Initial Thoughts On The Nokia N97 From The Guru

Initial Thoughts On The Nokia N97 From The Guru

Last night I had a chance to play with the Nokia N97, which was just officially announced a few moments ago. You can check out the specs and whatnot here. To be honest, going into Nokia World 2008, I most certainly did not expect an S60 device. I was personally expecting the new Nokia Internet Tablet, for some reason. Obviously, I was rather stunned as they began to read off the specs from the Press Release and then saw as the Nokian pulled it out of his pocket, this beautiful little machine.

Even though these were prototypes (even the firmware was N00), they were remarkably well-built and rather stable (though of course they did crash a few times while we were playing). The slide mechanism is incredibly smooth and well thought-out. A small panel slides up to conceal the mechanism from you, and from damage, offering a really nice experience.

I asked specifically about the U.S, and was told that there would be a US 3G model with 850/1900/2100MHz UMTS available, and that while there *will* be a bit of a delay in release, they’re really working to reduce the amount of time that passes between the Euro and NAM models, which was good to hear.

I found it interesting that there’s no stylus included (except for in Asian markets, where that’s the norm), meaning that you can use the entire touch interface with just your fingers. Browsing through the menus was very friendly, and the new homescreen really blows you away. It’s incredibly simple to drag and drop the various ‘widgets’ around, and I was assured that it’s an open area on the device, meaning that we at Symbian-Guru could develop an app for our readers’ phones, to show our latest posts on the screen (or whatever else we’d like to offer). Brilliant.

I was also disappointed that the keyboard is only 3 rows, with no dedicated number row like on the E90. However, this was designed specifically so that the device, while wide, is pretty narrow, making it really easy to use one-handed. Also, the d-pad is deliberately placed on the left side, to facilitate gaming, but also so that you can use your right thumb for the touchscreen, since the menu button and virtual softkeys are on the right hand side.

The back also features a small ergonomic lip on the bottom, for one, to allow it to rest evenly on a flat surface, but also to allow for better grip while taking photos, which is interesting. The one big complaint that I have is that it won’t be out till the first half of next year, which also gives me the feeling that it’s likely to be LATER in H1, which means that I can buy the N85 when I get home and have time to enjoy and get bored with it before the N97 comes out.

To sum it up, there’s no reason whatsoever to buy the N96, with the N97 coming to market. Others have been using the N96 on this trip, and it’s embarassing to see them struggling with the device’s crappy firmware and slow features.

What’s really remarkable about the N97 is the size. It’s roughly the same size as the Nokia N82, only a slight bit longer. Thickness and width are the same, and they managed to cram that beautiful 1500mAh battery into the back of the phone. When you see the device, specifically in the open position, it’s amazing to think how much stuff is crammed into that little bitty body.

I know I’ll be waiting for the N97, for sure.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to Symbian-Guru.com's RSS feed to stay up to date on future articles.

Comments

  1. What do you think about the keyboard? You meant in the article, that you can use the keyboard with one hand?

    What about the buttons? Good to push?
  2. You lucky so and so.!

    It certainly looks a breast of a device, however, when it was introduced on stage, some incorrect information was mentioned regarding its built in storage. 48GB WITH a 16GB MicroSD, not 68GB as mentioned in the video I watched.
  3. Hi Ricky! Sounds like you're having a great time, love the photo!

    Any idea if the N97 has 3D acceleration, and the main processor speed?

    Cheers,
    James @ Nokia Creative
  4. Hi there,

    Did you have enough time to check if it has an accelerometer? The phone seems really nice, though I had really hoped Nokia would have announced a phone with a capacitive touch screen. I've played with PDA's with resistive touch screens since 2002, and from my experience they seem to wear out and become unresponsive after a few years of scratches and hard presses - so much that I've almost grown afraid to touch them! :0 (especially if I'm to pay +600€ for the device)

    I have no experience of Nokia's new (it's new, right?) Symbian 5th Edition, but I've become so envious towards other operating systems' sleek looks and responsiveness that I can't help but wonder if I'd eventually lose my marbles with this Symbian-based phone's UI. Nokias Symbian OS'es have always felt kinda "bloated" and unresponsive to me.

    Time will tell, right?

    Cheers,
    Kimmo
  5. this phone is everything i wished for i cant wait for 09 to hurry up and come
    i love the photo of you holdin n97 it just captures the emotion and excitment you must of been feeling it 's quite funny too lol
  6. What about the usb/charging port location? Looks to me like if a cable is plugged in it's going to get in the way when you try to use the qwerty keyboard. Should/could have been the other side?
  7. Ricky you mean the N97 will have 1900/850/2100 HSDPA, right? Isn't UMTS 3G while HSDPA the 3.5G?
  8. Widget homescreen. I always wondered when they will start using the Web Runtime to create widgets that we can have on the standby screen 1 year ago. I guess Nokia have finally done it.

    I was hoping they would release it for the old non touch phones. Having widgets that would update information from the web at intervals.

    Nice addition to the NSeries.
  9. What I noticed is that in the official introduction video, there were nice smooth animated transitions when the screen orientation was changed. But in the "hands-on" videos I've seen, of the actual device in use, there is just the momentary blank screen and everything reappears a second later in the new orientation.

    Are the nice transitions coming in the final product, do you think, or is this misrepresentation of the device's UI?
  10. @thinksincode- It's possibly that they simply weren't enabled. On my 5800 the transitions aren't activated by default- same with FP2, I believe. It's found in the theme settings.

    They take quite a toll on the 5800's performance, so I leave them switched off.
  11. I'm just so happy its finally official. Since we all have to wait for its release, Im just gonna wait for the unlocked verison that is going to be released http://www.puremobile.com/Nokia/Noki...ite-GSM-Phone/
    . My dream came true, a nokie with qwerty and touch.....don;t worry N97, we'll be together very soon.
(10) Comments |Add your comments