Nokia N96 starts shipping, in shops soon

[Rafe]

Nokia yesterday announced it has started shipping the Nokia N96, which means it will become available, SIM-free, in shops over the next few weeks. Availability via operators will take a little longer; the UK launch on the 3 network is scheduled for October 1st. The N96 is a high-end Nseries device with a focus on mobile TV and video (large 2.8 inch screen, video stand, DVB-H receiver, and preloaded movie content). It also features a 5 megapixel camera and integrated GPS. Read on for more details.

Read on in the full article.

I can't say i am looking forward for this phone (i wonder why).

[Tzer2]

The 550 euros plus taxes is lower than some of the more ridiculously high rumoured prices, but still a pretty hefty chunk of anyone's bank account.

It may well be that, as many people have been saying, the N85 offers better value for money overall, though the N96's on-board 16 gigabytes (plus 8 gigs through microSD giving 24 gigs in all) may well be a big selling point.

Regarding DVB-H, it's unlikely to take off while it's only available in such expensive handsets as TV companies rely on mass audiences for funding. Perhaps the N96's DVB-H is best regarded as an experiment rather than a real push to help the standard.

Nokia does not have a brand name phone.
Nokia confuses the user. Why this N96 is not named N95, because it looks similar, and 99% of the features are similar? Why they have so many models E..., N85, N82, N79, N95, N96 - just copies of each other?

Why they don't choose a resounding name instead of boring numbers?

People feel a connection if they have the same name of the model "IPHONE".

If you have a N85, I have a N95, somone else has an E70, what's that common?

Apple has only one name for the phones: "iPhone" even for the 3G version. No numbers, no iPhone 2008 or else.

All the talk now is what do you have a cell phone or an "iPhone"...

iPhone can do more things quicker, easy to use, intuitive...
the s60 is still like a old OS with no proper User Interface, with no will to make the user feel that the use of the phone is a "deja-vu"...

iPhone has a better screen resolution, a bigger screen size, a better experience for everything starting from YouTube, movies, music, Internet, upload/download, AppStore - to work/business applications.
iPhone is a winner in every sense for the imaginative user-friendly interface and much more.

N96 - too late, the same as old N95, nothing new in a very competitive market - it can be the bye-bye for Nokia on the smart-phone market... but yes, they will still sell the cheap s40 phones to emerging markets... kudos

[Rafe]

Nokia has a different naming strategy - probably a must given it has rather more phone models in its line ups... It segments better than any other manufacturers.

I rather think the brand is Nokia itself - is synonymous with phones. Nokia products are used by more people (1 billion+) than any other products on any other CE industry. It actually the world's most used / known brand in that sense.

Nseries and Eseries are collective brands - i.e. that's what the N85 and N95 have in common.

...and of course you entitled to you opinion on the iPhone - the debate is going to run and run...

...every phone has strengths and weaknesses and everyone needs something different..

All the talk now is what do you have a cell phone or an "iPhone"...

I think you'll find it's 'do you have a phone or have you got a Walkman' actually

Whilst the iPhone does indeed have the best UI in the business today, it has a handful of pretty huge cons too, I'll stick with my Nokia thanks.

[bartmanekul]

All the talk now is what do you have a cell phone or an "iPhone"...

First time I have ever heard of this.

I am afraid the UI debate is completely out until the iphone offers the same number of features the same specced nokia does.

The point being that you cannot have so many features and customisation into such a simple UI, so no more talk about that unless there is a proper comparision. Which I might add, there will never be.


Nokia are indeed behind in the touchscreen department, well, non existant at the moment.

Obviously they are working on this, time and the 5800 will tell what they come up with.

As for the N96, frommost people I know the attitude is one of indifference.

[morpheus2702]

Let's face it, Nokia has got the launch strategy of the N96 majorly wrong, the main element being the timing.

When were we talking and salivating about this product - February, March maybe? We had all ridden the ride of the good vibes and momentum Nokia had built up with the N95 and the N95 8Gb... how could the N96 not be any better?

But they've taken so long to launch it that not only has the N96 been overtaken in the tech stakes - from within the S60 camp with the Samsung InnoV8 AND from within Nokia themselves with the N85!

Sure if you still want a brand new Nokia with a 2.8" screen then there is the N96, but tell me what else is there that it offers? DVB-H? I've not done any research but how many countries operate this? Is it seriously worth the premium? I suggest not.

End of the day, the N96 was 6 months late, it's going to come out and will be an oddity, a quirk and with a short lifespan.

If Nokia want to get back on the horse and re-establish their momentum, they'll be working on an N97 that is going to trump everything: a silly-amount-of-pixel camera, 32Gb onboard, every contextual-keyboard trick they can throw at it and some genuinely new things no other N-series phone has.

it's seems that nokia have lost that magic touch?

I agree with morpheus2702. The N79, N85, N96 are all boring replica's of the N95 with some little extra bit that geeks want, just so they can say 'my phone's better than yours'...
Bring on the N97, it should be sexier than the iPhone and better than anything we can imagine right now.
I'm waiting with my trusty N95 8GB till something more feature rich comes out that is as good looking as the iPhone.

it's seems that nokia have lost that magic touch?

To be fair, given how far they moved the goalposts with the N95, it's a pretty tough act to repeat, even the Innov8 isn't as big a leap forward (I distinctly remember Samsung making a Korean only 7mp phone a year or so back).

[Williamoni]

All the talk now is what do you have a cell phone or an "iPhone"...

From people with absolutely no understanding of the smartphone world maybe.

N96 does look like a bit of a mistake for Nokia, but E71, N78, N79 and N85 all look like big successes to me.

I can't believe all this negative stuff about S60 and Nokia.

Woe is me indeed.

I'm more than happy to stick with S60.

Apple have done a good job with their phone but there are obvious limitations. Copy and paste is one, the camera is another.

And let's be fair about Nokia. They've done amazing work over the last ten (?) years and taken mobile technology forward further than any other company.

Nokia - I love you and please could you send me my free N85 now?

I agreed with developer-cpp that there is a lack of connection and a sense of belonging with the Nokia phones. Every release of new Nokia phones come with new hardware, software and new number (N95, N96, N97...). People just don't relate too closely with their phone and dump their old phone and get a new one every year or two.

Whereas in the iPhone world, people get emotionally attached to their iPhone. Apple takes care of their end users every well by giving them free software updates. That helps to maintain the resale value of iPhone. It is very hard for iPhone users to switch to other brands without hard feeling. It is much easier to convert a Nokia user to an iPhone but not the other way round...

Originally Posted by developer-cpp

Nokia does not have a brand name phone.
Nokia confuses the user. Why this N96 is not named N95, because it looks similar, and 99% of the features are similar? Why they have so many models E..., N85, N82, N79, N95, N96 - just copies of each other?

Why they don't choose a resounding name instead of boring numbers?

People feel a connection if they have the same name of the model "IPHONE".

If you have a N85, I have a N95, somone else has an E70, what's that common?

I

According to Forum Nokia N96 has indeed got an 3D Graphics HW Accelerator but there is no mention about OpenGL ES 1.1 support. Do you know what that means ? I don´t.

Hey Rafe, could you attach a hi-res version of the photo of the N96 SE?