N-Gage QD delayed to July in USA

The updated version of Nokia's N-Gage hardware, the N-Gage QD, has slipped a month in the USA - with a July 27th date now planned for the device, which Nokia says has been chosen in order to ensure a simultaneous launch across all channel partners.

The QD is already available in Europe and Asia, and will roll out on schedule in Canada on the 29th of this month; in each of those territories it has been a fairly quiet "soft launch" for the handset, while the American slippage tends to suggest that Nokia hopes to build a much bigger launch presence in that market.

"While the product is ready for shipment," explained US N-Gage PR boss Steven Knuff, "we have made a business decision to maximise the impact of the launch by synchronising across all channel partners."

The N-Gage QD improves significantly on its predecessor, with an attractive new design, external port for SD game cards, "front talking" system and other minor tweaks to the software and controls.

While Nokia's official line is that it is an addition to the N-Gage range rather than a replacement for the original device - which also boasts an MP3 player and radio receiver, functions lacking from the QD - it's expected that it will largely replace the original N-Gage at retail, especially in the USA where the first device underperformed badly.