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Nokia N96 hits the FCC, gets stripped
Sure, we've already gotten a chance to play with the Nokia N96 -- and even seen a couple reviews -- but you know Uncle Sam's got to get his taste before this thing gets its rumored launch later this month. Yep, nothing spectacular in the test reports, but if you've got a thing for industrial photography of circuit boards under florescent lights, you might want to hit the read link while you're alone.[Via Cellphone Signal]
Nokia adds trio of recent models to N-Gage compatibility list
If you've been desperately seeking some Snakes Subsonic gaming partners on that N82 of yours, your pool of potential playmates just got a little (emphasis on "little") wider. The N78, N96, and XpressMusic 5320 have now been added into the N-Gage client compatibility mix -- though of the three, the N78 is the only one that's really widely available at this point. The 5320's just now starting to trickle into distribution around the world, and if you happen to end up playing System Rush with an N96 owner in the next few weeks... well, you're playing with a very special individual, indeed.[Via All About Symbian]
Nokia offering 96 N96 handsets in limited edition packaging
Nokia's latest promotion isn't the most enthralling we've ever seen, but two aspects in particular stand out. First, those fortunate enough to be able to drop €759 ($1,206) on an N96 will be helping the WWF project to save the red pandas in Nepal. Secondly, the Face The Task website designed to highlight the limited edition kit is worth viewing for kicks alone. From what we can gather, 96 well-packaged N96 mobiles will be made available at the aforesaid price, but nothing about the device itself will be special. You will, however, receive a limited edition ash tree box in a raw silk bag along with an 8GB microSD card. Worth it? That's up to you.[Via TheNokiaBlog]
Nokia's E-series to ship in Q3 alongside N96
You already knew Nokia's evolutionary N96 was all set to be shipped in the fall, but it's about time Nokia came clean with the release information on its leaked-out-everywhere E-series. While Anssi Vanjoki, senior executive vice president of Nokia Markets, didn't specify model numbers, it's widely assumed that the E66 and E71 handsets are included when he states that "a group of E-series multimedia computers" will be brought to market in Q3. No mention of a price or expected launch regions, but at least you've a quarter to circle in your date book, yeah?
Nokia's patent for potential N85 reveals unstoppable camera fetish
Nokia's always coming up with some new harebrained scheme for cramming a gargantuan camera lens into one of its new phones -- trust us, if the Finnish phone giant could accomplish this task by breaking into Fort Knox or compromising your precious bodily fluids, it would. The latest effort by Nokia comes in the form of a patent that might point the way to an upcoming video phone, possibly the N85, which could give current compact shooters a run for their money. Current thinking on that device is that it'll be a video-oriented successor to the N96, with a WQVGA screen and a 5 (or maybe even 8) megapixel camera. It's mostly conjecture at this point, but we hope Nokia accomplishes it with a thinner device than we're looking at in this patent.
Nokia's N78 and N96 get handled ahead of release
One of the biggest concerns about the Nokia N78 as soon as folks laid eyes on the press shots was the funny looking numeric keypad -- a fair concern, considering that the keypad's probably the single most used item on the phone. We still haven't spent enough time with an N78 to put those concerns to rest ourselves, but PhoneReport seemingly has, and they offer this lukewarm reassurance: "it isn't as bad as it looks." We'll still reserve judgment until we've pounded out a few digits on our own time, but if nothing else, it looks like the hidden, illuminated button legends are every bit as cool as they should be. The site was also delighted with all the splendors that S60 3rd Edition FP2 has to offer, marveling at the visual transitions and improved messaging client. They managed to score an N96, too, but it seemed like the software build was a bit too buggy to draw any conclusions beyond what mobile-review already had; we wouldn't freak out there just yet, considering that the N78 is expected to launch well ahead of it.[Via All About Symbian]
Things may be looking brighter for Nokia N96, Xenon flash in the works?
