Nokia’s direct-to-consumer efforts befuddled

Nokia Corp. is once again finding that the direct-to-consumer path is a treacherous one.
The world’s No. 1 handset maker postponed the launch of its long-awaited gaming platform, according to Reuters, citing software problems. N-Gage, which was unveiled in August and slated for release this month, will instead come to market in December.
Meanwhile, Warner Music Group Corp. is withholding its content from Nokia’s music storefront-which launched yesterday-over file-sharing concerns, a story in the Wall Street Journal claims. The world’s third-largest music company pointed to Mosh, Nokia’s social networking offering, claiming that members are using the site to exchange copyrighted songs and other material.
Both the music storefront and gaming platform are lynchpins of Ovi, a multifaceted, direct-to-consumer play Nokia unveiled in August. Nokia two years ago was forced to shutter Club Nokia after carriers objected to the off-deck mobile content service.