Nokia N91 lust

Posted by Scott Laird Fri, 08 Jul 2005 23:50:28 GMT

Darn it, I think I’ve fallen in love with another unreleased phone.

This week, it’s the Nokia N91. It was announced a couple months ago, and isn’t supposed to ship until late in 2005. It’s going to be marketed as a “music phone,” but I think the specs more or less speak for themselves:

  • 4 GB hard drive
  • 802.11g
  • Bluetooth
  • 2 MP still camera, 352x288 video capture
  • Series 60 3.0 software
  • Video player (MPEG4, Real, H.263)
  • GSM/EDGE/WCDMA (3G) support
  • FM radio receiver
  • mini-USB jack (can act like USB mass storage device)
  • phone keypad and music controls, but no keyboard
  • battery life: 12 hours music playback, 3-4 hours talk time, 7-ish days standby time

You can get more details from Nokia’s own flashcrapular site.

Nokia N91

It’s not a small phone by any stretch. It’s very slightly smaller then a Treo 650–4mm narrower, 1mm thinner, 16g lighter.

The thing that I find so fascinating about the N91 is that it can replace practically every device that I’ve been cramming into my pockets:

  • phone
  • iPod–the N91’s not as nice as the iPod photo, but for light use, it’ll probably be good enough.
  • pocket camera–much better then my T616 (which is worthless as a camera). 1600x1200 is big enough for web photos and the occasional whiteboard photo at work. If the shots are anything like the N90 sample shots then I’ll be happy.
  • organizer (it’ll sync with the Mac once Apple tweaks their list of supported Series 60 devices). It’s not quite as capable as the Clie that I’m still dragging around, but it’ll probably be good enough.
  • USB flash drive (you’ll need a mini-USB to USB zip cable, but they’re small)
  • video player (er, well, if you don’t mind watching on a 2” screen)
  • photo album – if the iPod photo can do it, why can’t the N91? Their screens are basically the same resolution.

The other thing that fascinates me about the N91 is its SIP support. The specs list support for JSR-180, which is SIP for J2ME apps. There are rumors online that the demo N-series phones have native SIP support in the phone UI. That’d let me use the N91 as a cordless phone when I’m at home or at work, which is just one more thing to like about it.

Of course, there have to be downsides–the camera doesn’t look as good as the one that comes with the N90 (but the N90 doesn’t have 802.11 or the hard drive). It doesn’t have the N90’s video-conferencing camera, either (that’d be cool with SIP). It’s kind of big. It doesn’t have a keyboard (although external bluetooth ones will work). It won’t ship until the very end of 2005. The specs don’t list 850 MHz support, although they’re clearly marketing this to the US, so presumably there will be a US model with 850/1900 MHz support. Finally, the price: at least $700 US before subsidies, possibly closer to $900. So, frankly, it’s probably too expensive for me to buy, but I’m going to be really tempted. Since Palm is rumored to be saving the next Treo for Spring of 2006, the N91 may not even have any competition for “Cool Phone of the Year” in my mind.

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Comments

  1. Tony said 25 days later:

    I want one of these very badly too! I’m about to move to California (from Ontario) and I’m wondering how widely supported this phone will be by carriers. Any idea?

  2. Scott Laird said 25 days later:

    It’s unclear who will carry it. Nokia seems to be marketing it towards the US already, and the N90 is nearly ready for its US launch, so it doesn’t look like the N91 will be a Europe-only model. So odds are either Cingular or T-Mobile will end up selling it.

    Nokia’s been pushing their phones via their US website recently; there are several phones that you can buy directly from them that no US carrier has picked up yet.

  3. sarah said 26 days later:

    i’m sooo dieing for this phone too.. it only comes out in jan next year!!.. it will be avalible in europe.. you can already pre-order it but it dosen’t say what net-work it’s on.. but 02 are advertising for it.. so they’ll probly bring it out to.. who know’s itme will tell..

  4. Bongman said about 1 month later:

    I am also waiting for this phone. I have the 6230 and live in the UK. I was tempted to upgrade to the 6230i before I found this model :D

    As the secondary use of my phone is to play media the N91 will be the perfect choice!

    Im almost ready to choose what 4gb of media to put on it! :D

  5. null said about 1 month later:

    good thing i live in finland, isn’t it ;) . i too am coveting this phone, must have it, must must must. i’m saving money, showing a printed pic i keep in my wallet to folks, hoping they wont run out in our local shop when it finally arrives. hopefully my grados work ok with the n91. is this the harry potter and what-not of cool must have gadgets?! =) i need a support group.

  6. Ange|Fyre said about 1 month later:

    to those people speculating that this awesome phone is going to be carried by either t-mobile or cingular.

    If you’re living in america and you have the slightest idea about cell phones you would know that only the crappiest and most bullshit models are available by carries in the US. Just go browse the providers’ websites and you’ll see. And for phones that are FREE in Europe, like the 6610 when it came out, i ended up paying around $150 with t-mobile. And even that wasn’t available on the t-mobile website. Forget the 6610, ain’t even seen the 7610 here which i think was sucha nice phone.

