n96
Latest
Screen Grabs: Nokia N96 preserves the evidence on Dexter
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. No this isn't the first Nokia-wielding fictional character or celeb that we've seen in this space, but the N96 recently spotted in the hands of our favorite psychopath has us wondering: would Dexter Morgan try N-Gage? And wouldn't he prefer something with a QWERTY keyboard? Come to think of it, we always thought of him as a BlackBerry guy. Then again, times are tough, and as a new father he has to make... sacrifices.Update: We originally identified this one as the N81. Thanks to all you raving Nokia fanatics who pointed out the error. %Gallery-76127%
Commodore 64 emulator brings retro joy to Symbian S60
Have a Symbian S60-based handset in your pocket, do you? If you've a fever that can only be cured by more Commodore 64, you're in luck. The FrodoS60 application brings C64 emulation right to your N95, N96 or any other S60 mobile, and the updated version (1.5) even includes accelerometer support. Head past the break for a quick look at how much joy this little app could bring to your life, and hit the read link if you're interested in getting in on it. Which you are, so stop denying it.[Via digitoday, thanks Antti]
All-black Nokia N96 now available for O2, and it's free on contract to boot
Nokia's N96 is a pretty boy, no question about it. But for those who prefer their gadgets to be murdered out, so to speak, this is the one you're after. To our knowledge, this is the very first all-black N96 offered up for sale, and if you're kosher with an 18 month contract with O2, you can get it right now for £zilch. Not bad, eh?[Via Symbian-Guru]
Nokia N96 gets updated for the yanks
Remember that awesome firmware update for the N96 from a few weeks back? It's finally available for the North American version of the phone, carrying on Nokia's time-honored tradition of stringing North Americans along just a teensy bit longer than their European friends. The platform now rests at v12.043, bringing better image quality from the camera, better Bluetooth, a new version of the Switch app, and countless other goodies. One thing it won't do is magically turn your N96 into an N85, but nothing's perfect, now is it?[Via IntoMobile and Symbian-Freak]
Nokia's N96 Comes With Music edition up for pre-order
First came the 5310 XpressMusic, then came word of a CWM-equipped N95. Now, we're feasting our eyes on a Comes With Music N96, freshly for sale on Nokia's UK website. The device seems unchanged outside of its newfound support for Nokia's all-you-can-devour music service, and the 16GB of internal memory should keep the sine waves flowin' for a good while. £540 ($799) gets you the handset, a stereo headset (wired), a few chargers and one year of free access to upwards of two million songs which are yours to keep forever after downloading. Expect shipments to begin in January 2009.[Via UnwiredView]
Nokia N96 firmware update makes overall experience smoother
Just days after groaning about Nokia's plans to shelve its v31 firmware update for the N95 comes an actual firmware update for the one-better N96. The v12.043 update is now available via the company's Software Updater application, and according to early reports, it makes the entire user interface faster to navigate, the camera a bit more accurate in focusing and the WiFi range more palatable. We can count three reasons you should be getting your download on right now -- do you really need another?[Via MobileBurn]
Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition: the only thing tougher than Chuck Norris
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gadgets/Nokia_N96_Bruce_Lee_Edition_is_tougher_than_Chuck_Norris'; OMG OMG OMG... sorry, but our inner japanese school-girl was just unleashed with the arrival of the Nokia N96 Bruce Lee Edition. If Nokia had any sense, they'd expand the action-doll bundle to the world beyond Hong Kong. Even for 8,788 Chinese Yuan (about $1,286) we're seriously tempted. Watch Bruce clean up at ping pong in the Nokia video posted after the break -- no, really.[Via Unwired View, Thanks Robin oL]
North American N96 hits Nokia flagship stores
Nokia's North American N96 has already made an appearance at Best Buy Mobile locations but, if you're the die hard type that prefers to keep things as Nokia-centric as possible, you'll no doubt be pleased to know that Nokia's flagship phone is now also available at Nokia's two flagship stores in New York and Chicago. You will have to pay a slight premium for all that Nokia-ness, however, with the phone running a hefty $842 (unlocked, of course) at the stores compared to the $800 Best Buy is asking. Those with a bit more will power and slightly less affection for Nokia may want to think twice though, as Amazon now also has the phone listed for just $705.99, albeit with a promised ship date of November 9th.[Via Symbian-Guru.com]
Nokia's N96 comes to Best Buy for upwards of $800
Man, Nokia sure is proud of its unlocked N96, huh? As with the HTC Touch Diamond in CompUSA and the BlackBerry Bold at Best Buy Mobile, the flagship N-series device won't run you cheap off-contract. The Boy Genius shows off a flyer advertising the 16GB, 5MP powerhouse for "just" $799.99 (as expected), but judging by the standard $899.99 price on the outfit's website, we're thinking the lower sticker may be for a limited time only. The question isn't how bad do you want it -- it's do you really want it more than 1.825 WiMAX-enabled N810s?[Via Boy Genius Report]
Nokia N96 already nabs a firmware update, problems afoot?
