Nokia sets date for iPhone showdown

Posted on 1 Aug 2008 at 15:23

Nokia's iPhone rival - the N96 - will be on sale in the UK from October 1st. The handset is the follow-up to Nokia's successful N95 model, which was pitted against the original iPhone when it launched.

The phone has a built-in GPS receiver, and includes the Nokia Maps application. Nokia is also offering free downloadable maps of over 150 countries with location details and satellite imagery. Its web browser has HTML, JavaScript and Flash video support, and the phone also comes equipped with an RSS reader.

The handset has a 5-megapixel main camera, which uses Nokia's Carl Zeiss Optics lens. Its secondary camera - used for making video calls - has a VGA sensor. The N96 is also broadband television capable and includes a service catalogue to discover new videos. Its a digital music player which supports a variety of formats.

Prior to Apple's launch of the iPhone 3G Anssi Vanjoki, senior executive vice president of Nokia Markets, moved to reassure would-be customers that the phone manufacturer will be soon releasing a rival.

At the time, he said the phone would be released in the "third quarter" of 2008. The company has been showing off the handset since February, and said in early June it had already received an "encouraging" number of pre-orders.

"The N96 that we have introduced ... we believe this will be a significant product to the group who define the tone where the market is going," commented Vanjoki in June.

Author: Dawinderpal Sahota

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