Nokia to bring N96 to US shores
updated 08:05 am EDT, Tue August 26, 2008
Nokia Brings N96 to US
Nokia today tried its hand again at competing in the US smartphone market with the announcement of a North American edition of the N96. The black slider phone carries the same 16GB of built-in storage, five-megapixel camera, true GPS and Wi-Fi as the version just reaching Europe but makes a few key changes to adapt to the Western market. The update brings full 850MHz band HSDPA to support 3G on AT&T and Rogers but in return loses the ability to tune mobile digital TV, with no DVB-H broadcasts available on the continent.
The N96 will continue to be sold as an unlocked device that can optionally be used with T-Mobile USA or international carriers, and as a result comes only with preloaded Nokia software, which includes a three-month trial for Nokia Maps as well as a racing game from the N-Gage catalog. An absence of the carrier discounts that come from locked versions will push the price up to a full $895 when the N96 ships in the fall; it's unknown whether Rogers will offer a subsidized version to replace or complement the N95 8GB.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2007
Not exactly cheap...
I wonder what something like this would cost in India. Since the media is griping about the iPhone costs there. They'd better take out some hefty loan for this Nokia. It looks nice and comes with some nice hardware.