The latest debate is whether the newly launched Nokia N96 is any competition to the Apple iPhone.
While the two handsets are very competitively priced Nokia will be in the range of Rs 32,000 – 36,000 and iPhone through Vodafone will cost Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,000), we think that Nokia N96 wins hands down. Nokia has a proven ability that makes it the market leader in cell phones. And not without reason. Nokia phones are viewed as “reliable, long lasting and technologically advanced.”
The iPhone on the other hand has a technical saleability, but lacks in features especially in comparison with the N96.
The only major difference between the two handsets we see is the lack of a touch screen in the N96. Else, N96 scores over the iPhone on several counts.
At Fonearena we gave a low-down on why you should perhaps ‘not’ buy the iPhone. Read it here.
But don’t believe us. Read the features of the N96, and we leave it to you to decide where you’d like to put your Rs 35,000 (gulp!)
Utility
• Common view for SIM & Phonebook Contacts
• To overcome a common problem of forgetting to change the profile once your meeting is over, timed profile is the solution. Simply define the time when you want a particular profile to change.
• Push Mail Compatible
• Load any of the push mail clients be it Mail for Exchange or provided by operators & access your corporate e-mail
• High Speed USB
• Convenient PC to N96 Device connections for media transfer
• Speed up to 480Mbs
• My Nokia
Interactivity
• Common Composer for Messages
• Automatic recognition of a text or a Multimedia message
Entertainment
• Music Player and access to a online Music store
• FM radio
• Dual speakers for the best in class audio quality
• Play the music as per the Artist, Album, Genres & Composers
• 5 Mega pixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optics Lens
• Share them online from the phone directly
• Upload a post location tagging, so that you remember the exact place where the photograph has been clicked
• Nokia PC Suite lets you transfer all your photos with a single click
• View photos on a Rotary Gallery
Multitasking
Run more than two applications at any given point of time. For e.g. open a PowerPoint, playing a game, surfing the internet & typing a SMS!
S60 Browser
1. Easy Read: The text of the news article gets adapted to the mobile screen
2. Auto Bookmarks: No need to enter the web address again if you have opened the web browser once.
3. Page Overview: Displays the complete web page on your mobile screen & makes navigation lot easier
4. Visual History: Easy navigation to the page you have already visited & want to re-open the same page
5. Find: Find any text on the entire web page.
Internet
• Access Point Differentiation – No need to ask the operator for GPRS settings. Just insert your SIM & phone would do the rest.
Pre-loaded Applications
• Wave Secure: Protecting your phone and data by locking your phone remotely via Internet, Tracking your phone whenever a SIM is changed, Creating a backup of your data (Contacts, SMS, Call Logs & Calendar entries)
• Oxford Dictionary
• Mobiola Screen Capture: Enables you to view your phone’s screen onto your PC by establishing a connection via USB or Bluetooth
• Indi SMS – Type in English & it will translate into local languages
We never said that choosing between the N96 and the iPhone would be easy. But we have given you food for thought.