In the second part of our multi-part, multi-author review series on the Nokia N97, I look at its multimedia functions, including camera (superb in daylight), camcorder (super for landscapes...), video and music playback, radio and Podcasting (all good). Are there any weaknesses left in this Nseries flagship? And what happened to Internet Radio, UPnP and a TV out cable? By the way, see also Part 1 - First impressions and overview
Read on in the full article.
Great review Steve . In general, as E90 owner, I'm disappointment of N97 couse the keyboard. And regard to your text input speed compared, I rather wait for N900.... I hope it'll better and complete device.
The N97 does seem to be something of a let down after all that waiting. Even the iphone in the shape of GS can offer better hardware & software than the N97 & even amongst Symbian devices it seems to be far from the best.
After the N96 it seems like Nokia have suffered another misfire.
Lowly Ram available on the N97 is a farce.
I have this to say: if you're a power user wait for the N900 tablet (telephony included). It will wipe the floor with the N97.
Hello.
I have been following this site (and many others) but have not read anything about video conferencing. Perhaps you could give a review of how it works with other phones (both capable and incapable of video conferencing) and overall satisfaction. Does it work or is it a gimmick, simply a marketing bullet?
Many thanks and keep up the GREAT work.
-- Fitz
I was looking forward to this phone but the lukewarm review over at cnet.co.uk is a bit offputting to say the least.
Perhaps I am missing something, but this part of the review seem to me to be mostly very positive. What exactly were people expecting?
viipottaja wrote:Perhaps I am missing something, but this part of the review seem to me to be mostly very positive. What exactly were people expecting?
I guess people were expecting gazzilion mpx camera, 1Gb of RAM and Core duo processor. Can't understand it either but i'm getting one as soon as possible.
karen-s wrote:I was looking forward to this phone but the lukewarm review over at cnet.co.uk is a bit offputting to say the least.
I read that review and I agree with it 100%. Nokia fan boy or not you have to agree that cnet's take is a little closer to reality than AAS'.
With pricetag around $700 in US, other subsidized phones are more better. How about iPhone $99 or Palm pre, or blackberry? Personally, I like iPhone with its superior video & music features, tons of applications.... Even, I can get the new update iPhone OS 3.0 for free. Never use Nokia bulky and sluggish S60 phones anymore.
I think the n97 is great; it just lacks excitement.
Not as exciting as the n95 was in its time. Not as exciting as the palm pre.
But I still think you get more for your money with the n97 than any other phone.
Also, cnet.co.uk gave the n97 a 7.0 score and the palm pre a 7.3. Take that as you will.
But I do agree that if nokia doesn't reinvent themselves, they will keep losing market share. I think it's totally plausible that nokia could no longer be the biggest cell phone manufacturer in the future.
Nokia has to do what palm did; abandon their current OS all together and start from scratch. Symbian has had a very long life and its perfectly reasonable to invest in something else now.
Arthur wrote:I read that review and I agree with it 100%. Nokia fan boy or not you have to agree that cnet's take is a little closer to reality than AAS'.
Eh? You did *read* my review pt1, didn't you? I'd say I was more critical in my review than they were, overall. Or at least there wasn't much in it!
What is the future of Symbian. iPhone old users got the OS v3 update for free...
Please read this regarding Symbian OS - they don't plan any upgrade possible:
http://talk.maemo.org//forum/thread/56070/#post295687#post295687
I think they are open sourcing Symbian so it frees resources, which they can now devote to Maemo. Maemo is going to be the future of Nokia mobile devices, phones, tablets and netbooks.
slitchfield wrote:Eh? You did *read* my review pt1, didn't you? I'd say I was more critical in my review than they were, overall. Or at least there wasn't much in it!
Yes, I take back what I said. Part 1 of your review was very objective. Thank you.
Please don't misunderstand me. I don't want you to be bashing the devices... just tell it as it is, that's all. I realize it's not an easy task when we're fans of a specific brand.
