I’ve had a few weeks now without the Nokia N97 and I thought I’d let you know what I think about this Flagship device, my final thoughts if you want.
I said when I first got the N97 I loved it, that is still true in a way, I love the design of the N97. I loved the combination on touch/keyboard and the design/look of the N97 is superb in my opinion. I switched back to my E71 when the N97 went back to Nokia Press Office, but I quickly switched to my 5800XM after a few days as I missed the touch feature. It can be a pain now and then using the touch keypad interface on the 5800XM, but it just feels like a more, well, uptodate device I’m using. When I switched back to the E71 it felt like I was going backwards and my MUCH LOVED E71 felt old fashioned.
I wanted the N97 to replace my E71 and 5800XM, so I could just use one phone for all occassions, but some IDIOT at Nokia cocked up with the internal memory capacity and amount of RAM the N97 would use. I don’t want to install some apps on phone memory and some apps on mass memory, it just screws the phone up, I want to install everything on the phone memory and use mass memory for storage only.
If Nokia had beefed the N97 up I would be turning nokiAAddict into a N97 only website. There are rumours of a N97i, but I think thats a hope rather than reality, but Nokia should stick with the N97 design and just beef the device up, beacause I believe they have a real winner here. Touch and keyboard combination is the way to go and I’ll be waiting for the next generation device to be released before I consider changing my device.
My only worry is that if takes to long for a N97i or equivalent Nokia device to be released and I’m tempted away by other offerings from someone else? Until then the newly firmware updated 5800XM is rocking for me, crappy camera and all š
PS: iPhone will not tempt me away, more like android or HTC device š
gerrymoth
Kip Hakes
nokiAAddict 
>PS: iPhone will not tempt me away, more like android or HTC device
What about Palm Pre? Not in EU yet, but won’t take long now š It’s looking good, except for the apps and SDK but they’ll get them soon! Hopefully…
I used to have a Palm Treo 600 a few years ago and liked it, well apart from the crap call sound quality, but they must have fixed that by now š
Just about sums up the N97, Gerry. Damn good try but not quite there (yet).
Now, before your E71 becomes a distant memory, could you set up your download page for that device. I’ve just got an E71 and I love it!
Its my priority for tonight to sort the E71 direct Downloads page, just making it a reminder in my 5800XM š
Don’t dismiss the iPhone yet, I did.
I’ve had an iPod touch for about 18 months, never really used it that much.
The battery life was rubbish and it was a bit slow browsing. So I ended up still using my phone for browsing etc.
I consider myself a bit of a symbian fan, I have had most of the major s60 and uiq devices over the years and on the day of release I went out and bought a N97 and I love it apart from the flawed ram and device memory.
I also managed to pick up a free HTC Magic from Vodafone and having played with it for a week, and although I think android has huge potential, I think it needs better hardware, the Magic didn’t excite me at all, felt a bit sluggish even compared to s60 touch.
So…..I sold the HTC, sold the iPod touch and bought a iPhone 32gb 3gs on pay as you go from o2, got it home, activated it, jailbroke it, and unlocked it, 30 minutes later I had my backup Vodafone sim in it.
The original plan was to keep the N97 as my main device and the iPhone as the secondary device, used mainly an iPod.
But after two days my main sim entered the iPhone and stayed there, have hardly touched my n97 since.
The 3gs is just so bloody fast, especially the browser, twice as fast as the N97.
I could go on and on, but the truth is if Apple can turn me to the dark side, then Nokia and Symbian really are in trouble.
I had an original 2G iPhone for a few weeks and the lack of multitasking and restriction on file download totally pissed me off. Don’t think these things have been fixed in the newer 3GS iPhone so will hold out for the next gen ones?
Once jailbroken an iPhone can multitask and download quite nicely with a couple of additions from Cydia unofficial app store.
Camera is still crap compared with the N97, video in reasonable light is miles better on the iPhone.
The only thing I am truly missing from the N97 is Gravity, simply the best Twitter Client on any mobile platform.
