your music onto
the MMC. Disconnect and turn on you N-Gage. Open up the music player
and voila! Your music should now be playing. The Media Player supports
AAC and MP3 format, but don't be afraid to try WMAs. You can also play
your pre-recorded audio using the media player.
3.2 FM Radio Tuner
The radio has pretty good reception and is better than I expected on a
cell phone. The FM tuner can hold 10 stations preset. And if you want
to record that one song you like from the radio go ahead. You can
always play it back later. The manual tells you that it is best to use
the Nokia Audio Manager, but I don't really find it all that useful.
Dragging and dropping is always the better alternative, but it's up to
you.
4. Troubleshooting
In this section of the guide, I hope to address almost every problem
every N-Gager has ever had. There are a lot of how-to mini-guides in
this section. Almost every mini-section is followed by a set of
frequently asked questions. If you have another significantly different
problem, send me an email and I'll answer it.
4.1 Movies
4.12 Smartmovie
Before you start watching movies, you should install Smartmovie. (How
you get a copy is you business.)
Here's How:
1. Copy the following files:
SmartMovie_S60_2.42.sis (This is the player)
Codec_XviD_S60.sis (This is the codec)
Into the N-Gage using the PC Suite (Requires Bluetooth dongle) or
USB.
2. Open the file manager on you N-Gage. Go to menu, Select Tools,
And Then Manager Select the .sis files from that screen.
3. Install the Smartmovie converter that came with the download
package. (.exe)
4. Install the Xvid Codec (The Xvid Codec for the PC)
5. After you've done all that, start Smartmovie on the PC. Click
Open and search for whatever movie/clip file you want to convert.
The main type of accepted files are: .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1s,
dat, and .wmv.
6. Once you have opened your movie file, you should see a movie
loaded up in the little window. In the top left corner, you
should see a box with settings. You should change the information
to make it look like this:
7. Video Settings
LandScape
Reduce Frames: Deactivated
Codec: Xvid Encoder
Bitrate: 96 kbps
Audio Settings
Enable - Activated
Force Mono - Activated
Frecuency: 16000 Hz
Bitrate: 24 kbps
Volume Boost: 250
8. Now before you convert, you might want to set a place where your
finished product is going. Click Options, then Preferences, and
select the directory where you want you finished file to appear.
Now that you have your main settings, um, set, simply set the
convert button and sit back. The conversion time is usually half
the length of the movie you're converting so if it's a long
movie, go ahead and play your N-Gage. Once the process is
finished, you want the movie on you phone. (Duh) Hook up your
phone to you PC and go to where you converted movie should be.
Once found, right click and hit 'Send To' you should have the
option of a new drive at the very bottom, for example, mine is
the H:/ Drive. After you've sent you movie, open Smartmovie on
you phone, sit back, and grab some popcorn.
If you wanted some more DIVX Codecs for PC, go here:
http://codecs.necromancers.ru/
Q: How can I convert my home movies to RM format to put them on
the N-Gage?
A: You can use Helix Producer Plus to convert a DIVX/MOV/MPG
movie to RM format.
4.13 Converting To RM Using Helix Producer Plus
1. You need Helix Producer Plus installed on you computer.
2. Check if you have all the needed DIVX decoders installed, if not,
go to your favorite DIVX page and download the latest codecs.
3. Start the program and click 'Browse' to add your movie.
4. Go to Menu-Edit-Audience Templates.
This will open a dialog window with several templates and
settings.
Choose any template and edit it like this:
5. Template name: You can keep the name or create a new one. I have
one saved as "Convert for n-gage".
6. Audio/ Video Encoding:
-Choose Constant bit rate and change it to 70kbps.
- Target Frame Rate: Keep it on 15fps (I've actually converted at
30fps no problems and the files not too big, and a LOT smoother)
-Advanced Video Options: Just enable Loss Protection and leave the
rest.
-Voice Codec: 16kbps Voice (G2,RA8)
- Music Codec: 16kbps Music
- Audio Only Encoding:
- Voice codec: 16 kbps Voice (G2,RA8)
- Music codec: 16 kbps Music
- Click Apply and OK.
7. If the movie has low sound, go to menu [Settings]-[Show Audio
Gain Control]
and move the pointer from 0dB to +6dB. Only change it to +12dB if
the sound is really low.
- Now click the [Audiences] button and you will find this:
- Encoding Settings:
- Audio mode: Music (Keep this one)
- Video mode: Normal Motion Video (Keep it too)
- Video codec: RealVideo9 (Change this to RealVideo8)
- Use high quality resampler for audio (don't change it)
- 2-pass video encoding (Enabling this is up to you, you'll get a
better
- Conversion but takes twice as long to do)
- Resize Video to: Enable this to [172] x [XXX](automatically
inserted if (6.1.7.) is enabled).
- Maintain Aspect Ratio: (Keep this on)
- High Quality Resize: (Keep this one too)
8. Audience Selection:
-Templates: Choose the one that you have created/edited and
double click to add it to the Audiences in Job.
-Audiences in job: Delete all audiences and put in "Convert for
n-gage"
9. Now click the [Clip Information] button.
- Edit the following fields:
- Title: Leave it blank for now.
- Author: Encoded by <nickname>
- Copyright: up to you....
-Keywords: Optional
-Description: Optional
- Rating: Optional
- Go to menu [Settings]-[Default Settings]-[Save Current As
Default]
- Title: Insert the complete movie title.
10. Finally go to menu [File]-[Add File Destination] which will
open the [Save As] dialog.
Now insert the file name and save it (not in the same folder as
the original as I've found this brings up an error and wont
encode). Then click the [Encode] button on the lower right
corner.