All the reviews on this site are top notch, I love reading them.
mrojas wrote:I think they are open sourcing Symbian so it frees resources, which they can now devote to Maemo. Maemo is going to be the future of Nokia mobile devices, phones, tablets and netbooks.
N900 with Maemo looks better than N97, N900 having the same processor and 256 MB RAM as iPhone 3GS and Palm Pre and double than N97. It really depends when N900 will be out to be part of the pie. If it is too late released, Nokia risks to loose the smartphone market. Smartphone market is the future of mobile industry anyways. So they can loose all.
I think N97 could have been released only 2-3 months after 5800 XM was released, and if N97 was released in Jan-Feb this year that would be a difference. (released with the same OS software as 5800 XM, and by now to offer a free OTA OS upgrade). Now everybody's eyes is at the new iPhone 3G S, at Palm Pre and at Samsung Omnia HD. Too late Nokia. Nothing new with this phone, nothing extraordinary. If the phone had HD recording, 8 MP camera, double the RAM memory and same power as OMAP3 processor, people will buy it. Or if it was launched 4-5 months ago.
The good thing about N97 compared to iPhone is the keyboard and 5MP > 3 MP camera.
The good thing of N97 compared to all other phones, is the tilted screen, because you don't need a stand to watch TV or videos, and also it is good for typing when the phone is on a desk, compared with Blackberies, Palm Pre and E71, E75.
As CNET wrote:
The N97 is slightly different to a standard slider phone, like the E75, because the screen slides out at a slight angle. That angle means you don't need a stand to watch videos with the phone sitting on a table, and it's also useful when you're typing. It's a good innovation from Nokia, and the hinge feels like it will stand up to some enthusiastic use.
The N97's touchscreen interface feels snappy and responsive.
The N97 is available from free in UK on a �40-per-month contract with Orange.
I am pretty sure that the N97, despite all its "flaws" will be very successful. And I could condense it in two words: Emerging Markets.
The N97 was designed to be as cheap as possible, in order to sell it as much as possible to the average consumer in those markets, and perharps to users in more developed ones. Note that the N97 is being launched in 75 (!) countries. You can't say the same about the iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre and Samsung Omnia HD. And there are markets which Nokia dominates, in which phones like the iPhone failed utterly (India and Russia come to mind). Asian markets are also the reason Nokia sticks with resistive screens.
You have to consider also that many of those countries don't have open stores where to buy an unlocked, factory mobile phone of any kind. So they pretty much only buy what the carrier gives to them.
So, you can condense the N97 as a mass-market smartphone, with some tweaked interface and some repackaged features (which are still good even now, like the N95 camera, now that was a phone that was truly ahead of its time); and on top of that an affordable and accesible device. I know most people where I live consider the Palm Pre almost a science fiction device that they will never see in person, while they can't wait for the official release of the N97, which has a better camera, 32 Gigs memory, huge screen, keyboard, etc. If you tell those consumers "OMAP2", I am sure they won't know and hence, don't care about it.
Power users probably expected more, and I bet they will get it the Maemo N900.
Excellent points my friend. An anecdote that most folks still don't seem to know: China IS the biggest market for N Series.
mrojas wrote:I am pretty sure that the N97, despite all its "flaws" will be very successful. And I could condense it in two words: Emerging Markets.The N97 was designed to be as cheap as possible, in order to sell it as much as possible to the average consumer in those markets, and perharps to users in more developed ones. Note that the N97 is being launched in 75 (!) countries. You can't say the same about the iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre and Samsung Omnia HD. And there are markets which Nokia dominates, in which phones like the iPhone failed utterly (India and Russia come to mind). Asian markets are also the reason Nokia sticks with resistive screens.
You have to consider also that many of those countries don't have open stores where to buy an unlocked, factory mobile phone of any kind. So they pretty much only buy what the carrier gives to them.
