I'm as big a Nokia fan as one can get, my current mobile is even the N95-8gb... however, there are a few problems with this:
1) The Nokia N96 is expected to cost at least $800. The E66 = $500. Let's see, buy 2-3 iPhones or one Nokia? The average US mobile consumer is going to look at the fashion factor / price and very little else.
2) The N96 is being released without support for NAM-3G (the same thing they did with the N95), so basically the phone is useless in the US from that standpoint.
3) Nokia E66 is not a U.S. spec Nokia N96
The N96 might drive sales over in Europe/Asia, but in terms of seizing a growing 3G market in the US, they're absolutely screwing themselves by releasing NAM-3G counterparts half a year later. Nokia needs to get in the game and realize that NAM-3G is finally here (because of the iPhone 3g), and waiting 6 months isn't helping to push new products. 3G is the US cell-phone buzzword for 2008, and Nokia fully blew it on this one.
And yes, I'm pissed, because I expected to get rid of my Euro-spec N95-8 and get an N96 that would fully work in the US.
1) The Nokia N96 is expected to cost at least $800. The E66 = $500. Let's see, buy 2-3 iPhones or one Nokia? The average US mobile consumer is going to look at the fashion factor / price and very little else.
2) The N96 is being released without support for NAM-3G (the same thing they did with the N95), so basically the phone is useless in the US from that standpoint.
3) Nokia E66 is not a U.S. spec Nokia N96
The N96 might drive sales over in Europe/Asia, but in terms of seizing a growing 3G market in the US, they're absolutely screwing themselves by releasing NAM-3G counterparts half a year later. Nokia needs to get in the game and realize that NAM-3G is finally here (because of the iPhone 3g), and waiting 6 months isn't helping to push new products. 3G is the US cell-phone buzzword for 2008, and Nokia fully blew it on this one.
And yes, I'm pissed, because I expected to get rid of my Euro-spec N95-8 and get an N96 that would fully work in the US.