PhoneMag is reporting on a post at the Esato forums that mentions the N96 may well be getting itself an update before it even hits the shelves -- this is a bit friend of a friend stuff, so please think rumor while reading. Word has it that the lowly LED flash is being replaced with a Xenon number which has some advantages in low-light situations -- such as useful pictures. Of course, there's always a rub, the dual-LED version that's being replaced could have been useful for shooting video and its replacement isn't going to fill that void -- and is a wee bit more power hungry. We guess we won't know 'til Nokia lets us know, but we'll do our best to shake an answer out of them next week in Las Vegas. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts on which flash would make you the happiest N96 owner -- or, perhaps we could have both please Nokia?[Via PhoneMag]
Nokia N96 gets in-depth review months ahead of release
Mere mortals will need to wait until the third quarter of the year -- if not longer, depending on their region and tolerance for some probable price gouging in the early going -- to get their hands on the mighty Nokia N96. On the other hand, Mobile-review apparently knows the right hands to shake and eyes to wink to get hold of a prototype unit extraordinarily early, and they're taking full advantage of the opportunity. A few hours of your time devoted to the novella of a review will net you a deep understanding and appreciation for the N96's strengths and follies, but in a nutshell, the site seems to come away with a pretty ambivalent opinion of a device that should be knocking everyone's socks off -- especially for a sticker price that'll hover in the $800 arena. Problems included a penchant for picking up dirt and fingerprints (the price you pay for a beautiful glossy face, we suppose), a cramped nav key layout with the tricky touch-sensitive Navi Wheel front and center, audio performance that wasn't bad but was expected to be far better in light of the dedicated DSP, and a "shovel"-like feel in the hand, a symptom of the phone's generous dimensions. Everyone owes the production version of the N96 a chance to show its true form when it's released later this year -- and hey, at least Nokia's got a checklist of things that need improvement in the prototype now -- so we're keeping our chins up that this'll still make the N95 8GB a proud daddy when it comes time to hand over the crown to the Nseries kingdom.[Via Tech Digest and NokNok]
Carphone Warehouse floats August 2008 for Nokia N96 launch
Yeah, we know, this one's a pretty monstrous stretch, but we are so stoked about Nokia's N96 that we figured you'd be just as happy as we are to get some news -- and by news, we mean hopeful rumor. Well the folks at the Carphone Warehouse Insider page have plopped the N96 in all its black glossy glory on the watch list and the date they've set for release is August 2008. Sure, this could slip forward, back, or even get canned, but we'll take what we can get as a tentative date is hair better than no date, right friends? Place your release date bets down in the comments section and the closest to the real deal will get a hardy pat on the back coupled with a rousing thumbs-up.[Via Trustedreviews]
Hands-on with Nokia's high-rolling N96
The Nokia N96 is here and while it certainly doesn't blow the doors off the current N95 in all its many varieties, it does refresh the form, add beauty, and the TV ain't all that bad to boot. What definitely stands out on the N96 is build quality, the material choices here are not as cheap as they were on its older siblings, it actually looks and feels like a high end device. We also were able to get some TV time in courtesy of some neighbor or another, we've enjoyed SlingPlayer Mobile on our devices for a while now, but there is just no comparing them, the DVB-H looks first rate. Huge gallery follows.%Gallery-15998%
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-15679%
N96 leaked on Nokia's German site?
At first glance, the pretty real-looking N96 spotted in the wild late last year looked like little more than an N95 updated to match the new Nseries design language debuted by the N81. If specs leaked (and since apparently pulled) on Nokia's German site turn out to be accurate when the phone presumably debuts at Mobile World Congress next week, it'll turn out that the assumption isn't exactly true. While it'll carry over the 3.5mm jack, 5 megapixel camera, WiFi, and AGPS, it seems the new king of the Nseries hill will begin life as a quadband GSM / EDGE handset with HSDPA on the 850 and 2100MHz bands, supporting Europe and Australia while forgoing North America. There's a DVB-H tuner in there, too, but here's the best part: the phone's going to sport a nice, thick 16GB chunk of internal Flash -- in addition to a microSD slot! We'll hold off on calling this thing a winner until we see it in person, but other than the lack of HSDPA 1900, there's nary a spec in the list that we find ourselves frowning over. Guess we'll have to wait a few months for an Americanized version again, hmm?[Via IntoMobile, thanks Khattab]
Nokia's N96 spotted in the wild?
That, friends, is an N96. Or, at least we're led to believe so. Judging by five mysterious images that surfaced over at Mobile-Review, it appears that Nokia's N96 (which looks like a jazzed-up version of the N81, actually) has leaked out, and while no specifications are available, it looks as if this thing is packing a 5-megapixel camera (with the obligatory Carl Zeiss lens), a dual LED flash and a sexy black motif. Check out one more look after the jump. [Via IntoMobile]