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Nokia WiMAX N810 appears in the wild
The WiMAX version of Nokia's N810 internet tablet has already popped up on Nokia's European site, lending creedence to all those whispers about a CTIA debut tomorrow, and now we've got units showing up in the wild, which is probably a good sign. There were apparently some other shots of this bad boy on Flickr, but they've since been removed -- let's hope tomorrow brings us some official beauty shots, eh?
FCC approves Nokia N78's North American 3G version, too
Finally, we can all collectively get a good night's sleep. There were some brief moments of discomfort at Engadget HQ last week when we discovered a completely 3G-less version of the Nokia N78 in the FCC's labs; we'd heard after the fact that it was destined for China, but there's still a little bit of that queasy, sick-to-your-stomach feeling until you see the true North American 3G version we were promised at MWC with your own two eyes (come on, don't even front like you haven't felt that before). Well, here ya go -- the SAR report for the RM-342 (an internal model number, of course) verifies that HSDPA is present on both the 850 and 1900MHz bands this time around, so we can get back to our daily lives and routines in peace until it finally launches later this year. Carry on.
The Nokia N96 redefines "high-end"
Rumored for a few weeks now as the N95's successor in waiting, the mighty N96 dual slider has gone all official on us at Mobile World Congress today. Though the phone it replaces is still a beast by any measure, the N96 pushes the envelope further by packing a solid 16GB of storage internally in addition to a microSD slot, something the N95 8GB lacks. The 5 megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens carries over, but there are now two LEDs doing flash and video light duty. The 2.8 inch QVGA display will come in handy for the integrated DVB-H mobile TV tuner, while a 3.5mm headphone jack, A2DP, and integrated stereo speakers should handle audio with aplomb. Other features include WiFi, AGPS, and morphing lights on the smaller second slide that hook the user up with game controls when it's time to relax with a little N-Gage action. Unfortunately, the first version of the N96 (and the only version announced thus far) supports HSDPA only on the 900 and 2100MHz bands, but we imagine the strength of the spec sheet should still be enough to sell a few of these stateside when it launches in the third quarter for €550 (about $797).%Gallery-15703%Update: The fine crew at NokNok have the first video of the N96 in action. Check it after the break.
The Nokia N78, in European and North American flavors
The revamped Nseries lineup is coming fast and furious since the launch of the N81 and N82 late last year, and the latest candybar to get the updated industrial design is the N78, a midrange handset (by Nseries standards, anyway) with an integrated FM transmitter setting it apart from the crowd. Another notable feature is its picture geotagging capability, made possible by the 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera paired with integrated AGPS. Other than that, it's pretty much your average S60 Third Edition Feature Pack 2 piece with Bluetooth and WiFi, though it's the very first Nseries model to be announced in both European and North American 3G versions simultaneously -- and if that's not progress, we don't know what is. Look for it to start stocking shelves next quarter for €350 (about $507).%Gallery-15686%
The Nokia N82 gets official
Right on schedule, Nokia has announced its latest addition to the multimedia-centric (and game-riffic) Nseries line, the N82 candybar. The phone clearly bears a striking resemblance to its recently announced cousin -- the N81 slider -- but the N82 ups the ante with a 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens paired with autofocus (naturally) and a xenon flash. Other features include microSD expansion, support for Nokia's own Ovi goodies, WiFi, assisted GPS, a 2.4 inch QVGA display front and center, and an honest-to-goodness 3.5mm headphone jack like the N95 before it. The GSM / EDGE radio does the quadband thing, but HSDPA's available only on the 2100MHz band -- so North Americans with an appetite for data need not apply. Others can buy the N82 starting today for about €450 ($657).
