Nokia N97 - first impressions assessment

The device looks nice but I there negatives:
1. Only 50mb free RAM - not good, this should be an N95 8gb/N96 replacement and is not - at least not in this respect.
2. Good sized screen but showing a problem in bright sunlight - to be expected.
3. Some promised integrated software (such as VOIP) is missing.
4. The exposed cable may be damaged after perlonged use.
5. The keys on the keyboard are too far apart with not enough keys (no number keys) and looks like an afterthought - this should be a keyboard to type fast on but is not.
6. Still only 5mp camera - can you record clips exceeding 1 hour?

Based on this I will keep my E90 and buy a Omnia HD when I can!

Well, I've not seen anything yet that would cause me to buy this phone.

A few months ago I was impatient and excited about the release of the N97 but those feelings have now waned and dwindled into disappointment.

Having an N95 8GB (and a rather redundant 5800XM) seems to me perfectly adequate now and I can't remember why I was so keen to replace it!

The S60 5th Edition UI adds absolutely nothing to the experience of using one's phone (in fact it makes life more difficult) and for the life me I can't work out why anyone would shell out for what is, in essence, a new-fangled homescreen.

Or am I just jealous that I can't afford one for a month or three?
😉

Nokia 5800 on steriods......I own the 5800 and feel a lot more work needs to be done on the software front. Give us an intuitive 'touch' experince!!!!

ksvensen wrote:I really dont like that the D-pad is on the left side of the QWERTY keyboard.

Ok stop comparing this phone to that crappy iphone. And who givrs a fuck about how pretty the moytherfucking software is bitch? And nokia is like the missiah of phones because the phones and reliableCompatible. And durable. There are not number for no reaspn. Ima rape all naysayers

Unregistered wrote:There is a dichotomy here. Sad geeks and normal people. I have a thousand things I can enjoy before I need to turn to my phone for enjoyment, god forbid that I ever have to worry about enjoying my phone. Fortunately Nokia know that the vast majority of people are normal and have lives which is why they are not so bothered about this stuff as some people round here think they should be.

The iPhone caught the moment very well and sold quite a few phones (still a fraction of Nokia sales) but most people in CPW are looking, and then saying "very nice but what else is there that is value for money and will fit in my pocket". I work in an office that benefits from a 30% discount on O2 phones and contracts. Two out of sixty have iPhones. Not impressed by gimmicks.

I think you are blind to the obvious. I don't know any 'normal people' in your pathetic view of the world that browses this site let alone the comments section. I sympathise with your low self esteem though and I wonder what the other 1000 things you enjoy are if you find time shooting your self in the foot on this forum. I enjoy a bit of tech (and plenty of other things) and I like it fun, no apologies for that.

Anyway, I work in a large bank's head office and there are A LOT of iPhone owners. And the few ones I know pointed out how simple and enjoyable it is to use, but they don't confuse it with a hobby because they also have those.

I assume is help to define which direction you are facing when veiwing your location on the maps. Having used GPS on other phones it's difficult if you are not near road signs. I have ended up walking several feet down a crossroads and waiting for the gps to register which direction I have moved in to orientate myself.

Yeah, I can see it being a marginal benefit, but like you say, you can just walk a few feet and get the same effect. It's not enough of a benefit for me to justify another drain on the battery. But maybe that's just because the N95 has conditioned me to be extremely battery conscious.

Can anyone elaborate on the FM transmitter on the N97. It sounds great, if what it does is to let you play music from your phone onto your car/other stereo, without the need for a clunky add-on like the iphone and most other phones, but no sites selling the phone seems to be playing this feature up, indeed the Vodafone site is more interested in saying the N97 has a calandar!?!?! FM transmiter is a great addition, found on no other phones, or (I'll regret this) am I wrong?

its a flagship phone and has only 46 mb ram. I am sure even normal users will hit the limit. Nokia should have implemented 256mb ram. 5800 has proved that 128 mb is just not enough. 5th edition eats up a lot of ram. What is the point of having a ferrari without an engine? The price difference between a 5800 and n97 is certainly not justified. U can get a su 8w for less than 100 usd. if free ram was around 90 mb than it would have been worth it.

All I want to know is... does this phone play porn?

hi!

here is my question. sorry for my english.

is there a big difference between the keyboard of the black and the white n97 in terms of instrument read-out?

thx!

regards,

boepet

hi!

here is my question. sorry for my english.

is there a big difference between the keyboard of the black and the white n97 in terms of instrument read-out?

thx!

regards,

boepet

No there is no difference they work fine in both the colors😊

Hello there,i have a question if you know!
The last softweare of the N97 does it have transitions like ones they are showen to as monts ago?????????????
Thanks a lot!
Have a nice day!

