Nokia's N96 is the sequel to last year's much-loved N95. All the same notes are struck—Symbian OS, lots of internal memory (16GB this time) and powerful N-Gage-ready 3D graphics. It's the leader of a pack that focuses on fancy GPS-based geolocation features and high-end integrated cameras.
• Back to the N96: we barely got started on its spec sheet. There's
GPS, a DVB-H digital TV recorder that won't work in the U.S., a desktop stand, and keypad backlighting that changes to indicate what the buttons will do in their present context. It has the same slick design chops as the N95, but with the vibe predictably leaning toward Apple's iPhone rather than the "standard silver" of last years'
designed-in-2006 models.
Whatever you do, however, don't call this $800 machine an upgrade. Especially if you just bought the last one.
• The N78, if model numbers are anything to go by, should give you
81.25 percent of the N96. A scan of its capabilities suggests that's just about right: it's packed with featured, but the most important of them come just a little bit less powerful. It has a 3.2 MP cam instead of a 5 MP one, for example, and an SD card slot instead of expansive internal memory.
At $500, it'll be cheaper, too. One advantage over its big brother:
with HSDPA, it's definitely going to be fast. Its assisted GPS-based
"geotagging" feature might be fun, too.
• The Nokia 6210 combines a-GPS, accelerometers and what the press release calls an "integrated compass" to make a phone for the urban footsoldier. It tracks where you're going and where you've been to keep you on top of your "personal navigation" needs: Nokia Maps 2.0 is the pre-installed app that glues it all together.
It's otherwise what one would expect of a mid-range phone in 2008:
1GB of memory, HSDPA, a 3.2 megapixel camera and an FM radio round out the specs.
• Branded as the "Classic," Nokia's 6220 comes in black or a
Sony-esque shade of purple and has a 5 megapixel camera. However, it lacks the fancy a-GPS features of the 6210.
