So "phone of the year" is being dropped by Orange due to high returns.
http://www.mobiletoday.co.uk/Mobile_Exec/Nokia_N97_Mini_and_Sony_Ericsson_X2_pulled_by_operators.aspx
The software is gibberish (I've now had 1month with my Classic and it really is poor, permanently nannying resources and random freezes as well as terribly disorganised UI and can't run most of advertised features active widgets or multitasking other than simple progs so my "active" homescreen is just a series of shortcuts apart from messaging) and the hardware is crippled so when users try to do what they've been sold/ encouraged to do on promos and adverts ie run widgets and download and install apps they run into problems cos the software is flakey at best and the hardware can't run it and so they become frustrated and return them.
No doubt the defenders will leap on this again but just wait now they are facing competition from the likes of the Nexus one (note available immediately and getting praise) and the new iPhone4 yet to come, everything in Nokia's portfolio is a generation out of date and at �429 or free on �35 contracts the N97 mini looks awful value compared to Nexus one $529 sim free.* Further info suggests this is wrong for UK at mom, first need to add shipping and UK spec charger takes it to $578/�361 then add VAT (doh forgot that) takes it up to �425 so same as N97's - courtesy of USEB http://blog.se-nse.net/
Thee are no Apps for Symbian really not even proper Tube (subway) one and no National Rail for example, OVI is a mess to find anything in. Meanwhile Android is groing exponentially and Apple just passed 3 Billion App downloads. The train is leaving and Nokia and Symbian haven't even turned up at the station let alone got on board the train.
And for �500 for N97 I ain't getting on any Nokia vehicle for a while and looks like I'm not alone despite the vociferous outpourings of the defenders here. Simple value for money at �200 the faults in the 5800 were tolerable, not ideal but tolerable. The N97's are in a different value class and just fail massively to match the alternatives. Scratch one year for Nokia.
What's more Nokia are going to walk away from the N97 beacause of the stench surrounding them so those holding out hope for substantive improvements could be in for more let downs and the hardware can't run more.
i totally agree that nokia is in some serious trouble with their high end smartphone offerings. and they are in denial about it as well. but i did however have high hopes for the n97 mini. i thought the OS software bugs were mostly worked out after the original n97 blunder. but i guess not.
since nokia has so many carrier agreements for the past few years, they are able to move a lot of phones to customers who just buy them as regular "dumb" phones with a good camera. but if these carrier agreements start to dry up, like something above where the carrier stops carrying the phone, then maybe this will finally be the wake up call that nokia needs.
nokia has this false sense of safety because they are able to sell so many units under carrier agreements. but this is a dangerous false sense of security for them. of course the average joe will take a high end nokia with 5MP camera as long as its free on 2 year contract. but this isn't competing, this is complacency. nokia seriously needs to step up their high end game. the nexus one looks incredible compared to an n97.
RogerPodacter wrote:i totally agree that nokia is in some serious trouble with their high end smartphone offerings.
Despite my N97 STILL having no serious issues, I do agree Nokia needs to watch their back. I am a Nokia fan(atic) but plenty others will be eyeing up the competition.
My only comment is that I doubt Google, iPhone, or anyone else will ever be able to release a smartphone which is bug free upon initial release, and as long as networks (like Orange & Vodafone) are permitted to cripple devices with branded FW variants & pre-loaded branded apps, problems will continue to be reported on other platforms & handsets, just as much as with Nokia handsets.
dez_borders wrote:Despite my N97 STILL having no serious issues, I do agree Nokia needs to watch their back. I am a Nokia fan(atic) but plenty others will be eyeing up the competition.My only comment is that I doubt Google, iPhone, or anyone else will ever be able to release a smartphone which is bug free upon initial release, and as long as networks (like Orange & Vodafone) are permitted to cripple devices with branded FW variants & pre-loaded branded apps, problems will continue to be reported on other platforms & handsets, just as much as with Nokia handsets.
You don't need to release a handset that's bug free to beat Nokia at the moment though. You don't even need to release a handset with 100% working hardware!
In 14 years of mobile phone ownership, I have never had a phone that caused as much grief - for so long without remedy - as the N97.
They are stuck between S60 which should be taken to the knackers yard and Maemo which is still in nappies.
2010 is the make or break year for their high end smartphones. Sure they will stick around, but if they want to be in the premier league with Apple, Blackberry, Android, etc. they need to drastically up their game, in software, hardware & services.
celios wrote:In 14 years of mobile phone ownership, I have never had a phone that caused as much grief - for so long without remedy - as the N97.
I don't dispute yours (and many others) very bad experience with the N97.
However what I am predicting is that one of the other manufacturers will slip up just as badly in the future and the forums will be full of the same complaints & comments.
I do agree Nokia has lost is position of the number 1 smartphone manufacturer and won't recover that position any time soon - if ever!
...but I still love my N97 tho! (even with lens scratches now appearing and needing a warranty repair in the not too distant future)
Apple get things sorted by not really offering anything.... they worked on a limited operating system for their phones and just maintained the one piece of hardware which until recently is very limited.
Android could be the next big thing IMHO but still does nowhere near enough as say the old N95.
Nokia are just totally failing at everything they do.
I was looking on line a the new Nexus One last night, and thought it looked really good, nice spec puts it up there amongst the 'leaders' and seriously then thought about how to go around getting one ( can't get them here at the moment in Saudi ) .
But later on that night, I thought - how does it really compare to the N95 / N97? Does it / can it do as much? What I'm thinking about is multi tasking - you know... on the internet and then you need to go into COntacts to find someone's phone number / email address, or surfing onling on 3G and a voice call comes in - will it still carry on allowing you to do both?
Which then brings me back to the N97. I've had quite a lot of problems with mine - apart from the lens scratching issue - but I'm still loathed to get rid of it, as it has masses of potential. Yes, I know it hasn't lived up to the potential, and the thing is - it probably never will, but even in it's half cocked state, it will still offer more than some of these phones that are out there now.
Now if I had never had gone down the road of buying an N97, I think the nexus / iPhone would be a great device, but once you know that there are more possibilities, I think I'd feel a bit let down.
In that respect, I have to sort of cock my hat to Nokia and realise that they did at least attempt to make a device that IF it worked properly, would have knocked several spots off the competition. Sadly, it didn't and it could well lead to several years of recovery for Nokia.
It's a bit like the Bugatti Veyron. A real dream and vision to make a car like that, and because it works as it should, it is Top Gear's Car of the Decade. If it hadn't worked, it would have turned into a bit of a joke. THe N97 on paper, beats everything around it. But, as the reality doesn't match the dream, it's that egg we're left with on our faces for buying one.