N92 - More info

[Yssybyl]

Taking the opportunity to be first in this forum too...

Here's the latest press release on the N92 (not by me but author unknown):

Nokia N92: TV goes Mobile

Nokia Nseries range introduced in early November, together with N71 and N80, the world’s first integrated DVB-H mobile device, the Nokia N92 for watching broadcast TV programs. The Nokia N92 offers easy access to TV programs without having to sit in front of a television set. Users can set reminders to watch their favorite TV programs, create personal channel lists and subscribe to TV channel packages. The user-experience is ergonomic and very positive. The large 2.8” anti-glare QVGA screen with 16 million colors and the dedicated media keys that deliver a rich viewing experience further enhances the usability. The Nokia N92, which is based on S60 3rd Edition and Symbian OS, is planned to be commercially available in mid 2006 in Europe, Africa and Asia, in countries where DVB-H services are available.

DVB-H technology enables the TV service you are familiar with at home to be broadcast to your mobile device. DVB-H provides the best user experience in the mobile environment with excellent picture and reduced battery consumption. Up to 50 TV channels can be delivered with low cost, over one network. With extensive pilots of broadcast mobile TV currently taking place across the globe, involving leading broadcasters, mobile operators, broadcast network operators and handset manufacturers, the market for commercial broadcast services is expected to spread during 2006.
“The Nokia N92 is the first in a range of products bringing together the rich experience of conventional broadcast TV with the connected experience of mobility to create a new category – mobile TV,” said Richard Sharp, Vice President of Rich Media at Nokia. “We are confident that mobile TV will be an exciting new service for consumers, as well as generate new opportunities for innovation and growth in the mobile and media industries.”

The Nokia N92 has four different modes for simple and easy usage. The new view mode is especially designed for watching TV and video. To start watching mobile TV, users simply need to open the Nokia N92 in view mode and press the Multimedia key. The Electronic Service Guide (ESG) contains information about the available TV channels, programs and services. Other mobile TV features include watching time of up to four hours, recording and 30 seconds replay.

Connectivity

The cellular connectivity means people can interact with the TV, through services such as voting, program feedback and additional web discovery. Further, the Nokia N92 supports the new Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map, which provides a semi-transparent zoomed-out view of a web page that enables users to quickly orient themselves on a small screen. With an overall view of the web page, users can intuitively navigate to all corners of it as well as see the web page as it was originally designed.

The Nokia N92 provides a rich range of connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, infrared, Bluetooth wireless technology as well as USB 2.0 (Mass Storage Class), which allows users to connect the Nokia N92 directly to a compatible PC for quick and convenient file transfers or downloads.

Additional Nokia Nseries features

The Nokia N92 is also an XpressMusic device, with up to 2 GB memory card support, offering storage for up to 1500 songs delivered through the built-in stereo speakers or a stereo headset. The entertainment experience is further complimented by FM radio with Visual Radio support. Additional Nseries features include 2-megapixel camera for print-quality photos and email attachment support. The camera also has 4 times digital zoom.

Now, given the fiasco that is currently around with streaming TV (75p per min!!!!) am I the only one who is a little bit hesitant about this? Are we ever going to see a Mobile TV service (with subscription and data costs) that will compare in cost to say the monthly charge for a basic Sky TV package? Guess we'll have to wait and see.

The phone itself looks large and full of features... but is this going to be on anyone's "must have" list for next year?

[Ben]

DVB-H is broadcast so, if it's adopted, it'll be the end to any sort of metred charges for watching TV. Instead it'll give way to flat-rate sky-style tariffs I'd imagine that allow access to different channel selections.

Luckily we already have pretty good data-based TV offerings from Vodafone and lesser-so MobiTV. Vodafone's £5-per-package-free-til-end-Jan includes data. Three's MobiTV for a fiver also includes data, and Orange's MobiTV for a tenner includes a gig.

The current offerings are, undoubtedly, stopgaps. Everyone is waiting for DVB-H, meanwhile OFCOM seems to be waiting for some kind of kick up the backside before it gives the all clear. If DVB-H gets the go then the N92 could be a very cool piece of kit to own here in the UK, especially for the traveller. It's very much a niche phone, though.

Chars for the post!

[Denyo1977]

Has anyone actually got an idea when the N92 will be released (especially interested in the Vodafone release date)?

Ben is totally correct in his post, and I agree about the subscription service rather than data as it is in dvbh.

I have heard the phone will be out in Europe this summer as some countries in europe especially italy have already started broadcasting over dvb-h. However I also heard it will not be out until 2007 in the UK.

To be honest until DVB-H has started broadcasting in the UK you will not be able to use the tv bit of the phone. You will be able to subcribe to network operators tv packages like voda's sky and oranges orange tv for example