4.2 Ringtones/Music
4.21 Non-Working Ringtones
If your ringtone is not working, try the following steps:
1. Copy the music file into the N-Gage drive.
2. Disconnect your N-Gage from you PC.
3. Select the ringtone like you usually do and use it!
4.22 Radio Hang
I know, I know. This is a really frustrating problem, but it is easily
fixable. No need to reset you phone. :0
Problem: Radio freezes every time it is used.
Solution: When starting the radio, hit the 5 button and you should be
able to get the radio menu. Change the radio station you saved with a
blank name and put in an actual name and save. Radio hang fixed.
Cause: This bug happens when you start to save a radio station and then
exit halfway without entering a name.
4.3 MMC
Ah yes, the MMC. That little memory card you have to take the battery
on and off for. A bit of a nuisance, but you can't live without it
either.
4.31 MMC Compatibility List
These MMCs have been proven to work. Last updated 2/3/04. Feel free to
send an email saying ones that have and haven't worked in your
experience.
Compatible
Bytestor (128mb)
Viking (128mb)
Pretec (128mb)
Generic ???? Smith Electronics (128mb)
Dane-Elec (128 mb)
Lexar
Corsair
Visipro
SimpleTech
PQI
Integral
Kingston
Muse
Eagletec
Sandisk
Topram
Transcend
Hitachi (64mb)
Twinmos (64mb & 256mb)
Extrememory (128mb & 256mb)
Kingmax (128 & 512mb) The 256mb Kingmax is not N-Gage compatible. It
returns unpredictable stability. (N-Gage forgets it is there)
Microsim (256mb)
Twinmos (256mb)
NCP (128mb,256mb)
Infineon (256mb)
TEC (512mb) (Some partition problems have been reported when formatting
with an MMC card reader)
Not Compatible
Twinmos (128)
4.32 How To Format MMCs
1. Insert the MMC in your N-Gage.
2. Open the menu on the N-Gage.
3. Hit down to get to 'Tools' and select by pushing the D-Pad in.
4. Go to 'Memory' and select.
5. Select 'Options' with the left menu button and then select
'Format Memory Card'
The whole process takes about ten minutes for a 128 megabyte card.
Try to avoid formatting using Windows unless you want to f*** up your
card. The only way the card should be partitioned is under FAT, not FAT
32, not NTFS, only FAT!
4.33 Salvaging A Dead MMC
A very simple method of fixing you "dead" MMC is to use 7Tools
Partition Manager. You can get this hand tool here:
http://www.download.com/3000-2248-
10187612.html?part=115270%2520&subj=dlpage&tag=button
Although this is a demo, it is capable of fixing you N-Gage's MMC
without the advanced features. Only do this using the card reader, not
through your N-Gage.
1. Select the MMC (Do not select the main Hard drives as this software
could delete the contents)
2. If your partition is corrupted you will see several invalid
partitions in red in the left hand pane.
3. Right click each of these and left click delete.
4. Click apply (top left button)
5. You should be left with a single free unit on your MMC drive. Now
right click that unit and select create primary partition. Go with the
defaults, which should be FAT16.
6. Click Apply.
Exit and put your card back into your N-Gage. If you find that the MMC
card still does not mount via the USB cable (That is if it was mounting
prior to corruption). Unplug the cable and put your MMC card back into
your card reader.
A. Start the 7tools again and select the MMC drive.
B. In the right hand pane you will see a column, which says "Active."
(it will probably be set to "no") Click this and set it to yes.
That uses up a few MB of your MMC but it makes it an active bootable
drive partition.
C. Click Apply.
D. Put the MMC back into your N-Gage and format it via 'Tools'-
'Memory'-'Options'-format memory card.
You will notice that the card is a couple of megabytes lower than it's
original size, but it will now be fully bootable and functional via the
USB cable again.
This along with the J2k's excellent MMCmedic or my Multicard formatter
should save you having to return your MMC's to the shop/manufacturer.
Unless they are Kingmax 256 MMC's (they are not N-Gage compatible
return them to the place you bought them as soon as possible. Or there
is a catastrophic hard ware failure of the MMC)
4.4 Formatting Your N-Gage
There comes a time when our N-Gage just gives up and stops working.
That is when you have to format you N-Gage.
4.41 N-Gage Codes
Each Nokia phone has codes that, when typed in, do a certain thing. You
just input them like you were making a phone call.
To Hard Reset your phone, type in: *#7370# (Only as a last resort and
after you've read through all of the troubleshooting guides. This
starts your phone back from day one.)
To Soft Reset you phone, type in: *#7780# (A soft reset only restores
default settings)
To check your firmware version, type in: *#0000#
To check you Bluetooth address, type in: *#2820#
To check your IMEI number, type in: *#06#
To view the week and year of manufacture, type in: *#3283# (The format
is [*# D A T E #] the last two digits are the year. If
the year is 95, the first two digits are the month. For 96 the first
two digits are the week of the year.)
4.42 Backing-up Your Contact Data
Before, if you had to reset your phone, your contact data was gone, but
not anymore. Check out Contacts Transfer 2.0. It even has Bluetooth
support. Get it at
http://personal.inet.fi/private/riihimaki/s60/pbktrans.html.
Version History
2/12/05
I've successfully completed version 1 of my N-Gage guide. Plenty to
come. I don't think this is even 40% done yet.
Legal Info And Thanks
I'd like to thank Nokia for making such a rockin' phone.
Thanks to Nikos from the N-Gage-Gaming website.
Thanks to N-Gage-Help for their outstanding FAQs.
Copyright Information
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site other than
GameFAQs.com or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written
permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by
their respective trademark and copyright holders.
