Ok… I’m not sure how “initial” this is, but I would say it’s a good time to say something about my brand spanking new black Nokia N97 smarthphone / multimedia computer / portable media player / mini-netbook / whatever you want to call it. Heck the best name for it is probably a phone tablet. The huge tilted screen and qwerty keypad is probably the closest desktop experience you can get on a phone. I got my shipment from NokiaUSA on Wednesday night and it’s Friday night right now so I’ve had two solid days to mess around with it. Actually these two days have been really busy for me so I’ve had to use it like my everyday phone rather than play around with it’s functions properly.
Below I’ll list a handful of areas of the Nokia N97 and describe my thoughts up to now.
Web Browser on N97: This is one area that I’m very impressed with. Browsing full desktop websites is just awesome. The browser is much upgraded on the N97 compared to all of it’s other Symbian brothers. If you’ve experienced the browser on the 5800xm and were let down then erase that from your mind. The N97 is way faster than the 5800 in terms of loading images and the page entirely. The N97 also has kinetic scrolling like the iPhone and it’s very smooth once the page is fully loaded. The large 3.5″ screen shows way more of the webpage than my E71 which has helped make it feel more like a desktop.
Full Qwerty Keypad on N97: Again, I’m impressed with the keypad. It takes a bit getting used to especially with the spacebar placed towards the right, but it ends up working real well and feels like it is indeed in the right place. I wouldn’t change the positioning if I had the choice. I wish the buttons gave more tactile feedback but that’s just something I’m gonna have to live with. The blue backlights on the keypad are perfect. I just with number and character entry was better. On my E71 I can hold down each button for 3 seconds to get a secondary number or character. On the N97 you have to type the function button first instead. I’m sure I’ll get used to this after a few more days. Someone today on twitter asked me about the N97 keypad vs. E71 keypad – I told them I’m faster and more comfortable on the N97. That’s really saying something considering I’ve only used it for a few days and the E71 at least half a year.
N97 Battery Life: The battery is the exact same size as the Nokia E71 yet the N97 gets worse battery life. I’m sure this is due to the large screen and the fact that I’m playing with it every second I get. I won’t put much into this until I about a week from now when I’m done fiddling with everything. Keep in mind 1500mah is one of the biggest batteries you can get on a phone and the E71 has the best battery life I’ve seen on a smartphone. Just sayin.
Multimedia Experience on N97: Amazing. Simple as that. Video playback is great. Video recording is great. Photos come out colorful and vibrant – and the double LED flash is usable. Sound quality is on par with any mp3 player I’ve ever heard. I’ll dive more into this later.
Processing power & RAM: I’m still working on this. The N97 is not as powerful as I’d like. I don’t get slowdowns or hangups – rather all out crashes if I have too many apps running. This may not happen for most people, but for those who are power users you might want to watch out. Heavy browsing + instant messaging + music + one more app = one of them crashing without you knowing. Not really a huge problem, more annoying. I’m hoping a firmware update will clear up more RAM.
That’s it for now folks. Overall I really like the N97 and I’m falling in love with the keyboard and screen. I might be adding my own images in a few days, but for now you can check out these awesome N97 closeup photos that Timi posted a few days back.
Feel free to leave your questions below.
Related Articles:
- Nokia N97 First Impressions & Closeup Photos
- Review: AAS First Impressions With The N97
- Nokia N97 vs. 5800 – A World Apart
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Mike has written 84 articles for your enjoyment.
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About: Mike is the editor-in-chief of N97fanatics.com and a huge mobile fanatic. He also runs MaemoFanatics.com and the popular E71fanatics.com. Contact him via email at contact@n97fanatics.com or at his Twitter page.
