The Nokia Iphone Killer - N91

[magnercorp]

SHOULD APPLE BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS NEW PHONE FROM NOKIA THE N91? A MOBILE WITH 3,000 SONG CAPACITY

AM NOT ALLOWED TO POST THE LINK BUT GO TO NOKIA SITE AND SEARCH FOR N91 YOU WILL SEE IT.

[bpjauburn]

I saw it on engadget as well. Looks very nice as a convergence device with a 4GB HD and support for multiple audio formats accessible through drag and drop from the PC. I hope Apple takes these threats seriously. I have a 2G iPod and love it. I just don't like carrying two devices. An iPod/Phone (iPhone) combo would be a geat leap forward for Apple in these convergence decives IMHO.

[Paracaine]

Sounds interesting.

[rc-86]

The thing with these cell phones that have mp3 playback is that only certain people will buy Nokia because of their service, etc. So while it is a threat it's still a smaller demographic it's being aimed toward. I still think Apple needs to take it seriously though.

[magnercorp]

Hi I agree that the nokia phone is aimed at a specific market and that Apple really needs to take it seriously.

The truth is that people are beginning to look at the ipod behind the hype of the ipod brand and to be honest it isnt a totally amazing product compared to many other models out their.

I have an ipod silver mini 2nd gen which I like but it needs a colour screen and bigger memory before I will actually be happy owning one.

I would like to watch music video but only if a battery is developed so that it doesnt drain it.

Apple need to make an ipod that deserves the hype it gets.

[rc-86]

Actually I think iPods deserve all the hype they do in fact get. They're great mp3 players, probably the best and Apple has the best music software. Video isn't needed for the hype of a good mp3 player. The only thing it does need is more battery life and maybe a newer more improved sound chip.

[magnercorp]

Hi

I respect your opinion and agree that Ipods are good MP3 Players but thats all they are "good", Not fantastic, the best MP3 Players you have ever seen. Thats the point I was trying to make.

What makes them so great compared other MP3 Players out there that do the same thing for less money - the answer great marketing and the fact celebrities are pictured using them ie hype.

Apple need to make the ipod better and quickly.

[bpjauburn]

I wonder if iTunes Mobile will be compatible with this phone? That would make for a great combination and allow mobile access to ITMS. Since it's not something stupid like Verizon wanting to start their own music store and DRM the heck out of music to not make it transferrable between the phone and your PC PLUS charge $2-3 per song, it would be a good strategic fit for Apple.

[Shadowpod]

Originally posted by rc-86
Actually I think iPods deserve all the hype they do in fact get. They're great mp3 players, probably the best and Apple has the best music software. Video isn't needed for the hype of a good mp3 player. The only thing it does need is more battery life and maybe a newer more improved sound chip.

I think that the key to the iPod's success besides marketing is that it is a good piece of hardware (improvements can always be made) but the iTunes software is great. With the two together that is what makes it an amazing product (IMHO).

Anytime when I can get someone who is computer phobic to use a product with a limited training period (I'm talking 5 minutes max, with most of that time being spent on move mouse and click the "Import to iTunes" selection) it is a great product combination.

iPod rivals appear to be concentrating on the hardware alone. Now if Sony/Creative/Whoever gets it together to make a better app then I think that the iPods market share will decline swiftly.

Just my $0.02.

[iMacc]

Saw this a while ago.....It looks real nice.This could be my next phone.....

[Jump_Blueberry]

It's a phone...
The good thing is that you get it cheaper then the normal retail-price when you get a contract or renew my contract.

But do normal people (who don't know the details of the iPod as good as we do) care? They see the facts and see a mp3-player and a mobile... sony has such a thing as well (W800)!

And people who look behind the iPod... what do they see... ? They see products that they find useful support types of files they like(I'm not allowed to talk about this again) and that some people here find useless!

But still it is not really a competior to the iPod...

Is the sofware as easy as iTunes? Does a cable come along with the phone (because IR is slow and complicated and not many computers have bluetooth)???

Audiophiles will not see this as an alternative to a real iPod or any othe music-player... you can't plug normal headphone to them and (for real audiophiles) lossless formats are not suported or not worth being put on a HD that "small".

There are stronger competiors to the iPod then phones!

P.S What do you mean with IMTS ??? I only know UMTS... which would be a cool way to access iTunes (if it would work everywhere finally)

[bpjauburn]

Have you reviewed the technical specs of this phone? It's pretty slick. There are all the details on the Nokia flash site for all the new N-Series phones.

Music Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, Real V8, WAV, WMA, M4A, AWB, SP-Midi, AMR, WB-AMR, Nokia Ring Tones, AMR-NB, AWB

Music Player
Intelligently designed music player – optimized for music listening
Dedicated playback keys and volume control
Enhanced on the go playlist management – edit playlists, add new music
Get meta data
Enhanced music features: mixer, 8-band equalizer, stereo widening, loudness, stereo balance, music DRC (Dynamic Range Compression)
See what is playing when in the Nokia N91 is in the idle state
Answer calls while listening to music and music pauses and then resumes again when the call is ended
Smart integration with music services (easy access to music shop)
Music user profile or sim-less operation allows for uninterrupted listening
Synch with PC
Download new music over the air to your Nokia N91

You can plug headphones in through a standard 3.5mm jack.

