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N97 posts

Nokia's N97 mini gets its shipping papers

by Darren Murph posted Oct 28th 2009 at 2:31PM

Right on cue, the smaller-but-just-barely N97 mini is now ready for public consumption over in Europe. Granted, we're certainly at the tail end of October, but we can't say that we caught Nokia in a lie or anything based on what was said last month in Stuttgart. You've already committed the specifications to memory and read all about firmware 2.0, so now all that's left to do is run along, fork out €450 ($667) and wonder forever if this decision will positively or negatively change the course of your life.

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 hits the tubes, is ready for your attention

by Darren Murph posted Oct 27th 2009 at 8:57AM

Got an N97? Yeah? Reckoned that Nokia has forgotten about your loyalty and moved all of its focus onto the N900? Fret not, dearest early adopter -- the engineers in Espoo are making good on a promise to clear out lots of bugs in the aforesaid handset with firmware 2.0, and if we're seeing this right, it's available now to download all over the world. We know, you 5800 owners are clamoring for the same type of TLC, but for now it looks like the pricier sibling is getting its due. Hit the read link and get your download going, and make sure to report back on your kinetic scrolling experience, cool?

[Thanks, Daniel]

Ultra-limited edition Nokia N97 mini RAOUL launched for Nokia Singapore

by Laura June posted Oct 11th 2009 at 2:31AM

Nokia's teamed up with fashion house RAOUL for a special, limited edition N97 mini. The leather-heavy pack will contain a stripe-emblazoned N97 mini with a custom designed Fashion Asia widget and a calf-skin leather case. The whole shebang will come in a leather bound RAOUL box. The production will be limited to just 1000 units (sort of good news for the calves, we suppose), so if you live in Singapore and want to get one, we'd suggest getting a move on: they're up for pre-order right now for 400 euro -- about $589.

[Via GSM Arena]

Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 looks to squash major pain points

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 7th 2009 at 8:41PM

As QWERTY-equipped Nokias go we're having a hard time taking our eyes off the N900 (and the E72, come to think of it) -- but it might be worth keeping the N97 hanging around on the back burner, because Nokia certainly hasn't moved on yet. In fact, the company is crafting a rather hefty new update that'll be available next month, and on video, it seems to directly address a few areas that should immediately make the phone more usable, chiefly kinetic scrolling which makes lists behave in a way that's more natural and obvious for a full-touch device. There's also a smattering of bug fixes and performance improvements, more stock widgets available, alternate keyboard characters are now available via long press, and amazingly, they've managed to do all of this while still leaving more phone memory available. We'd venture to say it's still not an "N900 killer" by any stretch, but it's definitely a new lease on life. Follow the break for a video demo of the new firmware in action.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Nokia N97 firmware 2.0 looks to squash major pain points

Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

by Thomas Ricker posted Sep 5th 2009 at 9:54AM

While Nokia wouldn't invite us to Nokia World this year, we were fortunate enough to discover a pair of its new X6 handsets on the IFA floor here in Berlin. On hand were two engineering prototypes, one of which was peeling away from its plastic shell while the other seemed less responsive to our finger-taps. Still, it's clear that the capacitive touchscreen is far more responsive to human touch than the resistive screens found on its N97, or the 5800 XpressMusic especially. This was made abundantly clear when using the on-screen keyboard although some of our swiping gestures were inexplicably ignored in other elements of the interface. But given the choice of the screen being awesome or super-awesome (remember, we're comparing it to Nokia's resistive touchscreen legacy), we'll have to settle on the former for now. Of course, underneath you've still got S60 5th, for better or worse, pumping away inside a chubby little candybar -- no screen tech can change that. See the action in the video after the break then jump into the gallery to see it sized up with a few of its S60 cousins five times removed.

