Nokia N97 hands-on part II: the reckoning
By Paul Miller 
posted December 4th 2008 5:06PM
posted December 4th 2008 5:06PM
Hardware
This is what we came to see, and there's so much to recommend the N97 on this front, marred by a couple of considerable setbacks.
First off, the screen. It's huge, and utterly high resolution. The viewing angle could be better, but straight on the display is plenty bright. Like most every phone released this century, glare is significant, though the N97 might be a particular attractor. The down side is the resistive touch that Nokia clings so desperately to. We'd say the responsiveness and sensitivity are certainly a step up over the 5800, but the screen also has less "give" to it compared to a more traditional resistive display, so it's hard to tell how much pressure is the right amount of pressure to make something happen.
The screen pops and tilts open, to reveal a spacious keyboard. Unfortunately, Nokia's major wins with the E71's keyboard have been disregarded, and the keys feel too shallow, not very clicky, and not very reassuring. That said, there's plenty of room to get around on them, and we'd imagine full mastery of the keyboard could result in a formidable WPM -- if you can get over the uninspiring feel.
The actual hinge and support mechanism of the tilt-up screen is very solid and fairly gratifying, though we'll always be fanboys of the E66's weighted, accelerated slider motion at heart -- Nokia did as good as we could expect for a motion that props the screen into a usable angle, and keeps it there quite heartily.
Overall, the phone is quite a bit lighter than we expected, especially in comparison to the brick-like XPERIA X1, but in no way lacks quality. The plastic and general design feel more in line with the N95 than the N96 and other similarly-glossy devices, but we certainly won't hold that against it. The surface buttons are minimal, perhaps a bit too understated, but the entire package is certainly attractive. We were scared we would find the phone too thick, and while we certainly wouldn't be mad if it was thinner, it's within the realm of comfortable pocketability, if only just barely.
Under the hood the phone is so decked out it's not even funny any more, including an outlandish 32GB of built-in memory, microSD expansion, FM transmitter and a great 5 megapixel camera with ultrasmooth 30 fps 16:9 video capture, in addition to the "givens" like HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and a 3.5mm headphone jack -- it's truly impressive. The battery life might be a concern, but Nokia has certainly suited up in that fight, and has an impressively large (and naturally removable) power pack under the keyboard.
Software
It's S60, a love-it-or-hate-it mobile operating system if there ever was one. Nokia has refused to revamp the OS wholesale to make way for touch devices, choosing instead to jumbo-size some button and icons, make a few tweaks here and there, and leave a few things completely -- and often annoyingly -- alone. While we expect ourselves to be clumsy with the OS, watching Nokia's own best and brightest befuddled or merely hindered in execution by the interface peculiarities doesn't bring us much hope for this generation of touchscreen phones, no matter how great the hardware may be.
What's new is a widget-based home screen that is new, impressive, and perhaps a good indication of where Nokia software development is headed. The widgets make great use of the gargantuan display, and can easily be reconfigured and shuffled around to your heart's content.
The browser isn't blazing, but it loads Engadget in a respectable amount of time and scrolls fairly smoothly -- though the double-tap-to-zoom interface and slow scrolling are annoying as ever.
Other, more mundane aspects of the OS seemed a little sluggish, and while it's our duty to report that this phone is an early prototype and cannot be expected to perform flawlessly, we have to say this has been a trend with Nokia, and seems rarely rectified by the time its devices ship -- let's hope the N97 is the exception.
Wrap-up
We're not quite sure what to make of this phone, to be honest. At first glance this is the exact phone Nokia should be making: a large-screened, high resolution touchscreen device with a megalarge slide-out keyboard and endless storage -- it's a fanboy wishlist in so many ways. But the execution on the screen (resistive), keyboard (meh) and software (dated) are all considerable hurdles. We'll have to see how things shape up over the first half of 2009 to figure out exactly where this thing lands.
It's pretty funny how people complaining Engadget is Apple biased (which might/might not be the case), don't realize that they are hardcore Nokia fan boy's themselves, and are overseeing some obvious flaws in the N97!
You know there are flaws in any phone and trust me the OS is not here.
The flaw that I think that is most relevant is the keyboard. I don't like the shallow keys for one.
The screen on the prototype 5800 I played with was a real bitch in terms of responsiveness and how hard you needed to nearly "hit it". Yet all the reports about production 5800s talk about how that issue has been fixed. So I have no doubt that they will be fixed and even improved for the N97.
Maybe these people when they say OS, they really mean UI. Who knows, because it would be stupid to disparage Symbian when the OS has proved itself on more than half of the world's smartphones for years. I have tried other phone OSes and I can tell you that in a good implementation (E66 or E71) the S60 platform on Symbian is very fast, responsive and most importantly stable.
