On May 11, 2000, Nokia introduced Nokia Mobile Entertainment Service at E3. This service which allows game application developers and online content publishers to create interactive entertainment for Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled mobile devices. Ultimately, the service will be offered by mobile network operators to their customer base. Nokia has estimated that by the end of 2003, more people will access the Internet via a mobile handset versus a PC.The Nokia Mobile Entertainment Service development tools allow game application developers and online content publishers a simpler way to create interactive entertainment or "entertainment on the move" for WAP enabled devices. The Nokia Entertainment Developer Program delivers information, software tools, and support for developers who want to commercialize new products for the mobile entertainment market.
Nokia's Entertainment Developer Program supplies a Game Construction Toolkit, Applications Programming Interfaces (APIs), documentation and sample source code for applications. It enables companies to choose a tailored set of support and services according to their needs. In addition, the tools provide functionality for creating multi-player games, authentication, and session management. Does this mean that you will be playing Unreal or Quake anytime soon on your phone? Maybe not, but that will all depend on the limitations of the screen and the imaginations of the developers Nokia manages to attract. At any rate, that guy with the cell phone in the next lane may become even a bigger nuisance. (And... he may be you...)