On June 29 the gloves come off - Apple iPhone VS Nokia N95 - which one do you want?
The home team for this game is Apple, offering up a slick, new device designed to enhance the mobile experience for music lovers. The iPhone offers up a clever UI, easy access to popular applications (music, video, maps), access via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and EDGE connectivity and offers loads WOW. Apparent partnerships with Google and a strong sales channel (Apple store) should help. The camera is a mere 2 megapixels (fine for mo-blogging) and speculation has it that integration with the MAC OS will be sweet although what about the PC user?  The price tag is steep (starting at $499) and initial connectivity is only offered up to the AT&T loyal following.

For the "visiting" team (Nokia) we have the Cool, GPS-enabled Nokia N95 which was recently made available in the USA. This feature-rich, multi-media device sports integrated GPS (the WOW factor), 5 megapixel camera, FM radio (I love this feature), easy-to-use email clients and perhaps most signifigant, TONS of applications developed by a huge, Global developer community already supporting the S60 developer ecosystem. The price tag is also steep, however, there are more chances at obtaining unlocked devices and subsidized rate plans are also available.  Perhaps the biggest obstacle Nokia faces with the N95 in North america though is the marketing and sales channel - it's great if a Nokia Store happens to be near you! Go into a T-mobile or AT&T shop outside the huge metro areas and chances are that the clerk will look at you like you're from Mars when you bring up the N95!

Brand loyalty will be the deciding factor here and given the strong support for anything Apple in the USA this should guarantee that sales will be brisk. Will the consumers be making the best choice though? I suppose we'll have to wait and see. One last thing... what about an SDK???

Coming to the USA June 29, 2007 - The Apple iPhone

Size and weight
Height: 4.5 inches (115 mm)
Width: 2.4 inches (61 mm)
Depth: 0.46 inch (11.6 mm)
Weight: 4.8 ounces (135 grams)

What you get in the box
iPhone
Stereo Headset
Dock
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation
Cleaning/polishing cloth

The Apple iPhone (Image Credit: Apple)

iPhone Specifications

Capacity
4GB or 8GB flash drive1

Display
3.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen multi-touch display
480-by-320-pixel resolution at 160 dpi
Support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously

Operating system
OS X

GSM
Quad-band (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

Wireless data
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
EDGE
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR

Camera
2.0 megapixels

Audio
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV

Video
Video formats supported: H.264 video, up to 1.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Low-Complexity version of the H.264 Baseline Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; H.264 video, up to 768 Kbps, 320 by 240 pixels, 30 frames per second, Baseline Profile up to Level 1.3 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

Headphones
Stereo earphones with built-in microphone
Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Impedance: 32 ohms

Mac system requirements
Mac computer with USB 2.0 port
Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
iTunes 7.3 or later

Windows system requirements
PC with USB 2.0 port
Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate Edition; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 2 or later
iTunes 7.3 or later

Environmental requirements
Operating temperature: 32° to 95° F (0° to 35° C)
Nonoperating temperature: -4° to 113° F (-20° to 45° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum operating altitude: 10,000 feet (3000 m)
 
Input and output
iPhone
30-pin dock connector
3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack
iPhone Dock
Dock connector

Power and battery
Built-in rechargeable lithium ion battery
Talk time: Up to 8 hours2
Standby time: Up to 250 hours3
Internet use: Up to 6 hours4
Video playback: Up to 7 hours5
Audio playback: Up to 24 hours6

Intelligent keyboard (appears when you need it) designed for fast SMS input, partnerships with Google, sync, comprehensive dictionary, integration with youTube,

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

The Nokia N95

5 megapixel camera with DVD like quality
GPS mapping
Large 2.6" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with ambient light detector and up to 16 million colors
HSDPA, 3 times faster than the 3G internet experience

Operating Frequency Operating Frequency WCDMA2100 (HSDPA), EGSM900, GSM850/1800/1900 MHz (EGPRS)
Automatic switching between bands and modes

DimensionsDimensionsVolume: 90 cc
Weight: 120 g
Length: 99 mm
Width: 53 mm
Thickness (max): 21 mm

Memory Functions
Memory FunctionsUp to 160 MB* internal dynamic memory for messages, ringing tones, images, video clips, calendar notes, to-do list and applications
Memory card slot supporting up to 2 GB microSD memory cards
* Changes to product details are possible without prior notice. Application offering may vary. Dynamic memory means that the available memory is shared between dynamic memory functions. When any of these functions is used, there is less available memory for other functions which are also dependent on dynamic memory.

Power Management
Power ManagementBattery: Nokia Battery (BL-5F) 950mAH
Talk time: up to 160min (WCDMA), up to 240 min (GSM)*
Stand-by time: up to 200 hours (WCDMA), up to 225 hours (GSM) *
* Operation times may vary depending on radio access technology used, operator network configuration and usage.

