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hey everyone, if you have any questions for the product manager of the N96 please put them in here, the answer sessions will be taking place soon!
How much of N95 & N95 8GB user feedback has been taken into consideration when developing the N96?
With the device launching Q3 was there a reason 3.6mb HSDPA was added and not 7.2mb for future proof?
What is the reason for including only a 950 mAh battery?
Why was 950 mAh battery chosen over a bigger battery on this device with more features than the N95?
Yeh, I'm also wondering about the size of the battery, that was my main problem with the N95 (using N82 now).
Will the kickstand be a one-off novelty, or is this something that is planned to be incorporated in future handsets?
Why was the decision made to put 2 sets of media keys on the device, especially around an error prone area like the directional pad?
Why N96 design is quite similar to of N81 ? N
Will the Maps 2.0 application use the accelerometer to orient the navigation in the right direction? Will the Navi Wheel be usable throughout the OS?
Why no Xenon flash and lens cover/shutter?
yeah, very dissapointed about no xenon flash, it makes no sense
gutted about that
What are Nokia's plans for supporting US-compatible HSDPA/HSUPA (850/1900 MHz on AT&T and 700/2100 MHz on T-Mobile) for devices like the N96, N78 and older N82? The competition (Sony Ericsson, HTC) is providing devices with multi-band (world) HSDA support.
When Nokia release a phone, usually it make for the european market including first a release with 3G 2100MHz band, and the americans need to wait 2 or 4 months to get the same phone for American 3G Networks, With N96 we feel the possibility to get a dualband HSPA.
Will Nokia made next phones with Dual-Band HSPA? Or the N96 is only an exception?
marty3:
950 mAh and a XENON-Flash? You're kiddin'
950mAh is a joke anyway, with or without xenon.. and i belive LED uses more battery than a xenon does
Yes there was a test I read and LED can drain the battery faster than a xenon flash...if you use dual LEDs for video recording I dont even want to know how fast the battery will drain.
Does the N96 have a naviwheel or are you still testing it on lower-end nseries before adding it to the top-of-the-line?
what is you answer towards the comments that will go saying that the top-of-the-line Nseries is "topped" (pun intended) camera-wise by a middle-range non Nseries device (6220)
HiSpeed USB was mentioned, how much of a High-Speed is it, if you can give it to us in ratio compared to the actualy N95 8GB and the N81 8GB?
Has the issue with the flash chips not having fast data transfer like the N95 8GB been fixed on the N96?
yes, 2 led with a 950mah battery.. 
what where they thinking
im still getting one tho when they release lol
a personal opinion:do you believe you have created a product that is compelling even to N95-3 and N95-4 owners? and what are the key features that you plan on emphasizing to target this particular market?
A question: Is the release date of the Q3 2008 really true? 
Why isn't the release date in February or March like the one of the N95 was?
one more question. The N96 is said to be released in Q3 2008, by then touch devices will be around the corner (they are rumored to be available in Q4, around november), which means the world will be eagerly waiting for them. what are your plans regarding to positioning the N96 on the market by that time and letting it have the impact it should?
The battery is just like a major letdown for me, so does the S60 V3 FP2 is more energy efficent than S60 V3 FP1, and what's the best new function in S60 V3 FP2??
oh and does the N96 have the same music processing capabilities as the N81? the advertisement shows the Bose headphones, if I am not mistaken, any ideas on whether there will be a special version featuring those, like the N81's? and what type of headphones come with the N96, is it the same as the N95 and the N81? If yes why did you shift away from in-ear headphones, like the N91's and the 3250's?
1) Will it charge via usb?
2) Will the S60v3 FP2 allow connection to EAP-TTLS-PAP wifi networks?
does tze N96 have OMAP3 already, or is it still based on OMAP2?
id like to know about usb charging also..
dragon-tmd
What is the reason for including only a 950 mAh battery?
Answer: Instead of putting in a bigger battery than the N95, we optimized power usage of key functions, in particular those related to multimedia and entertainment. For example, video playback time is up to 5 hours and music playback time is up to 14 hours, which we achieved through hardware accelerators and other optimizations.
Hey everyone, I am the product manager for the new Nokia N96. Nice to meet you all, and thanks for your questions and your time!
It took us a while to connect here from MWC Barcelona... so sorry if we are running a bit behind schedule.
thanks for joining us
You mention new hardware accelerators improving energy consumption in the N96 - what exactly differs in the hardware architecture from N95-8gb generation?
