Nokia N97- A Promise to the Future of Multimedia Mobile Phones

On December 2nd, 2008 Nokia unveiled Nokia N97, the world’s most advanced mobile computer which according to them will change the way people connect to them and also to each other. Nokia N97 is their first N-series touch-screen device sporting S60 5th edition and specially designed for internet savvy people. Nokia N97 is going to have an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites with other popular internet destinations. The mobile phone combines a large 3.5″ touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard and a 5MP camera. Another feature that makes Nokia N97 unique is So-Lo. This feature helps this phone to intuitively understand where it is with the help of an integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass.

Technical Specifications at a Glance

1.    First Nseries QWERTY device with a slideout QWERTY form factor
2.    First Nseries touchscreen device sporting S60 5th edition
3.    First high-resolution screen Nseries device with a 3.5 inch 16:9 TFT display that supports 16 million colors and what Nokia likes to call an nHD resolution of 640×360 pixels
4.    First Nokia device to have built-in 32GB memory as well as support for microSDHC cards till 32 GB! So we are talking about a total of 64GB!
5.    5MP camera with Dual-LED and VGA recording at 640×480
6.    A-GPS enabled and an electronic compass that is always aware of your location
7.    3.5mm plug and bluetooth with A2DP
8.    microUSB charging
9.    Hi-Speed USB 2.0 data transfer through the same port.
10.    Tri-band HSDPA flavor of 900/1900/2100
11.    Price: 550 Euros (before taxes and subsidies) when it launches in the first half of 2009

Is it Nokia’s Answer for Apple iPhone?

Well this is perhaps the most important question every one is asking. After the stupendous success of i-Phone around the world, can Nokia N97 challenge the market monopoly of i-Phone? That we will see when it comes out because it takes a lot to create a hysteria like Apple i-Phone has done in this one year. Anyway, let’s take a look at the possible advantages and disadvantages of Nokia N97 over Apple i-Phone.

Advantage

The sheer quality and features are an advantage for Nokia N97.
1.    Nokia N97 has a 5MP camera in comparison to i-Phone’s 2 MP and remember, Apple iPhone do not have a basic zoom-ing facility.
2.    Nokia N97 has an inbuilt memory of 32 GB compared to Apple’s highest of 16 GB.
3.    Geo location tracer like So-lo and other advanced facilities give people a better reason to love Nokia N97 more.
4.    Unlike Apple iPhone, Nokia N97 doesn’t lack the pretty basic but absolutely essential features like SMS forwarding, Copy and Paste text, one speed dialing etc. So I guess people won’t have much to complain on this areas.

Possible Disadvantages

1.    I didn’t have a hands-on experience yet but I feel, given Nokia’s previous history of other N-series high end mobile phones, Nokia N97 can be a really tough nut to understand for those who are not essentially gadget lovers. That is where an Apple iPhone has scored over any device on the earth because it is astoundingly user-friendly. I hope Nokia has kept all the features tight but simple.
2.    Another point is, Apple iPhone is backed up by iPhone apps (applications of Apple iPhone) and iTunes (perhaps the largest music store in this planet). Nokia has no answer to this and neither do they intend to bring in anything like this soon. Is this going to play any role to this Nokia N97 and Apple iPhone thriller?

Conclusion

Having made all the comparisons and all the statements, Nokia N97 is surely a mobile phone to keep an eye to. I can not wait to get a hands’ on review of the gadget which is surely going to make an impact in the world by being the true advanced multimedia computer phone.  So, I don’t mind much on the Apple- Nokia debate. I will rather be happy if Nokia can deliver exactly what it has promised in Barcelona. Let me sign off with this quote from Jonas Geust, Vice President, heading Nokia Nseries:
“From the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence”.
I will love to agree!