Nokia N97 camera review

The Nokia N97 comes with a 5-Megapixel camera built-in that supports dual-LED flash with high quality Carl Zeiss optics. It’s not just a stills camera, as you’ll find a front facing video camera for use in video conferencing and the main camera supports 16:9 and DVD quality video capture. We’ve been playing with the Nokia N97 camera for a few days, so check out our Nokia N97 camera review…

The Nokia N97 camera is a 5-Megapixel snapper that is more than capable of taking images at 2584 x 1938 pixels. The 3.5-inch touchscreen is used as the viewfinder and you’ll find a dedicated capture button, along with zoom controls on the right-hand side of the Nokia N97.

You’ll need to manually open the lens cover, otherwise when you open the camera app it will default to the secondary camera and you’ll find yourself staring back at you!

By default you can load the camera up either by pressing the capture button or using the widget button on the Homescreen of the Nokia N97. Once loaded, you’ll find the interface is the same as the one used on the Nokia 5800, which we were more than satisfied with. However, it does come with the option to switch to the Nokia N97 secondary camera – something earlier versions of Nokia 5800 lacked - it has since been included with update V20.

The interface is easy to get to grips with and is made even easier by being touch-enabled. Mode selection is also the same as with the Nokia 5800, so you can choose from the standard Scene and Video modes, as well as Colour Tone, White Balance and Exposure.

One new feature is the ability to switch between Single Shot and Sequence mode, with the latter allowing you to capture up to 18 snaps one after the other. This feature is great if you want to pan around an object or take a number of similar shots and choose the best one.

Getting the most from the UI means playing with it, as some of the features you’ll use often, such as macro (known as Close-up) take two clicks to activate instead. It pays to spend a little time checking out the various functions, as the Nokia N97 camera is more than just a basic point-n-click affair.

Nokia N97 Web browsing

The Nokia Nseries devices always impressed with their Web browsing ability, and the Nokia N97 does an admirable job, but the transition to touch hasn't added any new features, and some of our favorites are now missing. The mini map is gone, replaced by a simpler zoom slide that adds an extra couple of steps to browsing long Web pages. T-Mobile's G1 uses a touchable sort of mini map, and we wish Nokia would have gone this route. The browser rendered pages very nicely. Our own homepage looked perfect on the phone's screen. Still, both CNN and the New York Times refused to offer up their full desktop versions to our Nokia N97 review unit, and there was no way to change the way the browser describes itself (desktop vs. mobile) in the settings. Though pages loaded quickly, whether we were using the 3G HSDPA network or our own home Wi-Fi umbrella, we still wish the browser was more responsive. Flicking through pages or double-tapping to zoom in on text always produced a slight lag, and we wish these gestures would simply spring to action.

The Nokia N97 comes packed with Flash Lite 3.0, which means the phone can play videos directly from the YouTube Web page. In fact, though the phone seems to come with a dedicated YouTube app, this was only a link to the YouTube mobile page. Viewing the desktop version of YouTube in the Nokia N97's browser, we were able to play videos within the Web page itself, and the Nokia N97 did a better job handling Flash content than any other mobile phone we've seen. Pages still slowed to a halt while a video was playing, but video playback was completely watchable, if not smooth.

For GPS navigation, the Nokia N97 uses Nokia Maps. It's a nice mapping app, and it works well for turn-by-turn directions, but it clearly isn't ready for the N97's touchscreen. First of all, the globe on the opening Maps screen spins the wrong way when you touch it. Overall, the maps were not very responsive to touch input. The road headings were also clipped on the phone's screen, so that we usually didn't know if we were supposed to take a highway heading east or wes

Nokia N97 Messaging and Keyboard

As the top of the line phone in Nokia's Nseries arsenal, and the first with a full QWERTY keyboard, it is surprising that Nokia doesn't ship the Nokia N97 with more messaging options onboard. There is support for a very basic SMS and MMS client. There is no threaded text messaging to help keep track of conversations; this is a simpler wireframe app with no frills. There are no instant messaging clients on board. Usually we suggest downloading a third-party app for IM on Symbian phones, but the Ovi Store, so new to the platform, doesn't contain a single instant messaging application that will work with the touchscreen Nokia N97. There is a Facebook app that works with widget on the phone's homescreen. We wish there were more of these social networking apps for messaging, especially dedicated Twitter and MySpace Widgets for our homescreen, as well.

The best messaging feature on the Nokia N97, for us, was the Mail for Exchange app, but even this doesn't come close to the Exchange experience on a Windows Mobile phone. We couldn't dig into our subfolders, view HTML e-mail or quickly manage and delete useless messages.

The keyboard on the Nokia N97 is nice and wide, and was plenty easy for typing. We think Nokia could do better, but between this and the similarly side-sliding Nokia E75, we prefer the keys on the Nokia N97. Even with the 4-way button, the keyboard is still plenty large, and each letter gets its own soft and rubbery key. The space bar is strangely pushed off to one side, but we got used to this layout surprisingly quickly. If anything, we'd wish for more keys, with some shortcuts and perhaps a dedicated number row. But the hardware keyboard was the best part about the messaging experience on the Nokia N97.

