Gadgetrepublic.com - Gadget Review

The flagship smart phone in the Nokia Nseries has been treated to an overhaul with the latest N96. While some new additions like the bigger screen are a welcome addition, diehard N95 fans might prefer original design elements.

On face value, the N96 differs from its predecessor in that the matte black finish is no more. It has been replaced with a shiny front and back.

I like the glossy black front, and especially the fact that the keypad and screen are more integrated or recessed into the handset itself, but the plastic backing is a step down from the original rugged finish.

For some reason, the new handset also feels that little bit more flimsy than the N95, especially when sliding out the keypad, but it certainly doesn't lack in sturdiness, and in fact comes with a little kickstand on the back for watching movies. A small but neat feature, although a few colleagues felt that it was too easy to knock it over.

Back to watching movies: this is where the N96 really comes into its own. In a side-by-side comparison, the 2.8-inch screen (N95 is a 2.6-inch) definitely displays sharper images with brighter colours, although specs say it has the same 16m colour display.

The built-in accelerometer was a bit sluggish and did not immediately flip over to landscape when I titled it to watch movie clips, but the response time is much the same on the N95.

The 16GB onboard memory, in comparison to the N95's 8GB, also gives us something to be joyful about, but best of all is the fact that there is a Micro SD slot to add up to 16GB more. From 2009, 32GB cards will be on the market, so even more storage awaits!

Steering away from the multimedia aspect, I ventured onto the web. I found the browser to be adequate, but not really that amazing.

I would have liked if it were easier to navigate around webpages on this 3G handset, but the upside is that pages do appear to load pretty quickly.

There is also an RSS reader included, an indispensible tool for users of the mobile web.

Like the N95, this handset comes preloaded with Nokia's N-Gage application for downloading your 'better than Flash' games, but unlike its predecessor it has the N-Gage portal on board, which allows you to compare game scores with friends also using this forum.

I downloaded a few games including Spore and Kung Fu Panda - definitely better than the bog standard Flash games we're used to.

Finally, as on the N95, this handset has a pretty good still (5-megapixels) and video camera function, but the new addition is 'geotagging' (trust me this is getting very popular). So you can snap and upload your pictures directly to Flickr and it will automatically add your location.

Should I mention that it comes with DVB-H? This is mobile TV and to be honest it is a pretty big deal, but because mobile TV is only being trialled in Ireland right now with no view to being released to the general public until sometime in 2010, this is not really relevant at the moment.

Price: From €299 on Pay Monthly (subject to change)

User experience: As a mobile maker, Nokia is ubiquitous, and therefore the user interface is well known. Menu layout is straightforward enough with shortcut keys aplenty.

Design: Shinier and slimmer than its predecessor, but is it better? A matter of taste but personally I think it's a looker.

Innovation factor: A much-welcomed addition of Micro SD storage and slightly bigger screen for your viewing pleasure.

Verdict: The viewing experience is tempting, but extra storage is what will sway those who are unsure. I would buy this phone just to have a good integrated digital camera with geotagging and the ability to shoot high-quality streaming video on a service like Qik.

By Marie Boran