The N91, Nokia's 4GB musicphone

Alright, not only did those leaked pics of Nokia's new two megapixel musicphone turn out to be legit, they actually introduced the phone today, which was way sooner than we'd anticipated. The Nokia N91 is part of Nokia's new media-centric N series, and apparently they're throwing down against Motorola, Sony Ericsson, and Samsung and putting a 4GB hard drive in there, an industry standard 3.5mm headphone jack, support for playback of MP3, M4A, AAC, and WMA audio files, and USB 2.0 so you can just drag and drop your files over from your PC. Better still, the N91 has 3G (WCDMA) and both built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. Should be out sometime around the end of the year.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this one in]

[Blurrz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Holy crap, Lois! Freaking sweet!

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

i was considering buying that orange SE W800, but for that you need to buy memory sticks, this has a 4Gig built in, sweet deal, especially sweet since i'm determined not to buy any more sony products since that europe PSP release date revelation.

i guess apple wont mind, since nokia must have paid enough to get AAC playing rights.

[Doooogs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Very clever.....and only the start of this type for Nokia. me wonders...

[Bob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Weeee can't wait till mobile p2p starts up :) with no central server ofcourse so you can just hookup with any mobile in the area and share :D

Music is so much better when u share!!!

[010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

why would they have to pay Apple for AAC 'playing rights'? perhaps you are confusing Apples DRM-encapsulated AAC files with plain un-DRM'd AAC files. one involves Apple and 'paying' and 'playing rights' and the other doesn't. the former is normally referred to as an M4P as well... as in "MPEG-4 Audio - Protected".

these would be the people Nokia would have to had made talk talk with. http://www.vialicensing.com/products/mpeg4aac/standard.html

[Yet another matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I take it back, its stunning, i love all those Ns. Thank you nokia for not letting me down. Buttons still look like they need a paper clip to press tho

[Dan Schwartz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I was thinking of buying a shuffle and a new slimmer phone without a camera (I really just need bluetooth) - as I've already got a camera I always have on me. Perhaps I'll wait and just get this. Would be even cooler if it has a retractible headset/headpones

[Jacob Varghese @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I think I hear Apple's market share dropping like a rock. I really hope they come out with their own iphone this year. Sell it direct to the consumer and forget the carriers.

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#5 - thanks for clearning that up for me

then i guess its all out war against sonyEricsson, Sony, apple and all the others

its all good

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#7

"Would be even cooler if it has a retractible headset/headpones"

bluetooth my friend, bluetooth!!

[Ian Jardine @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Err it should be a world phone with cdma2000 capability. Then it would fly for me.

[TheZodiac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

BT and WiFi? Holyshitballs. That spec I missed. I wonder what the batter life is: 60 mins? :)

Thats a lot of crap ti stuff into a phone... I would like to see pics of it up against something generic, like - a floppy disk or a hershy bar :)

[mehool @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

this phone is wicked. I bet they will disable audio file sharing over bluetooth. but if not...

[N @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

The iPod is officially toast! Even though I already have a mini, I can't wait to get my hands on this puppy. 4Gb, 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth, USB mass storage, 2mp camera. OMG!
The best thing about it is that it's a Symbian phone, so there will be add on apps to support OGG, FLAC and any other open codec out there.

[JrezIN @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

If they add Ogg Vorbis (and maybe gapless playback), my pocket will have a new friend... =]

[Jim Hughes @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"world phone with cdma2000 capability", ha ha ha, get with the program!

Apart from one small country with a handful of mobile users the rest of the planet is on GSM (on 900 and 1800 MHz) and 3G (UMTS/WCDMA).

If the FCC want to keep the US an isolated backwater that's fine, but don't muck things up for the rest of us.

[John Mariner @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

This is the first serious iPod killer I have seen up to now. I have owned iPods since its very first incarnation, and have used them as a perfect gift on many occasions. But this phone seems just too good.