There's nothing wrong with Symbian and if you actually try it especially on the E71 or even N95 if that better suits your fancy you'd know that. In fact even if an application crashes in the background while on a call or before making a call, the OS so well protects the dialer application that that you can always make a phone call no matter what happens elsewhere in the OS. The memory management is miles ahead of any other mobile OS and you can see it when you have the capability to simultaneously run 20 apps at the same time. These are not iPhone style toy apps either. You could literally run a webserver off the phone, have exchange e-mail constantly syncing, watching a movie, having GPS track you in sportstracker, have your web feeds updating, your podcasts downloading, a torrent downloading, and be tethering to the device for mobile data on your laptop *all going on at the same time* and receive a call and it would all be handled perfectly.
Tell me what other mobile OS can handle that. WinMo would crash and need a reboot. iPhone is not even capable of what I just used as an example and the G1 may or may not be capable and is currently buggy. Symbian has proven over many years in many markets that it is *the* mobile OS that is most suitable and capable on a phone.
As for the N97, my personal gripes are:
Lack of Xenon. Using the same Freescale hardware as the current Nokias, the fact that TV-out is a piddly 240x320 still, video recording is still a miserable 640x480 and the lack of threaded SMS.
So there you have it. Engadget has no idea what the phone's real weaknesses are relative to what Nokia should have put out for the phone that came out 2 years after the N95.
Not everybody may like Symbian, but my experience has been that everyone who's tried it sticks with it. I know so many people who came to S60 from Palm, and WinMo. Most iPhone users have never really used a real smartphone (and frankly since we've mentioned it, I don't believe that phone not capable of multitasking is true smartphone, even S40 (Nokia dumbphone) and the SE dumbphone OSes can multitask now) so they really have no basis for comparison. The Blackberry people really love their platform but it has only recently morphed into a smartphone platform and still runs on Java so it is very hard to say if it can even really keep up but I heard MIDP 3.0 will give it the boost it needs. Android really has amazing potential but currently is buggy and incomplete so it needs a while to get to the point where you can say it is a proven platform (I have no doubt it will get there) and most G1 users are new to smartphones as well.
Symbian performs up to the mark always and the advancements they are working on right now for the 9.5 release are just amazing like true multiprocessor support, auto RAM defragmentation, native SQL database support, native support for advanced camera features to make phone cameras just as capable as regular point and shoots, networking with QOS, support for floating point acceleration, among so many other features that puts it quite ahead of the game. We currently have support for fast indexed in device search (that means the phone can find a word among the 1000 e-mails I have on it and return every e-mail that has that word in it to me in about 30-40 seconds) and the new SQL driven OS version will be so much faster.
When the world's number smartphone manufacturer backs an OS, there are not doing without any thought behind it. Engadget editors are clueless about Symbian's capabilities. IF maybe they meant the S60 UI, then that could be a talking point but the S60v5 interface is a work in progress and these people are very capable of making it a very good UI. Sure it needs for the menus to be restructured more for a touch interface but the 5800 already shows a step in the right direction, and I have no doubt the N97 will take it even further.
Yes they are seeing obvious flaws...but by then deciding to NOT tell potential customers about the positives it renders the review totally unbalanced. I just read a more balanced review over at C-Net...they had this to add to the flaws:
"That said, there are a few key features that the N97 offers that the iPhone doesn't. For example, the Nokia Web browser on the N97 supports Flash and Flash video, something that Apple's Safari browser doesn't support. And of course, heavy texters and e-mail enthusiasts, will like the full QWERTY keypad. I've had several iPhone owners tell me that they still carry around a BlackBerry for sending e-mails on the go, because they don't like the iPhone's virtual keyboard for typing longer messages.
The phone, which Nokia's marketing team calls a "mobile computer" also offers a whopping 32GB of storage on the device with the option of adding up to another 16GB of storage through a microSD card. And then there is the 5-megapixel camera, which also records DVD-quality video.
By contrast, the iPhone only offers up to 16GB of storage and users are unable to add additional storage via microSD cards. Also, the iPhone's camera is only 2 megapixels, and it doesn't offer video recording.
The N97 also offers assisted-GPS services, which improves accuracy over regular GPS receivers, such as the one offered in the iPhone. The device also uses Nokia's mapping technology and virtual compass that allows the device to actually point users in the direction they need to go when they're using the turn-by-turn navigation."
Why is it Engadget missed all this?
I like the keyboard-I am typing this on my iPhone and hate all of the errors due to the "lack" of keys. I like full screen without losing 1/2 if the screen to a keyboard.
Screen? Try typing with gloves on...
I'll wait to judge it WHEN I get my hands on the phone. Until then, it is just someone else's opinion. What matters to me, of course, us what I think if it. You are welcome to your opinion. If we all liked/needed the same thing, it would be real hard to find...