The good news is that Nokia seems to be proactively addressing problems and taking care of new N96 owners, issuing a firmware update just days after the first units hit shelves around Europe. The bad news, though, is that this first update might actually be making things worse. You know what they say about vocal minorities, but there seems to be a groundswell of complaints brewing over the upgrade to v11.018 issued last week, particularly regarding earpiece volume. An N96 you can't hear isn't much more than an HSDPA-equipped paperweight -- and a particularly expensive one, may we add -- so if there's a real issue here, let's hope Nokia keeps pumping out that code to get it closed.[Via All About Symbian and Symbian Freak]
Nokia N96 review roundup
When the N95 was released, it was all but universally adored. Even today, nearly two full years after it was first revealed, it's still one of the most respected in Nokia's lineup. From the get-go, we knew the N96 was more evolutionary and less revolutionary; after all, the two handsets even look alike. The general consensus this time around is about what we expected: the N96 is a fine phone, and a worthy successor, but probably not worth the high price it's currently demanding. Oh sure, the call quality was stupendous, battery life was satisfactory and the multimedia playback was superb, but some critics were a bit displeased with the fit and finish given the premium price tag. All in all, don't go into the links below expecting any huge surprises -- the N96 is a nicely revamped, high-priced N95, and if that's what you're looking for, there doesn't seem to be any underlying issues that should hold you back from indulging.Read - PhoneArena ("Nokia seems to have taken more of a lateral step than pushing forward with innovation.")Read - MobileArsenal ("...doesn't have anything we didn't see before...")Read - LordPercy ("...an improved, quality phone...")Read - Mobile88 (4 out of 5 stars)
Best Buy Mobile to carry Nokia N96 next month?
Anyone (well, anyone stateside) hankering for Nokia's latest and greatest flagship might need to look no further than their local Best Buy Mobile kiosk starting in October -- if the chain's current plan holds up, anyhow. Stock information indicates that unlocked N96s will start flowing into locations on October 26 to be exact for a stiff $799.99. Cheap it ain't, but we suppose pricey stock is better than no stock at all, yeah?[Thanks, Carl]
Nokia N96 gets put through its paces
We've already seen Nokia's new N96 up-close and unboxed, but if you're looking for a bit more information before your potential purchase, you may want to head over to All About Symbian, which has a few first impressions of the phone. Among other things, its contributor found the screen to be "great," even outdoors, and the overall build quality is described as "good," if a bit "plasticky." He also found the music quality to be especially good over Bluetooth/A2DP, and from the built-in speakers as well, which are apparently "very loud." On the downside, the camera shutter key proved to be a bit stiff, and some of the third-party applications like ProfiMail were to be a bit buggy, as was Nokia's Switch app when attempting to transfer data from an E90 to the N96. Hit up the link below for a few more details, and some sample photos taken with the N96's camera.
Nokia's N96 gets unboxed on video, looks exactly like you'd expect it to
We won't kid ourselves here -- you know good and well what Nokia's N96 looks, feels and tastes like, but given that it just started shipping in Europe within the last 24 hours, we figured it prudent to pass along the first proper unboxing of the retail unit. Like we said, don't expect any surprises with this one, but we still suspect you'll leave the video waiting after the jump with a smile on your face.[Thanks, Steve]
Nokia's N96 now shipping, finally
Hey, it's not September 15th yet! Nevertheless, Nokia's flagship N96 is now shipping in Europe for €550 before taxes and subsidies. Yes, the very same 5 megapixel, dual-sliding media powerhouse with 16GB of storage spotted all the way back in December of last year. By now you should be familiar with the specs, hands-ons, tear-downs, and reviews. Unless, perhaps, you stumbled upon us while looking for Ms Trudy's Crochet and Needlepoint, we know that Engadget Mobile's Magenta colors can be confusing.