There are software keyboards available onscreen if you don't want to open the phone, but we'd suggest avoiding them at all costs. The worst of these was a split grid of keys, arranged alphabetically, not in QWERTY fashion, that divided the letters among 2 pages. It was easily the least useful onscreen keyboard we have ever used on any phone.

nokia N97 and iPhone

1. It does 16:9 video. The iPhone doesn’t even do video. So, how can you go to a Daft Punk concert and record it to taunt your friends?

2. It has a 5 megapixel camera. The iPhone only has 2, and the quality isn’t even close. The camera also has a dual LED flash, so you can take pictures in the dark where the iPhone can’t.

3. I can type three Facebook status messages on the N97’s nice QWERTY keybord in the time that I can type two on the iPhone.

4. It does copy and paste, so you can copy URLs to send to your friends. The iPhone can’t do that.

5. It has replaceable batteries so you can charge up three batteries and Facebook for days, while the iPhone needs to be hooked back up to the wall for recharging after a few hours.

6. The GPS device does turn-by-turn and has a built in compass, so you’ll get to your parties faster than with the iPhone, which doesn’t have a compass and doesn’t do turn-by-turn.

OK, so how else does it compare to the iPhone? It has a touch screen, with a cool customizeable home screen. You can add a Facebook component and can drag and drop different components with your finger. You can also use gestures so you can “flick” through your photos. That part is very similar to the iPhone, so you can see that Steve Jobs had a big influence on the user experience.

The device itself has only one button and you can see Jonathan Ives’ challenge taken up all over the device. Close your eyes and touch the device and you don’t feel buttons or other things protuding. Smooth.

Nokia N97 soon in Pakistan

The highly anticipated Nokia N97, Nokia’s flagship mobile computer has been announced Saturday in Pakistan after its global launch in 75 countries worldwide. Along with a tilting 3.5" touch display, QWERTY keyboard and a fully customisable home screen, the Nokia N97 will offer instant access to the full range of Ovi services. The N97 is expected to be sold in Pakistan at a retail price of Rs 58,000.
The device was announced at a press event where two European models brought the phone at the venue and the Finnish First Secretary, Deputy Head of Mission H.E Miia Rainne handed over the phone to the GM Nokia Pakistan Imran Khalid Mahmood. Also present at the ceremony was Henri Mattila, Head of Category Marketing, Nseries Middle East and Africa.
Speaking at the occasion, Imran Khalid Mahmood, GM Nokia Pakistan said, Delivering on Nokia’s vision and thought leadership based on mobile convergence, Nokia Nseries has aimed to present the best in class mobile computers to its internet savvy consumers. Today, we take great pride in introducing the newest addition to Nokia Nseries Nokia N97. We have combined the most-advanced smartphone capabilities in this device to enhance the internet entertainment for our consumers and at the same time ease-of use with one-touch access to their favourite online content.
“The Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized Internet experience,” Henri Mattila said. “Fuelled by a multitude of music, maps, games, media and applications via Ovi, the Nokia N97 transforms the Internet into an experience that’s completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its owner.”

note:courtesy by Nation pakistan

Nokia N97 arrived

THE wait is over. Nokia has finally begun selling the much anticipated N97 in Malaysia.

At an event to ­showcase the phone to the media and invited guests last week, the company said that the N97 is designed to be a computer in your pocket, focusing mainly on the mobile Internet and web content.

With a 3.5in touchscreen display, 32GB of on-board memory, personalisable home screen with widgets and a full Qwerty keyboard with slide and tilt capability, this model certainly seems to be as close to a real desktop PC as it gets.

Nokia also confirmed that it is negotiating with local telcos to offer data packages.

“Since this phone is designed for the Internet, it only makes sense that there should be Internet ­packages available to make sure people can get the most out of the N97 without breaking the bank on data charges,” said Nokia Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei general manager Vlasta Berka.

“We are also working on a local Ovi store that can provide more regional content to add on to our existing products and services.”

The Ovi store is Nokia’s mobile storefront which offers a variety of content including games, videos, widgets, podcasts and other personalised content.

Nokia NSeries

The Nseries range is starting to look a bit tired, truth be told. There are many areas where Nokia are going to have to make improvements if Nseries can still be considered top of the class when it comes to multimedia, otherwise they risk falling far behind the competition and becoming just also rans.

First thing that needs to be addressed is the camera. For a long time now, the standard camera on an Nseries device is 5.0 megapixel with autofocus, and Carl Zeiss optics. Which, in itself, is ok I guess. But other manufacturers are offering so much more; why no face detection, smile detection, blink detection? No image stabilisation? Why not something like Best Pic which Sony Ericsson have been offering on their Cybershot phones for years! With other devices offering cameras with so much more in terms of features, the camera on NSeries is starting to look a bit tired in comparison.

