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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has gotten around to approving the Nokia N92 for release in the U.S., months after it was introduced last November. The smartphone integrates a DVB-H (Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld) receiver to let users watch broadcast television programs on its small screen.

DVB-H is one of several digital TV standards on the road to market (Qualcomm's MediFlo is the most notable of the others). Standards like DVB-H broadcast television signals separately from traditional cellular-data networks. This frees up bandwidth for other mobile operator content and promises better quality video to the consumer.

A handset like the N92 (see top picture from FCC site) wouldn't be very useful for a consumer at this point, as there's no publicly available mobile television networks available yet based on that standard. There have been pilot programs, however.

In 2005, a company called Modeo successfully pilot tested its DVB-H mobile broadcast network in Pittsburgh (where it is headquartered), for example. It plans to officially launch service in select major U.S. markets, including New York City, later this year. Nationwide deployment, in the top 30 U.S. markets, is targeted throughout 2007.

Nokia expects to ship the N92 in this country during the second half of 2006. At the time of the smartphone's introduction, the phone maker said it would sell for 600 euros (around $766).

Nokia is also a member of the Mobile Digital TV Alliance, an organization created earlier this year to promote best practices and open standards that deliver premium-quality broadcast television to mobile devices for the North American market using DVB-H. Because DVB-H is an open procedure, industry-supported standard, the Mobile DTV Alliance asserted it'll foster growth throughout the wireless market by fostering choices across the value chain: from silicon to handsets to services an so on.

More on the N92
With the N92, users can set reminders to watch their favorite TV programs, create personal channel lists and subscribe to TV channel packages. The smartphone has a 2.8-inch anti-glare QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) resolution screen with 16 million colors and dedicated media keys.

It supports the new Nokia Web Browser with Mini Map, which provides a semi-transparent zoomed-out view of a web page that enables users to quickly orient themselves on a small screen.

An expansion slot handles up to a 2 GB memory card for around 1500 songs delivered through the built-in stereo speakers or a stereo headset. There's also an FM radio. Additional features include a 2-megapixel camera and e-mail attachment support. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi (802.11g), infrared, Bluetooth wireless technology as well as USB 2.0.