8GB Nokia N95 lands on Rogers, sticks tongue out at AT&T

Get this: the first North American carrier to offer up Nokia's 8GB N95 isn't AT&T. Heck, it's not even a US-based operator. No friends, it's Canada's own Rogers Wireless. Just as we had heard late last month, the N95 8GB has officially landed in the Great North, and starting on May 6th, consumers up that way will be able to secure one for a hefty $399.99 with a three-year activation on the Rogers Vision Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan. Don't weep too heavily, AT&T users -- your time should be coming soon.

[Rick @ May 2nd 2008 11:49AM]

For a 2-year old phone I'm surprised it hasn't slimmed down at all...really awesome phone from what I've read, but the K850 is smaller (and yeah uglier) and I want something I can actually stick in my pocket.

I'm fine with my Blackberry Peal for now, I'll wait for the iPhone, I've held out this long already.

[Nando @ May 2nd 2008 12:18PM]

"...I want something I can actually stick in my pocket."

LOL!!!

[murray @ May 2nd 2008 12:52PM]

You must have teeny weeny pockets there, Fonz.

[Darkest Daze @ May 2nd 2008 11:49AM]

I'm sure that's what everyone says about you, too.

[Cedric Boone @ May 2nd 2008 11:50AM]

Owned

[Flashpoint @ May 2nd 2008 11:51AM]

I'm almost glad Apple produced thee iPhone. That will force everyone else to step their game up and make better phones with better software.

As for this...I'm not impressed at all.

[MBS @ May 2nd 2008 12:13PM]

Umm.... you are aware that this phone is much older than the iPhone right?

[psxp @ May 2nd 2008 11:53AM]

gives something for the Treo 600 people to upgrade to ;-)

[brendan @ May 2nd 2008 11:56AM]

3 year contract?! Is this standard in Canada?

[Inkreef @ May 2nd 2008 12:01PM]

Unfortunately, yes.

[Jared @ May 2nd 2008 12:10PM]

@ Inkreef - How sad is that, I hate the 2 year contract enough the way it is, and have yet to have a phone last me more than 1.5+ years, ouch!!

[roman.kim @ May 2nd 2008 12:14PM]

It's extremely hard to make a phone last 3 years, it'll be obsolete in 1 year or less, and in another year it'll start falling apart.
Most people use phones for 1.5 - 2 years though, so the money they saved on the phone by signing the contract goes towards paying the contract termination fees...

[holycow @ May 2nd 2008 12:30PM]

Ya 3 years, and then one fine day they'll call you and then tell you about this new plan they have (you'll ask "will it renew my contract?", they say"NO") and you agree to the new plan and BAM! your contract has now been renewed!


seriously F*** YOU ROGERS!

[tiuk @ May 2nd 2008 12:41PM]

The whole three year contract thing doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of how bad we get screwed by wireless providers here.

[sotec_productions @ May 2nd 2008 4:54PM]

I've had this Motorola L2 for about a year and a half now. I love the candybar style phones, but I hate this L2. I started to hate it after about 2 months. Even with linux as it's mOS, it lags, it freezes, it sleeps at random times or when I hang the phone up or back out of a menu, all this and much much more from day 1. But, what can I do? I'm in a 2 year contract and the phone was free. *shrugs* One thing I can say on the positive is that I'm right at about the 1.5year mark, and this phone has been through hell with me. I'm a professional mover by employment, so this phone gets crushed every day by furniture being rested on my thigh, it's been completely submerged in a puddle, it's been rained on, it's been tossed around a parking lot, and countless times it has been dumped off of my lap onto the ground from the front seat of the box truck I drive. It has exactly 2 small scratches on the screen, and all four corners of the case itself are nic'd, and while it still puts itself to sleep whenever it wants to and still retains some of the quirks mentioned in the former portion of this paragraph, it still works, it still connects to the bluetooth earpiece I received for Christmas, and it just won't die. It won't! All of the hardware and the battery plate are still tight, nothing moves around or jiggles, all the buttons still work properly. All in all, sans the minor cosmetic flaws, it's a pretty solidly built phone. Will I buy another one? No effing way. I'm upping to a smartphone of some sort, either a Nokia or a Blackberry style bar phone, possibly with a touchscreen (just as long as it's not an iPhone. Screw AT&T, I'm changing carriers as well.)

Any suggestions as to what phone I should purchase if I were to theoretically purchase a phone today? I won't be changing carriers or phones until November, but since 6 months is a blip in the mind of technology, we can't know what phones will exist then. So, today, what phone should I buy?

