Nokia’s much awaited, fully loaded, dual slider, the N96, has been unveiled in India almost a month and a half before the UK launch that was set to be the first. Bravo - is what I have to say. This cross between the N81 with its glossy trims and the N95’s dual slide component makes for a great handset overall.


I’ve mentioned the specs of this handset more times than is perhaps necessary but it does seem like quite an exciting handset. Take it from me, since I’ve been lucky enough to play around with a prototype. The N96 has a 2.8-inch TFT display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 16 million colors. It runs on a Dual ARM 9 264 MHz CPU and comes with 128MB RAM, 256MB storage memory and a whopping 16GB of internal memory as well as microSD card support in case you feel that 16GB is just not enough. The handset also has an accelerometer for automatically rotating the display.


For net connectivity the N96 is equipped with Wi-Fi, 3G support with HSDPA speeds, EDGE class 32, GPRS/WAP, Bluetooth with A2DP and microUSB v2.0 for data transfer. When it comes to multimedia the N96 should feel like a pro with a 5 MP auto-focus camera with Carl Zeiss optics. It’s also capable of video capture (VGA 30fps) and it comes with an LED flash which in my opinion is not a good thing since the N82 has a Xenon, but ok. Just around the camera’s lens is a kickstand that when opened allows the handset to be propped up for comfort of viewing. The N96 also has a secondary VGA videocall camera in front.


Thankfully the N96 comes equipped with a 3.5mm earphone socket that doubles as TV Out. It even has an FM radio with RDS and Visual Radio. It also has 3D stereo speakers and supports the N-Gage application for gaming. The handset comes with an inbuilt GPS module (Nokia Maps 2.0 pre-loaded) and also supports A-GPS. It also has a DVB-H TV broadcast receiver. Other features include a document reader and a built in handsfree but that’s nothing new.

The Nokia N96 comes pre-bundled with WaveSecure, an application that allows consumers to secure everything on the device wirelessly. One can save and create a back up of all data (contacts, SMS, call logs and calendar entries) through the Internet. Additionally, in the event that it is lost or stolen, WaveSecure helps remotely wipe out all data from the device to prevent misuse, lock the device remotely and even track any new SIM card inserted.


Speaking of pre-loaded features, Nokia has been gracious enough to the Indian audience by providing plenty of Bollywood freebies. The N96 will come preloaded with the movie ‘Om Shanti Om’, 50 music videos, music tracks in Hindi and English and 3 N-Gage games with an unlimited license on for the 3rd edition of Asphalt Urban. It will also have 3 country Nokia Maps that include Singapore, UAE and of course India and a 3 month Navigation license for 8 Indian cities.

The handset will hit stores at an estimated price of around Rs. 36,000 but there is no official word on the same. In case you’re wondering if this beats the iPhone due to launch in a couple of days, why don’t you be smart about it and wait till we’re done giving them a thorough once over.

The handset can be pre-booked by logging on to www.nokia.co.in/n96 and registering, though it'll be on shelves only in September. Just follow the instructions but know this - a booking amount of Rs. 4000 will need to be paid.