Review: Nokia N96

It is becoming more and more difficult for current manufacturers to put a unique mobile phone into the market. Many cell phones are equal when it comes to their functionality, and there are only minor differences between current models and their successors. Unlike a few years ago, when mobile phones were gradually taking on more functionalities of other devices. These new models definitely made a difference at the time. The Nokia N95 brought fame to Nokia, which eventually resulted in the N95 8GB version. For now, we are curious as to what Nokia is offering us with the new N96.

Nokia N96 multimedia phone review
The Nokia N96 features a beautiful monitor. It is a 2.8 inch QVGA LCD TFT monitor with a maximum of 16 million colors. The monitor is bright and clear. The cell phone features an option to rotate the monitor automatically upon rotating the handset, which is ever so convenient when using the mobile television function. Rotating is not always completely fluent, which is a pity whilst it are these little things that make a phone just that tad less appealing.

Nokia N96 test - Mobile internet
The default Internet browser inside Symbian software is familiar from previous models and works the same way. The large monitor and the fast HSDPA connection possibility make the N96 perfectly suitable for using the Internet. In addition to the use of the Internet through the network, it is also possible to connect a wireless network via WiFi. If WiFi is activated, the available networks are clearly indicated.

Nokia N96 review
The Nokia N96 phone is a long-awaited promising mobile phone of the Nokia brand. The internal memory of 16GB, the 5.0 Megapixel digital camera, FM radio, GPS receiver, HSDPA and of course, the mobile television function, make the Nokia N96 a fully equipped device. Just how well this cell phone functions in daily use can be read in the following Nokia N96 review.

G810 by Samsung: HSDPA/WiFi/GPS rival to Nokia N96

Samsung have featured in excess of a dozen new and tweaked handsets at the Mobile World Congress - including the U900 Soul, KF700, KF600 and KF510 sliders and the i900 smartphone - which is pretty much their line-up for the next six months, and frankly I’m losing the will to live trawling through them. Still, there’s the occasional diamond among the dross, and one such gem is the G810; thankfully it’s looking a whole lot more attractive than the claylike mockup we last saw.

Samsung have blessed the G810 with 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom, face detection and onboard image editor, and a 2.6-inch screen. Running the Symbian S60 3rd edition Feature Pack 1, it will be available in Europe come March 2008, and be a direct competitor to Nokia’s freshly announced N96.

The gang over at the ever-reliable Mobile-Review have put together a preview of the SGH-G810 with more screenshots and tidbits than you could shake a cellular stick at; this looks to be a very interesting phone indeed!

[via PhoneMag]

Hot New N96 Phone From Nokia?

Apparently, a Netherlands-based GSM phone Web site got its hands on some photos or renderings of what looks to be the next Nokia N-series phone, the N96. With dual-sliders that reveal a QWERTY keyboard split in half by the screen, this prototype seems to promise a very user-friendly multimedia device. It also looks as if the N96 will sport a lens that projects out from the camera when in use. (Chances are this means a higher-than-five-megapixel (MP) camera, something like 3x optical zoom, and, judging by Nokia's previous N-series phones, the clarity of a Carl Zeiss lens.)

Nokia is continuing to offer state-of-the-art alternatives to the iPhone, which has been a runaway success for Apple. Nokia's phones are amazing, but they're not as easy to use as an iPhone, and the plethora of features on N-Series Nokia models have proven to be more overwhelming than alluring for most U.S. consumers. That said, Nokia is a leader in the international space and these latest phones seem like a move to keep that lead, particularly since Apple has started launching its iPhone across Europe. Where Nokia has really set itself apart from the iPhone, as well as some other competitors, has been its focus upon excellent cameras which are not merely added as an extra but are rather a major component of the device. Hopefully we'll see the N96 in the wild soon.

From MobileMentalism