In-depth look at the Nokia N96 PLUS why have O2 decided not to sell it?

It's finally available to buy, but is the Nokia N96 actually any good? Is it one of the best mobile phones of 2008? And if it is, why have O2 decided not to sell it? Read on to find out!

Nokia - the reign of the Nseries mobile phones

If we're talking proper top-end mobile phones, then one name in particular will strike a chord across the whole world: Nseries. It's a name that's synonymous with the best of the best from Finnish manufacturer, Nokia. Basically, when you see a mobile phone from Nokia that's got a big 'N' in its name, you can be sure you're getting a powerful, feature-packed, multimedia-friendly handset. From way back in their history, starting with the N70, N90 and N91, Nokia Nseries mobile phones have been the flagships, the trendsetters. There's a word in the world of technology, and in particular the world of mobile phones, that suits the Nseries down to the ground: convergence. The coming together of lots of different experiences in one gorgeous device. THAT is what Nokia Nseries mobile phones have always embodied, and why people are seemingly obsessed with them.

Well, the Nseries has got a new flagship handset, and it's fair to say it's one of the most anticipated mobile phones of 2008: the Nokia N96.

Nokia N96 - flying the flag

The question that's been on everybody's lips (apart from 'When can I get one, tell me, please, WHEN?') is... is the Nokia N96 really as good as it's made out to be? Well, I can categorically say that it's really rather excellent. The Nokia N96 is genuinely beautiful, dumping the hard edges and sharp design of its predecessor, the Nokia N95, to use more flowing curves and glossy fascias, making it one of the most attractive mobile phones around. Ok, so it looks like its OTHER predecessor, the Nokia N81, but that isn't a bad thing, believe me.

Nestled inside that curvy, sexy body, you'll find the Nokia N96's arsenal of features, designed to put other mobile phones to shame. So, no the Nokia N96, you get a 5 megapixel (complete with Carl Zeiss lenses, and bags of extra features like autofocus and flash), GPS, super-fast HSDPA internet and most importantly, a STUNNING multimedia player (which includes DVB-H mobile TV and streaming video). Good job you get 16Gb of memory in the Nokia N96, because you WILL be filling it with loads of cool stuff. Oh, and let's not forget that the Nokia N96 is one of the few mobile phones on the market that you can use BBC iPlayer with. That's just phenomenal.

Basically, as I'm sure you've gathered, I really rather like the Nokia N96 (and that's saying a lot, coming from me, since I'm a Sony Ericsson lover, usually). It's gloriously relieves itself all over other mobile phones, and so, yes, it is as good as people have been expecting.

That being the case, then, how come O2 have decided not to sell it?

O2 and Nokia go together like... well, like two things that don't go together at all

It's an odd fact, really, until you think about it: why would O2 say no to the N96? Nokia have crafted a wonder of a phone here, and it's going to sell by the bucketload. Surely O2 would want a piece of that pie? Well, I can answer that question with one word.

iPhone.

You see, O2 have paid huge amounts of cash to be the exclusive network in the UK for the iPhone. As in bags and bags of cash. And since the iPhone 3G is subsidised heavily by the network, that's used up a huge chunk of O2's subsidy budget for the year, the money they use to make mobile phones cheap, or free. Since they've splurged it all on the iPhone, there's not masses left to subsidise the Nokia N96, another expensive mobile phone that will need lots of subsidies to even think of it being free. That's bad news for the Nokia, since it means that they'd only be able to offer it free on really high tariffs, and so, it wouldn't be as attractive to customers. So, because of the iPhone, something I still say is a niche product, other, better mobile phones aren't getting a look in. That's a real shame, because by not stocking the N96, I reckon O2 are onto a loser..