Nokia today has announced the new "N-Gage QD" mobile game deck, a redesigned version of their current N-Gage handheld console that was released to lukewarm response a little while ago.  Photographs of the product were actually floating around the Internet earlier last week, making many believe it was in fact the "N-Gage 2".  The QD is not the N-Gage 2, which is a completely seperate device still in development over at Nokia.  However, the QD addresses many of the original N-Gage's failings:

"The N-Gage QD is a compact device with a hot-swappable multimedia (MMC) slot for instant gaming, longer battery life, improved gaming controls, brighter screen, powerful smartphone features and the new N-Gage Arena launcher application."

The QD is smaller (but slightly thicker) than the original N-Gage, and cheaper as well thanks to the removal of the FM radio and MP3 player.  The latter function can be restored through software downloads, though.  According to gamesindustry.biz, the Series 60 smartphone has also been revamped so that it's a little more intuitive to use, which likely means the days of infamous "sidetalking" are over.

The QD will be available either on its own this May, or as part of operator service bundles available from mobile communication service providers worldwide as the year progresses.