My first port of call after registering for EGN was Nokia's lunchtime media briefing. Swayed by the promise of an business update rather than free lunch (which turned out to be some very lovely sandwiches and other cold tasties; apparently there was hot food afterwards but I scarpered too quickly) I settled down with a plate of nosh and a glass of OJ to see what the Nokia representatives had to say for themselves.

After a minor teething problem with the microphone a lovely Finnish Nokia man - whose name escaped me and whose position in the company passed my notebook by due to a pre-occupation with a sumptuous tuna sarnie - got down to business. After a brief spell pimping the device in general and the one million that the original N-Gage and the QD have so far tallied between them, he delved into the that surround the use of mobile-phone technology around the world. Illuminating the differences between the three major market areas, Europe, the and the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Nokia made it clear that one of the things his team were most proud of was their successful roll-out of a single device that had to work with a multitude of different regional standards. I had never really appreciated the hassle that must be involved, but after experiencing difficulties making pure voice calls in the with a handset I could sympathise with the far greater problems associated with a gaming device. The issues that arise from having to deal with such a multitude of mobile-phone providers are also another headache that Nokia believe they are well on the road to curing.

On top of the problems that they have faced with different regional technologies and companies are the different wants of the world's gamers. So while gamers in the West may be happy enough with a generic the gamers of the East are more interested in playing a generic puzzle game. This makes it harder for Nokia to provide a single solution across their entire global market. The way that different cultures approach their gaming - and their mobile technology - is a problem that Nokia will find harder to address than technology issues. The latter can be overcome with a contract or business agreement; the fickle nature of the world's youth will never succumb to such easy solutions.

This problem was starkly outlined in business numbers during the Q&A after the main presentation. Responding to a question from the floor it was rather surprising for them to admit the poor global to software ratio that Nokia have so far achieved. While the UK is apparently the best market for games, across the whole world the ratio is less than 2 games per handset. While there's going to be an element of in these low figures, it does seem to indicate that the paucity of titles is affecting both existing owners as well as prospective buyers.

More technological problems still remain to be tackled. GPRS is a promising feature of the QD but by its very nature it is next to useless for simultaneous head-to-head games playing. While the Bluetooth functionality makes it a breeze for two QD owners to have a head-to-head game they have to be in close proximity to each other. The idea of playing an opponent across the mobile networks is a great one, in principle, but a way must be found to make GPRS gaming anything other than an illusory multiplayer experience. For example, playing multiplayer actually involves each player finishing their round with their opponents scores being sent over at the end.

Nokia hope to make more of the capabilities that the N-Gage platform offers. While players can already compare rankings on scoreboards and download hints and tips the balance between solid and downloadable media types is an issue that will take more time to strike. If Nokia can provide enough of an incentive for players to spend more time downloading content then the profits for both Nokia and the mobile providers will rise. If players continue to buy one or two games and play them amongst themselves, or across Bluetooth if they happen to come across another N-Gage owner, then Nokia will continue to have problems. The touted idea of a 24/7 gaming environment sounds very appealing both on paper and during a press briefing, but unless the infrastructure and the games are out there then it may be an idea that is still ahead of its time.

The number of N-Gage titles that are available is shockingly low. So far there are 24 titles in stores, with many of these games no more impressive than what you can have on a normal java-enabled mobile handset. There are few more impressive looking games coming out soon, and on hand at the briefing was French company Gameloft. This company is about to release a called Asphalt: Urban GT and they were happy to give us a preview of what will be on offer. While the normally tiny N-Gage graphics don't look too fine when blown-up for a projector they were still none the less very impressive. Looking a bit like old driving games such as Lotus Esprit and any SEGA arcade racer Asphalt combined nippy movement with a busy and colourful game world. Asphalt will allow you to race a couple of dozen real-world cars from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, BMW and Audi. In addition to the tasty looking main-game Asphalt also features a comprehensive tuning and upgrade element. I was impressed with the amount of control the player will be given over their ride's performance and appearance; many big-console racers give you less to tinker with. There were a number of options and a good variety of courses, including some 'fantasy' tracks like Bogotá Airport.

If Nokia can acquire more games that show as much promise as Asphalt then more people may start buying the cartridges in numbers. In my opinion, Nokia are running out of time to deliver the goods, what with the increasingly impressive standard of gaming available to owners of non-specialised mobiles. Vodafone had some good looking games on display at their impressive Game Stars stand and other operators have been increasingly pushing the gaming side of the mobile business (my thanks to the Vodafone guy I spoke to for representing a company that 'fronts' such a good display). Add to this the fact that many people will be happy to carry a separate phone when they can have the no-compromises mobile gaming that the imminent Gizmondo, and will offer and the N-Gage had better start doing what it says on the tin.

By Sam Gibson