Gallery: Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

Continue reading Nokia X6 video hands-on: proof that capacitive touchscreens are better

Nokia N97 sells two million units in three months, Nokla sells two dozen

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Sep 4th 2009 at 5:13PM

Well, maybe Nokia recently announced a 66 percent yearly drop in Q2 profit. And perhaps N97 reviews have been, how we say, less than stellar. But there definitely seems to be a fan base for the handset: according to Mobile News, sales of both this guy and the 5800 XpressMusic combined to total 10 million in the last 10 months, with sales for the former adding up to a whopping two million since its launch three months ago. In fact, half of the XpressMusic sales were generated since the launch of the N97 -- certainly suggesting that the younger sibling successfully raised the company's profile and brought its fellow handset along for the ride. Does this make Nokia the "undisputed leading player in the smartphones space," as the company's chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo put it? By sheer volume of devices, perhaps -- but mindshare continues to be a problem that we're guessing they're eager to see if Maemo 5 and the N900 can solve. The CEO of Nokla could not be reached for comment.

[Thanks, David D]

Video: Nokia's N900, N97 mini, X3, X6 and Booklet 3G hands-on roundup

by Darren Murph posted Sep 3rd 2009 at 7:23AM

Just in case you missed it, you should probably be informed that Nokia had quite the morning yesterday as Nokia World 2009 kicked off in Stuttgart. Not only was the N97 mini made official, but the company's Booklet 3G was fully detailed and the first two handsets in the newfangled X series were also unveiled. Naturally, a slew of cameras descended upon the new gear just as soon as the suits left the stage, and we've rounded up the best of the best below for your perusal and enjoyment. If you're looking for the actual news on these very devices, have a look right here, and feel free to hop on past the break for a few videos from the show floor.

Read - Booklet 3G hands-on photos (more angles)
Read - Booklet 3G hands-on video (another take)
Read - Nokia X3 and X6 hands-on video
Read - Nokia N900 hands-on video
Read - N97 mini hands-on video

Continue reading Video: Nokia's N900, N97 mini, X3, X6 and Booklet 3G hands-on roundup

Nokia finally comes clean with N97 mini: €450, ships in October

by Darren Murph posted Sep 2nd 2009 at 3:53AM

Nokia World 2009 just kicked off over in Stuttgart, and while the outfit's CEO didn't have much to say outside of a few nice teases, Mr. Anssi Vanjok did the honors of officially unveiling the N97 mini. Of course, we've already seen this not-so-minuscule handset previewed over in the wilds of Russia, but it's certainly nice to have Nokia's formal seal of approval on the device. Nokia's pushing the mobile's social networking capabilities, not to mention calling it the world's "slimmest travel companion" thanks to the built-in Lonely Planet guidebooks. As for price? Try €450 ($639), but Sir Anssi asserted that the phone should be available for free on contract in "many, many markets." As for specs, we're looking at a tilting 3.2-inch touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard, with the first shipments starting in October.

Gallery: Nokia finally comes clean with N97 mini

Nokia N97 Mini press photo outed, existence still not official

by Ross Miller posted Aug 25th 2009 at 5:23PM

We've already gotten quite an eyeful of Nokia's N97 Mini -- so much so that it's hard to believe this thing still isn't official. So be it, though, here's the first official press shot we've seen, from the same site that revealed the N900 pic earlier. Feeling any more excited about it now than you were yesterday? Us neither.

[Via Mobile Bulgaria]

Nokia N97 Mini previewed: not so mini, not so great

by Ross Miller posted Aug 24th 2009 at 4:46PM

As sure as the sun, Mobile-review's Eldar Murtazin managed to nab a very early look at the still yet-to-be-announced Nokia N97 Mini, and as if we needed another reminder, the FCC filing wasn't kidding with that 1:1 scale. Turns out it only takes "around a centimeter" difference to earn the "mini" nomenclature in Finland, and in addition to that peculiarity, the company's apparently managed to make the keyboard actually worse than its predecessor -- no small feat, if you ask us. Of course, we haven't had a chance to try it ourselves yet, but the prognosis so far isn't so good. Perhaps more interesting is good ole' Eldar's teasing about a number of other touchscreen Nokia devices, some without keyboards, that'd target the same segment as the N97 Mini, including one he'll be revealing and previewing tomorrow -- and no matter what it is, we can all but guarantee with supreme confidence that it'll have a more compelling raison d'être than this thing.

Nokia N97 mini pops in the FCC, not so much mini-er than the N97

by Nilay Patel posted Aug 20th 2009 at 2:23PM

It's still hard to believe that Nokia's already upstaging the N97 with the N97 mini just two months after the big guy shipped, but here we are, staring at the FCC documentation. There's not much to go on here besides this label-location drawing, which is marked with a 1:1 scale -- allowing us to set our regular N97 down next to it and show you just how little Nokia achieved with all that development money. Check it after the break, along with another pic of the mini the inimitable Eldar Murtazin just posted to his blog.

