The
Nokia N95 (N95-1, internally known as RM-159) is a flagship
smartphone produced by
Nokia. It is part of the company's
Nseries line of smartphones. The N95 runs on
Symbian OS v9.2, with an
S60 3rd Edition platform with Feature Pack 1. The phone uses a two-way slider to access either media playback buttons or a numeric keypad. Three newer versions have also been released: the upgraded
N95 8GB (N95-2), the
N95-3, which adds
3G support for North America, and the
N95-4 which is an America-targeted version of the N95-2.
The phone was unveiled in September 2006 and was released at the end of March 2007. Nokia heavily promoted this phone using the tagline "It's what computers have become", along with similar lines such as "It's what cameras have become". They also used the slogan "There's a thing in my pocket" in both television adverts and on the phone's Nseries website.
On March 22, 2007 Nokia announced that the N95 had started shipping in key European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets.[1]
On April 7, 2007, the N95 went on sale in the United States through Nokia's Flagship stores in New York and Chicago and through Nokia's nseries.com website. No US carriers are expected to offer this phone.
On August 29, 2007, two updated versions of the N95 were announced at a press event in London; first, the N95-3, specifically created for the North American market (thus being called N95 NAM, standing for "North American Model") with support for AT&T Mobility's 850/1900 MHz W-CDMA (3G/UMTS, 3.5G/HSDPA) bands instead of the original European/Asian 2100 MHz frequency; second, the N95 8GB, an updated version for the European/Asian markets with 8GB of onboard flash memory, slightly larger screen (up from 2.6 inches to 2.8 inches), and a black faceplate instead of the original silver. Both the new versions have additional changes, such as the removal of the sliding lens cover for the camera, improved battery life, and doubling of runtime memory (RAM) from 64 to 128 MB. [2] [3] [4] [5] The U.S. version started retailing without carrier branding or discounts in Nokia's flagship stores in New York and Chicago on September 26, 2007[6] [7]; however it is unclear whether this phone will eventually be carried by AT&T Mobility. Also, there is no word yet on a version for the T-Mobile U.S. 1700/2100 MHz W-CDMA bands.
Later, on January 7, 2008, Nokia announced the N95-4, which is the inevitable 8Gb version of the N95-3. The phone got its FCC approval in January 30, and is slated to be launched some time in February 2008.
Nokia N95 handsets supplied by Orange and Vodafone in the UK have the VoIP facility disabled from the phone by installing their own firmware and not using the Nokia generic software. Vodafone's reason for removing the facility was that it "does not believe it's a mature technology"[8]. O2, T-Mobile & 3 allow VoIP to be used on their handsets, however data charges may apply when using the service.
Features
Integrated GPS
The N95 contains an integrated GPS receiver which is located below the 0 key on the keypad. The phone ships with Nokia Maps navigation software. Maps are free and can be downloaded either over the air (via a carrier's data packet network) or through the phone's built-in WiFi. Maps can also be downloaded via a PC using the Nokia MapLoader application. To use voice navigation within Nokia Maps a license needs to be purchased from Nokia. Individual city guides are also available for purchase. A-GPS was added later, which greatly improved the initial positioning time.
Multimedia abilities
The N95's dedicated multimedia keys are accessed via the 2-way slider
The N95 is a music player. It supports MP3, WMA, RealAudio, SP-MIDI, AAC+, eAAC+, MIDI, AMR and M4A. Its two-way slider, when slid towards the keypad, allows access to its media playback buttons. A standard 3.5 mm jack is located on the left side of the phone and allows the user to connect any standard headphones to the unit; a user can also use Bluetooth for audio output using A2DP. The device features built-in stereo speakers. The N95 is also capable of playing videos through the included RealPlayer application. Videos can also be played through the TV-out feature. TV-out is a special graphics chip and companion utility that allows users to connect the smartphone using the supplied composite cable to any TV or audiovisual device. Its aim is to let you demo your photos and videos on a large screen, and so as the internet, video games and music features can also be used. The N95's built in UPnP capabilites allow the user to share the phones' digital media over a WLAN network. This provides easy access to the photos, music and videos stored on the phone and also enables media to be downloaded from other UPnP capable devices on the network.