Displays
DisplaysLarge 2.6" QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) TFT display with ambient light detector and up to 16 million colors

User Interface
User InterfaceOperating system: S60 software on Symbian OS
User Interface: S60 3.1
Dedicated Media Keys
Multimedia Menu
Active standby screen

Call Management
Call ManagementContacts: advanced contacts database with support for multiple phone and e-mail details per entry, also supports thumbnail pictures and groups
Speed dialing
Logs: keeps lists of your dialed, received, and missed calls
Automatic redial
Automatic answer (works with compatible headset or car kit only)
Supports fixed dialing number, which allows calls only to predefined numbers
Conference call
Push to talk (PoC)

Voice Features
Voice FeaturesSpeaker independent name dialing (SIND)
Voice commands
Voice recorder
Talking ringtone
Integrated hands-free speaker

Messaging
MessagingText messaging: supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list
Multimedia messaging: combine image, video, text, and audio clip and send as MMS to a compatible phone or PC; use MMS to tell your story with a multi-slide presentation
Automatic resizing of your megapixel images to fit MMS (max 300 KB size depending on the network)
Predictive text input: support for all major languages in Europe and Asia-Pacific

Data Transfer
Data Transfer*WCDMA 2100 (HSDPA) with simultaneous voice and packet data (PS max speed UL/DL= 384/3.6MB, CS max speed 64kbps)
Dual Transfer Mode (DTM) support for simultaneous voice and packet data connection in GSM/EDGE networks. Simple class A, multi slot class 11, max speed DL/UL: 177.6/118.4 kbits/s
EGPRS class B, multi slot class 32, max speed DL/UL= 296 / 177.6 kbits/s

Imaging and Video
Imaging and Video Up to 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944 pixels) camera, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens, MPEG-4 VGA video capture of up to 30 fps
Direct connection to compatible TV via Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included in box) or wireless LAN/UPnP
Front camera, CIF (352 x 288) sensor
Video call and video sharing support (WCDMA network services)
Integrated flash
Digital stereo microphone
Flash modes: on, off, automatic, redeye reduction
Rotating gallery
Online album/blog: photo/video uploading from gallery
Nokia Lifeblog 2.0 support
Video and still image editors
Movie director for automated video production

Mobile Video
Mobile VideoVideo resolutions: up to VGA (640x480) at 30 fps
Audio recording: AAC mono
Digital video stabilization
Video clip length: limited by available memory
Video file format .mp4 (default), .3gp (for MMS)
White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene: automatic, night
Color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid
Zoom: Digital up to 10x (VGA up to 4x)

Mobile Photography
Mobile PhotographyImage resolution: up to 5 megapixel: (2592 x 1944 pixels)
Still image file format: JPEG/EXIF
Auto focus
Auto exposure - center weighted
Exposure compensation: +2 ~ -2EV at 0.5 step
White balance: automatic, sunny, cloudy, incandescent, fluorescent
Scene: automatic, user, close-up, portrait, landscape, sports, night, night portrait
Color tones: normal, sepia, black & white, negative, vivid
Zoom: Digital up to 20x (5 megapixel up to 6x)

Camera Specifications
Camera SpecificationsSensor: CMOS, 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944)
Carl Zeiss Optics: Tessar lens
Focal length 5.6 mm
Focus range 10 cm ~ infinity
Macro focus distance 10-50 cm
Shutter speed: Mechanical shutter: 1/1000~1/3 s

Music Features
Music Features Digital music player - supports MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA/M4A with playlists and equalizer.
Integrated handsfree speaker
OMA DRM 2.0 & WMDRM support for music
Stereo FM radio (87.5-108MHz /76-90MHz)

Visual Radio
Visual Radio*Listen to music and interact with your favorite radio stations
Find out what song is playing, who sings it, and other artist information
Enter contests and answer surveys, vote for your favourite songs
Find out more about Visual Radio
* To check the availability and cost of the service, contact your network operator or service provider.

Navigation
NavigationBuilt-in GPS

E-mail
E-mailEasy-to-use e-mail client with attachment support for images, videos, music and documents
Compatible with Nokia Wireless Keyboard (sold separately)

Browsing
BrowsingNokia Web Browser with Mini map
Digital homeDigital homePlay video, music and photos on home media network - compatible TV, stereo and PC over WLAN/UPnP
Java ApplicationsJava ApplicationsJava MIDP 2.0, CLDC 1.1 (Connected Limited Device Configuration (J2ME))
Over-the-air download of Java-based applications and games
Other ApplicationsOther ApplicationsPersonal Information Management (PIM)
Advanced S60 PIM features including calendar, contacts, to-do list, and PIM printing
Settings Wizard for easy configuration of e-mail, push to talk and video sharing.
Data transfer application for transfer of PIM information from other compatible Nokia devices.
Wlan wizard
RealPlayer Media PlayerRealPlayer Media PlayerFull-screen video playback to view downloaded, streamed or recorded video clips
Supported video formats : MPEG-4 , H.264/AVC , H.263/3GPP, RealVideo 8/9/10

Sales Package Contents
Sales Package ContentsNokia N95
Nokia Video Connectivity Cable CA-75U
Nokia Connectivity Cable DKE-2
Nokia Stereo Headset HS-45, AD-43
Nokia Battery BL-5F
Nokia Travel Charger AC-5

Those seeking a slightly cheaper mobile device without integrated GPS should consider the Nokia N80

Source: Nokia USA

http://www.nokiausa.com/A4410964

See als:

• 11 more reasons NOT to buy an iPhone (and that you haven’t thought of)
• Britain's Vodafone rides high on iPhone hopes
• The Apple iPhone - Engadget
• IPhone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Review - Apple iPhone: Welcome to the Mobile Applications Party! Comments on mapping and App Dev.
• Video: Apple iPhone vs Nokia N95; Episode 5 - a series of clever videos... funny stuff!!

For more on the iPhone see iPhone Update - The iPhone Blog!