N97Mini
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Nokia's limited edition Oakley N97 mini is a match made in Dog heaven
Nothing says, "I don't play sports but I want you to think that I do" quite like wearing a pair of Oakley shades. And no smartphone has had a tougher time earning respect than the mini version of Nokia's N97 debacle. To its credit, the N97 mini has become a very successful device for Nokia despite its namesake with not one, but two special edition runs already under its belt. Now we've got three with this limited edition model handed out to Oakley-sponsored Winter Olympians. Other than a laser-etched back, the Noakleyia mashup also comes packed with exclusive Oakley team content. Just 200 were produced so if you see it on eBay, you'd better be fast with the snipe. Gratuitous N97 mini video of Shaun White after the break because over-saturated is not in your vocabulary.
Smartphone GPS shootout: Google, Ovi, and Verizon go head-to-head
It wasn't long ago that getting somewhere required a map on paper. You know, something you bought or that came groaning out of your tired old printer. GPS navigation units made those maps obsolete, but now they too are under threat. With smartphones invading pockets everywhere it's no surprise that their next assault would be on the dashboard, early volleys shaking up financial markets worldwide. That was just the beginning of a shock and awe campaign that will leave no automotive interior untouched -- and hopefully no driver unsure how many miles until the next Dunkin' Donuts. Google Navigation was the first to really shake things up, while Nokia's Ovi Maps is a more recent addition to the battlefield and the latest VZ Navigator, 5.0, lets Windows Mobile and BlackBerry users join the fray. We've taken this sampling of the best built-in smartphone navigation options (the set of paid add-on options for iPhone is a beast we'll be taming later), learning which you should trust to get you to where you're going and to dodge construction and traffic on the way there. Read on for a turn-by-turn exploration of each option's highs and lows. %Gallery-86386%
Vertu taste on a Nokia budget: meet the N97 Mini Gold Edition
Phone manufacturers usually leave the gilding to jewelers and other specialty shops that are more willing to show complete disregard for taste and common sense than themselves, but once in a while, pure, unadulterated emotion gets the better of someone in a position to make product decisions -- yes, even at Nokia -- and something like this slips through the cracks. Meet the N97 Mini Gold Edition, which is pretty self-explanatory: it's an N97 Mini with 18-carat gold on the important bits. It's coming to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia at the beginning of next quarter; pricing in Poland will run 2,499 zloty (about $851) unlocked, which is a bit of a premium over the 1,999 zloty ($681) charged for the standard model.
Nokia Messaging for social networks hits beta, brings Twitter, and leaves out the N900
See, this is what we were saying. It's not that we're not excited about Maemo, or that we hate S60, or even that we dislike it when a company like Nokia builds a free messaging app that integrates social networks like Facebook (and now Twitter) into the handset experience. It's just that Nokia has just built an app that only works on the N97, N97 Mini and the 5800, leaving the company's quasi-flagship handset the N900 out in the cold. The new app can upload pictures and videos, integrates with email and the dialer, and pushes Facebook and Twitter updates live to the homescreen. It also serves as a all-too-timely example of how hard it is to support two operating systems at once. Alright, we're done preaching, time to fire up the N97 and tell some people about our day. A video demo is after the break.
Nokia N97 Mini now shipping to American lovers, haters
The miniaturized version of Nokia's N97 began shipping to eager consumers in Europe in late October, but for those unable to save their pennies in America while waiting for the N900, today's the day to unload. As of right now, the (obviously unlocked) N97 Mini is shipping from both Dell and Amazon here in the States, with the former offering it for $430 (after coupon) and the latter selling it for $479.99. Any takers? Or has the full-sized N97 already claimed that piece of your heart?
Nokia's N97 mini gets its shipping papers
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.
Ultra-limited edition Nokia N97 mini RAOUL launched for Nokia Singapore
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 mini's FCC docs gain full disclosure
The N97 mini's back on its whirlwind tour of the FCC approval process, this time coming off confidentiality so we can get a good, hard look at its externals, internals, and user manuals. We're still not seeing a market for this thing in any locale that can't find a carrier to sell it for free on contract (read: the US), but for what it's worth, we still after all this time can't help but get a little smile on our faces when we see WCDMA 850 / 1900 listed in the SAR report. The phone will have quadband 3G nestled right alongside quadband EDGE, making it a rarity (by 2009 standards, anyway) and a truly world-capable phone for high-speed data -- perfect for that occasional jaunt to New York from your pad in London.
Video: Nokia's N900, N97 mini, X3, X6 and Booklet 3G hands-on roundup
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 videoRead - Nokia N900 hands-on videoRead - N97 mini hands-on video
Nokia finally comes clean with N97 mini: €450, ships in October
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.
Nokia N97 Mini press photo outed, existence still not official
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
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
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] Read - FCC Read - Eldar Murtazin's blog with additional pic of the mini
Bunch of unreleased Nokias caught chatting amongst themselves
At a quick glance, you might write off this picture as nothing more than a rehash of recently-launched Nokia models. Look closer, though -- way closer -- and you might notice that the phone in the front is actually an N97 Mini (check d-padless keyboard, for instance). Going around the table, you realize that we're actually dealing with a who's-who of new and unannounced gear: a 6760 (Yanks know this as the Surge), an E72, E52, and a chromed-up touchscreen device that looks like it could be the long-rumored 5900 XpressMusic. Who has access to all this awesome stuff? Some retailer, apparently, who's got a public Flickr account and a happy shutter finger. We'll take one of each, please. Update: At the owner's request, we've had to pull the photograph. Sorry, folks!
Nokia N97 Mini is seriously just a smaller, cheaper N97, it seems
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?
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.
Vodafone dude mentions N97 Mini -- confused or loose-lipped?
A moderator over on Vodafone Ireland's official forums -- seemingly in an effort to be as helpful as possible -- responded to a question about Nokia N97 availability this week by saying "Vodafone Ireland will not be launching the N97 but will be launching the N97 Mini later this year." He goes on to say that the carrier feels that the N97 Mini's "competitive pricing" will make it appeal to a broader range of customers. Of course, there is no N97 Mini, which inevitably leads us to one of two conclusions: either he's very, very confused, or he just outed a new phone before his employer or Nokia would've liked. For what it's worth, "N97 Mini" would stray well outside the bounds of normal Nokia naming convention, though we could definitely see a smaller version of the phone working with a tighter keyboard and a more 5800-ish display -- and the moderator's post was pulled later in the day, lending credence to the story. On the other hand, the same dude said a few days back that "we don't have a release data as of yet, but watch this space" in reference to the original N97, so it's anybody's guess what's going on here. Tiny touchscreen Nokia, anyone? [Via IntoMobile]