What I want in a phone:

camera
bar style phone
touchscreen?
SD slot?
gps
email
qwerty keyboard (single letter keys)
LOUD call volume (I want to have to turn the volume down, not wish it would go higher; my biggest beef with this Motorola L2)
bluetooth (gotta have it for the earpiece)
I don't care whether it's Windows Mobile or linux, just as long as it's not an iPhone. Although, a buddy told me that Windows Mobile 6 is boombastic.

My email: [e-mail] (best to just copy/paste it, lol)

[Chris @ May 2nd 2008 12:03PM]

looks like wi-fi not be an issue, unless you get it debranded of course, but telenav?! so GPS is not free!?

[tom @ May 2nd 2008 12:15PM]

Don't fxxxing fool around with Rogers device. "Rogers Vision Unlimited On-Device Mobile Browsing Plan" is basically a browser of WAP and cheapo html, no fancy flash feature.

You can download third party apps and use them at 5cents / kb. You can say goodbye to google maps.

[Engadgetluvsappl @ May 2nd 2008 12:29PM]

Why would you need to pay with google maps considesing this has REAL GPS?

[tom @ May 2nd 2008 12:48PM]

a GPS will only give you the coordinates, what about the mapping? unless N95 has it built-in

[bachviet @ May 2nd 2008 2:17PM]

Nokia Maps are free as long as you don't use aGPS function. However it does not provide voice guidance. It still tracks and provides direction just like TT 6 or Garmin XT.

[huh @ May 2nd 2008 12:10PM]

Well, if this comes out on Fido I might actually get one.

[tom @ May 2nd 2008 12:12PM]

ain't gonna happen...all Fido will get now is 2nd tier phone. Fido is a no-frills brand now

[huh @ May 2nd 2008 12:31PM]

Uh, Engadget, standlone reply pages don't work now.

Tom, sadly, you are probably right. I have been with fido for a long time, when they had $50/month unlimited GPRS and were not owned by Rogers. Now they are Roger's plaything and my huge credit is worthless since they have nothing I want. They keep offering me free phones, their highest end models, but nothing is of interest. The upside is they'll never get me on a multi year plan.

[theidoctor.org @ May 2nd 2008 12:12PM]

what a deal! Not! nice phone though

[Nando @ May 2nd 2008 12:17PM]

LOL!!

[Anthony @ May 2nd 2008 12:17PM]

It may not be the most attractive phone ever made, but I had the original N95, sold it, got the K850 & then came back to the N95 8gb.

After probably 20 phones in the last 2 years I don't see myself changing any time soon (SE's X1 looks good, but I'll likely wait to see how it really functions before diving & the N96 just looks too big w/ no real payoff).

Functionally it's the best phone I've ever owned & I have no aching desire to "upgrade"- which I've always had knowing something was "better".

[RS @ May 2nd 2008 12:19PM]

I played with the last version of this phone...all I can say is no more! Like comments above, this phone is huge and heavy. You would not believe how heavy it gets on a longer call. It had great call quality, but terrible, and I mean terrible battery life. You will need a minimum of 3 batteries during your 3 year contract and its no steal at that price. iPhone is years ahead in software, speed, web browsing, photos, music, and on and on.

[Engadgetluvsappl @ May 2nd 2008 12:31PM]

That's funny when you consider that this phone is smaller and lighter than the iPhone!

Where's the flash video support in your iPhone's browser?

BTW, the battery on my N95 8GB is superb!

[Scott @ May 2nd 2008 2:49PM]

Enjoy your number pad text entry. Rock that baby like it's 1995!

[marc @ May 2nd 2008 3:08PM]

@RS
iPhone
Dimensions 115 x 61 x 11.6 mm
Weight 135 g

N95
Dimensions 99 x 53 x 21 mm
Weight 120 g

"huge and heavy"

Never let the facts get in the way of a good rant.

[tom @ May 2nd 2008 4:05PM]

You are sitting ducks when you iPhone runs out of juice. PERIOD!

@Scott
How many wpm are you getting on your iPhone? Faster than T9?

[Engadgetluvsappl @ May 2nd 2008 12:20PM]

Since when has it been 2 years old? Anyways, how exactly is the SAME phone ment to slim down after a few months in the market, go to a phone gym or something? Oh yeah, just to let you know, it's easier to slip this into your pocket than an iPhone, it's lighter aswell.

Seriously, this is ATTrocious (see what I did there?) a 3 year contract! WTF are these guys smoking... $399 aswell... Damn... These guys must have a neverending supply of blue magic or something!

I sure do love my FREE N95 8GB on a 12-month contract!

[stompntom @ May 2nd 2008 12:25PM]

Welcome to Canadian cellphone markets

[PS3guy @ May 2nd 2008 12:24PM]

Mehhh no touch screen.

