We caught a glimpse of it last week, when Nokia Germany prematurely updated their site, but today Nokia have officially announced the N96 smartphone.  An update to the popular N95, over 7 million of which were sold, the N96 adopts the manufacturer’s current high-gloss style while updating the long spec-list that prompted so much interest in its predecessor.  Quadband GSM & HSDPA(WCDMA/HSDPA 900/2100, EGSM 900, GSM/EGPRS 850/1800/1900 MHz) together with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR and GPS are joined by Assisted-GPS for improved accuracy and, in certain markets, a DVB-H mobile TV receiver.

A 5-megapixel autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED camera flash (which does double duty as a video light) can capture images up to 2592 x 1944 and MPEG-4 VGA video footage at 30fps.  These can be geotagged, stored and organised on the N96’s 16GB of internal memory (which can be augmented with a microSD card), uploaded to online galleries such as Flickr or Nokia’s Ovi service, or streamed to a computer or compatible TV using a TV-out cable or wireless UPnP.

Nokia Maps 2.0 features strongly on the N96, offering navigation and multimedia city guides as well as user-downloadable maps and satellite imagery.  Options are available for voice-guided car navigation or pedestrian-optimised turn-by-turn instructions.

Meanwhile, the 2.8-inch QVGA display is put to good use with a range of multimedia: up to 40hrs of video can be stored in the 16GB internal memory, with MPEG-4 SP and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 formats supported at up to VGA 30fps resolution.  RealVideo and WMV9 can be played back at up to QCIF 30fps, while Flash Lite 3.0 and Flash Video are both supported in the N96’s browser.  Alternatively, the N96 can handle streaming video over WLAN/HSDPA or broadcast mobile TV via the DVB-H receiver, as well as display film trailers and other content from Nokia’s Video Center.  Audio compatibility includes MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+ and WMA, and there’s a choice of built-in stereo speakers, a standard 3.5mm headphone socket and Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP for listening. 

Dedicated media keys control both video and audio, and playlists, sound equaliser settings and categories can all be managed on the phone itself.  An FM radio with RDS rounds out the live music options, but the N96 is also compatible with Nokia’s Music Store for audio downloads.

Running S60, the usual gamut of messaging, IM, internet and RSS apps are present, and the N96 will allow users to access the N-Gage gaming system.  It weighs a little more than its predecessor – 125g versus 120g for the N95 – and at 103 x 55 x 18mm is a little longer and broader, but the sleeker design actually makes it appear smaller.  Nokia are claiming up to 220/150mins GSM/3G talktime or 220/200hrs GSM/3G standby from the 950mAh battery, or up to 5hrs video playback, 14hrs audio playback or 4hrs TV playback (the first two when the N96 is in offline mode).

The Nokia N96 should be available in Q3 2008, priced at around €550 ($797) before taxes and subsidies.