Thanks for the updates AAS (did not want to leave anyone out :tongue: ). I've been looking forward to this "phone" but now I am having second thoughts. Many sites have done previews and I am finding it hard to make up my mind due to the conflicting information.

Was hoping you guys could clear things out for me :

1. The screen mechanism. Is it really that good? I mean some people say that it is not sturdy at all and it will break 😮. A friend of mine had this with a TYTN II and HTC said it is not covered by warranty. They asked 250 euros to fix it. He fixed it with 35 euros +shipping+manual from seller on ebay. But still ... for 700 euros, in my area, I don't want a shabby screen :frown:. I am comparing with TYTN because both have a 35 degree lift and work on a similar concept. His broke when he tilted the screen up.

2. Is the build quality better than on the E90?

3. How can Nokia make a "computer" with 32GB +16GB and that miserable amount of RAM???

4. Is this twice as good as the 5800? The price is twice as big :frown:.

Cheers ,

Looking forward to hearing from you.

I'm 100% happy with my Nokia 5800 and this Nokia N97 will make me 200% more happier 😃

Hey everybody..

First off, I really can't wait for the Nokia N97 but!!
Does anybody know when it will be released in Australia?

I have been looking everywhere for the release date for AUS, but I cannot find anything.
I'm hoping somebody knows.. I've been on the Aus Nokia website but that doesn't say; it
only says coming soon.. So does anybody know the actual release date for the Aussies?

I came across a website for the Nokia N97 owners http://www.NokiaN97Forum.com let's help each other on this great phone.s

Unregistered wrote:Hey everybody..

First off, I really can't wait for the Nokia N97 but!!
Does anybody know when it will be released in Australia?

I have been looking everywhere for the release date for AUS, but I cannot find anything.
I'm hoping somebody knows.. I've been on the Aus Nokia website but that doesn't say; it
only says coming soon.. So does anybody know the actual release date for the Aussies?

I came across a website for the Nokia N97 owners http://www.NokiaN97Forum.com let's help each other on this great phone.s

my friend at a mobile store told me that they are expecting it june 26th for a RRP of $1130 (au)unlocked. no word on contracts yet.

Do we want to replace our E90s with the N97s?
I love my E90. I love that it's a phone that thinks it's a tiny laptop! I've never understood the smaller-is-better ethos and in truth with my E90 was BIGGER than it is. But I'm also itching to upgrade and, other than its regrettably even smaller size and awful keyboard, the N97 is certainly the best choice at the moment. So here's the thing; is there a more serious E90 successor ANYWHERE on the horizon, or is it actually the case that by the time there is 18 more months will have passed by anyway, so I could get the N97 now for the interim?

Submitted by LoveNokiaHateN97 on June 18, 2009 - 9:22 P.M.

I have been a Nokia fan for years. Had the N90, N95 and LOVED my N95 8 Gig. But for browsing and messaging I always wanted a keyboard. I thought the N97 would be the N95 with a keyboard and touch screen. WRONG. I received my phone on Tuesday 6-16-09. I set it up, loaded some music, photos, synced the contacts, everything seemed fine.
Then I started to use it. It was clunky. The browser did not format web pages as well as the N95, lots of scrolling around to read things. The keyboard requires two hands for sure. The function key is a bit of a pain to get to numbers and symbols. Took a while just to figure out how to answer an incoming call. I was not extremely impressed, but after all, it had all my N95 had plus the ability to input data much easier than with a standard phone keypad. OK, I will get used to it. But then disaster struck!
Had the phone for 1.5 days. Suddenly, when trying to make a call, the touch screen hung. After power cycling, all my settings were gone, widgets disappeared, contact photos disappeared. The phone kept hanging and going blank (ie: BSOD) and reporting "out of memory" errors. I called Nokia today and they are issuing an RMA -- at their suggestion. It is within 3 days of receipt so I am getting my money back. But they are so backed up with RMA's that the original 4 hour estimate has become 24 hours for a call back.
Coincidentally, my son left for Italy today and took my old N95 8G for the camera and video capabilities. He left behind his iPhone 3G. Since my new N97 is hosed, I am using the 3G. I had never used it before (always scoffing that my N95 had the better camera, same apps, etc.). After one day, I can tell you that the N97, even with the QWERTY keyboard, is just no match in terms of usability. Plus the Safari browser is simply awesome. I am humbled. So much so that I ordered the 3G-S. Goodbye Nokia, I will miss you. You should have developed the N93 into a better platform in stead of following the pack. That was one cool phone, so cool the CIA guys used it in the Bourne movies.
Here is a rundown of the N97 symptoms I have been experiencing prior to calling Nokia for the RMA:
1) Touch screen is very insensitive.
2) Screen locked up - entirely - no buttons would work
3) tried unlock slider - nothing
4) re-started phone and it came back up with all settings gone from home screen and back to default theme
5) Is not going to horizontal mode regardless of open keyboard or position
6) widgets are missing and just say "loading content" in text
7) Personalized contact photos are missing
8) When I go to contacts and "open" a contact to see its settings, the screen goes completely blank -completely
9) Press the end key and the screen becomes completely locked
10) After locking and unlocking it just says "connecting �for a super long time -- minutes
Flipping the keyboard open makes the screen go blank
11) Received a message saying "memory full, close some applications and try again" when trying to go to the main menu, or when trying to open an app. But when clicking on "show open apps", there are no open apps except the home screen
12) Cannot go to Profiles, or Themes
13) Finally got phone pad to work after rebooting twice and dialed the code to get serial number, but that totally locked the phone and had to remove the battery
Powered phone off
Removed battery and let sit
Powered back on
Menu, Settings > Phone > Phone Mgmt > Factory settings
Will not let me. Says "end open lists and connections first".
Was finally able to restore factory settings using the joy stick but not the touch screen.
This did nothing. I still cannot open a contact. None of the apps work on the home screen. The performance is slowed to a crawl. Still cannot connect to PC Suite.
Tried to go to software update... screen went blank and the phone just hung.
Disaster.