Hi, nice to meet you. Thank you for answering all the questions and for your time!
what is the available RAM after boot?
Question from Jollemi
How much of N95 & N95 8GB user feedback has been taken into consideration when developing the N96?
Answer: When we develop new products, we base our decisions on a lot of research, focus groups and feedback from users of earlier products. We also test design alternatives with users and get their input. We started development of the N96 when the some of the earlier products had just come to market. So we followed the acceptance of those very closely and tried as much as possible to take learnings from those into account.
Looks like I have quite a backlog of questions already... I will type as fast as I can... so please bear with me
symbianguru
Will the kickstand be a one-off novelty, or is this something that is planned to be incorporated in future handsets?
Answer: we feel that the kickstand or some similar stand design is excellent for handsfree viewing (such as watching video) and similar usage. I cannot comment on future products, but there are already some other Nokia products (e.g. N) which have it, so I would not be surprised to see this again in future products.
lol we are all very excited nokia fans
Great to have you... it is you guys who we make these products for!
why only a QVGA-resolution display with such advanced video creating, editing and playing features on board? why doesn't nokia employ higher-resolution screens in any of the devices from the current line-up? is it a supply-chain issue?
1 quick question, are there plans for any beta testers before launch? I was lucky enough t test a N95 beta and report back any issues i found and thought that was a great idea.
(btw maps2.0 for all http://betalabs.nokia.com/blog
onetwothreewick
Why was the decision made to put 2 sets of media keys on the device, especially around an error prone area like the directional pad?
Answer:
There is actually only one set of media keys available at any time. As the device transforms itself into the different modes… landscape for e.g. video, portrait for e.g. music, with the numeric keypad extended for e.g. messaging, landscape for camera or “upside down” for gaming, the media keys can have different functions and illumination.
The reason there is a set of media control keys around the Navi wheel (the directional pad) is that it allows you to control your music or other media in the background, for example while you are in a chat session.
By the way, this was an example of user centric design, and a decision we made after testing several options for placing the media keys.
So again, there is only one active set of media keys active, and when you open the short slide, the icons around the directional keypad disappear.
Will the d-pad media keys be disabled when the media player is not open? That was a big complaint that I and others had on the similar N81, it was too easy to accidentally press play and start blaring tunes out
Can we choose what we want the slide out keys to do?
does it have auto rotation like the n82?
claudio
Why N96 design is quite similar to of N81?
Answer: The N81 and the N96 are both part of the same Nseries range of multimedia computers. They share a common design language, such as the black front and the band around with embedded functions and connectors.
On the other hand, there are of course many differences: e.g. the bigger display, the dual-slide, the landscape orientation of connectors. The N96 is slightly thinner but wider. And then there are major functional differences such as storage, GPS, 5 megapixel camera etc.
Will it have an integrated compass like the 6210?
Why is the release date set so late (3rd quarter 2008) is the release date really true?
tnkgrl
Why no Xenon flash and lens cover/shutter?
Answer: It has a dual-LED flash and video light, with auto-focus assist beam.
While the Xenon-flash can output more light over shorter period of time, we felt that the video light for video recording is the better feature for this device.
onetwothreewick
“Has the issue with the flash chips not having fast data transfer like the N95 8GB been fixed on the N96?
Answer: the N96 will have faster data transfer than some of the previous products. The real speed you will see as an end user e.g. transferring files from the PC will be at least 5 times faster (we are still working on further optimizations so I will provide some update later).
Which material is phone cover made of? is it some kind of plastic or is a metal (e.g aluminium)?
Thank you
Some questions about Navi wheel: yes it will be there, and it will be available in media applications such as music player and video center, as well as in applications with long lists like contacts. Not everywhere in the OS, at least not in the PR1.
Some questions about the accelerometer: yes it is there. The functionality to change the display orientation based on the accelerometer will be also be there, although it might be part of some PR1.x release.
Compass: no integrated compass.
why did nokia get rid of the pencil key?
The media keys around the d-pad will not only be active when a media app is running... however I do not believe this is a problem: accidental key presses are not very likely due to the width of the device.
Question about pencil key: it was found that many users don't use it very much, so the same functionality got embedded into the Options menu. So full editing like copy and paste, and select functionality are still available.