Internet
The N95 has built-in Wi-Fi, with which it can access the Internet (through a 802.11b/g wireless network). The N95 can also connect to the Internet through a carrier packet data network such as UMTS, HSDPA, or EDGE. The web browser displays full web pages as opposed to simplified pages as on most other phones. Web pages may be viewed in portrait or landscape mode and automatic zooming is supported. The N95 also has Bluetooth built in and works with wireless earpieces that use Bluetooth 2.0 technology and for file transfer.
It should be noted that the original N95 does not support U.S. based versions of UMTS/HSDPA; UMTS features in this version of this phone are disabled by default as sold in the US (but can be reactivated if needed). Likewise, the forthcoming N95 U.S. will only support AT&T's 850/1900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA bands, not the 1700 MHz T-Mobile USA band or the 2100 MHz band used internationally.
The phone can also act as a WAN access point allowing a tethered PC access to a carrier's packet data network. VoIP software and functionality is also included with the phone (though some carriers have opted to remove this feature).
Accelerometer
The N95 includes a built-in accelerometer. This was originally only used for video stabilization and photo orientation (to keep landscape or portrait shots oriented as taken).
Nokia Research Center has recently allowed an application interface directly to the accelerometer, allowing software to use the data from it. Nokia has released an application to demonstrate this.[9] [10]
Third-party programs have already begun to appear, including RotateMe,[11] which will automatically change the screen orientation when the phone is tilted[12] and Lightsaber, which causes the phone to make the sounds of the Star Wars Lightsaber when waved through the air.[13] Another third-party program which has also used the built-in accelerometer is Glogger VS2 [14], a camera application which can automatically detect camera shake and reduce the possibility of taking a blurry image. [15] Applications which use the Accelerometer include:
- RotateMe - Automatically rotates screen when phone is tilted (Landscape 180 only works on newest firmware)
- Glogger - Records a person's entire life, taking pictures at the optimum times when camera shake is lowest.
- Nokmote - D-Pad interface when phone is tilted in D-Pad directions
- ShutUp - Silences phone when turned over. Also allows ending of calls by sliding down
- Inclinometer - Shows visual representation on screen of angles of tilt. Can be used in a car.
- Niime - Uses N95 Accelerometer to control movement of PC mouse.
- ShakeMe (Alpha 2) - Depending on its settings, it can lock the keypad, toggle bluetooth, turn on the backlight, and activate or deactivate the Silent Profile.
- ShakeLock - Locks phone when shaken (Only works on newest firmware)
- PyPiwo - Allows you to drink beer on your phone
- PyMoneta - Allows you to place a coin image and move it in the phone, and shake it to close the application.
Specification sheet
| Feature | Specification |
| Form factor | Two-way slider |
| Operating System | Symbian OS v9.2, S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 |
| Screen | QVGA Matrix, diagonal 2.6", 16 million colours, 240x320 pixels (0.08 Megapixels) |
| CPU | Texas Instruments OMAP 2420 (ARMv6 architecture 11 based) - 332 MHz, PowerVR features (2D/3D accelerator) and High Speed Peripheral Interconnect. |
| Internal Dynamic Memory (RAM) | 64 MB |
| Internal Flash Memory | 160 MB |
| Camera | Frontal CIF video call & Main rear 5 Megapixel camera with auto-focus, Carl Zeiss optics |
| Video recording | Yes, MPEG-4 VGA (640x480) video capture of up to 30 fps |
| Graphics | Fully HW accelerated 3D (OpenGL ES 1.1, HW accelerated Java 3D) |
| Memory card slot | Yes, microSD/microSDHC |
| Bluetooth | Yes, 2.0 + EDR |
| Wi-Fi | Yes, with wireless LAN (802.11 b/g) and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) |
| Infrared | Yes |
| Data cable support | Yes, USB 2.0 Full Speed via mini USB port |
| Email | Yes (ActiveSync, POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP, with SSL/TLS) |
| Music player | Yes, Stereo speakers with 3D audio |
| Radio | Yes, Stereo FM Radio and Visual Radio - headphones or hands-free required for aerial |
| Video Player | Yes |
| Polyphonic tones | Yes, 72 chords |
| Ringtones | Yes, MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA/M4A, RealAudio |
| HF speakerphone | Yes, with 3.5 mm audio jack and A2DP wireless stereo headphone support |
| Offline mode | Yes |
| Battery | BL-5F (950 mAh) |
| Talk time | up to 160 min (WCDMA), up to 240 min (GSM) |
| Standby time | up to 215 hours |
Variations
N95 8GB (N95-2)
A revision of the N95, called N95 8GB (N95-2, internally known as RM-320), was announced on August 29 2007 and began shipping on October 15 2007[16].
