Nokia N96 Overview

The Nokia N96 is a multi-functional smart phone that is designed to fully integrate mobile communication with the use of the phone for entertainment purposes. The major point of interest that makes this new phone so appealing is that it has advanced video and camera capabilities that are unlike those seen in previous generations of smartphones. In addition to these video capabilities, this phone has taken music playing, Internet connectivity and GPS features to the next level. It is also notable that the new design makes it an efficient phone to use and one that’s user-friendly despite how advanced the features of this phone may be. It’s priced around 550 Euros and is due for release in the upcoming weeks.

N96 as Part of the NSeries

The Nokia N96 is a smartphone that is part of the NSeries from Nokia. These are all multi-media smartphones that are each capable of supporting one or more high speed wireless technologies. In the past, the primary reason that people have liked the NSeries has been because the goal of this series is to combine as many single-device features as possible into one multi-functional phone. This continues to be the reason that people are interested in the N96 with the major difference being the addition of advanced video viewing capabilities on the new device.

Officially this is the phone that will replace the N95. In addition to the major change of adding advanced video viewing features, there are some smaller but still significant differences that enhance the experience of using the later version over the original. It has double the memory of the older smartphone and has a battery life that is designed to last longer which means that the phone is capable of doing more over a longer period of time without recharging than the old phone was capable of doing. Improved audio quality, upgraded FM radio, and geotagging of pictures taken on the phone are additional features that differ greatly from the previous version of the phone.

Camera and Video Features On the N96

Most interesting for many people is the fact that is has such advanced camera and video camera features negating the need to carry a separate digital camera. It also eliminates the need for any type of separate video viewing device. Additionally, this smartphone is capable of advanced television viewing which really takes it to the next level of mobile entertainment which is the direction that all phones are trying to move towards in the modern market.

Here are some of the camera and video features and facts that a consumer should know:

• The camera is a fully-functional five megapixel camera which means that there is no need to carry (or even own) a separate camera; this camera phone can do all of the things that you would want from a traditional stand-alone digital camera device. The camera has a dual LED flash which means that it is capable of taking high-quality pictures in all different types of settings. All of the features and options that you would expect from a stand-alone camera are also present including the option of self-timer photo taking.
• Photos are capable of being stored in either JPEG or EXIF Format. These pictures are also capable of being tagged with the location of the pictures using the GPS features available with the Nokia smartphone. This means that the phone is capable of being used successfully by those people who engage in online social networking and mobile social networking which includes the sharing of pictures and integration of images into the social networking sites. This smartphone is capable of instant upload to sites like Flickr and Google.
• Also included is a fully functional video camera with advanced features including stabilization which means that the wobbliness that is often experienced when recording footage with a smartphone is going to be reduced or eliminated when using the phone for video recording. Editing and sharing features are also present as part of the video camera
• There’s a second camera in the front of the phone that serves the purpose of facilitating video phone calls between individuals interested in speaking face to face with one another. This is a feature that is particularly of interest to those people who want to use the N96 for video conferencing and for mobile VoIP with video capabilities.
• It doesn’t just do photos and video playback either, but also full-function mobile entertainment viewing. This includes everything from accessing YouTube videos with the phone’s mobile browser to actually watching DVB-H live TV broadcasting.

It should also be noted that the camera and video features of the Nokia N96 are enhanced by the larger screen, which at 2.8 inches is an improvement on the N95. It displays up to sixteen million colors on a display resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.

Nokia N96 Music Playing Features

Although the standout thing that people are talking about with the N96 is the camera and video entertainment features of the phone, it is also important that the smartphone is capable of all different types of media playback. The advanced music features reflect that the phone does indeed meet the expectations of customers in this area. Some of the most outstanding features of the music player include:

• An extensive memory so the individual consumer can store a massive amount of music on the phone’s media library. This phone has 16 MB of internal memory which is twice what was offered on the most advanced version of the Nokia N95. This means that it is capable of storing up to 3500 songs on the internal memory of the phone alone.
• A built-in FM radio with RDS. This means that the user can listen to songs on the radio and get the information regarding those songs on a display on the phone’s screen.
• Advanced audio features which significantly improve the listener’s experience when playing music on this device. These features include built-in 3D stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm headphone connector. There is also an audio equalizer intended to enhance the sound of the music.
• Media sharing and the storage of media in a way that is organized and designed to ease use. For example, it is possible to store playlists of favorite music on the device and then to easily access those playlists using design features like the Naviwheel.

With a certain other music/phone convergence device still only days past its mkII release, it was essential that the N96 catered for the music playing mobile phone customer, and although it is no doubt a phone first and a music player second, the music offering should be sufficient for most people.

Additional Important Features
In addition to the camera, video camera and music player, the Nokia N96 is capable of replacing other devices such as the GPS device or even the laptop. Here is a look at some of the additional features on top of those already mentioned.

• Fast speeds. People who are interested in using the phone for mobile Internet functions are going to be impressed by the very fast speeds on offer. These speeds also apply to all of the features of the phone itself.
• Highly advanced mobile Internet capabilities including full-function web browsing, sought by many mobile phone customers these days. It has 3G HSDPA technology, EDGE technology, Bluetooth capabilities, high-speed USB sharing functions, and WLAN Wi-Fi technology. This means that it allows for fast web browsing from the smartphone, advanced high-speed file sharing and other wireless Internet features of importance to consumers today.
• Long battery life. The more that you want to do with your phone, the more concerned you are about the battery getting drained. This phone is designed to have a long-lasting battery which will allow you to fully utilize the advanced multi-media functions of the phone without needing to recharge it on an unnecessarily frequent basis.
• Highly advanced GPS functions. The Maps 2.0 software allows for viewing satellite map images, receiving voice instructions for driving and working in pedestrian mode so that you can always get to where you want to be. These GPS functions are also useful for aiding social networking applications that are based on geolocation.
• Thinner, lighter, easy-to-carry phone. Despite the bigger screen and the increased width, the phone is actually thinner and lighter than the latest version of the Nokia N95 which makes it appealing to people who don’t want to have to carry around a chunky device to get full function from the phone.

Improved Design

What people want from a phone is function but there is no denying that the design of a smartphone is also important to the person who is going to be buying it. The Nokia N96 has an upgraded design that has proven to be a great improvement over older versions of the Nseries phone. Like the Nokia N95, this phone has a two-way slide which is appreciate by people because it allows for easier access to the multi-media functions of the phone. However, this basic design has been upgraded to offer benefits over the Nokia N95.

The major upgrade to this phone is that it has a landscape-oriented design. All of the features of the phone are designed to support and enhance this landscape-oriented design. For example, the speakers of the phone are situated in such a way that they are intended for landscape-oriented use. This means that the viewing of videos with audio sound is improved because the landscape orientation allows for a better visual image and the sound is intended to complement that design.

Another interesting design change is the improvements made to the media keys on this phone. For one thing, the media keys are now accessible in all of the phone’s modes which means that there is no need to open the slide if you want to use the media keys. For example, if you wanted to change the music playing from your phone, you could do so using the media keys without opening the entire phone. Additionally, the media keys on the short side of the phone are able to be transformed into gaming keys for those people who intend to use the phone for mobile gaming.

Summary of Nokia N96

The N96 is a great improvement on the already excellent N95. The main reason that people are interested in this phone is because it really allows the user to get rid of extra stand-alone devices (such as cameras, video cameras, and GPS devices) and to instead use this phone alone for all of those features. It is capable of advanced video calling, mobile social networking and high-speed full-function Internet browsing to a degree that few phones on the market are capable of competing with today.

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