MWC 2008: Nokia unveils N96 and other new models

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Mobile phone giant Nokia chose this week's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to up its game in the smart phone war against Apple by unveiling the 16GB-strong N96 and a host of other new models aimed at business users and consumers.

This latest model, which will start shipping in the third quarter of this year, at an estimated price of around €550 (pre subsidy or taxes), follows last week's announcement that Apple will offer a 16GB version of its iPhone.

The dual-slide N96, with its five megapixel camera, is aimed at those who have a huge appetite for video and TV and boasts a 2.8in screen, 16GB of internal memory (which can be boosted using cards to bring it up to an impressive 24GB), USB 2.0, WLAN and HSDPA connectivity, a DVB-H tuner and support for a wide range of video formats, including Flash, MPEG4 and Windows Media.

It is capable of storing up to 40 hours of video content builds on the momentum the N95 gained - which has shipped seven million units thus far - according to Nokia, who is calling the new product a "personal window to entertainment."

"Mobile technologies have changed our lives and opened a world of new possibilities. Communications have become far more affordable and accessible around the globe and it is safe to say that new ways to communicate with each other will be taken fore granted by tomorrow's consumers," said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the company's president and chief executive.

"While the technology and what is inside our devices becomes more and more complex we are sensitive to the fact that people demand simplicity," he added. "They want devices that make their lives easier without requiring a PhD to figure it out."

Nokia also unveiled a number of other handset models aimed at enhancing location-based and multimedia experiences: the N78, Nokia 6220 classic and the Nokia 6210 Navigator.

"At home, at work or on the road, mobile devices will soon be tuned to your surroundings and adapt accordingly. Some of the most significant innovations have made the greatest impact by solving straightforward problems or needs in simple ways and without costing a fortune," said Kallasvuo, talking about the launch of the 6220 classic. "The 6220 classic really takes the idea of saving photos and video to a new level in this price sector."

Referring to the 6210 Navigator, which includes the latest version [2.0] of Nokia Maps, Kallasvuo added: "Traditionally a large part of the personal navigation device market focused solely on driving. Now, Nokia is taking navigation services out of the car and onto the side walk so it can always be with you. Pedestrian navigation brings a whole new dimension to that experience and struggling with over-sized paper maps will become a thing of the past."

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