The N97 is a big leap for Nokia, but a small step compared to the mobile scene and the market’s expectations of the device. I can only hope Nokia will accept my feedback, because I believe the N98 can lead the pack, instead of merely joining it.
And allow me to amend my bottom-line: scratch the N98, give me the new Nokia X6. With the X6 Nokia introduced a phone that can truly lead the pack instead of just catching up. Although the X6 is officially the XpressMusic 5800 successor, its looks and specs are right at the top:
My only complaint still pertains to the CPU, which at 434MHz and 128MB I doubt it can match the iPhone’s 600MHz with 256MB (3Gs). Why not use the 600MHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU deployed at the new N900? Not clear. And that is really a shame because Nokia has taken a big step with the X6 and introduced a phone that in my opinion can become a true iPhone Killer.
Something good is happening to Israel in the social media scene. Twitter is getting A LOT of screen time, and even yours truly got his 30sec of fame in a recent TV piece (1:25min from start and again, later on) trying to uncover the mystery behind the micro-blogging platform.
Advertising agencies and consumer goods companies cannot ignore the stats and grown interest, so both started to incorporate social media aspects into their traditional and interactive campaigns. A month with Nokia N97, courtesy of N97Unboxing.co.il, did bring plenty of attention and social media coverage for Nokia Israel and the N97, but most reviews weren’t that favorable, and in my opinion might damaged the launch of the device.
But enough of Symbian, because I have roughly a week to learn a new language – Android! I’ll be switching to a Samsung Galaxy (aka i7500) within a week or so, part of a local campaign run by Samsung Israel, Cellcom (largest cellular provider in Israel), TheFusion, McCann Digital and Nir Refuah of course, to launch the first Android device in Israel. Details of the campaign are still sketchy, but I do know it will be a 48 hour contest (vs. another local blogger) during which I’ll have to send status updates (#samsungalaxy) every 30min or so. To keep me busy (and awake) during those 48 sleep-less hours, Samsung will pamper me with various treats and surprises. Good thing I haven’t found a job, yet… 😉
So, couple of necessities before the campaign starts – help appreciated (Thanks in advance!):
Feedback is an important part of any learning, in both personal and business life. I have a serious problem with people who think they are perfect and have nothing to learn from others – that’s a red flag. And if you ever gave or received feedback, you know the 2 basic rules:
Start with the positive, to ‘break the ice’, and then go negative (up to 2 points in each)
Say something new – don’t ‘strengthen’, ’emphasis’ or ‘agree’ with points already mentioned.
I do hope some folks over at Finland are reading the reviews and taking notes. Regardless of all the people around me carrying an iPhone – I’m a Nokia lover deep down. The Nokia N97 has been with me for 3 weeks now, and now it’s time for my official review, which I’ll open with the bottom line:
Positive
Great multimedia phone (audio, video and online), with superior technical specs
Intuitive Nokia UI wrapped in a very cool package.
Negative
Resistive touchscreen is a mistake. Multi-touch rules and resistive fits the ‘Palm Pilot’ era, not 2009
I can do without the QWERTY keyboard. iPhone killers don’t need a physical keyboard.
Nokia, much like the rest of the mobile world, was rudely awakened by Apple’s iPhone (can you believe it’s only 2.5 years old?). The idea of a phone with only a touchscreen and no keyboard was revolutionary and innovative, and kicked Nokia/LG/SE/Samsung where it hurts: the bottom line. So Nokia was forced to answer, thus came the 5800, which didn’t even tickle the iPhone but gave the Finns some breathing room to design the proper adversary – N-Series Touch.
Keyboard Someone at Nokia took a bold decision by introducing the first QWERTY keyboard into the N-Series, and for me at least – it’s not working and I would boldly state even un-necessary. The side-sliding keyboard is very roomy (unlike the E71’s), but sports only 3 rows of keys, along with a left-mounted Nav-Key which acts like a mouse. After 3 weeks of usage, it’s still not intuitive for me, and Nokia is usually very intuitive in other stuff (Menu, UI, etc). The ‘spacebar’ is located to the right of the ‘M’, and all punctuation marks require ‘Shift+x’ to operate. But wait, why put a keyboard in an iPhone killer to begin with?! Even in the 5800 you get an on-screen QWERTY keyboard when tilting the phone into landscape – so why not adopt it at the N97 as well? Hardware On the bright side, this 150gr device packs some serious specs, looking the iPhone in the eyes, with some advantages even: 3.5″ resistive touch screen with 16.7m colors, 640×360 resolution, oreintation sensor, internal compass, 434MHz ARM CPU with 32GB internal memory and microSD support of additional 16GB, BT 2.0 with EDR, 3.5mm headphone, microUSB for charging and PC connectivity, 5MP Carl-Zeiss lens with dual LED flash and auto-focus, 30fps video quality, A-GPS, FM reciever (with RDS) and transmitter and much more. The N97 has nothing to be ashamed in, and although it shares the same optics as the N95 – pictures and videos are amazing, day or night. Storage is virtually unlimited, with the 32GB in-house and infinite (in mobile terms) when adding microSD card. Casing may look fragile, especially the side-sliding keyboard, but it’s solid enough, and even ‘survived’ a 1m fall (by accident), straight on its screen. My only feedback is aimed at the CPU – it struggles under pressure and even with just 2-4 apps running in the background, response time is slow, slower than the N95 and definitely than the 3G/3Gs. Screen Similar to the keyboard, I fail to see the logic behind the decision to go with resistive and not capatitive touchscreen (like the iPhone has). Nokia’s reason of appealing to the Asian market that prefers handwriting recognition to keyboards is understandable but somewhat un-clear, especially when iPhones grab #1 and #2 in a recent Smartphones best sellers survey in Japan. The 3 impacts of using resistive on the N97 are: a) no multi-touch feature, like using 2 fingers to zoom-in/out; b) the screen ‘responds’ with a feedback to your touch; c) some menus will work with a single click – like launching an app from the Apps folder, while other menus need double-click – like picking ‘Inbox’ from your Messages folder.
