N96 gets its first firmware update, sells in UK

Many users at our Nokia N96 Forum have been complaining that there is no navi-wheel interaction, between many other bugs, so here’s good news for you: Nokia has released their first N96 software/firmware update.

The update is v11.018 from v10.065 but the change log isn’t available yet.

For those of you in UK that can’t get hold of a Nokia N96, there’s good news as well: Nokia has started retailing them at their Flagship stores in Regent Street and in Heathrow Airport Terminal 5. The official release date in UK is on the 1st of October which is when you will be able to buy the Nokia N96 in most telecommunications shops in the country.

There’s also a 3D demonstration available for you enthusiasts to enjoy.

[via P@sco via Symbian-Freak]

Nokia N96 campaign in India

Nokia will be throwing a challenge in India, entitled “Nokia N96 24GB is big!”. Of course the N96 only has 16GB built-in memory, but you could always buy an additional 8GB memory card.

The company will show users how to make use of such a large amount of memory via the means of playing a game where one has to catch as much as multimedia files as possible. Six Nokia N96 are up from grabs, two for students only, and there is even more NSeries devices to be offered for gifts for on-spot contests, such as the one which Nokia will travel to College Campuses in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai and provide users with hands-on preview of the N96.

This is what I call marketing.

[via Softpedia]

Nokia N96 unboxing

Jojo from 2dayBlog has gotten himself a Nokia N96, and posted lots of unboxing pictures, and his first reaction is that the phone really attracts a lot of smudges due to its glossy cover. The accessories included are a 1 month navigation licence and the Asphalt 3 NGage game.

We can’t wait to get ours. Enjoy the pictures!

N96′s navi-wheel scrapped off

brianjblues from the Nokia N96 forum has told us that he received his special edition Nokia N96, but just after 24 hours of use, he started to miss something: the navi-wheel.

At the South African launch, the navi-wheel of the N96, which was an early prototype model at the time, had very limited functionality, and the device kept on crashing.

brian contacted Nokia to figure out the problem, only to receive the following reply, stating that the component has been turned off:

“I truly regret for the inconveniences you have been through, nevertheless; the navi wheel which you are referring to on your Nokia N96 is a scroll key but not a navigational navi wheel. It is functioning as a standard D pad.

I understand the frustration this may cause, however; kindly be informed that Nokia mobile phones are targeted at different market segments; hence, the features provided on phones will be reflected accordingly. Additionally, the design and functionality of Nokia mobile phones are also influenced by Nokia’s business decisions.

Nonetheless, we will take this as your feedback and forward it on to the relevant department for further consideration. Many apologies for the matter and wishing you a great day ahead”.

Was the navi-wheel only a test component?

[via Nokia N96 forum thread]

BBC iPlayer for the N96

The BBC iPlayer will be compatible with the Nokia N96, which will be selling on the UK from the 1st of October.

The owners of this device will be the first that can download and stream programmes available from the portal. If you don’t have an unlimited data pack or a WiFi hotspot near-by, you could end up paying a lot for data charges.

The application will be built-in some devices, but if you can’t find it, download it via bbc.co.uk/mobile.

Simon Ainslie, managing director at Nokia, said: “The Nokia N96 is going to provide a gateway to quality viewing on the move and will raise the bar for mobile screen and audio entertainment.”

[via Pocket-lint]

Nokia N96 has started shipping!

Nokia has confirmed that the Nokia N96 has started shipping, and by that, it means that we are closer and closer to the release date.

As you should know, if you visit our N96 specifications or features page, the phone will have a 5 megapixel camera with Dual LED flash, autofocus, video recording in DVD quality, and a Carl Zeiss optics lens. A 16GB internal memory is bundled with support of a microSD memory card, which could add up to 24GB and in future, 32GB! With the available 16GB memory, you can store up to 40 hours of video.

The video played back can be of MPEG4 format, Flash Video, and Windows Media Video.

You can listen to music through its 3D stereo speakers or connect your speakers, or headphones through its 3.5mm audio jack, or through Bluetooth. There is also Internet Radio, Visual Radio, and whole podcast directory.

The N96 will have a A-GPS  receiver, and will feature geo-tagging capabilities, which will be just fantastic with the excellent camera. If you haven’t tried geotagging, you should with a phone such as the Nokia N78 or the N82, which will display where the picture was exactly taken on the Maps application.

The phone will also support DVB-h, but the mobile TV technology isn’t available yet in most countries, and in UK, it will only be available by 2012, as you can read in this Nokia N96 Review.

As the N96 has a huge 2.8″ display with QVGA resolution (240×320 pixels), and very loud 3D stereo speakers it will come with an included movie, and for the South Africa version, it will be Transformers. You can further enjoy this by placing the N96 on a table, supported by its own kickstand.

On the connectivity side, the N96 has WLAN, HSDPA, Bluetooth, and USB 2.0.

In a press release issued today, Jonas Geust, Vice President, Nokia Nseries said that “The Nokia N96 is mobile entertainment at its best, a fitting flagship for our Nseries range. It defines convergence by blending phone and multimedia options seamlessly with the unique Nokia Nseries dual slider that makes discovering and sharing experiences easy. Watch live TV and video, take high quality photos and geotag them to specific locations or directly upload them online via the fast internet connection – it is all about taking mobile entertainment and communication to the next level.”

The price will be of 750 Euros without subsidies or taxes, and we’ve noticed that there are plenty of websites offering the Nokia N96, between other mobile phone deals, and on this particular website, you can compare mobile phone prices, and even post your own reviews, or just read the ones written by the editor.