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.[br][br]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.[br][br]"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."[br][br]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. [br][br]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.