The Nokia N96 is finally available. Well, at least as far as our European neighbors are concerned, and it's a positive indication that it probably won't be too long now before it makes it to the US and Chanda.
It's retailing for 550 Euros which is roughly $798 when converted. It’s a lot cheaper than the expected $ 895 going rate in the US, but it’s still pretty expensive considering that it really has nothing new to offer when compared with today’s crop of mobile phones. Are we being too rough on the N96? Probably, but come on, take a look at the specs below and tell me that I'm wrong.
2.8-inch QVGA Display
16 GB internal memory
5-megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss Tessar lens
Dual LED camera flash and video light
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
GPS with support for A-GPS
3.5mm stereo headphone plug and TV-out support (PAL/NTSC)
Nokia BL-5F 950 mAh battery
Nothing in there stands out as unique and exceptional that will justify its bloated $895 cost. Well, that's just my take on it and maybe they'll have a change of heart. So it's best to wait and see when it does cross the Atlantic and make its US debut. Maybe they’ll lower the cost or package it with a free music subscription, who knows, but personally, if I were really craving for an Nseries phone, I’d rather get an N85 instead.
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