Then consider video capture. Again, I guess you could say an Nseries device is adequate, but QVGA @ 30fps just isn't enough anymore. Nseries needs to start offering high definition video capture, higher frame rate, super slow motion, and so on.

Video playback also needs to be updated. I've never got on with the Real player, video streaming has never worked well, and the handset needs to support more popular video formats, without need for installing extra applications. Native support for DivX and XviD video files is a must, surely?

Memory is also somewhere where Nseries devices can be improved. More Nseries devices need high internal memory capacity as standard, as well as being expandable with Micro SD cards. The N96 and N97 have this, but more Nseries devices should, and I hope to see it when new devices are announced.

And whilst I'm having a bit of a rant, I find it incredible that a multimedia device has no option onboard for creating something as simple as a slideshow. On a Sony Ericsson C905, it is a simple matter to take captured images, link them together, add in some text, add in a soundtrack, play the video, email it off, upload it to the web, anything. Simple, easy. That I can't do this on an Nseries phone is just amazing, honestly.

Skype Integration on the Nokia N97

You can install Skype on many Nseries phones today, but Skype and Nokia have taken it further as they have announced a partnership that will bring Skype to the Nokia range of mobile computers. Under the terms of the cooperation, Skype will be integrated into Nokia devices, starting with Nokia Nseries. The Nokia N97 flagship device will be the first to incorporate the Skype experience in the 3rd quarter of 2009.

The Skype experience will be part of the address book of the Nokia N97, enabling presence - seeing when Skype contacts are online - as well as instant messaging. Nokia N97 owners around the world will also be able to use 3G and WLAN to easily make and receive free Skype-to-Skype voice calls, in addition to low-cost Skype calls to landlines and mobile devices.

"Making Skype available everywhere through mobile devices is essential to fulfilling our vision of 'enabling the world's conversations'," said Scott Durchslag, Skype's Chief Operating Officer. "Collaborating closely with Nokia to preload and integrate our software onto their devices will benefit the many Nokia customers who already use Skype, as it makes Skype easily accessible and simple to use on the go. It will also bring Skype new users who love Nokia's Symbian S60 experience."

"With more than 400 million Skype users worldwide, the integration of Skype on Nokia Nseries mobile computers is a significant step in bringing converged Internet experiences from the desktop to the world's most advanced mobile computer," said Jose-Luis Martinez, Vice President, Nokia Nseries.

Nokia N97 Description

Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5" touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations. Nokia’s flagship Nseries device introduces leading technology - including multiple sensors, memory, processing power and connection speeds - for people to create a personal Internet and share their ‘social location.’

The Nokia N97 introduces the concept of ‘social location’. With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their ‘status’ and share their ‘social location’ as well as related pictures or videos.

The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. This is complemented by excellent music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The Nokia N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.

The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of EUR 550 before taxes or subsidies.

The Nokia N97 is a GSM 850/900/1800/1900 phone utilising the GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA 1.8 Mbits/HSDPA 3.6Mbit/s network. It is a 3G and Smartphone that operates on the Symbian 9.4 S60 5th Edition OS. It has an internal memory of 32 GB, with expandable memory slot up to 16 GB through microSD. The handset measures 4.6 x 2.2 x 0.6 inch, weighing 5.3 oz. Its internal display screen is 3.5 inch at 16 million coloue TFT multi-touch LCD 16 : 9 widescreen with a resolution of 640 x 360 pixels.

Nokia N97

General
2G Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 - American version

Announced
2008, November

Status
Coming soon. Exp. release 2009, June

Size
Dimensions 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm, 88 cc
Weight 150 g

Display
Type TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colors

Features
OS Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5

Size
360 x 640 pixels, 3.5 inches

Sound
Alert types Vibration; MP3 ringtones

Speakerphone
Yes, with stereo speakers - 3.5 mm audio jack

Memory
Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall

Call records
Detailed, max 30 days

Internal
32 GB storage, 128 MB RAM

Card slot
microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB

Camera
Primary 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, LED flash, video

Radio
Stereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radio; FM transmitter

Browser
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds

Battery
Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh (BP-4L)

Messaging
SMS, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM

Bluetooth
Yes, v2.0 with A2DP


Data
GPRS Class 32
HSCSD Yes
EDGE Class 32
3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
Infrared port No
USB Yes, v2.0 microUSB
Video Yes, VGA@30fps
Secondary Yes, VGA@15fps
CPU ARM 11 434 MHz processor
Games Yes + downloadable
Colors White, Brown
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support; Nokia Maps
Java Yes, MIDP 2.1

- Digital compass
- MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+/MP4/M4V player
- MPEG4/WMV/3gp/Flash video player
- TV-out
- Voice command/dial
- Pocket Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF viewer)
- Video and photo editor
- Flash Lite 3
- T9

Stand-by Up to 432 h (2G) / 408 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 9 h 30 min (2G) / Up to 6 h (3G)
Music play Up to 40 h

- Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
- Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
- Full QWERTY keyboard
- Handwriting recognition