True that ruter
and @sr. Do u really want your Phone to do that stuff all the time? The wifi thing is cool though
If you look closer at Android, and how its developed, its no wonder Nokia isn't on it. Parts of operating code are closed, the c-language for user applications is non standard, as well as java libraries.
Whats more Nokia has a great deal of inhouse linux knowhow, and they bought Trolltech just 5 months ago which had a linux phone. With maemo and Trolltechs QT gui Nokia has more than they need to make a linux phone. I would bet there's some inhouse test platforms for linux phones allready. What ive seen of the way Nokia operates they do some development work for 2-5 years before shifts in product lines. When they do the shift you will see a new device release every 3-6 months. This happened with clamshells, and this will happen now with touchscreens.
It takes time to shift the product development conveyor belt, but when it does it starts to crank up new products. We will see next touchscreen phone in 3-6 months, and every 3-6 months after that. Nokias forte is at cranking out new products.
When it comes to reviewing something like a phone, first thing you keep in mind is that it is your opinion and it matters a great deal when you make statements about say the keyboard, because they are subject to each person's tastes. Whereas on the other hand, if the N97 had say 'funky' touch response (as you somewhat noted in your article) it's more of a fact.
I was at the event myself and had a play with it, and I can tell you that the keyboard provided no discomfort, and it was easy to adapt to. One reason the keyboard has that specific layout is so that you will eventually 'feel' the keys and with the help of your memory you will be writing and navigating without looking at the screen.
With this, I mean to say that your review is apparently biased and a bit on the bashing side. Particularly about the OS. You somewhat admitted in your article that you have no clue or not enough knowledge about S60 and yet you take responsibility to review it and even do so wrongly. It would be helpful to state the highly probably fact that the last time you routinely & personally used a S60 phone was quite a while back, and it probably wasn't called S60 but maybe S40. I think plenty of readers have given you enough about S60 and its stability and I won't bother.
I was frankly looking forward to a great review and possibly some constructive criticism for future devices, but it was no such thing.
Who's to say now that they do have Symbian that they don't have the boys over there do sum open operation on open Android and have a Android shell to use. whats to stop them from have a different OS for select lines.
I'll probably get the ban hammer, but here is a more BALANCED review. They actually have the cheek to mix positive AND negative points together...weird.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10114011-94.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave
Six months is a long time to wait by then the N97 will be a dinosaur...Nokia should release it now not mid-way next year.
I have an iphone which is a drug and im addicted, hopefully this could be my anti-drug!
I'll keep my Xperia X1 thank you
Here's my hands on: http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/exclusive-nokia-n97-hands-on/
FM transmitter...that's brilliant. Does it also have an FM receiver too?
Does it have a multi-touch screen like the iPhone?
Another sourse...
http://blog.laptopmag.com/hands-on-with-the-nokia-n97
@SR
Symbian platform is no doubt very capable as I have experienced it on two Nseries phones I have owned (N82 and N85) However, it has stone age feel to it. What's the point of a software if you don't get the pleasure out of using it?
Nokia could have and should have invested resources in developing the Symbian software for the new generation, but they didn't! They sat on their ass and were trying to figure out how to make the most money out of their phones. Nokia is no longer a leader in phones in my opinion, because they are not the Innovator's any more, they are the Imitators. The N97 is two years too late to the party, Nokia is playing catch up game, and forget about Apple, were talking about Samsung, LG, even Moto. It's not game over for Nokia yet, they just need to get their act together and start making innovations.
is it a "toy" front camera for video conference in the top left corner of the phone?
The freaking Apple in-ear headphones reveiw was more indepth than this; what a joke.
How can anyone even compare this phone with Iphone ? For heaven sake that phone does not even have SMS !!!! Something my phone had 7 years ago.
iPhone doesn't have SMS? Man, if you're gonna bash, there's plenty to bash on without lying.
Any possibility of comparing it to HTC or Palm devices? As far as "clickyness/clickiness", web browsing speed, weight in hand/pocket, etc. go? I mean products should be reviewed without thinking of other products, unless you're saying the touch, feel, weight, etc. feels like phone xyz... since most of us won't get to touch an N97 now if ever...
Could we please get a more thorough review of the product instead? Like who is this phone best designed for? It's strengths (if any) over other competitors?
Why its always again non-apple product, N97 this , that overall ok phone and blablabla
someday say non-apple best products are best. just don't hide or overlook the drawbacks of iphone as do it for non-apple product.
This is just another outdated HTC TyTN II copy... The competitiors phones are lightyears ahead (like the HTC Touch PRO, Sony Ericsson Xperia 1 or the IPhone), I Hope nokia does with the next launch something more WOW.
I'll be expecting the mandatory post "the nokia store is down... we'll be back soon" when they update the n97 firmware and release new accesories for it.
Best comments thread on Engadget ive seen, good to see some Nokia love for a change.
As long as the hardware is right (which it is) then the software can be updated.