One Note: My wonderful Nokia N95 8G only required a $10 data plan from ATT. After putting my SIM into the iPhone 3G, I cannot get data access except over WiFi. So, apparently ATT is going to force me to upgrade to the $30 iPhone data plan once my new 3G-S arrives. That is a $240 per year bummer! Also, the iPhone is not currently able to tether to a laptop for use as a modem. This is only a problem when I travel with my computer and find myself with no WiFi. So I will keep my N95 for such times. Sort of a pain. But honestly, I have been waiting for this N97 for so long (pre-ordered two months ago and waited a year to do so), I feel as if Nokia has pushed me into Apple's lap. I did not want to go, but now that the iPhone comes with a 3 megapixel still camera and VGA quality video camera, it has nearly everything I need. The ability to navigate everything with one thumb -- even enter search data into Google -- is just so cool. And it works so seamlessly. I can't wait to see how much better the 3G-S is. The reviews are very good as opposed to many early reviews for the N97. So sad for Nokia. Honestly, I hate to see such an innovative company lose ground like this.

I expecting that... Since i saw the behavior of 5800 (same OS), with so many errors, N97 just do the same, or on first times, even worse.
Like you said "So sad for Nokia. Honestly, I hate to see such an innovative company lose ground like this. ", me too!:frown:
I my be mistake, and Nokia already have time to change the things, but if they keep with that kind of phones, and boring screens like N86, N79, E72... well, they seem stuck to old ideas, and old conceptions, even this year or next, other go take the first place of market share, like Samsung or LG. And they deserve, because the client have as always the purchase decision.

Hey, i just got my nokia n97 yesterday and soo far im loving it. but i have a question/problem. when the phone is slided up to reveal the keyboard, for some reason the left side of the phone is sterdy but the right side is not, i mean it goes back fully but there is still soem space between the back of the screen and that back of the hinge, so it wobbles a little bit. is that normal? shouldnt it be sterdy all around? please let me know before i call nokia. thanks

I got the n97 (black) yesterday from a nokia outlet in guilford.

Enjoying it but having some probs.

1. The destinations doesnt seem to be working. Ive added access points but applications, like bbc iplayer, will always use 'orange internet' rather than the wifi point. I've checked the priority levels. I really want to see bbc i player on this phone! 😞

2. I used googasync to sync my google calendar. It has seemed to of completely crashed my calendar app. I can't even load calendar or googasync anymore. I have tried turning the phone on and off.

3. some apps that were already on the phone just refuse to load.

4. Where is audio streaming? on n95 it was under gallery. I really need my radio streaming for the shower! 😊

Apart from that I do like it. I haved being able to update my facebook status. I love texting and emailing on the keyboard. I like the touch screen. I find it nice and sensitive. The camera is really fast! much quicker than my old n95.

Anyone have any ideas about the destinations problem it is driving me potty! 😊

Thanks,

Ross

In response to previous poster, there are no smooth transitions. Nothing about the UI is in any way smooth. It's the same old Symbian UI but with touch controls.

It's not perfect, there are glitches (predictive text minor glitches, mostly). There are also reports of the Ovi store not functioning correctly in low-battery situations (according to Vodafone 2nd-level tech support anyway).

There's no on-screen full QWERTY keyboard either in portrait or landscape. The physical QWERTY keyboard isn't the greatest to type on (but it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers have stated). Texting is faster and more comfortable than my old N95.

