The Nokia N97 Launches Last, But Launches Well

[slitchfield]

Rafe Blandford will be reporting back in detail from Nokia World over the next few days, but in the meantime, watching the coverage across the Internet of the new Nokia N97, Ewan's apprehensive that there's a fight brewing now that the Nseries has a touch champion and that the battle field is becoming more level.

Read on in the full article.

Like the Harry Hill reference

Probably will sell to already Nokia owned areas, but nobody will care about it in the US other than a couple of S60 geeks.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Probably will sell to already Nokia owned areas, but nobody will care about it in the US other than a couple of S60 geeks.

who cares about US it's only a tiny part of the smartphone market.
ppl put too much bearing on US when in fact most ppl there own phones from the stone age

[weareborg]

Whats the word on haptic feedback on the screen? Is it general like the 5800 or localized like the haptic "ideal"?

I said it earlier and I'm going to say it again. I love the look of this phone, I am an N series fan and think the feature set is cool but to compare this to current competitors offerings does not make any sense. This phone is at least 6 months away and probably 9 to 12 months from wide availability and a decent firmware knowing nokias track record.

This phone will still be great but it will be up against newer models for Christmas 2009 and I suspect by that time it will have lost a lot of the wow factor we get from seeing it today. I just wish nokia could have released it now, I would absolutley buy it today, but next year is another story.

[Crapgame]

I have to say I'm not too keen on the form factor. Although I suppose until I actually get to lay my mucky paws on it I can't be sure.

I'm glad that Nokia didn't just decide to pack a technological showcase, but rather create a device that is their vision of the mobile future. Well ok, they did create a technological show case; but only as a by-product. Everything in this device really ties the whole thing together.

My big hope for this device is that it launches with good firmware. Bad firmware has killed the N96 even before today's announcement. I'm amazed at how many N95 users I know that have never upgraded their firmware and base all of their opinions and beliefs on launch firmware. I think the iPhone has managed to help dispel the myth that firmware is a all voodoo, but Nokia would do well to really knuckle down on this if they are looking to attract more users to the smartphone sector.

Also, is it too much to ask for some "pretty" transitions between Portrait and Landscape? Even the menus look like they can do with a little push in this direction. The screen blacking out and screens hanging is sooooo 2006. Some nice snappy animations to let you know the phone is doing something would go a long way to making this sexy enough really make the casual users look at it as a serious alternative to Mr Job's creation.

Oh, and I hope those boys down at Beta Labs are putting in the overtime to create some great new applications tailored for this device.

[tnkgrl]

Is the Storm even in the race? No WiFi is a problem.

Crapgame: I've been using a Tilt for a year now. The form factor is wonderful.

I agree with Unregistered though, that even if phones don't have 32GB integrated by mid-next year there will be a SD card that can do it, though actual cost will play a factor. The screen size will be matched, maybe a keyboard Touch HD. The camera owns all the other touch keyboard phones right now; HTC has a bad track record here, and RIM's cameras are so-so, but Sony Ericsson might make HTC shove a good one into later XPERIAs if they feel threatened. Apple doesn't care about cameras, so there's a good chance the camera will still be tops in H1 2009. Magnetic compass seems to be another Nokia exclusive.

I get the feeling if the Nokia is outmaneuvered it'll be on some new feature on currently covered, or maybe Samsung will have a competitive Android phone.

Also, is it too much to ask for some "pretty" transitions between Portrait and Landscape? Even the menus look like they can do with a little push in this direction. The screen blacking out and screens hanging is sooooo 2006. Some nice snappy animations to let you know the phone is doing something would go a long way to making this sexy enough really make the casual users look at it as a serious alternative to Mr Job's creation.

Seconded.

Was at the Symbian night at the Nokia Store in London a month or so ago and got demo'd the 5800 and the portrait<->landscape transitions were shocking - like you might expect of a prototype iPhone. The menus seemed sluggish too (you could see the screen loading in patches) and as I see the same on my N95 with v30 firmware I'm guessing it's an S60 problem rather than early 5800/N97 firmware. I might put up with it for a phone that costs 1/3 or 1/2 the price of an iPhone, but for a top-of-the-range flagship model, it will look crap when the two sit side-by-side in the inevitable comparisons on TV shows where there won't be time to go into the extra features the N97 possesses.

My other concern is with one-handed operation - how easy will it be to flick through contacts when on the move? I don't want to look like I'm playing Speak-and-Spell when I'm out and about...

Otherwise it looks great!

wtf!! the body looks like something HTC made and the UI looks like a tweak up n810. whats going on with nokia where's the james bond phones looks like the king of phones will die holding an apple..

[seki]

one could argue that the iPhone isn't really a "smart-phone" .. but my point is that the 5800 is more directly competing in that market.
The N97 is more advanced. Its only real competitors are the Xperia and the Touch HD - windows mobile devices.
N97 impressions:
I'm disappointed in a couple of aspects .. its a touch screen device - so who the heck needs a D-pad!! That space could have been utilised in a better keyboard layout (I don't like the tiny space bar)
It really should be equipped with a more sophisticated camera - 12+ MP chip-sets are now available.
At the very least there should be both xenon and led. Dual flash isn't good enough.
I'm even more pleased I didn't buy an N96 now .. sorry for those who did.

I feel that Nokia should not have disclosed N97 now knowing that it will only be available in June 2009! By the time it is officially released, I bet there will be more than one dozen of competitors' products that offer the same or even better phones than N97.

Unless N97 is released now, it makes no sense to speculate what the impact of N97 will be to the smartphone market. Nokia should hide it secretly (like Apple) to give the market a BIG impact when it is released.

[Dynite]

Wasn't June a guess on AAS's part?

Seki :
I'm disappointed in a couple of aspects .. its a touch screen device - so who the heck needs a D-pad!! That space could have been utilised in a better keyboard layout (I don't like the tiny space bar)


Well... It wrote there it is a N-GAGE supported phone...
If its a phone without the D-pad... How are games suppose to be played on the device??
Don't tell me about the touch screen... Touch screen aren't meant for games...
At least I, as a semihardcore-gamer DON'T like touch-base game :(
I am glad Nokia placed the D-pad on the left side of the keyboard...
That means Nokia at least thinked of the gaming-path this phone can take...

LONG LIVE NOKIA~~~ woot~~