Nokia outing new Nseries phone this week, N82 odds-on favorite
Alright, there's not much to look at here, but we get the idea. Curtains, a countdown timer, "Nokia Nseries" logo at the top -- can only mean one thing, right? We're less than three days away from some sort of announcement from Nokia's smartphone group here, and with the groundswell of N82 buzz the past few days, we'd say the odds of an official N82 launch going down here lie somewhere between "high" and "very high." Stay tuned, folks.[Via Slashphone]
EZFetch HD media streamer can stream off N-series phones
The FCC database continues to be full of weird and wonderful toys, and the EZFetch HD media streamer from EZ 4 Media certainly fits that description -- in addition to streaming content off networked PCs, it can also grab content from Nokia Nseries devices and display it on your TV. Connections include the usual SD composite jacks, as well as optical audio, DVI-D, Ethernet, and built-in 801.11g wireless, and codec support is pretty spectacular, including H.264, XviD, DivX HD, MPEG4, WMV, and VOB. The Nseries integration is the big feature here, however -- not only does the EZFetch stream content from any WiFi-capable Nseries device, you can also use the Nseries as a remote to control the entire EZFetch system. No word on pricing or availability, sadly, but RF spectrum test geeks can check out all the test results at the read link. Read -- EZ 4 Media website Read -- EZFetch FCC listing
Nokia shows off "myNseries" beta
All too frequently, carrier buy-in is key to getting mobile content off the ground and into wide circulation -- but at least we can't blame Nokia for trying to do its part, too. As its name implies, "myNseries" is a newly-minted concept app for Nokia's Nseries devices, serving up a wide variety of information and content (apps, videos, graphics, and so on) in a widget-driven, vaguely Web 2.0ish interface. So far it's only been presented at the Nokia Experience in France, but the company's apparently actively working with carriers in a variety of countries to get it rolled out elsewhere (hopefully, you know, not in French).[Via Slashphone and Mobinaute]
Nokia N76 now shipping in "key markets"
When we say "key markets," we naturally mean that the US is left squarely out of the equation (can't you almost feel the bitterness in our voice here?). Alas, folks in parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East can now get their hands on the slimmest -- and arguably most attractive -- device in Nokia's multimedia-centric Nseries range, the N76. Furthermore, buyers in a handful of European countries will be given a voucher to download five "pre-selected" tracks by the band Travis from MSN's music store; according to the VP of Brand Entertainment for Sony BMG Europe, Travis' "target audience" fits well with Nokia N76 buyers (who knew?), so the promotion should work out swimmingly. Prices are set by Nokia's regional distributors, but we'd expect interested folk to pay somewhere in $500 range for the privilege of owning the slimmest Nokia flip on the block.[Via MobileBurn]
Nokia N77 passes FCC -- DVB-H and all
Not to suggest there's any... oh, you know, "service" you can subscribe to in these parts that rocks mobile TV over the DVB-H airwaves, but an FCC approval is always a good sign -- and the presence of an upstart service provider working its rear off to get picked up by a carrier always helps, too. The 3.5mm jack-sportin', S60-havin' N77 from Nokia is the latest DVB-H equipped handset to get signed off by the FCC, and while we don't have any word of a GSM 850, UMTS 850 / 1900 version floating around, we can't help but hope that an eventual Modeo success could lead to phones like this magically gaining bands; until then, we'll just be tooling around with our Foreseers.
Nokia's YouTube features in action
We weren't exactly sure what sort of level of integration to expect from this YouTube and Nokia dealio, and now we've got some legit video proof that's simultaneously promising and disappointing. On the plus side, the YouTube videos seem to be easy access, and are accompanied by a nice collection of other RSS-subscribable vids, which makes content consumption much less of a chore than it can tend to be on phones. It's also nice to see that the YouTube channel being accessed seems to be for the most part a stream of YouTube's featured videos, so you can keep up with what all the cool kids are watching. Unfortunately, it looks like the selection stops there: no search or browsing capabilities to speak of. From the looks of things, you might be able to subscribe to other YouTube channels, but it seems that dreams of free-roaming mobile access to YouTube content will have to be put on hold for the time being. What we do know is that more partnerships are in the works, so hopefully YouTube will keep on trying out partners until somebody actually gets it right. The video is after the break.[Via Ring Nokia]
Nokia teams up with an unfaithful YouTube for Nseries vids
It looks like YouTube Mobile is going to be busting free from its Vodafone-owned carrier exclusivity sooner rather than later. YouTube and Nokia are bragging about the addition of Nokia as a YouTube "global partner" today at 3GSM, with no mention of nasty carrier agreements in sight. All new Nokia Nseries phones will be able to access YouTube Mobile from the built-in web browser -- which with its Safari / WebKit roots probably isn't much of a stretch anyways -- along with being able to subscribe to YouTube video RSS feeds with the new Nokia Video Center, which is designed to manage sideloaded PC vids, internet video and RSS video subscriptions all in one place on multimedia phones such as the N95 and N93i. The press release claims that YouTube Mobile, with the newly added AVC video format for Nokia compatibility, is available now, so fire up that S60 phone of yours and let us know how it works.
Wisair and Nokia showing off WUSB in phones at 3GSM
Despite the WiFi, IR, Bluetooth and USB connections we already have to our phone, not to mention 3G or 2.5G in-phone connections to the internets, it always seems a bit of a chore to pull the pictures off our camphone. So what do we need? Another connection of course! Wisair and Nokia are teaming up to show off WUSB at 3GSM, with a Wisair 542 chip embedded in a Nokia Nseries cameraphone to send images and video to a laptop. We're guessing Nokia isn't about to get into the business of retrofitting its phones with new radios, so perhaps Nokia is planning some new models before too long with the chip built-in, or perhaps Wisair will at least have some ready-to-go products of the WUSB variety -- we're getting a little tired of all this talk and no action.[Via Everything USB]
Nokia N76, meet FCC. FCC, N76.