Software and OS This N97 has the first Symbian S60V5 Touch OS, and Nokia are trying to do what worked so well for Apple and its iPhone: building a developers’ community that will enhance the phone. OVi now comes built-in and there are some nice free apps there, and you can also share any content you have in your OVi place. Building such community is a MUST for Nokia, as the iPhone’s massive success should be greatly attributed to Apple’s App Store and its 65,000 applications. For Nokia’s sake, I only hope this rumor isn’t true.
Conclusion The N97 is a big leap for Nokia, but a small step compared to the mobile scene and the market’s expectations of the device. I can only hope Nokia will accept my feedback, because I believe the N98 can lead the pack, instead of merely joining it.
All screenshots are from my own device, the N97 White Keyboard shot is from GSMArena.com. All screenshots are available at this facebook album.
—————— Disclaimer I recieved the Nokia N97 for 1 month, as part of N97Unboxing – Nokia Israel campaign. I was under no obligation to post anything regarding the device and all the content I created and uploaded was my decision only. Nokia Israel are not paying me in any way and the device I got will be returned to Nokia Israel.
By now you’re probably aware that I got the new Nokia N97 for a 1 month trial. I posted an elaborate review of the N97 (in Hebrew) yesterday, and I plan on writing a detailed review here as well, following my initial post.
In the meanwhile, I’ve uploaded some screenshots to facebook, showing some of the N97 features. As I screenshot pretty often, I’m sure that album will expand. If there’s anything specific you’d like to see or hear my opinion about, let me know. Screenshots were taken using Best Screen Snap for S60 (free). Note that in landscape mode some pictures came out distorted. Portrait mode is much better.
Following my participation at Nokia Israel’s N97Unboxing campaign earlier this week, I was starting to pile some feedback and comments from people I knew, getting their opinion towards writing a post later this week. Frankly, after Lior Levin and Amit Cohen won the N97 I kind of lost the interest in the game, ’cause once the package reached me, and was sent to the next blogger, my incentive for following the campaign and contributing to it was gone.
Yesterday Nokia Israel called me up to set up a time to deliver me a package, ‘a surprise’ they said, for participating in the campaign. I thought it’s gonna be some promotional material, t-shirts, accessories maybe – but today at 14:30 I got my very own Nokia N97 Black!! Before you think of ambushing me at a dark corner, the phone is on a lease, for a month, without any strings attached – meaning Nokia Israel don’t expect me to write anything, good or bad. The only term in the contract is that I have to return the phone in 1 month, un-harmed.
So, first impressions, 4 hours into the action:
First off – it’s a beautiful device. In dark black it attracts attention, and the screen is HUGE (3.5″), especially when compared to other Nokia devices, N95 or E71.
Touchscreen takes some getting used to. Unlike the iPhone’s capacitive touch screen, the N97 screen is resistive (what’s the difference?), to ensure proper recognition via a stylus pen as well. There’s a feedback on your click, as if the screen is pushing back at you. Also, when there’s a list of items (like in your Inbox or Music Library), you’ll need to ‘double-click’ to select – one click only highlights your choice.
Homepage has widgets, which can be customized according to your need. The list is quite long and includes: weather, Amazon, Facebook, Calendar, Contacts, Bloomberg, FM Radio, Media Player, Shortcuts and you can always download more from OVi. You can drag&drop the widgets and set them up as you want.
Data plans – a MUST! Since Facebook for S60 Touch is a widget, you’ll need to have an open connection (wi-fi, UMTS, GSM) if you want to see updates as they happen. Syncing your business email is easy, as well as connecting to Gmail/Yahoo/Live via a friendly wizard.
Sound quality is solid and the stereo speakers do an excellent work when listening to music or using the speakerphone.
Keyboard takes some getting used to, and the N97 is the first N-Series phone to get a full QWERTY keyboard. The 3-line layout is different, and I still haven’t formed my opinion about it. Because there are only 3 lines, the ‘space’ button is at the right, and there’s a multi-touch button at the left side – to go right/left/top/bottom/select, in any application/screen you are. The keys are well spaced, much better than the E71. Oh, and to change input language (Hebrew/English) you need to press & hold ‘Up arrow’ with ‘Sym’.
Twibble has some issue, which my guess is the result of the N97 being both Symbian and Touchscreen based. The ‘menu’ and ‘hide’ keys are non-functional, and instead you see on the screen 2 buttons (when the keyboard is open) or a full navigation-pane, like a multi-touch button, with A/B/C/D quick link button, that takes up half the screen (when the keyboard is closed).
Storage is almost infinite in today’s landscape: 32GB of internal memory, with up to 16GB in Micro-SD card. You can throw pretty much anything to it, and you’ll still have couple of GBs free.
So far I’m quite pleased – it’s a great phone, huge screen and the keyboard is a needed addition to the N-Series line. I have the Nokia N97 for a month, so stay tuned for future reviews. I’ll also take some photos and actual screenshots and post them later.
This is my personal blog. The postings here do not represent the thoughts, intentions, plans or strategies of my past employers or of my clients. It is solely my opinion.
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