Use the Nokia Music Headset HS-28 with remote control or use your own high quality headphone and connect directly to the 3.5mm audio jack on the Nokia N91
Connect the Nokia N91 to external speakers

In addition to bluetooth it can also connect via WiFi (802.11b/g) and via USB 2.0

If I could post a link to the flash site I would.

I have a 2G 20 GB iPod and absolutely love it. What I want to see is Apple play in this space. Given Apple penchant for intuitive hardware and user interface design, they could come up with a killer machine. This Nokia is only the latest (it and the Sony) salvo in the music phone market. There are 10M+ iPods out there but there are 175M+ phones. It is a huge market. Just take a look at the numbers the wireless carries give out about ring tone sales. The US ones made billions over the last year selling crappy quality tones. How many songs has iTunes sold? 300M? It is a lucrative market and Apple would be foolish not to play IMHO.

[mattf4184]

i dont think they should be woried because most of the nokia phones i have never seen in stores and stuff and phone companys probably probably wont sell it

[Joshdude]

I would buy this phone in an instant.

[Jump_Blueberry]

Wow, this phone sounds amazing!
But still: You buy a phone when your contract expires!
You buy an iPod whenever you want!

Without a contract a phone is too expensive!
even the cheap ones cost at least 500 Euros!

As for not seeing Nokia-phones in stores...
As far as I'm concerned they are still market-leader in Europe...
So it's not like no one knows or buys nokia!

And: onAir-download is slow! In the age of DSL, GPRS-dowloads with a max of 64K will feel too slow for people who are used to downloading songs. And it's expensive not only the cost for the song but the transpher-costs.... my provider (O2 - Germany) has a GPRS-flatrate... which is only usefull when you really download songs!
UMTS sounds good - highSpeed... but it works only in the very big cities... in Austria for example it only works in 2 places! It'll take year untill it will work everywhere.

[bpjauburn]

About phone carriers not carrying it, the way I understand it is that Nokia will sell it unlocked. That being the case, I can buy it and use in on any GSM carriers network. Then I cut the carrier out completely.

As for network speed for downloading songs, yes, it's an issue now. But two things on that: 1) It is a WCDMA phone which is a 3G solution with close to broadband speeds that has not been rolled out in the US by any carrier. 2) If it's able to transfer songs from your PC, unless you just have to have that song RIGHT NOW, just do like we all do from ITMS and wait until you get home.

But you do bring up a good point about the carriers. Verizon and others believe people are going to be falling all over themselves to buy songs over their networks. If the experience is such that it is cumbersome and slow, they won't. That's why this solution by Nokia is a great alternative. You can transfer the music you already have. Verizon and others are way out in left field on this if you ask me.

[Paracaine]

I cannot find this phone on the net, anyone got a link?

[bpjauburn]

I can't post a link but you can go to nokia.com / nseries and can find them there.

BTW, a Reuters story today speculated ont eh street price in Europe at around $900 and in the US, after carrier discounts at around $500. You can buy a 4G 60GB color iPod and one hell of a camera phone for that kind of cash. At that price it will not, in any way, be an iPod killer.

[iMacc]

It's on www.engadget.com, a few pages back.....

[Paracaine]

Thanks ;)

[Jump_Blueberry]

Target group for this phone:
Rich twens, thirty-something... managers, IT-students....
But when I think of it... at this price the target-group will reduce to some fanatics who just have a bit much money to spare!
Target group of the iPod:
iPods are owned by teenagers as well as by fourty-somethings!

Kids have cheaper 3-series nokia-phones with prepaid-cards in germany or cheaper camera-phones (nokia 6230 ie) Those kids may have an iPod mini or shuffle!

The high-quality phones are rather aimed to the generation 20+ - technic-fans... those who always get the newest phone on the market! Older people (40+) won't get this phone (unless they are very very modern) but my boss has a sony ericsson p910i which is a smart-phone and he doesn't get it completly... I have to tell him how HIS phone works! But iPods are more simple and for music they still have better oportonites for home-integration (JBL on stage...)

So you get a phone with an iPod mini for the price of a iPodphoto!
I rather get a 1.3 Megapixel mobile or something like the W800i (sonyericsson) when renewing my contact and an iPod photo (or 5G - now you know it... I don't have an iPod yet)
Though photographers and stores develop photos from phones already for real photos (not complete snapshots) I want a real camera - with an optical zoom!

And there is something this phone is not really useful for:
Storrage! can you imagine plugging your phone to your work-computer and store something on it!

There have been phone with the capability to play mp3 and store 1GB (SD-card) and they where no iPod-shuffle-killers!!! Most of the 4G will rather be used for photos!

Of course such an expensive phone has no SIM-LOCK but who would pay 900 Dollars for a phone... I usually buy no more then 100 Euros!

So lets calculate:
100 Euros - phone
200 Euros - iPod mini
200 Euros - digital camera

= 500 Euros
And you have more then the N91 - 3 devices but each of then more specialised and not as hard to use (nokia hides everything in useless unlogical folder in their new phones)

[iPac]

Looks alot nicer than a Nokia MP3 player I saw in a thread a while back :D

[bov]

yes, this phone looks freakin awesome!!!!!

:D :D :D :D

too bad i probably wont be getting this phone since i have about 8 more months in my contract, plus it will probably be mucho $$$$