I can't see me getting a bluetooth upgrade, camera upgrade, battery upgrade, storage upgrade in the next iphone firmware :)
"We'll have to see how things shape up over the first half of 2009 to figure out exactly where this thing lands."
if you cant figure it out, then you certainly dont have any business reviewing phones...
actually i find nokia 5800's screen quite responsive and S60v5 is a definite step up over earlier generations (even our favorite symbian critic mr orlowski agrees to that http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/02/nokia_n971/). sure the plethora of options can make your head spin, but all those tweaks can be left aside.
i wonder if the "unresponsiveness" claim by the editors relate to the confusion about when some actions needs a double-click...
first off, i have owned an iphone, had much experience with g1 and have had two blackberrys in the past.
I just dont understand why people think iphone is the best phone lol. I just dont understand why mr engadget is looking for a iphone killer while iphone has so much technological advances to make to compete with the phones of now, than the future n97!
Just cause it has a touchscreen for the input does not really get rid of the fact the processor works old school. Doest not even multi task. Have no stereo bluetooth support and much more!
I m using e90 communicator right now, i know its not the best phone out there but i m listening to music on my stereo bluetooth, taking calls and can even share listening to music while i browse internet, all at the same time while performing other functions as well.
My next phone is n97 no doubt, apple has a long way to go techwise. Ignorant ppl will go and buy whatever and claim whatever but reality is n97 is the sh-t :D
I m sold!
For all you Nokia fan boys.... you are just fooled into Nokia's marketing tricks.
Just because the spec sheet says something, doesn't mean it's necessarily better in reality. For example, a 16m color screen and a 64k color screen may at times provide equal picture quality, so that is not a determining factor. Additionally, 32GB of memory may appeal to those mostly interested in talking and boasting numbers, but in reality, how many people actually store more than 8GB of RELEVANT data on their phones?? And finally, just because Nokia brings in an old service or concept just rebranded under its own franchise, such as OVI and Maps, doesn't mean it's superior in quality. Facebbok is the most advanced social networking medium and Google Maps is the most feature-rich and interactive navigation service out there - both available free.
So the next time you decide to bash another company's product, claiming Nokia is better, just remember to think about what you're really fighting for. Nokia doesn't care that you risk your reputation to defend its name; it's principally interested in generating profits, even if that means taking you for an endless, sophistical ride and feeding you with all these false notions of its superiority through its innovative and imposing marketing techniques.
As long as the incapable phone people will not learn from the Psion 5mx (and all Psions for that matter: 3, 3a, 3c, 3mx, 5, 5mx, Revo, etc) they will never build a proper device. Ten years ago Psion had better software than these slugheads now have... They still try to put an intelligent PDA into a dum phone! Anybody with the brain switched on knows it must be done the opposite way. What can I say! Learning means changing your behavior. But idiots think they have character if the continue on the rotten path... Harsh, but true. Truth is the best medicine ;)
Good review,paul.Are you a nazi?Why don't you tell us what the iphone can't do?2mp camera with no settings better than 5mp?Video call?Wow..Seriously,go back hiding under your tiny rock.
After being extremely disappointed with the N85 I purchased, I think the N97 will be more of the same. Same cheap plastic fingerprint magnet. Same slider issues. Same S6 bugs. Same software compatibility problems.
Those impressive hardware specs mean nothing if there's no software available to try them. Nokia executives think the developers will gladly port their applications to their new platforms, but the truth is every developer and software companies are running away or frowning upon symbian because of this mentality. Ovi? Music store? Maps? I have yet to know someone who has purchased anything from these offerings. Especially the maps subscription. They charge like 500 dlls a year. For that money I could hire someone who will actually drive me to my destination.
Currently, my N85's got an accelerometer that I can't use because it's not compatible with the FP1 accelerometer framework. Maybe after 2 years FP2 will be mature enough. By then, my N85 will have fallen to pieces. The double slider is wobbly. Some piece of the slider mechanism managed to scratch my backplate. A 10 dll chinese mp3 player has better sound quality. And the pad that surrounds the naviwheel is already cracking (after only one month of very light and careful use). Add to that the usual myriad of unresolved bugs that take ages to be fixed, and you have one very dissatisfied customer that feels he has been robbed of his hard earned money (520 USD, to be precise).
I will get rid of the N85 and will look for other options. Fortunately, the smartphone market is very competitive nowadays, and there are lots of great phones to choose from. Nokia is no longer the only game in town. I have never owned anything but Nokia phones. I have been loyal to the brand, until I bought the N85.
As for the Iphone bashers.. Apple has managed to achieve in 3 years what it took Nokia more than one decade to accomplish. The interface is innovative, intuitive, there are thousands of programmers developing Iphone applications. The Iphone is not cheap, but at least you get a well built, long lasting product when you buy one, and not a piece of cheap plastic.
Just my humble two cents.