Nokia N97

Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 mini

Manufacturer	Nokia manufactured in Finland
Series	Nseries
Compatible networks	HSDPA (3.5G), Quad band GSM / GPRS / EDGE GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900
Availability by country	9 June 2009
Predecessor	N96
Successor	Nokia N8
Form factor	Tilt slider
Dimensions	117.2 × 55.3 × 15.9* mm *18.25 mm at camera area for original (113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm for mini)
Weight	150 g for original (138 g for mini)
Operating system	Symbian OS 9.4 with Nokia S60 Fifth Edition UI. Current firmware 22.0.110 (RM-505) / 22.1.112 (RM-506) / 22.2.110 (RM-507)
CPU	Single CPU, 434 MHz ARM11
Memory	128 MB SDRAM
Storage	32 GB on-board (about 29.8 GB user available) for original, (8 GB for mini)
Removable storage	microSD 16 GB max (16 GB Max MicroSDHC available in 2009)
Battery	BP-4L (1500 mAh, Li-polymer) for original, (BL-4D 3.7 V 1200 mAh for mini)
Data inputs	QWERTY keyboard, resistive touchscreen, proximity and ambient light sensors, accelerometer, digital compass
Display	640×360 px (16:9 aspect ratio), 3.5 in for original (3.2 in for mini), sliding tilt TFT LCD display, up to 16.7 million colours
Rear camera	5.0 megapixels f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Tessar lens
Connectivity	WLAN 802.11b/g, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0, TV-out (PAL/NTSC), FM transmitter only for original
Hearing aid compatibility	M3[1]

Nokia N97 is a touch screen smartphone in the Nseries of smartphones by Nokia, with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard (an AZERTY one is available in France). Announced on 2 December 2008,^[2][3][4] the N97 is Nokia's second touchscreen phone (after the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic) based on the Symbian OS S60 5th edition platform.

Release

The Nokia N97 was released in US flagship stores on 9 June 2009,^[5] and on 26 June 2009 was released worldwide. In September 2009, two million N97 handsets had been reportedly sold in the three months following release.^[6]

The N97 shipped with trial versions of Quick Office, Adobe Reader, Boingo, Joikuspot, Ovi Maps, and Ovi store.

The initial software had mixed reception, prompting the release of new firmware in October 2009. Nokia released the new firmware with kinetic scrolling for the N97 to address the major issues present in the firmware the device launched with.

In October 2009, the N97 Mini, a downsized version of the original N97, was made available. The N97 Mini was generally seen as an improvement over the original N97.^[7][8]

Operating times

Informal tests have shown that the battery can last nearly two days with regular use of the phone's various features for the original N97.^[9] Nokia quoted the following claimed operating times

• Talk time  : Up to 6.0 hours (3G), 9.5 hours (GSM)
• Standby time  : Up to 17 days (3G), 18 days (GSM)
• Video playback: Up to 4.5 hours (offline mode)
• Video recording: Up to 3.6 hours (offline mode)
• Music playback: Up to 40 hours (offline mode)

Applications and options

With the optional DVB-H Nokia Mobile TV Receiver, SU-33W it is possible to watch television on the phone.

The device can run Skype with an application from the Ovi store.^[10] It is compatible with Nokia's N-Gage games.^[11]

Reception of the original Nokia N97

Older firmware issues

Common criticisms of the original N97 were the relative lack of RAM and free disk space on the C: drive. With only around 50 MB of free RAM available after boot, the phone can become sluggish and close programs in order to conserve memory. Many first party applications also will only install on C: and with around 50 MB of free space, this is used quickly as it is also where temporary OS files are placed. This issue was resolved in the N97 mini as the user often has over 250 MB of free space on C: drive. A memory mapping alteration from firmware version 20 allowed applications to use less RAM and free it up better, helping to ease the strain of a lower amount of free RAM to the end-user.^[12]

Anssi Vanjoki, EVP of Markets at Nokia, admitted that quality control in software has been an issue for this device, saying "it has been a tremendous disappointment in terms of the experience quality for the consumers", though, according to Vanjoki, later repaired by firmware updates.^[13]

Other criticisms

Nokia has acknowledged that on many devices, the cover and the lens were mounted too close causing scratches from dust and debris.^[14] On later units, Nokia reportedly fixed this issue.

Others with the original N97 had speed problems with the built in GPS lock. These phones too easily lose track of the current location, making the free turn by turn navigation software provided by Nokia unusable. Users can have both the lens cover and GPS issues fixed under warranty at an official Nokia service centre.

Despite most Nokia phones having great signal reception, the Nokia N97 did not follow that same tradition. It had very poor overall signal strength, even in comparison to other phones placed side by side to the N97 that were connected to the same network.

The user interface of the S60 5th edition software platform, built on top of Symbian OS 9.4, has been criticized by the site TechRadar as inconsistent because menu items require two taps to be activated.^[15] In 2010 Nokia officially apologized for the amount of customers who have experienced issues with the N97 and the buggy software. This led to a large amount of potential customers choosing brands other than Nokia during this time period.^{[citation needed]}

Despite of the generally lukewarm reviews, the phone sold well.^{[citation needed]}

Nokia N97 Mini

The N97 Mini is a downsized version of the N97 and has been available since October 2009. The N97 Mini downsized some features of the original N97, such as 8 GB of storage memory, 3.2 inch touchscreen, removal of FM transmitter, and a shorter battery life.^[16][17] It includes however a bigger internal (phone) memory and an improved keyboard.^[17] It uses the 2.0 Nokia N97 software by default.^[18] There has also been some redesign in the keypad. First, the big D-pad on the left side has been replaced by four arrow keys on the right side. Also there is more space between each keys and the keys are a little bit higher giving a much better feel when typing. Here under are some major changes listed in a table.^[19][20]

A limited edition called the "N97 mini Raoul Limited Edition" has been released in relation with fashion house FJ Benjamin and the Raoul brand. It also features the new Fashion Asia widget and went on sale in late October 2009 in Malaysia and Singapore.^[22]

Reception

The user interface of the S60 5th edition software platform, built on top of Symbian OS 9.4, has been criticized by the site TechRadar as inconsistent because menu items require two taps to be activated.^[15]

When compared to the original N97, the cheaper N97 mini was reviewed as an improvement, especially its keyboard.^[7][8]

In spite of the generally poor reviews the phone sold well.

See also

• Nokia C6-00
• Nokia N70

References

External links

Media related to Nokia N97 at Wikimedia Commons

• Nokia N97 demonstration video
• Nokia N97 Discussion Forum
• Nokia N97 Data sheet
• Official Nokia N97 website launched
• Nokia N97 detailed specifications
• Review: Nokia N97 mini by Chris Targett 12 May 2010 rather positive review of the mini
• The stress test of Nokia N97 (93 points from 100 possible)