[holycow @ May 2nd 2008 12:25PM]

You mean Canada is getting decent phones now !? .. but jeez 399.99.. i'd rather pay 200ish more and get an unlocked one with full features not a crippled rogers one.

[konceptz @ May 2nd 2008 12:30PM]

This article seems to assume everyone already knows the phone. I guess it has been out for a year+ already.

Good specs even for an old(relatively) phone. 5MP Camera, Wifi (B,G), Bluetooth(All of them), GPS, AGPS, 3G, 2.8 LCD, Front Cam(Video Call), Stereo Speakers, etc. Lacking qwerty and touchscreen.

[merovin @ May 2nd 2008 12:31PM]

With Rogers you can get 7.5mbps internet on this smartphone.

[Sushi @ May 2nd 2008 11:59PM]

You also get a bill that will probably send you on the streets for a good 100 or so years. Welcome to the Canadian Mobile Market.

[for those who dont know: there is no Unlimited Data plan with Rogers, only Unlimited Browsing, and any extra data charges are 5 Cents per KB]

[Phoenix @ May 2nd 2008 1:04PM]

If you like the X1 then you'll LOVE the HTC Raphael, Titanium and/or Diamond

[Alex @ May 2nd 2008 2:15PM]

Man, this phone was raped with an ugly stick...

[MBS @ May 2nd 2008 3:36PM]

Your comment was raped with a lame stick

[Rich @ May 2nd 2008 1:36PM]

$399 on a three year contract? Ouch.

Still, I love my N95 8GB. It's not perfect but it's my favourite phone on the market at the moment. Sure, it's not quite as sexy as the iPhone but it makes up for it with HSDPA, 5MP AF camera, GPS, proper Bluetooth, MMS, USB mass storage, etc, etc, etc.

I love using Google Maps with the N95's GPS. I can a lock-on in about 5 seconds and its accurate enough to tell me which side of the street I'm on. :)

[Paul @ May 2nd 2008 2:25PM]

Ok people, why is everyone getting upset about a 3 year contract and the $399. price tag? Do you change your service provider that often that a 3 year commitment is that much of a big deal? And if you want to buy this phone outright, with no contract, be my guest, surf on over to www.expansys.ca , they will be happy to sell one unlocked for a whopping $754.95, plus taxes, and shipping. This phone is killer for all of it's apps and workable software. It will be a quality upgrade form my 2.5 year old 6682.

[AlphaTeam @ May 2nd 2008 2:33PM]

Been there; done that.

Seriously 3 year agreement?

I'll stick with paying full retail; also better resell value.

[Kevin @ May 2nd 2008 3:37PM]

I have the N95 8GB on Fido (a smaller company Rogers owns).

The phone performs beautifully. Torrents, LimeWire, Streaming OGG, FTP and the obvious HTTP browsing all work beautifully on device.

I have customized the firmware and opened her up to unsigned software. My phone can sign unsigned software instantly, with the SignSIS app and a modified operating and certificate manager.

Speeds are great, around 225+ KBps.

This is the phone iPhony users dream of. Call me (oh wait, I can'
t hear you. You're breaking up.)

[test @ May 2nd 2008 7:49PM]

You're all idiots: "3rd party applications are applications like Yahoo! Go or GoogleMaps. These are non-Rogers applications which may be downloaded tothe device and incur data charges at a rate of 5¢/KB." $50/MB? That's a ripoff!

[test @ May 2nd 2008 7:46PM]

You're all idiots:

"3rd party applications are applications like Yahoo! Go or Google Maps. These are non-Rogers applications which may be downloaded to the device and incur data charges at a rate of 5¢/KB."

$50/MB? That's a ripoff!

[marc @ May 2nd 2008 8:13PM]

3rd party applications include a lot more than Yahoo! Go and GoogleMaps. See http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/software/Nokia_N95/ for a sampling of the kinds of applications that are available.

Moreover, the phone has WiFi, so you're not limited to Rogers' data connection when you need to upload your pics to Flickr or grab a podcast, just wait until you hit a hotspot.

[test @ May 3rd 2008 12:03AM]

What kind of a moron are you? I was quoting the Rogers website. DUH, there are more other third party apps for this useless phone.

The whole point of 3G is to avoid WIFI. What if you can't get a WIFI connection? Who wants to keep switching back and forth if you can get one. This is the shittiest plan that I've ever seen $50/MB. I hate rogers.

[unfunk @ May 2nd 2008 11:42PM]

I think the real story here is that North America is only just getting this fine, fine phone some six months or more after the rest of the world... I've had mine for six months, and I live in Australia, where we usually get raped over such things. Why is North America so behind the times with this?