It appears that the FCC and Nokia have been quite the busy bunch with all the phones that are getting the go-ahead -- and we might as well add another to the list. The commission has decided to add Nokia's latest Nseries offspring to the list, the N76. The device is quadband GSM with some UMTS love mixed in for good measure, though it's only single band and we wouldn't hold our breath for North American compatibility. Roundin' out the feature set will be a music player with several formats supported, Bluetooth, and expandable memory via microSD. Nokia also makes mention for a 2 megapixel shooter with a flash under the hood as well. With Nokia's reputation for their attention to detail, we've come to expect a lot out of the Nseries, and it's lookin' like the N76 won't disappoint.
Nokia prepping new N77 TV phone for 3GSM?
Word has it Nokia might be ready to add a lower-cost alternative to its beast of a DVB-H phone, the N92, at 3GSM next week. With the proliferation of DVB-H in Europe and globally, it stands to reason that the company could use another mobile TV capable model or two, though there aren't any details on what exactly the rumored device -- the N77 -- might entail. Any way we look at it, we'd bet dollars to donuts that this thing, being passed around the 'nets as the new model in the flesh, just ain't it. Ring bells for anyone?
Up close with the Nokia N95
Never mind the iPhone, we wants us some N95! Actually, we desperately want both, but that's neither here nor there; point is we used CES as a killer opportunity to catch Nokia's next superphone au naturale. With S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 1 (read: user-installed software, lots of third party support, and vibrant user community) and HSDPA shoring this sucker up, Nokia needn't be too worried that its latest and greatest models are gonna get pwn3d by Apple -- in the spec sheet department, at least. The dual slide action is trick, but it seems like it'd be easy to accidentally engage it in one direction or the other with the phone in your pocket. No bother; just throw in a set of Jabra BT8010's and we're good to go.
Nokia puts Nseries on a diet: the N76
Nokia has taken its Nseries line of smartphones in a decidedly more fashionable direction than it's used to going, announcing the 13.7 millimeter thick N76 clamshell this week. Specs aren't quite up to snuff with Nokia's latest and greatest, but hey, they're not bad either: QVGA display, 20MB of internal memory, and 2 megapixel cam, topped with a standard 3.5 millimeter audio jack (which may not be internal to the phone itself, but rather provided via dongle -- we need to investigate this one) and UMTS data for 2100MHz-friendly portions of the globe. As we've seen with other Nokia models, a second variant of the N76 will be made available for us broadband data-hating Americans that simply removes the UMTS support while retaining quadband GSM with EDGE. Look for the N76 to find its way into fashion-conscious hands starting later this quarter for around €390 ($510, give or take).
Nokia site shows Q2 '07 release for N95
The good news? Nokia's N95 product page on the official Nseries site is pretty thorough -- enough to give the Symbian lovers among us some in-depth reading material to hold us over for a bit. The bad news? Their device comparison chart now shows a second-quarter '07 release for the superphone, one quarter later than we were expecting. Of course, in this day and age, delays of this nature should never surprise us; if anything, we'd be surprised if a phone of this complexity were to actually arrive on time. But needless to say, the official N95 material on the site is most definitely not enough to bide our time for another four to seven months.[Thanks, festriaqua]
Nokia N75 packs 3G for US shores
We're not getting played for a fool again until we actually have a real, actual device resting comfortably in our hands, but Nokia's promising to bring the 3G love to the US for reals this time with its new N75 clamshell, announced today as part of its Nseries onslaught. The S60 3rd Edition handset looks to pack a decent punch into its 95 x 52 x 20.2mm form -- which Nokia is dubbing its "smallest multimedia computer," bearing in mind the E50 isn't considered such a device -- bringing a 2-megapixel cam, 40MB of internal storage with microSD expansion to 2GB, integrated stereo speakers, Bluetooth 2.0, QVGA internal and 160 x 128 external displays, quad-band GSM / EDGE, and some of that sweet, sweet WCDMA on the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Best of all, it's being promised for US release in the fourth quarter of 2006; we don't if you-know-who has decided to pick it up, but if not, we've every reason to believe the unlocked versions will be flying out of Nokia's own warehouse at a brisk pace. Check after the break for more smooth, creamy, flippable S60 goodness.
Nokia's Nseries makeover continues: the Music Editions
Nokia's lovefest for its, shall we say, senior Nseries models today didn't stop with the N91's upgrade to 8GB. In tacking the "Music Edition" label onto the tail ends of their names, they've re-upped the N73 and the elder-statesman N70 candybars, slapping them with a fresh coat of black in the process. Unlike the N91, the internals seem the same -- they're advertising the new models as coming with 2GB and 1GB of storage respectively, but the bumped capacities turn out to be nothing more than bundled storage cards; likewise, the touted 3.5mm audio jacks are delivered via in-box Pop-Port adapters. We're always happy to see a manufacturer breathe some fresh life into old handsets, but unless black is your color, we hope existing N70 and N73 owners don't let a couple bundled accessories ruin their love affair.