Hey guys, we have huge crowds here at the stand and I have to go back there...
was there a reason the N96 has 3.6mb HSDPA and not 7.2mb when by the time it comes out many networks will be using the faster data rates?
Please keep posting your questions and I will answer them as soon as possible.
ok, thankyou
thanks
Thank you all!
Thanks
Some of us on the product creation team are planning to create blogs for N96 users and questions... I will post the URL here also when available.
hope u see this one, what about infrared?
does it have the 3D accelerated graphics chip?
hi everyone here
the N96.... should be the highlight, right?
hmmm I can't really like it... It semms that Nokia just wanted to update the N95 (8GB) again....
Its like the last update before the big thin, the s60 touch
what are the cpu and the ram data of the N96?
someone here???
The Product Manager said they'll be back, so we just need to wait lil_chief
am lol
Thanks !
Hey guys, I just got to my laptop now. Where's the product manager?
back at the stand for a bit as it was packed
hellb e right back just wait
lol I should just come to Barcelona
lets be honest everyone..... how many of you are disappointed now you know the N96 has NOT got a xenon flash
I am for sure
I got a lot of questions ready...just waiting for mister to come ready. God knows how many red traffic lights I went through to get here
i am gutted about it!. Unless the light is strong enough but on comparing the N95 8GB camera to the N82 the 82 was better because of the flash
I hope N96 light will be par with N95 8Gb.
maybe they tested the lights and noticed that LED was better...which I doubt
my guess is that the light on the N96 led (they did say dual, right?) is/should be stronger than on n95
obviously it can't be better than xenon, but keep in mind that xenon can't be used for video recording
which (video rec) seems to be one of the key marketing points for the n96
why can't xenon be used for video recording?
They just wanted to give the movie makers a break this time. A (double) led works both for vid and photo, so in a sense it's a compromise they felt was ok since other models like N82 cover the photo well. What bothers me most is why we have to wait to Q3-Q4 to buy a phone that's not that much more of a phone than the n95 8gb. It will for sure be over shadowed by the touch UI that's supposed to
come out around the same time (well, we'll just have see about that, I suppose).
still waiting for the product manager. I'd lunching right now 
Is the speed of the 16GB internal memory comparable to the N95 8GB? Which in fact was not that fast. Certainly slower, than a microSD filled within an external card reader/writer.
To be honest, i'm not bothered. There is alot more going on in the phone than xenon. Maybe the N96 32GB will have it
the speed of the usb is quoted as "hi-speed" in the press release. actually i think the PM already answered that, saying it is 5 times faster than n95 8gb.
that would mean about 5MB/s
the xenon (because of the technology itself) can't be on for more than a part of a second
In LED's favour, it has saved my butt many times when stumbling around in dark areas and fumbling for lost keys.
well I rather have one LED and one Xenon, instead of Dual LED. I mean we do want great night pictures
Reason behind N96 3rd quarter launch is to give time to N95 8gb to sell well ?
it's perfect for pictures, but vor video...not available. i'm hoping the dual led on the N96 will be somewhere between the N95 8GB and the N82
meraj:
I think the N-series design team should hire you. Seriously.
was that sarcastic?
lol. anyhow I actually think that the reason for making the N96 only available 3rd quarter is to make people wait in case there is a delay in Touch UI, which there probably is
one led and one xenon on the same device would have meant space compromises (the devices would have definitely gotten at least thicker)
no! Having both led and xenon is the obvious solution they didn't make happen.
well Touch is definitely delayed, haven't you heard OPK say almost nothing about it?
oh thanks Uffie_G, may I ask what website are you representing?
I wouldn't mind thicker devices. I never cared about thickness, why do you think I own a N95
OPK said 2nd half of 2008 for touch ui nokias
none at all, I'm just a smart phone nut. Unless anyone's got an opening...
unfortunately merag, they are selling to a wider audience that dont like thickness
lol. me neither, but on the other hand, the mass-market trend is toward slimness (damn you motorola!). maybe they didn't want to release a successor to the n95 that was thicker than the n95. just guessing here.
yes, he did say that. but nothing else. nothing like : here are 2 demo devices running it. that's my point.