[Via Mobile Bulgaria; thanks, momchil]

Read - FCC
Read - Eldar Murtazin's blog with additional pic of the mini

Continue reading Nokia N97 mini pops in the FCC, not so much mini-er than the N97

How would you change Nokia's N97?

by Darren Murph posted Aug 15th 2009 at 2:02AM

It's the phone that Nokia should've used to introduce the world to Symbian S60 5th edition, but is it the "hero"-type device that it was marketed as? Nokia's N97 is undoubtedly expensive, debatably beautiful and thoroughly polarizing (as two of our own found out). While it's impossible to say the handset was introduced to go head-to-head with Apple's iPhone (the whole "only sold off contract" thing kind of hampers that), there's little doubt that this phone was Espoo's most significant attempt yet to make a name for itself in the full-touchscreen smartphone market. If you handed over the handful of C-notes required to take this bad boy home, why not tell us exactly how you feel now that you're an owner? What would you like to see changed on Nokia's next attempt? What measures up? What falls short? You've got one shot (maybe two, depending on the mood of our comment system) -- don't screw it up.

Nokia N97 Mini is seriously just a smaller, cheaper N97, it seems

by Chris Ziegler posted Aug 4th 2009 at 2:29PM

Eldar Murtazin over at mobile-review has chimed in on those alleged Nokia N97 Mini shots that leaked last week -- and as anyone who follows the mobile industry knows, when the ridiculously well-connected Eldar speaks, folks tend to listen. The dude says that the N97 Mini is very much real, as is the name, which -- get this -- he claims was leaked by Nokia itself in an effort to stave off an unnamed competitor who'd also been planning to release a smaller version of one of its handsets with a "Mini" label slapped on the name. At any rate, the N97 Mini apparently isn't pulling any punches -- it's said to be exactly what you see, little more than a smaller N97 with a reconfigured keyboard and no camera lens cover. That sounds like a tough sell at first, especially when you throw in Eldar's claim that it'll step down to 8 and 16GB versions from the N97's 32GB, but the good news is that Espoo's seemingly looking to get this on the market for about €100 less ($144) than the N97. As for an official announcement, Eldar says that Nokia's planning to unveil it at Nokia World next month; the original model was revealed at last year's show, and frankly, we're hoping for a little bit more innovation than this by the time they're done unveiling the new lineup. Rover, perhaps?

[Via Unwired View]

Nokia N97 'Mini' gets pictured in the wild?

by Donald Melanson posted Jul 29th 2009 at 2:42PM

We've already heard talk of a Nokia N97 Mini (or Mini N97, if you will) from folks who should know what the situation is, and it looks like things have now gotten more interesting still, with some seemingly legitimate pictures of the rumored device finding their way to us that show it out and about with its bigger brother. As you can see above and in another pic after the break, the device is slightly smaller and slightly slimmer than the regular N97, and it's also received a few subtle design changes, particularly on the back, where the camera has lost its sliding cover. Could it be real? Almost certainly -- either that, or it's a tremendously talented KIRF -- though we're not sure we understand the business justification for a new version of the N97 that isn't small enough (or different enough, for that matter) to hold its own spot in the lineup. Not much more to go on than that, unfortunately, but you can pretty safely move this one up a notch on the ol' Rumor-o-Meter.

Continue reading Nokia N97 'Mini' gets pictured in the wild?

Nokia cuts market share targets as Q2 profits plummet

by Thomas Ricker posted Jul 16th 2009 at 6:53AM

Ok Nokia, this is getting serious. The world's largest cellphone maker just announced a 66 percent yearly drop in Q2 profit while lowering its 2009 market share target for its cellphones. Originally, Nokia had expected market share to rise in 2009, presumably based on a successful launch of the N97 flagship device. However, outside of a core group of S60 diehards, the N97 has been universally panned in both reviews and user forums alike. And with nothing but rumors of an Atom-based Nokia netbook on the immediate horizon, well, let's just say that we're suddenly concerned about the health of our friends from Espoo.