Nokia N96

A-GPS, Connectivity and Data Services
Like the N95, the N96 too comes with a built-in GPS receiver. To aid it you have Nokia Maps, which will also work with your GPRS or EDGE connection. In my opinion, navigating in India using any GPS device, let alone one that deploys A-GPS, is a dicey proposition.

Haphazard town planning makes it next to impossible to find your way around. There's a three-month trial of turn-by-turn voice guidance, which lags to an extent where it's highly inaccurate. Pedestrian navigation is fun though, and pretty useful, even if the satellite transmission keeps cutting off quite regularly.

Haphazard town planning makes it next to impossible to find your way around. There's a three-month trial of turn-by-turn voice guidance, which lags to an extent where it's highly inaccurate. Pedestrian navigation is fun though, and pretty useful, even if the satellite transmission keeps cutting off quite regularly.

The new feature pack means there's a slightly updated web browser too. It has the usual mini-mapping system that shows you visual history in multiple pages, and is more savvy in handling flash content, including videos and progressive downloads.

Having wi-fi helps, for in landscape mode you can enjoy surfing at high speeds, download apps, and stream videos and radio. There's an easy-to-follow instruction to get your Gmail and other email with POP/SMTP/IMAP4 settings. It's a pull service though; this is perhaps what differentiates this phone from a business class phone.

Nokia has included a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) receiver, but this is currently supported only in Delhi, that too in beta. Only Doordarshan broadcasts certain TV channels, I'm told. When it becomes more popular, we'll probably need to redefine the term "couch potato".

Then there's TV-out, with the requisite cables bundled with the pack itself. It's a mighty achievement, although the videos frame badly on the big screen. I would have liked to see an option to record TV content, but maybe that will take some time.

Battery, Price and Verdict
The N96 now comes with the Li-Ion 950 mAh (BL-5F), which leaves another question mark. The difference is quite evident, and I definitely prefer the battery life of the N95.

Nokia has included a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) receiver, but this is currently supported only in Delhi, that too in beta. Only Doordarshan broadcasts certain TV channels, I'm told. When it becomes more popular, we'll probably need to redefine the term "couch potato".

Then there's TV-out, with the requisite cables bundled with the pack itself. It's a mighty achievement, although the videos frame badly on the big screen. I would have liked to see an option to record TV content, but maybe that will take some time.

Battery, Price and Verdict
The N96 now comes with the Li-Ion 950 mAh (BL-5F), which leaves another question mark. The difference is quite evident, and I definitely prefer the battery life of the N95.

The N96 is an N95 in an N81 garb. If you ask me whether it makes sense to 'upgrade' from the N95, I would say no, period! Consider what you are getting into by spending around 7000 rupees more. (Yes, the N96 costs a hefty Rs 34,999 without the 8GB mircoSD card). The price for a combo pack (that includes a special price for the 8GB card) will be announced around Diwali. The DVB-H is nonfunctional, the camera and music player remain the same, and so does the GPS feature (but now there's geotagging, true). Critically, the battery life has taken a beating, so all you're paying for is more storage space. Even the processing speed has gone down! I think I'll stick with the N95 a while longer...

Specs