New Nokia Handset Packs in More
By Chandra Devi; Siti Syameen Md Khalili
NOKIA will unveil tomorrow the N96, which it claims is an all-in- one device that signifies the future of mobile handsets. Both the hardware and software onboard the new model have been optimised for Internet browsing, video, music, photo and gaming.
The converged device runs on S60 Third Edition, Feature Pack 2, which is one of the most powerful platforms for smartphones in the market.
“The S60 3.2 enables the development of compelling applications and offers significant usability enhancements. It offers overall ease of use for SMS, MMS, downloading and media playback,” said Nokia’s product marketing manager, Malaysia and Brunei, Glen Cha.
The dual-slide phone is optimised for video watching and Internet browsing. The company has even included a “kickstand” on the back cover of the phone for hands-free viewing.
The N96, which has a large 2.8-inch display, supports standard video formats such as MPEG-4, Windows Media Video and Flash Video.
It also supports high-speed USB 2.0, wireless local area network and High Speed Downlink Packet Access connectivity for faster data transfer.
Besides enabling 40 hours of video content with its 16 giga- bytes of internal memory, the N96 offers support for expanded storage capacity of 8GB through the Micro Secure Digital memory card slot, bringing total storage capacity to 24GB.
Cha pointed out that live TV viewing is possible with the N96 because it has a built-in DVB-H receiver, but this will depend on the service providers in the country.
For more content, users can turn to Nokia Video Center, which provides mobile content ranging from movie trailers to news from leading content brands such as YouTube, Reuters and Sony Pictures.
Cha also highlighted the integrated A-GPS onboard the N96, which allows for geotagging pictures with location data such as latitude and longitude co-ordinates and even location names. The pictures can then be shared with online communities.
Also supported is Nokia Maps, which offers maps with urban details and satellite views and has upgrade options such as city guides, turn-by-turn pedestrian mode and voice-guided car navigation.
To enhance users’ music experience, the N96′s design features media keys, a 3.5-millimetre headphone connector and built-in three- dimensional stereo speakers. Its music player supports MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+ and WMA formats. Users can also enjoy audio through podcasts, FM radio with Radio Data System, and Internet radio.
For still shots and video recording, the N96 is equipped with a five- megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, dual light-emitting diode lights camera flash and video light.
“The dual lights enable users to get better quality video recording,” Cha explained.
Meanwhile, Nokia’s head, go-to-market, Malaysia and Brunei, Henry Wong said half of the 120 million smartphones shipped globally last year were made by Nokia. This year, the company will focus on the rollout of Internet services such as Maps 2.0, N-Gage, Share on Ovi and Nokia Music Store. Maps 2.0 and N-Gage games are already accessible to Malaysian users, and through the N96 users will be able to experience the services at their best.
(c) 2008 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.