How to download and set up N-Gage gaming on your Nokia N95

You can now enjoy a whole new mobile gaming experience with the full launch of Nokia's N-Gage service - a sophisticated, interactive, multi-player platform that promises to take mobile gaming to whole new level.

Nokia's N-Gage mobile gaming platform delivers a great gaming experience, enabling users to enjoy sophisticated gameplay with superb graphics, have a trial of games before they buy, compete against other N-Gage users anywhere in the world via the N-Gage Arena, enter online tournaments, and communicate with other users, challenging them to games, sharing tips, and comparing scores online.

The new N-Gage platform has been initially launched for select Nokia Nseries handsets - the Nokia N81 8GB, Nokia N81, N95, N95 8GB, and N82. So you can enjoy the full N-Gage service right now - all it takes is a quick download and installation of the service on your phone.

It's easy to download and install the N-Gage application. All you have to do is visit the Nokia N-Gage site, download the application to your PC or Mac, and then copy it over to your phone. You'll then be ready to create a player name and visit the showroom.

(Note, newer versions of the N95 may come with the full application pre-loaded. If you have an N-Gage icon in your menus that immediately starts up the N-Gage application rather than just runs a video teaser, then you won't need to download the application - you'll be ready to play.)

Downloading the N-Gage application
First you have to download the N-Gage application to your PC or Mac. It is available from the N-Gage website at www.n-gage.com or by clicking on this download link for PC or Mac.

Installing the N-Gage application
You can install the N-Gage application from your PC onto your phone by using supplied Nokia PC Suite software and the USB cable boxed with the phone, or simply by dragging and dropping the file into the phone's mass storage memory when the phone is connected via USB. The drag and drop method is required if you're using a Mac rather than a PC. The application should be stored to the mass storage memory rather than the device memory.

Using PC Suite
If you're using a PC you need to have the right version of PC Suite. You can download a suitable version of PC Suite here.

Instructions for installing N-Gage to your Nokia N95 are simple:

1. Start PC Suite on your PC.
2. Connect your N95 to your PC using the supplied USB cable.
3. Select PC Suite Mode in the dialog box on the N95.
4. Click the Get Connected button on PC Suite and follow the on-screen directions to enable the connection to your device.
5. Click the Install Applications icon on PC Suite.
6. Follow the on screen directions to transfer and install the N-Gage application (n-gage.sisx) file from your desktop to your N95.
7. Start the N-Gage application on your N95 by clicking the N-Gage icon in the Applications folder.
8. Now you're ready to create a player name and visit the N-Gage games Showroom to browse, trial and buy games.

Using Mass Storage Mode/Data Transfer (for PC and Mac users)

1. Connect your N95 to your computer using the supplied USB cable.
2. On your N95, select Data transfer (Figure 1). Press OK. Your device should now appear on 'My Computer/Finder' as an external drive or removable disk.
3. Copy the N-Gage install file (n-gage.sisx) from your computer to a folder on your N95's mass memory, such as the Other folder (Figure 2).
4. Disconnect your N95 from your computer.
5. Click on the Tools menu in the N95's main menu (Figure 3). Click on the File Manager application (Figure 4), and from it navigate to the memory card/mass memory tab. Scroll down to the folder (Other) into which you copied the N-Gage install file (Figure 5). Press select
6. Scroll down to highlight the N-Gage install file n-gage.sisx and click to start the installation process (Figure 6). Follow the on-screen instructions on your N95. You will be asked if you want to Install N-Gage Installer? (Figure 7). Press Yes and then press Continue. It may take several minutes or more to install the application. You will be asked to select an internet access point (Figure 8). Highlight the one you wish to use and press Select.
7. You will be notified when the installation is complete, and asked to reboot the phone (turn it off and on) after installation.
8. Start the N-Gage application on your N95 by clicking the N-Gage icon in the Applications folder (Figure 9).
9. The N-Gage application is now active on your phone (Figure 10). Now you're ready to create a player name and visit the N-Gage games Showroom to browse, trial and buy games. You can do this online on the N-Gage website or directly from your phone. Scroll across to see all the various options available on each tab (Figure 11).