Nokia has completely lost the plot. They made a wonderful E71 a year ago and now comes up with this half baked N97. It’s very disappointing and frustrating. Perhaps they need to be more focused. Personally I think Symbian is becoming more a baggage to Nokia.
Symbian has taken a bit of a bashing lately, but I think its still a powerful OS and just needs a nicer UI and better thought and testing done before they release FLAGSHIP devices. That’s the last 2 flagship devices which have ended up with egg on Nokias face, the N96 was a complete let down when launched and the N97 is just disappointing as they had the design so right and just failed with the one MAIN important module in a phone.
I said the same of the iphone but the 3GS is so quick. I’ve not put it down since I got it and that more than makes up for the lack of true multitasking. I can still listen to music and surf the web or navigate around using Sygic (which rocks by the way, sorry Tomtom, to slow!)
i’ve always been a Nokia fan but the lack of direction and some truely awful handsets have sent me to Apple for now. When you’ve caught up, give me a ring. You have my number!
Sometimes I think Nokia release far too many similar phones which only seem to be at the request of an operator. That’s why I think I liked the N97 cos it was everything I liked in my E71 and 5800XM in one phone, but they cocked it up. Honest if the Memory/RAM had been beefed up the N97 would have been this years phone.
You are spot on with your thoughts of the N97. They are mine as well. If only they could have added more internal RAM and had the nice smooth scrolling effect on all the screens, throw in a similar keyboard as the E75, allowed the screen to pivot or lie flat and it would have been a brilliant phone.
I went in to Orange and had a look at the HTC Hero, and it’s nice, but reading about all it’s flaws, low spec mhz, no flash etc, I might be tempted to wait until something better comes along.
I have the 5800 at the moment and the recent V30 firmware release has made the phone a lot faster especially in browsing the Internet and flicking through menus. Also noticed I am able to run more applications at once without it crashing or throwing up “out of memory” errors.
What you are seeing is the effect of the vast majority of the phone buying public not being willing to pay for a top end device.
The N97 has obviously been built to a budget (limited RAM, lacking slightly in graphics processing power etc)
My opinion is that this budget was to ensure that the unlocked sale price was around 700 {monatary units}. Co-incidentialy this is similar to the approximate price of an iPhone (unlocked), and i think that the N95 was around 600 {monatary units} when first released.
The last time Nokia released a *top end* or “cram everything in” device (the E90), the inital relase price seemed to scare some people off.
Strangley, it actually beats the N97 in some areas (the internal screen has more pixels for instance), whilst being able to match the video recording capability (full VGA @ 30FPS).
But it was this high price that has allowed it to *still* be a top end performer today, 2 years after the inital launch!
Sounds like you have an i8910 in your future, whether you know it yet or not.
Thanks Gerry for your valued opinion.
I think Nokia has lost me because –in a so called flagship, SIP/Internet telephone feature is omitted. Even Android platform has released a configureable client called sipdroid.
I love my e71, its one of my favourite stuff i’m using in my life.
I’m just wondering about the n97, looking interesting but not quit sure if it really can generate some feeling like the e71.
What do you think about the the blackberry stuff?
I just think BB feels a little outdated. Might be good for email, but so is every other phone now
Wow Gerry:
I have a lot of respect for you; I thought you would have caved in, especially when Nokia allowed you to try their latest phone.
I just assumed that you would have been in favour for the N97. Thanks for not joining the right wingers.
Cheers, Dillon
I’m always honest in my opinion of everything I review. If I don’t like something I’ll say it and if I hate it I’ll say why.
I do like and want a N97 or alternative, I just want Nokia to fix it by improving RAM and internal memory. Total nonsense this install apps to mass memory
people must stop compairing apples to oranges….top nseries phones shine for play while the top eseries (e90) always smash other poser “smartphones” with uber power and functions …I believe there must be a e90 replacement in the works that will rule them all. i still pine for an e90…touch screens are overrated. maybe new e9? will be touchscreen and clamshell!
The single worst feature in N97 id that they did not issue a version with Scandics in physical keys. It destroys any smoothness in writing even basic SMS.