We don't normally link to many blogger device reviews, but 'srikapardhi's write up of the Nokia N97 mini (Comes with Music edition) excels in lots of ways, in that it comes across as fresh, opinionated and pretty comprehensive. It's certainly a reminder not to write off the N97 mini after bad experiences with its larger predecessor. Oh, and be gentle with his use of English (not his first language).
Read on in the full article.
The N97s (mini, if you'd like) screen is _NOT_ scratch resistant...
I hope it shouldn't be written off, I'm about to get one!
i just got one (normal n97 mini) last friday and i love it 😊
Worth noting that, in the UK, the N97 mini is now routinely priced at �299 inc VAT (e.g. on play.com ) - that's a pretty decent price. Certainly way more realistic than the silly �449 when it was launched.
slitchfield wrote:Worth noting that, in the UK, the N97 mini is now routinely priced at �299 inc VAT (e.g. on play.com ) - that's a pretty decent price. Certainly way more realistic than the silly �449 when it was launched.
In Australia it launched at $750 (which is about 449 pounds, give or take) and is now at $500 from online stores, $450 if you go to an eBay store. And its contract price has more than halved.
Still love the look of the N97 mini. Although i would probably go with the C-6. (price based decision)
coincidentally, it didn't escape Apple's claim that it has the same problem as the iphone4. Of course it it does not though.
http://www.apple.com/antenna/
It may have dropped to 2 bars in Apple's test, but it still manages to hang on to a 3.5G signal, something which the iPhone 4 certainly can't manage.
And there is a world of difference between what is displayed (ie. number of bars) and what the phone manages to do, something which Apple have so far failed to demonstrate; the iPhone 4 is certainly the world leader when it comes to stopping working due to how it's held...😃
This is slightly off topic and I know it's been covered before but: what is the deal with Comes With Music now exactly, and now much does it vary by country? In particular, what exactly happens when you run out of the CWM period? I assume you can of course keep it on the original phone, but can you transfer it to another phone or at least have it on your computer?
Not that I could get it anyway here in the US.. 😞
Scratch resistant screen??? excellent screen visibility at all times of the day??? Polished Symbian S60 UI??? Powerfull???
I haven't read the whole piece carefully but many points in this review are either "slightly" off or plain wrong.
It's great that he is enjoying his mini but posting a link to something this inacurate??? What is going on here?
Define scratch resistant? His English is not very good so give some slack. I would say my N900 screen has been amazingly resistent to scratches, but would probably not classify as scratch resistant.
Polished as far as Symbian goes.
Powerful as far as Nokia Symbian phones go.
The reader has some responsibility too. 😉
As and N97-1 owner, I too think the mini is the better bit of kit but I go for the bigger brother becuase of the fm transmitter, lens cover and d-pad (I'm a lefty so I love it 😛). The C: problem is not a big thing for me (just delete the other language resource files for ovi store and maps to free up space). The main reason I'm still not wanting the mini is because, unlike the N95-2, Nokia did not put in a bigger RAM chip making it have the same problem as the bigger brother. I had an N95-2 and the difference was superb (4x as much free ram as compared to the N95-1) but they didnt do it for the N97-2. Nokia did a great big cock-up with the C: and RAM otherwise they would have been fighting out of the corner a year ago and not now with the N8. Also, the forum nokia device spec list for the N97 says a 256MB ROM chip therefore if we have about 130meg for Z: and 73 for C:, about 50 meg is missing - REPARTITION THE BLOODY DRIVES NOKIA!!
Dont know what apple are trying to show by comparing their signal with other smartphones - that by holding phones awkwardly as illustrated in their pictures that signal falls? Its they look as though they are clamping the bloody phone and trying to block the signal - no one holds onto their phone tight enough for it to have a huge effect on the signal - especially on touch devices becuase you may have to touch the top left/right side of the screen which means you have to loose your grip. I have an N97-1 and my signal fell from full 3.5G to 2 bars 3.5G then went back up to 4 - comparison fail?
Does the N97 mini suffers from the 'white screen of death' problem? I'm planning to buy this for someone but the wsod issue worries me. Had a hellish time with it on the 5800, having to take out the memory card a few times everyday to enable proper reboot. But v50 firmware has solved the problem for me on the 5800. Any info on the N97 mini? Thanks..
Having just got a N97 mini for my wife as an upgrade to an aging N95 I implore anyone to look around at other things outside of the symbian world.
This phone is a woeful attempt at jamming some completely out of date software onto a quite pleasant hardware platform and vaguely adding touch.
it beggars belief that AAS continue to recommend the N97 on complex tables when the mobile phone world has changed.
Wife now happily using a HTC wildfire. �229 sim free
camera is not a patch on the n97 I am happy to admit but the rest of the package is infinitely slicker.
E
Unregistered wrote:Does the N97 mini suffers from the 'white screen of death' problem? I'm planning to buy this for someone but the wsod issue worries me. Had a hellish time with it on the 5800, having to take out the memory card a few times everyday to enable proper reboot. But v50 firmware has solved the problem for me on the 5800. Any info on the N97 mini? Thanks..
I don't know what you specifically mean by WSOD problem but white screen or "wipeout" as I name it😉 still occurs when you push N97 mini too hard. And by pushing I dont mean anything extreme: a few (2-3) apps running in the background, facebook widget on the homescreen. I've had to pull out the battery many times to make the phone work again.
Now that I've stopped using homescreen widgets and try to avoid multitasking at all phone became more reliable. Which unfortunately doesn't mean that it doesn't make you wait. It still freezes often.
Unregistered wrote:Having just got a N97 mini for my wife as an upgrade to an aging N95 I implore anyone to look around at other things outside of the symbian world.
E
Exactly. Look around and see what other platforms offer.
manual_ wrote:I don't know what you specifically mean by WSOD problem but white screen or "wipeout" as I name it😉 still occurs when you push N97 mini too hard. And by pushing I dont mean anything extreme: a few (2-3) apps running in the background, facebook widget on the homescreen. I've had to pull out the battery many times to make the phone work again.
Now that I've stopped using homescreen widgets and try to avoid multitasking at all phone became more reliable. Which unfortunately doesn't mean that it doesn't make you wait. It still freezes often.
Thank you..WSOD was the term I found all over the net. I believe it's the same problem and I also believe its a common problem for all s60v5 (correct me if I'm wrong). I'm capable enough to make it work for me but with a lot of compromises that defeat the original purpose of the device, and I dont see why I need to do that. That's the deal breaker for me then. Will have a look at other platform. Still looking forward to n8 and S^4 though 😉. I have faith that they'll do it right.
It's like reading a review from 2007.
typing this from my wifes n97 mini its an ok phone great keyboard. Spb shell is a must. Could do with more ram and better predictive text.