Nokia, the world’s largest cell phone maker, on Monday launched a mobile games service that enables customers to buy and download games to their handsets.

N-Gage, which is limited to handsets in Nokia’s N81 and N95 series, will let users try out the games before paying for them. Some 30 games are available for $9 to $16 each. The number will increase to 60 during 2008, Nokia said.

Nokia delayed launching the new service, and its earlier N-Gage games failed to attract customers, but the Espoo,Finland-based company said it was encouraged by feedback from “thousands” of people in more than 100 countries who took part in an eight-week pilot.

“Together with the N-Gage community we will keep developing the N-Gage experience further by adding new games and features that take advantage of rapidly evolving mobile technology,” said Jaakko Kaidesoja, who works in Nokia’s games division.

Nokia, which sold nearly 440 million handsets _ 40 percent of all cell phones sold worldwide _ employs 112,000 people worldwide.

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