Nokia N96 will not be compatible with freeview in the UK

The new Nokia N96 is due to be released later this year, and the good news is that the phone has just been cleared by the FCC meaning there shouldn’t be any delays leading up to release.

The successor of the N95 is packed with tons of great multimedia features as you would expect, such as a 240 x 320 pixels display along with built in GPS and Wi-Fi. Pricing is set to be around £400/$800 USD, so be prepared to blow a hole in your pocket for one of these.

One of the main features of the N96 is its capability to broadcast live digital TV using DVB-H. While this is great for many countries elsewhere, It was very disappointing for hear that it will not be compatible with freeview, for those of us in the UK, as that uses DVB-T only. As a previous owner of the N95, I was looking forward to picking one of these up, but as one of the main features of the phone, will be somewhat useless in the UK, I shall hold out for a better option.

As for the rest of the phone however, it is very impressive still. Here is a list of the main specs:

Supported networks

- DVB-H, class C, 470-750 MHz
- Automatic frequency band and mode switching
- Quad-band operation in GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks (EDGE)
- UMTS networks (WCDMA 2100/850; HSDPA)

Dimensions

- Depth: 18 mm (places to 20 mm)
- Width: 55 mm
- Length: 103 mm
- Weight: 125 g
- Volume: 92 cm 3

Memory

- 128 Mbytes of RAM, 256 Mbytes of system memory (operating system plus dynamic memory for user data)
- Music: 12,000 songs
- Video: 40 hours
- Approximate storage capacity is 16 GB disk space:
- 16 GB of internal flash memory, memory expansion via hot-swappable MicroSD memory cards

Operating Hours

- TV Play: Up to 4 hours (DVB-H)
- Battery: Nokia Battery BL-5F, 950 mAh
- Music playback: Up to 14 hours (in offline mode)
- Video playback: Up to 5 hours (in offline mode)
- Stand-by Time: GSM: Up to 220 hours; UMTS up to 200 hours
- Talk time: GSM: up to 220 min; UMTS: Up to 150 min

Display and user interface

- Active standby mode, multimedia menu
- User interface: S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2
- QVGA TFT display with a 6.1 inch diagonal display (2.8 inches) and 16.7 million colours at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.

So there it is, how many of you are tempted to pick one of these up in favour of an iPhone? Are there any UK readers out there who are also disappointed with the lack of DVB-H support? It was a strong selling point in my opinion; let us know what you think.

Source: Read

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