Us early-adopters know by now (or *should* know) that nothing is ever perfect until a couple of rounds of firmware updates. I was certainly aware of this before I purchased. The potential for the N97 to be a great phone is there. Just have a little patience.

If you really can't wait and a 'smooth' UI is more important to you than overall usability, get an iPhone.

The N97 is a good phone that could potentially be great if Nokia supports it the way that it supported the N95. I remember when the N95 first came out: reviews were generally lukewarm and the firmware was buggy but Nokia kept supporting it and when all was said and done, I wound up loving it.

Meanwhile, I bought a Samsung Omnia 6 months ago and I have to say that I agree with Steve. Windows Mobile needs to re-think its strategy; WinMo 6.1 is a mess. I've been using my N97 for 36 hours and the difference is night and day. Even with some pretty high-level tweaking and flashing custom ROMs, I could never get the Omnia to run the way my N97 runs (buggy firmware and all). That's just crazy. Everything is easier to do on the supposedly "clunky" N97 interface as opposed to the almost-universally critically-acclaimed Omnia. That's just crazy.

Sorry to burst the bubble, but I picked up the N97 and had a very bad time with the phone. The battery barely lasted 11 hours, primarily on standby.
Moreover this handset had a million issues. To name a few:
1) When on charge the unlock didn�t work. Even after disconnecting the cable it refused to respond. Had to remove the battery.
2) Unlock after a call took 4-5 attempts to finally unlock the phone.
3) some applications just opened and exited right away while trying to work on them.
4) Phone switched off (with half the battery available) while on charge, and trying to unlock
5) phone screen was blank when a call came in. The phone rang and vibrated. When the unlock slider was moved, the phone switched off.
6) Internal Script Error for the facebook application. Asks for a restart of the phone.
7) Volume control went bezerk when a call came in and got answered with the slider open.

So I�m not quite impressed with Nokia on delivering a �state of the art� Phone!

Moreover, no provision has been made to remove the battery. U have to use a sharp object to hook it out. Now isn�t that a very basic feature in the design?

Enough said.

It looks great, I'm gonna to get one.

I have had the E90 for 2 years now (and previous Communicators) my new N97 arrived yesterday and I am disappointed and will be selling it. Although the smaller size, 32Bg memory and at last a 3.5mm jack are great, the product isn't. It has a smaller screen, smaller keys (with no separate number keys, my thumbs hit the screen and the off centre space IS a pain) and the speakers are dreadful. The software is slow to get round in a hurry. When I received an email with an XLS attachment I had immense difficulty navigating around it and seeing it. When I opened it on my E90, it was easy to open and the screen showed so much more of it. The build quality is questionable, the slider doesn't slam shut, and I doubt if it will put up with real life abuse. Losing the quick access keys is also a pain. Just taken my SIM out of the N97 and put in my E90, wow the screen is superior, speakers have punch, the screen can be angled, web and email so much clearly, quicker to get round, logical, keypad logical, the front screen and proper keypad much better and saves battery. Like getting out of a small cheap runabout and getting into an Audi/Mercedes.

I use a 5140i as my telephone, because it is quick, simple, small, bounces, doesn't scratch and because the software is unfussy, quite simply it just works. My E90 is my Email/Web/Movie/GPS device; for sitting on planes, the screen is unbeatable (as is the angling) for watching movies. If the E90 had flash for websites, a 3.5mm jack, 32GB internal memory, an internal touch screen for navigation ONLY and was a tad lighter and small, it would be perfect. Additionally make me a 5140i that simply has a bigger screen for email checking/simple web browsing and my life would be complete.

Nokia like Apple need to start asking their customers what they would like (Apple please note, internal Laptop batteries are not a good move) and stop the boys in R&D giving us their ideas of what we want. Products used in a nice office are not the same when I lump them around the real world.

I love my new found compainon the N97! I guess (from your statement) it is possible to love something to death. Lighten up on your grip kelador. Be gentle. The N97 is like a lightsaber, and you are like a jedi. You must be one with the force your N97 has. I believe it's even more powerful then the deathstar itself.
(Hopefully you seen Star Wars. If not I could use other anologies, like Indiana Jones, James Bond, or Cinderella... much like the way Lord Dextro came to be, but thats another story.

Lord Dextro tends to ramble and is a bit of a kidder. If your having trouble with your device, I can't think of a better place to get them sorted out.

Hope we can be of assistance, find me at http://www.NokiaN97Forum.com take care!

i'm a nokia n95 user, and i ordered the latest nokia phone here in the philippines. i'm so excited until i read the posts here. im bothered with the fact that the keypad/keyboard is no good. im not at all concerned with the keyboard in the screen though.