When we will see a real successor of N95 ?
we could only wish that in the coming weeks someone will leak a photo of the touch ui s60 phone
Lets hope 
well we were suppose to a Touch UI test today right?
just the usual video demo
I heard about something on a proto
if only lg and samsung released a s60 version of their PRADA and Armani phones today. that would be fun to see
Guy's -please leave this topic for N96 Q&A Only ! Use MWC Virtual event -General Discussions for further discussion .
leave this topic for N96 Q&A Only - good point!!
Sorry about that. I guess we got carried away. Anyway, the session should be ending anytime now
I apologize for the persistence but does anyone know about the whereabouts of the PMs
i think they were with the ppl live at the event as the video has just been shown
I'm busy buffering the video...but it's kinda unfair for us that they leave so early
anyone knows what's going on?
nope?
lol that helps...I've been compiling questions the whole night and now nothing
they were coming back but that was an hour ago
Howdy folks..!
I guess pretty much all from the basics to the shortcomings of N96 have already been answered.. however any news on any special functionality of the D-Pad ??
no news. The PM disapeared
What websites are people representing here, if any at all ??
hey Marty you're here
not for much longer tho, ive been awake for far to long, and i really must get some sleep...
lol where are you right now? my bad this is going offtopic
UK, been awake since yesterday morning lol.. thats it for me, om out.. doesnt look like project manager is coming back here anyway
see you on the forum bro...
and good bye eveyone else..
marty
Ok one thing that bothers me about this phone that i don't think anyone has commented on yet in teh bogosphere are the gaming buttons. because it is a dual slider, you cannot use the number keypad at the same time as the gaming keys, as with the N81--you can only use one or the other. lots of games including the ngage games require using the keypad in addition to the gaming keys.
i have no idea how you would deal with this, but this is a MAJOR limitation to any gamer out there that wants this phone
-hassan
I can't really see how you would properly use the gaming keys on a N81 together with the numeric keypad hassan 
i think he said exactly that the n96 is like the n81 - you can't. i do see this being an issue, maybe not necessarily with the n-gage games that are to come, but with other games (java or not), some of the controls may be on the numeric keypad. it comes down to a matter of personal choice: run game in portrait mode with the numerical keys or landscape with the dedicated gaming keys. it would have been nice for the PM to answer on this one though.
I still don't agree the fact because even on a N81 you won't be comfortably using the numeric key and gaming keys at the same time
true
meraj--in space impact you use both gaming buttons and keypad. it is not the most comfortable, but it is physcially possible. witht ehn96, it is actually a physical impossibilit
I guess they made it impossible so that you don't have to stretch your fingers that much
sorry, my typing is terrible: with the n96, it is actually not physically possible to use both because of the dual sider action
i mean it is great that the play/stop/ff/rr buttons are there, becuase on the n81 these are almost impossible to use
but putting the gaming buttons on the dual slider, i don't think was the best idea. i understand there is a screen real estate issue by putting them on the top of the phone as with n81. but at least there you have more options as far as how to play a game. i think trying to do all things for all people in your UI leaves it more unusable than my focusing on a key demographic
you might have a point, but then the n96 is the "all-in-one" device, a few compromises had to be made. the n81 is marketed as the gaming device, so in a way these things make a bit of sense. to me, at least.
definitely i think it is something a gmaer would need to watch out for
or one design idea (and i know it's way to late for these) make the gaming buttons the same "side of the bezel" style buttons as the n81's green and red call and end call buttons--so they just live on the very edge of the top bezel. this way you can maximize the screen real estate but still having gaming buttons that work with the keypad.
Umm I wrote a little review on what I think...here Wom World team, don't forget to post it at your blog
nice work meraj! i'll also be posting a few thoughts on today later on (I still have to gather my thoughts and I don't quite have time yet). but untill morning they will be up.
cool thanks, hope to see it soon!
am working on the N96 preview now
it's up now!
meraj
Nice inputs by you mate .
One question I'd like to raise is what chipset will the GPS be using ? Will it be the SiRFstarIII ?
is the product manager still answering questions here? i dont think its been covered here yet, but whats the sound/music quality of the n96 going to be like? better than the n95, i hope? since its adopted a design similiar to the n81, i'm hoping that it also picked up its amazing sonic qualities too
hi
anyone here to chat
Any info when will N96 come to stores?
Here is a question for he product manager. I just bought Nokia N96 and i wa updating it through the computer when suddenly it went dead. Since then I cannot on nor open the phone anymore. it only gives the message " contact your dearler". What is the cause of this and how can i slove this problem?
