Feast your eyes on this Quicktime video demo of the N97.
http://www.nokia.com/A41445512

I do hope things are as smooth as they look in the demo with fancy transitions. It's more animation than real video like the Apple ads being accused of being misleading out in the UK.

I'd say the N97's killer feature is the 6 information panels on the home screen. The XPERIA X1 was first out the door with this concept but I think the N97 nails it because the panels function like an RSS reader. I think this is a lot more useful utilization of the home screen than a desktop with icons (iPhone, G1, Storm, Touch HD).

2009 The cellphone 2.0 war begins!

I think this a major step towards cell phone carriers eventually turning into wireless internet service providers. I look forward to a day when you only pay for the 3G internet connection and use that connection for all your communication and browsing needs just like we do on the desktop. 3 seems to be the first carrier to officially allow VoIP calls on their 3G network at $30/month.

There in another WiFi phone that launched a couple of weeks ago which surprisingly hasn't been covered on Engadget. 5Linx (a Vonage-like VoIP company) has a $25/month plan for a modified Nokia N95 to make unlimited VoIP WiFi calls to some 10 countries.

The phone allows for any SIM card unlike 3's offering. However, you can't make VoIP calls on the SIM's 3G connection like you can on 3. It's kind of like having Vonage and ATT on a single handset - the $500 N95. The advantage is that you can make wireless VoIP calls at home, work or a coffee shop then use a pay-as-you-go/regular SIM for the times you are not within WiFi range. The pain is that the two don't seamlessly work together - there is no handoff from WiFi to GSM or vice versa. You have to manually switch between the services. You have two different numbers, two different plans and the phone is not subsidized.

Certainly not for everyone, but for those who want their VoIP service on a high end cell phone this is it. The business traveler will also enjoy the cost savings of calling the said 10 countries from anywhere in the world at no additional charge. People calling you will call your US number and you will receive that call wherever in the world you happen to have a WiFi connection at no additional charge to you or to them.

http://www.globalinx.com/?bNew=True&strRIN=L272190

talking about phones, I heard an add on NPR New York Public Radio this morning about 9:15am. It had something to do about some guy tapped by Google to make the Google Phone that would take on the iPhone. I think he is hosting an event or something. I was like WTF did I miss the launch and rushed home to read about it here but I don't see anything. I doubt someone would do a hoax on an NPR add. Did anyone else in the New York area hear the add? Or could Engadget call NPR to inquire about the add?

Pity i didn't pay more attention to it.

I think this would be a useful marketing tool for a DJ, beer company, etc. Put these on a tricked out exotic ride in a public space. The ride attracts the right crowd from a distance. Once they come to get closer look they see the marketing message in video on the wheels. Creative, effective and mobile.

Pleeease don't call this a wheelchair. This baby flows like you were on roller skates. You should see the WHEELIES it makes. I agree with Rajiv this thing needs a seat belt coz racing these babies on an obstacle course would be totally wicked.

And after that I definitely wouldn't mind dressing up and pulling up to club in one of these. Tell me the chicks won't be loving it. Coz the Asian chicks on the video below seem to enjoy riding the I-Real.

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/12/videos-of-concept-chair-cars-iswing-and-i-real-and-more-pivo/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkb3D-eow5I

This is Toyota's i-Real concept. Their personal mobility vehicle ala Segway. You reported about it a couple weeks ago. I think it has a better chance than Segway. It's classy and you get to sit. I see these being used in the future inside cities instead of bicycles. Just a add briefcase slot on the side and a spiffy detachable trailer in the back for my grocery shopping. This would a whole lot better than that bicycle exchange thing they have over in Europe.


More pics on Autoblog
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/10/tokyo-2007-preview-personal-mobility-from-toyota-i-real-concep/

I just don’t believe this, how you guys be so mean? It’s one thing to steal and feel guilty about it, but very disturbing to steal and see nothing wrong in it. DRM came after consumers showed they didn’t care that their favorite artists were not paid for their hard work. These artists are real people like you and me, who also have to make a living and feed their families. Kanye West almost lost his life because of his endless hours in the studio which led him to sleep on the wheel. And yet you demand that he allow you to do whatever you want with his music, even giving it away to a million strangers.

Look I’m no saint, I have downloaded music and software which I didn’t pay for and I am NOT proud of it. Today I subscribe. In the real world when people are given an opportunity to steal and get away with it, many will steal rather than pay. There will always be burglars in this world who can break into your house, do you just give up and leave your door open? No, you ask the locksmith to keep building a better lock – one that keeps out the burglars but allows you to easily come in and out.

How many of you wake up each morning to go to work for free? All this talk about the RIAA, Microsoft, Sony blinds you from seeing the real people affected. When fans stop paying, Artists stop caring.