The changes compared to the regular version are:
- 8 GB internal flash memory, up from 160 MB.
- Larger display (2.8", up from 2.6"), same pixel count (320x240), lower resolution (142dpi vs 153dpi).
- MicroSD slot removed
- Demand paging (although the N95 supports this too, since firmware version 20.0.015[17])
- 128 MB RAM, 95MB available.
- 1200 mAh battery (BL-6F), up from 950 mAh
- Slider protecting camera lens removed to make room for the larger battery
- Cosmetic changes to media and front-panel buttons
- New model of handsfree/remote control, AD-54[18] (as opposed to AD-43[19] for previous N95 versions)
- New multimedia menu, with Nokia's Ovi content integration
- Removal of built-in video editor (later added with the firmware upgrades)
- Mass: 128g, up 8g from 120g
- User Data Preservation (UDP) like in the Nokia N82 (since firmware version 20.0.016)
- Automatic Screen Rotation (ASR) without any third-party software like in the Nokia N82 (since firmware version 20.0.016)
N95 NAM (N95-3)
The Nokia N95-3 is a revision of the N95 designed specifically for the North American market (internally known as RM-160). It is also available in Australia.
The following was changed from the original version:
- 128 MB RAM, up from 64MB.
- WCDMA (HSDPA) 850 and 1900 MHz , instead of 2100 MHz .
- 1200 mAh battery, up from 950 mAh.
- Talk time up to 190 min (WCDMA), up to 250 min (GSM).
- Slider protecting camera lens removed to make room for the larger battery.
- Cosmetic changes to media buttons.
- Height: 2.05 cm, down from 2.10 cm.
- Mass: 125 g, up from 120 g.
- White keyboard light instead blue for visibility improvement.
N95 8GB NAM (N95-4)
The Nokia N95-4 (internally known as RM-421) is the American 3G-compatible version of the N95-2. -Camera Lens is now more flush with the phone from the n95-2 -n95-4 has keys that are less glossy keys compared to the n95-2
Versions comparisons
This table lists only the specifications that differ between versions of the N95 models. (Most details in this table are from [20] [21] [22].)
| Feature | N95 (N95-1) | N95 8GB (N95-2) | N95 NAM (N95-3) | N95 8GB NAM (N95-4) |
| Release date | March 2007 | August 2007 | November 2007 | Jan 2008 |
| WCDMA frequencies | 2100 MHz | 2100 MHz | 850/1900 MHz | 850/1900 MHz |
| Europe | yes | yes | no | no |
| North / Latin America | no | no | yes | yes |
| Brazil | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Internal Dynamic Memory (RAM) | 64 MB | 128 MB | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Internal Flash Memory | 150 MB | 8 GB | 160 MB | 8 GB |
| Memory card slot | micro SD | none | micro SD | none |
| Battery | 950 mAh | 1200 mAh | 1200 mAh | 1200 mAh |
| Talk time (GSM) | 4 hr | 5 hr | 5 hr | 5 hr |
| Standby time (GSM) | 9.3 days | 11.6 days | 10.4 days | 12 days |
| Screen | diagonal 2.6" | diagonal 2.8" | diagonal 2.6" | diagonal 2.8" |
| Dimensions | 99x53x21 mm | 99x53x21 mm | 99x53x20.5 mm | 99x53x21mm |
| Mass | 120 g | 128 g | 124 g | 128g |
| Camera lens cover | sliding | none | none | none |