    So yea.. Dream on if you think its coming here…

  7. Sweetie2005 said 2 months later:

    Im waiting for this model to come out in the Philippines

  8. Six of siX said 2 months later:

    When I saw this phone I was awe struck! I gotta get one! I will wait for it, though, stuck in SA (South Africe, The Republic of) we usually get phone almost 6 months after Europe, so I got quite a wait coming. Considering my contract upgrade come at the end of October… ah!!! What to do!?!?

  9. zzaf said 3 months later:

    this phone is hott. i been trackin it 4 like 6 months. its gonna b da bomb. 4 gig hard drive. gud luck filling dat. and 802.11g not b but g. man nokia r da daddies once again. im just abit concerned about battry life. other then that this is the must have gadget that will put all others to shame. (ignre the typos)

  10. seamonkey420 said 4 months later:

    hmm.. just stumbled upon this phone when doing some research on a few other mp3 phones..

    currently i own a Sony Ericsson K750i/W800i Walkman Phone and really love it but had a prob w/my camera on it so i’m gonna upgrade to this baby! hopefully if my ebay bid goes as planned, i’ll have one next week!! yea!

    peace

  11. ema said 6 months later:

    I cannot wait longer! I have waited for this phone, ever since i got back from my vacation to Kobenhaven (Summer 2005) and was dissapointed by the 7600. I went to a cingular shop and they said they will get it and since the sell to t-mobile, i bet they will get it to. I heard it will be realeasing in the US in March but if it does not, i guess i will have to order it from singapore. Im getting a little impatient but i know ths phone is worth it. I haven’t gotten a new phone since 2002. I have the Samsung X something. It is blue.

  12. richu said 7 months later:

    2006 feb 5 i am wating for and i go to my nokia showroom he say he will give me in 11 days and cost $999-99 in Rs-45,000-00

  13. null said 7 months later:

    oes n e 1 no wen it comes out EXACLY ?? ?? ?? ??

  14. satish said 8 months later:

    want to know the rate of nokia n91 as have to buy 5nos

  15. Paul said 8 months later:

    i live in m’sia in asia how can i purchase this phone..i was thinking of buying thp phone in the states… how much will it cost…

  16. null said 9 months later:

    i fell in love wuth it the first time i saw it…. and um really wanting to but it … but unfortunately found out its not released yet…. please lemme know when it wil be released and how much it would cost … inform me on the below addy mrpiercestudios@wow.lk

  17. null said 9 months later:

    i fell in love wuth it the first time i saw it…. and um really wanting to but it … but unfortunately found out its not released yet…. please lemme know when it wil be released and how much it would cost … inform me on the below addy mrpiercestudios@wow.lk

  18. kyle said 9 months later:

    the release date is going to be 27th of april 2006 and it is going to cost £450 a hundred pound more than the n80 but the n91 is a smart phone but dont jump into buying it when it gets released because nokia rush to get there products out so there probaly will be loads of faults with the phone but that can also mean that nokia and the networks that are supplying it will have to drop the price which will be better for the people who want to purchased it and and the networks that have declared the are stocking the n91 is ORANGE, T-MOBILE, VODAFONE AND O2 ARE IN TWO MINDS ABOUT IT BUT THEY MOST LIKELY WILL HAVE AND ALSO 3G WELL THATS IT REALLY SO I HOPE WHEN THE PHONE IS RELEASED IT IS AS GOOD AS NOKIA DESCRIPE IT TO BE.

  19. loy said 9 months later:

    hey guys read all ur comments but im in south australia i wanna know when its comin down here ( nokia n91)who can tell me which phones better?? the n91 or n90?? i know that the n91 is more of a music player and the n90 is more of a better camera but i have never really seen the 2nd megapixel camera on the n91. where is it???? and how much would it cost in adelaide??? any idea????

  20. loy said 9 months later:

    yeah and my mail id is johannmlmstn@yahoo.com. smne pls help me………

  21. Ash said 10 months later:

    Release date in Australia in June 2006. cost ~$720 on a $50 2 year plan. check out the shops in the next few weeks.

    P.S. Im a South Aussie too

  22. bsd_lover said 10 months later:

    Ash , I just pre ordered one today. I am in NSW. Cost me $915 all up (including delivery) and no plans.

    Check out : http://www.phoneshop.com.au/ProductDetails.aspx?item_id=3NMH0091

  23. Joel said 10 months later:

    Hey,

    How on earth did you find out it was expected in june? Ive been trying ti get a date for the last year!

    Wikid phone..although its getting close 2 overhype… cheers Joel

  24. darkman said about 1 year later:

    I have had one now for about 2 months. You know when you get a anew phone, and you play around with it for about 20 minutes and think, yep, it’s a phone.

    Well, I still love it after 2 months and still havn’t stopped playing with it.

    The battery life isn’t that great, I charge it in the morning, but charges very quickly.

    Photo quality canbe seen here http://darkman-perth-au.journalspace.com

    All, up, get it!

  25. john bomb said about 1 year later:

    i woz just wondering will this be avalible on t-mobile as i wana gt dis on flex account deal wat u fink ppl ?

  26. peter, sheffield,uk said about 1 year later:

    has the nokia N91 been updated i.e front facing video calling camera?

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