There have been fears that the N96 battery would not be up to the job of running such a powerful multimedia device, given that the original N95, with the same battery had these problems.

Nokia had counterd this by saying that power performance had been much improved allowing the smaller, thinner battery to be used. (more…)

Gigaom report that Nokia are ceasing support for the N Series range of mobiles, the N96 amoungst the phones effected. Dig a little deeper however and it appears that what Nokia are doing is stopping bundling the VoIP client in the N96 package.

Possibly this is in response to pressure from carriers, who “give” the phones away for free and do not want to see users getting calls for free from the bundled wi-fi. Possibly, as some commentors say, it is because third party providers can do a better job of writing applications than Nokia can.

In clarification, Nokia have stated that the N96 will be VoIP compatible, but it will require additional software to get there, and existing providers, such as Truphone, are already working on a solution.

A source in Nokia, it is rumoured, has suggested that Nokia will be starting a video download service, specifically to compliment the release of the N96.

This would mean that users who will not benefit from DVB-H TV because it is not available in their areas, would still be able to use the multi media features of the new handset. The service is likely to be partnered with media content providers and include episodes of TV programmes.

As Planet N96 reported, BBC iPlayer may also be in development for use with the N96, which would add a rolling weeks worth of BBC content for UK based users and certainly add to the N96’s attraction.

Obviously the N96 will have the DVB-H TV tuner, but not all (or many at launch) countries will have any stations broadcasting DVB-H TV. So what to do?

Well some reports say that the BBC is looking to add compatability for the N95 to its iPlayer platform (PC’s Macs and the iPhone can already connect), and if the N95 can, it would seem a logical step for the N96 to be able to too.

The report is via marketing ageny, Brand Republic who have stated that the Beeb’s head of digital media, Anthony Rose, has advised of this possibilty as a route to extend the availability of iPlayer.

The service is available for the iPlayer over the built in WiFi, something that the N95 has, and the N96 will have, so if you live in the UK, you may not be able to use the TV tuner, but may still be able to get to view BBC programmes.

Polariod announced a while back that they were stopping production of their instant print film, having stopped selling the cameras last year.

They have now launched an instant printer that is compatible with most bluetooth or usb cabled digital cameras and mobile phones.

At 20mm H X 72mm W X 23.5mm D and weighing just 8 oz (without paper), this tiny printer will print full colour business card sized photos onto a sticky backed paper, for about 30p per print, using an inkless technology called Zink.

So if after you have splashed out on your new N96 (assuming Nokia ever release the N96!), you still have £99 left over, you might want to consider adding a portable printer to go with it.