Apple iPhone VS Nokia N95 - device specs, strengths, weaknesses, more... you decide
Written by Glenn Letham
Friday, 29 June 2007 iPhone or N95 which one would you want? Given North America's infatuation with everything "Apple" and the mobile device users' passion for music it seems that the iPhone may win this battle, however, which device is really the best bang for the buck? Upon a closer look at the specs it really does seem like a simple answer to the question although will it matter to the consumer? We take a closer look at all the device specs, hot aspects and pitfalls of each device.
On June 29 the gloves come off - Apple iPhone VS Nokia N95 - which one do you want? The home team for this game is Apple, offering up a slick, new device designed to enhance the mobile experience for music lovers. The iPhone offers up a clever UI, easy access to popular applications (music, video, maps), access via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EDGE connectivity and offers loads WOW. Apparent partnerships with Google and a strong sales channel (Apple store) should help.
The camera is a mere 2 megapixels (fine for mo-blogging) and speculation has it that integration with the MAC OS will be sweet although what about the PC user? The price tag is steep (starting at $499) and initial connectivity is only offered up to the AT&T loyal following.
For the "visiting" team (Nokia) we have the Cool, GPS-enabled Nokia N95 which was recently made available in the USA. This feature-rich, multi-media device sports integrated GPS (the WOW factor), 5 megapixel camera, FM radio (I love this feature), easy-to-use email clients and perhaps most signifigant, TONS of applications developed by a huge, Global developer community already supporting the S60 developer ecosystem. The price tag is also steep, however, there are more chances at obtaining unlocked devices and subsidized rate plans are also available. Perhaps the biggest obstacle Nokia faces with the N95 in North america though is the marketing and sales channel - it's great if a Nokia Store happens to be near you! Go into a T-mobile or AT&T shop outside the huge metro areas and chances are that the clerk will look at you like you're from Mars when you bring up the N95!
Brand loyalty will be the deciding factor here and given the strong support for anything Apple in the USA this should guarantee that sales will be brisk. Will the consumers be making the best choice though? I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
Action Engine sees Apple’s initial release of an on-device portal full of widgets and rich content applications as impressive. We asked the CEO for his take on the iPhone including specifics on the mapping application and the application development environment...
Mapping Application: The mapping application is one feature of the iPhone that is taking center stage in their marketing campaigns. By integrating city guide search features directly into the maps they have made the service very intuitive, logically presenting information in a format that the consumer can really benefit from. Keeping with this 'integration' theme, consumers can click on points of interest in the maps to view information or even place a phone call to the place they are searching for.
Unfortunately, however, the iPhone's mapping application hasn't incorporated any of the location-based services that could really make it stand out from the pack. We built a service for one of our customer's overseas that used global positioning to draw maps from one friend to another. Having a feature like that incorporated into the next version of the iPhone could really make it a fun and useful service for consumers that taps into the hot social networking market.
Application Development Environment: Apple lets you build web-based services but if usability is priority #1 for them then they should understand that the limitations of the mobile web make on-device applications a much better alternative for consumers. The wait times and dropped connections found when using browser-based mobile applications make the experience of searching for content simply unacceptable for today's busy consumer.
Why stifle creativity by closing off the downloadable application opportunity to developers? This will only prevent iPhone owners from personalizing their home screens with lots of interesting widgets that are developed by third parties. Many of the early adopters of mobile data services have already become loyal followers of their favorite Symbian, Java, BREW, and Windows Mobile powered applications and it is disappointing that Apple's approach is to prevent them from bringing those applications with them over to the iPhone. I'm hopeful that Apple will enable more offline applications by providing real access to the OSX platform in future releases.
Coming to the USA June 29, 2007 - The Apple iPhone
What you get in the box iPhone Stereo Headset Dock Dock Connector to USB Cable USB Power Adapter Documentation Cleaning/polishing cloth
The Apple iPhone (Image Credit: Apple)
iPhone Specifications
Capacity 4GB or 8GB flash drive1
Display 3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch display 480-by-320-pixel resolution at 160 dpi Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously
Operating system OS X
GSM Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wireless data Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) EDGE Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
Camera 2.0 megapixels
Audio Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
Video Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats
Headphones Stereo earphones with built-in microphone Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Impedance: 32 ohms
Mac system requirements Mac computer with USB 2.0 port Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later iTunes 7.3 or later
Windows system requirements PC with USB 2.0 port Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate Edition; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later iTunes 7.3 or later
Environmental requirements Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C) Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C) Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
Input and output iPhone 30-pin dock connector 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack iPhone Dock Dock connector
Power and battery Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery Talk time: Up to 8 hours2 Standby time: Up to 250 hours3 Internet use: Up to 6 hours4 Video playback: Up to 7 hours5 Audio playback: Up to 24 hours6
Intelligent keyboard (appears when you need it) designed for fast SMS input, partnerships with Google, sync, comprehensive dictionary, integration with youTube,
5 megapixel camera with DVD like quality GPS mapping Large 2.6" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with ambient light detector and up to 16 million colors HSDPA, 3 times faster than the 3G internet experience
Operating Frequency Operating Frequency WCDMA2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS) Automatic switching between bands and modes
DimensionsDimensionsVolume: 90 cc Weight: 120 g Length: 99 mm Width: 53 mm Thickness (max): 21 mm
Memory Functions Memory FunctionsUp to 160 MB* internal dynamic memory for messages, ringing tones, images, video clips, calendar notes, to-do list and applications Memory card slot supporting up to 2 GB microSD memory cards * Changes to product details are possible without prior notice. Application offering may vary. Dynamic memory means that the available memory is shared between dynamic memory functions. When any of these functions is used, there is less available memory for other functions which are also dependent on dynamic memory.