So, you can condense the N97 as a mass-market smartphone, with some tweaked interface and some repackaged features (which are still good even now, like the N95 camera, now that was a phone that was truly ahead of its time); and on top of that an affordable and accesible device. I know most people where I live consider the Palm Pre almost a science fiction device that they will never see in person, while they can't wait for the official release of the N97, which has a better camera, 32 Gigs memory, huge screen, keyboard, etc. If you tell those consumers "OMAP2", I am sure they won't know and hence, don't care about it.
Power users probably expected more, and I bet they will get it the Maemo N900.
You have a strange definition of cheap, at this price level the little extra you have to pay to get either the i8910HD or iphone 3GS is not really going to make much difference to this level of purchaser. If I am going to pay that sort of money I would expect the best product possible with the best hardware & that is a definition IMO that the N97 fails to live up to. To try and pass off a device with outdated hardware in this price-range is pretty shocking to me.
Also are you implying that power users can only consider other Nokia products & should therefore only consider another Nokia product the N900? Their are other makers out there.😕
mrojas wrote:Note that the N97 is being launched in 75 (!) countries. You can't say the same about the iPhone 3G S, Palm Pre and Samsung Omnia HD.
mrojas hit the nail right on the head!
I believe this how the market will play out: S60 and Symbian will become mass market phones with a focus on the "Emerging Markets".
I'm sorry but from a power user standpoint there is just not too much to get excited about the N97.
Power users will slowly jump ship to Maemo. The N900 is really looking exciting.
architengi wrote:The good thing about N97 compared to iPhone is the keyboard and 5MP > 3 MP camera.
The good thing of N97 compared to all other phones, is the tilted screen, because you don't need a stand to watch TV or videos, and also it is good for typing when the phone is on a desk, compared with Blackberies, Palm Pre and E71, E75.
@ Super Chimp: You are right about the fact that I could pay some more and get a better device. However, once again, putting myself in the shoes of the average consumer, they usually go for the "c.p.g.": cheap, pretty and good. A lot of people in Emerging Markets (and I live in one) don't really care about advanced features: for example, if they can record video in HD or not, just the fact that the N97 can film video and is going to be like $100 cheaper than the competition will make their mind. The same people that won't distinguish why an OMAP3 would be better than OMAP2.
I also expect heavy carrier subsidies. Architengi notes that "The N97 is available from free in UK on a �40-per-month contract with Orange". And if those carriers get issues with Skype, or VoIP, they will simply ask Nokia to cut that out of the firmware, and Nokia will do that. They even made the E62 to comply to carriers that didn't want WiFi phones. Even that, I would so far as to bet that the N97 costs a lot less than Nokia is charging them for: that would make a big profit per unit sold for them.
My last lines were about power users that for some reason would prefer a device not made by Apple (too locked?), Samsung (quality maybe?) or Palm (too new platform?). I know I would wait for the N900. If it turns out to be a dull device, then I would pick a Pre, which, at that time, will be cheaper.
@rvirga: It is a very interesting point of view. However, I stand by my comments, because I think Nokia wants to win a war of "saturation": by the time Apple, Samsung and Palm reach those other new markets, everyone will have a N97, and won't see a reason to upgrade. It already happened where I live: when the iPhone finally arrived, everyone had a N95 and didn't see a reason to pay a huge amount of money for it.
mrojas wrote:@ Super Chimp: You are right about the fact that I could pay some more and get a better device. However, once again, putting myself in the shoes of the average consumer, they usually go for the "c.p.g.": cheap, pretty and good. A lot of people in Emerging Markets (and I live in one) don't really care about advanced features: for example, if they can record video in HD or not, just the fact that the N97 can film video and is going to be like $100 cheaper than the competition will make their mind. The same people that won't distinguish why an OMAP3 would be better than OMAP2.I also expect heavy carrier subsidies. Architengi notes that "The N97 is available from free in UK on a �40-per-month contract with Orange". And if those carriers get issues with Skype, or VoIP, they will simply ask Nokia to cut that out of the firmware, and Nokia will do that. They even made the E62 to comply to carriers that didn't want WiFi phones. Even that, I would so far as to bet that the N97 costs a lot less than Nokia is charging them for: that would make a big profit per unit sold for them.