[Snowmobile @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

iPod killer? Not with those looks. Nokia seems to be lost in the design department. All their latest phones look like crap.

[jg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

this thing is sick!!! i might have to get either this. only thing that could compete is a treo with microsoft os and wi-fi comes out i will be struggling to decide.

[John Smith @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Ipod killer???!!! Please..This is a phone and with wireless and a hard drive. Just how long do you think the battery will last for this. If you use just the phone, I bet it will last no more than an hour or two talk time. Way to short for anyone in the business world. I would have to walk around with a charger everywhere I went. Apple ipod photo battery lasts 15 hours. I would like to see them compete with that. Ha.

[Bryan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

From the press release on battery time:

The Nokia N91 serves up to 12.5 hours of great sound via the included stereo headset with remote control.

[Glenn @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Thats great, until you drop it.

[atomb @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#17 (snowmobile)...funny how your only defence to the 'ipod killer' comment is looks....i guess what they say about apple consumers is true.

attracted to nothing but shiny white plastic...who cares what it does!

[christopher wanko @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

So, do you buy this or the Palm LifeDrive/ Tungsten X?

[crsh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

and it's 6 times the price of a 4gb ipod mini! great!!

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

coz its a friggin phone
with bluetooth . 2mp camera etc..etc..

did u expect it to be the same price as an ipodmini which JUST plays music?

mad!

[locknroll @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Wow Nokia finally does something right
After the N-gage debacle and every Nokia smartphone having crappy MMC flash cards and non standadrd audio jacks, this is exactly what is needed in a ubergadget- Wifi, Bluetooth, Hardrive.

It is definitley not as slick as it could be, hopefully the unit is not too big/heavy or has crappy batterylife/processor.

Ipod meet Nokia

[Bryan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#24 - where did you see a price? I have not been able to find one. Thanks.

[Nokia Investor @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

OK - I am sick and tired of these show and tell sessions that the wireless phone industry is holding now-a-days.....If you have a product get it to market....saying here it is but wait 6 months is ridiculous...Apple does it best...introduce the product and ship almost same day...or at least within a month afterwards...

[John Mariner @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I don't subscribe to the "looks" argument, as long as the ergonomics and UI are fine, looks will either follow or be secondary. However, price is of course of main argument. Indeed, this is a good point for the iPod. But, if you can get this phone with a three year subscription plan for the initial cost of an iPod photo, I am not convinced people would not be willing to go for it: you have one device LESS to deal with or buy or cary around... Anyway, let's not discount what Apple can come up with next either!

[Expungable Robot @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

One thing I haven't heard addressed regarding everyone assuming phones and mp3 players are perfect combos: how, when a phone can hold a full library of music, enough to be your main source of music, will you listen to whole albums on anything but headphones without constantly having to interrupt play to answer the phone? What if you recieve a call while playing music for a party? It doesn't seem quite logical to combine the two- it seems it might be needlesly irritating.

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Most of these phones should just automatically pause when a call comes in, and continue player after the phone call ends. If you don't want to recieve calls, you can probably mute your phone or shut off the phone and leave only the mp3 player on, which is possible with the sony ericsson atleast. I personally think this is a great combination, since phones are considered a higher necessity than mp3 players, but everyone wants to have an mp3 player around all the time. Why not just combine the two so you don't have to pick and choose. Of course, the price on these things better be right!

[rc51 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Wow, I'm in love:) Shame about
its butt ugly looks. If only
they hired Jonathon Ives for the
design (apple designer).

[BigQid @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Did anybody else here that? Nokia said Apple's Mom is a what? And she can do what with her ipod? Dang, Apple you just gonna take that? Whatcha gonna do? What's up now?

[BigQid @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!

[Ian Jardine @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#16
Well I'm glad to see you are "dropping" the old gsm/edge and getting with the cdma program:) But you just had to get something slightly different and call it Wcdma. But you will still pay the royalties to Qualcomm;)
By the way the reach of today's cdma is wider than you think.