Power Management Power ManagementBattery: Nokia Battery (BL-5F) 950mAH Talk time: up to 160min (WCDMA), up to 240 min (GSM)* Stand-by time: up to 200 hours (WCDMA), up to 225 hours (GSM) * * Operation times may vary depending on radio access technology used, operator network configuration and usage.
Displays DisplaysLarge 2.6" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with ambient light detector and up to 16 million colors
User Interface User InterfaceOperating system: S60 software on Symbian OS User Interface: S60 3.1 Dedicated Media Keys Multimedia Menu Active standby screen
Call Management Call ManagementContacts: advanced contacts database with support for multiple phone and e-mail details per entry, also supports thumbnail pictures and groups Speed dialing Logs: keeps lists of your dialed, received, and missed calls Automatic redial Automatic answer (works with compatible headset or car kit only) Supports fixed dialing number, which allows calls only to predefined numbers Conference call Push to talk (PoC)
Voice Features Voice FeaturesSpeaker independent name dialing (SIND) Voice commands Voice recorder Talking ringtone Integrated hands-free speaker
Messaging MessagingText messaging: supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list Multimedia messaging: combine image, video, text, and audio clip and send as MMS to a compatible phone or PC; use MMS to tell your story with a multi-slide presentation Automatic resizing of your megapixel images to fit MMS (max 300 KB size depending on the network) Predictive text input: support for all major languages in Europe and Asia-Pacific
Data Transfer Data Transfer*WCDMA 2100 (HSDPA) with simultaneous voice and packet data (PS max speed UL/DL= 384/3.6MB, CS max speed 64kbps) Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) support for simultaneous voice and packet data connection in GSM/EDGE networks. Simple class A, multi slot class 11, max speed DL/UL: 177.6/118.4 kbits/s EGPRS class B, multi slot class 32, max speed DL/UL= 296 / 177.6 kbits/s
Imaging and Video Imaging and Video Up to 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens, MPEG-4 VGA video capture of up to 30 fps Direct connection to compatible TV via Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included in box) or wireless LAN/UPnP Front camera, CIF (352 x 288) sensor Video call and video sharing support (WCDMA network services) Integrated flash Digital stereo microphone Flash modes: on, off, automatic, redeye reduction Rotating gallery Online album/blog: photo/video uploading from gallery Nokia Lifeblog 2.0 support Video and still image editors Movie director for automated video production
Mobile Video Mobile VideoVideo resolutions: up to VGA (640x480) at 30 fps Audio recording: AAC mono Digital video stabilization Video clip length: limited by available memory Video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS) White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent Scene: automatic, night Color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid Zoom: Digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x)
Mobile Photography Mobile PhotographyImage resolution: up to 5 megapixel: (2592 x 1944 pixels) Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF Auto focus Auto exposure - center weighted Exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent Scene: automatic, user, close-up, portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait Color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid Zoom: Digital up to 20x (5 megapixel up to 6x)
Camera Specifications Camera SpecificationsSensor: CMOS, 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944) Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar lens Focal length 5.6 mm Focus range 10 cm ~ infinity Macro focus distance 10-50 cm Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter: 1/1000~1/3 s
Music Features Music Features Digital music player - supports MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA/M4A with playlists and equalizer. Integrated handsfree speaker OMA DRM 2.0 & WMDRM support for music Stereo FM radio (87.5-108MHz /76-90MHz)
Visual Radio Visual Radio*Listen to music and interact with your favorite radio stations Find out what song is playing, who sings it, and other artist information Enter contests and answer surveys, vote for your favourite songs Find out more about Visual Radio * To check the availability and cost of the service, contact your network operator or service provider.
Navigation NavigationBuilt-in GPS
E-mail E-mailEasy-to-use e-mail client with attachment support for images, videos, music and documents Compatible with Nokia Wireless Keyboard (sold separately)
Browsing BrowsingNokia Web Browser with Mini map Digital homeDigital homePlay video, music and photos on home media network - compatible TV, stereo and PC over WLAN/UPnP Java ApplicationsJava ApplicationsJava MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 (Connected Limited Device Configuration (J2ME)) Over-the-air download of Java-based applications and games Other ApplicationsOther ApplicationsPersonal Information Management (PIM) Advanced S60 PIM features including calendar, contacts, to-do list, and PIM printing Settings Wizard for easy configuration of e-mail, push to talk and video sharing. Data transfer application for transfer of PIM information from other compatible Nokia devices. Wlan wizard RealPlayer Media PlayerRealPlayer Media PlayerFull-screen video playback to view downloaded, streamed or recorded video clips Supported video formats : MPEG-4 , H.264/AVC , H.263/3GPP, RealVideo 8/9/10
Sales Package Contents Sales Package ContentsNokia N95 Nokia Video Connectivity Cable CA-75U Nokia Connectivity Cable DKE-2 Nokia Stereo Headset HS-45, AD-43 Nokia Battery BL-5F Nokia Travel Charger AC-5
Those seeking a slightly cheaper mobile device without integrated GPS should consider the Nokia N80
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iPhone or N95 which one would you want? Given North America's infatuation with everything "Apple" and the mobile device users' passion for music it seems that the iPhone may win this battle, however, which device is really the best bang for the buck? Upon a closer look at the specs it really does seem like a simple answer to the question although will it matter to the consumer? We take a closer look at all the device specs, hot aspects and pitfalls of each device.
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