My last lines were about power users that for some reason would prefer a device not made by Apple (too locked?), Samsung (quality maybe?) or Palm (too new platform?). I know I would wait for the N900. If it turns out to be a dull device, then I would pick a Pre, which, at that time, will be cheaper.
@rvirga: It is a very interesting point of view. However, I stand by my comments, because I think Nokia wants to win a war of "saturation": by the time Apple, Samsung and Palm reach those other new markets, everyone will have a N97, and won't see a reason to upgrade. It already happened where I live: when the iPhone finally arrived, everyone had a N95 and didn't see a reason to pay a huge amount of money for it.
Forget emerging markets, what about the US? What options do we have here? Well, if you didn't get your N97 for the glitch $500 pricing, then you have to pay $600 through Amazon or all the way up to $7-800 from Nokia's various channels (flagship store or website). Why would someone pay that for hardware from two years ago when you could import an i8910 for the same amount of money or buy an iPhone 3GS for $299 at the most?
If all else fails and the competition just has too many flaws to merit spending that much on an alternative device, I'd still rather buy a cheaper, older phone, than spend that much money on the N97 that shares many of the same parts as the older phones.
is the weakest part of this phone, received my n97 this morning and am loving everything about it except the zero improvement to nokia email. even in landscape you can barely see the full contact and subject heading and there is no way to make the font small enough to get all this information. They should at least allow you to hide the side buttons.
jonnybruha wrote:Forget emerging markets, what about the US? What options do we have here? Well, if you didn't get your N97 for the glitch $500 pricing, then you have to pay $600 through Amazon or all the way up to $7-800 from Nokia's various channels (flagship store or website). Why would someone pay that for hardware from two years ago when you could import an i8910 for the same amount of money or buy an iPhone 3GS for $299 at the most?If all else fails and the competition just has too many flaws to merit spending that much on an alternative device, I'd still rather buy a cheaper, older phone, than spend that much money on the N97 that shares many of the same parts as the older phones.
Sorry .. the US is an emerging market .. most of the problem is the stranglehold the phone companies have over their customers .. by locking almost everything they can they fleece the customer for as much as they think they can get away with.
I think its time for a revolution in the US .. throw off the shackles of Phone Company oppression!
show me where I can buy a contract free iPhone 3GS for $299! not that I want one .. but you might want to do some cost accounting on that.
..
The N97 will not be perfect immediately - I liken it to the initial release of the N95 - still the gold standard for smart-phone design.
What can you tell about the speed of the gallery? Did you try the new Photo Browser from Beta labs?
N97 Firmware update (minor)
(136mb)
Just updated my N97 to 10.0.012 from 10.0.009
Version/Date/Issuses and Changes
10.0.012 : 11/6/2009 / Cant really tell the difference...
10.0.009 : 05/5/2009 / Mail for Exchange Missing, No SIP dial out, Bloomberg application cant update
Mapperz
http://mapperz.blogspot.com/
Once again, N97 got beat by iphone 3Gs hardware. Why are the developers of Iphone always manage to think ahead and beat the developers of Nokia every time?? Serious, the Iphone has bout 600Mhz processor and 256MB of RAM...it is way way faster than Nokia N97 400+Mhz and 128MB of RAM. And as i was watching the videos of Nokia N97...the phone looks nice and has great design and everything, BUT it is obvious there is a delay in processing. This is a BIG NO NO for me because i like when things are instant. I want things to load it up as soon as i press that button...i don't want to even wait for 1 SEC!!! A hardware like N97 with so much stuffs in it...you would thunk that the developers would give you a powerful processor so that it makes thing run smoother. But NO...Nokia is once again getting beat by Iphone 3GS!!
If anything N97 has over Iphone at this point is the 5Megapixel camera..that's it!!