[mveloso @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Hmmm. What carriers are using this phone?

The only weird thing is that little joystick. It seems that'll snag on everything when you pull it out of your pocket.

If this phone is carrier-free, then maybe Moto's phone'll be carrier-free?

[semi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

i wonder who the nokia designer is, its not ugly,

british do know how to design.
eg. jonathan ives, sir norman foster

[N @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

>> What if you recieve a call while playing music for a party?

#23, Wow, I'm sure missing out on some wild parties there! No offence, but I'm guessing that you're maybe not the target audience. :)

I'm loathe to join the Nokia/Apple debate, but this is a serious swipe at the iPod market, and if Nokia can get these subsidised by the networks, you'll be getting these for 50 quid in a year.

[Sam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Phone
4 GB music player that supports the major formats.
2.5 MP camera for still shots
video clip capture and player with audio capture
fm receiver
line-in for recording
standard 3.5 inch stereo jack
wi0fi and bluetooth
basic pda items like calendar and to-do lists and address books

really folks, what else do you want in your pocket? I can't imagine how much this would cost, but it's everything I wish I had in one device.

I really wish apple had done this or hope they will do it... not just because of the looks, but because with all that stuff you'll need a really nice GUI which apple DOES have a knack for, which is the only thing that worries me about this phone...

[K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Great features but why does it have to be so damn ugly??

[mynameisnotrequired @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

So when will verizon or sprint be getting one of these? Oh, that's right, they NEVER get any good phones. Nobody gives the cool toys to the kid who just breaks them all the time.

[Brandon Paddock @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"Apple ipod photo battery lasts 15 hours. I would like to see them compete with that. Ha."


Easily done, given that Apple has some of the worst batteries in the market.


As for AAC, they said nothing about supporting Apple's "FairPlay" DRM.

AAC (like MP3 and WMA) does require a license, but in the case of AAC, it comes from Dolby (who owns the rights to AAC), not Apple.

[rajah huberishmani @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Score: Convergence 42 Battery Life 0

Big score for Jorma! If Iannucci can keep the charge, they'll be no "Jobs" security.

Live long and prosper

[Brandon Paddock @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"So when will verizon or sprint be getting one of these? Oh, that's right, they NEVER get any good phones. Nobody gives the cool toys to the kid who just breaks them all the time."

Err, my PPC-6600 is pretty damn sweet.

How many GSM phones in the US support EVDO speeds? How many GSM phones support 1xRTT speeds EVERYWHERE?

GSM is great if you travel outside of North America a lot. For data in the US, Sprint is king right now - and they don't look ready to give that up anytime soon.

[AG @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#15 Ogg Vorbis is already fully supported on S 60 interface handsets with an excellent player (it's much better than the standard 'Nokia' RealPlayer one):

http://sourceforge.net/projects/symbianoggplay

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

If the price of this thing is similar to an ipod, it will sell because I know lots of people who buy $200 phones every year. Maybe it could be more stylish, but then Creative and Apple haven't taken their shot at it. How difficult would it be to get one of them to work with Motorola or Nokia on something more than a phone that works with iTunes, but an ipod phone.

[David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Knowing Nokia, the price of this thing will be over $500. I mean, not only will this be one of the first mp3 phones that actually might work well, it doesn't lack in other features as well.

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

And how much better would this look without that bulging top half on the sides by the screen...

[jg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

imagine the possibilities with this thing. with wi-fi if you have a wi-fi enabled car it would automatically be able to play music from your phone through wi-fi and then when you hop out of your car you grab your phone. This has been my problem with the ipod I've been wanting to use it in my car (ie. integrated Alpine solution). However if I'm going out somewhere I don't want to keep the iPod in my car because if it gets very hot in my car i don't like the idea of keeping it in there, but at the same time I don't wanna lug an ipod around with me, or remember to take it everytime i leave the house. with a phone i always need it on me anyways so no big deal. for me it would be an ideal solution now all i need is a car with bluetooth capabilities!