Nokia N79, N85 and N96 hands-on
Well, they're here. Nokia's latest and greatest N-series devices just hit the market like a trio of well-aimed bricks -- or at least that's what Nokia's hoping. We got to spend a little bit of hands-on time with prototypes of the new devices, and while we came away slightly impressed, we were nowhere near E-series impressed. Here's our biggest problem with the lineup: the only one worth talking about is the N85. Other than minor screen size disparities, the 16GB built-in memory of the N96 and the fresh candybar form of the N79, these three phones are pretty much exactly identical on specs, and yet the N96 manages to be inexcusably bulky, while the N79 sports an inexcusably terrible screen -- we're hoping that was just the prototype being funky, but we saw two versions with the same problem. The N85 isn't exactly the pinnacle of thinphoneness, but its amazing OLED screen and more refined design make the N96 look like more of a rough draft than a sibling. On the interface side, the phones are much more responsive to S60's new motion and transitions, but Nokia has oddly chosen to disable the Navi Wheel scrolling in all three phones -- a weird move, but we can't say we blame them, we haven't had a single good experience with Navi Wheel since Nokia introduced it. In all, we're not exactly thrilled about Nokia's prospects for winning over the masses with this new series of devices. Sure, Nokia will protest that it's going after the high-end users, but 5 megapixel cameras, GPS and WiFi are no longer the differentiators they once were, and users have begun to expect thinner, sexier devices at prices far below the N96's gargantuan $895 pricetag.%Gallery-30509%
Nokia's N96 grabs a Q4 North America launch date
You've seen the review, now get ready as Nokia just announced a Q4, North American release for its high-end, N96. That means localized 850/1900 HSDPA radios to go along with its GSM quad-band set, 2.8-inch QVGA display, 16GB of storage, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics, WiFi, and assisted GPS. Interestingly, there's no mention of mobile TV which makes it seem that they've scrapped DVB-H entirely without a mediaFLO replacement. How much? $895, that's how much -- sorry you asked?
Nokia N96 to hit European carriers starting in September
Nokia's Indian division recently announced that its customers there would be able to snatch up N96s of their own starting in September, so it comes as no surprise that European carriers are starting to confirm September release windows, too. Dutch carrier KPN, specifically, has announced that the N96 will start to flow its way in just a few tantalizingly short weeks -- September 15, to be exact -- while other carriers will have to wait an additional month until October 15 to get in on the action. One month isn't much of an exclusivity period, but when it comes to Nokia's most anticipated phone of the last few months (Tube notwithstanding), we're sure KPN will take what it can get.[Via Mobile Phone Helpdesk]
Nokia N96 gets Indian pre-launch
Nokia's Indian outpost has announced that it'll be offering the hotly anticipated top-of-the-line N96 there starting next month, and in the meantime, about 2,000 stores across the country have been authorized to start accepting pre-orders. By and large, this N96 seems to be the same one everyone else will be getting -- but one India-exclusive feature will be Wave Secure, an S60 app designed to give owners some semblance of peace of mind by backing up their data to the cloud and enabling device tracking if their precious payload is lost or jacked. It's a hot phone, no question about it -- 16GB of onboard storage plus the capability for microSD expansion is nothing to sneeze at -- but without a 3G network to latch onto, seems like it could be a tough sell if the price isn't right.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia to early N96 buyers: no phone yet, so here's a headset
Here's a little Espoo humor for you: offer a crazy-expensive limited edition of the N96, make buyers think they'll be getting it early, and when they don't, ship them stereo Bluetooth headphones as a consolation prize which -- wait for it -- you need a phone (like that unshipped N96, for example) to use. Whatever, we suppose it's better than getting a cold shoulder, but the silver BH-503s getting shipped to at least some of the Face The Task buyers sure aren't a substitute for the real deal.