Announced on 2 December 2008, the N97 is Nokia's second touchscreen phone (after the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic) based on the Symbian OS S60 5th edition platform.
The Nokia N97 was released in US flagship stores on 9 June 2009 and on 26 June 2009 was released worldwide. In September 2009 it was reported that two million N97 handsets had been sold in three months following its release.
The N97 ships with trial versions of Quick Office, Adobe reader, Boingo and JoikuSpot Premium as well as Nokia's own 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.
Since October 2009 the N97 Mini is available which is a downsized version of the original N97.
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. Nokia quote 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. It is compatible with Nokia's N-Gage games.
Marketing
The phone can be seen in the beginning of the music video for I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas when two of the members — Taboo and apl.de.ap — are checking their DipDive and text messages.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. It includes however a bigger internal (phone) memory and an improved keyboard. It uses the 2.0 Nokia N97 software by default. Here under are some major changes listed in a table.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.
Reception
Older firmware issuesCommon criticisms of the original N97 were the relative lack of RAM and free disk space on the C drive. With only around 50MB of free RAM available after boot, the phone can become sluggish and close programs in order to conserve memory. Many first part applications also will only install on C: and with around 50MB 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 250MB 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.
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.
Other criticisms
On occasion, the camera lens cover of the original N97 can cause scratches on the lens. Nokia has acknowledged that on many devices the cover is mounted too closely to the lens so that dust and debris can cause scratches. On later models however, this issue seems to have been resolved. The N97 mini does not have a lens cover.
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.
When compared to the original N97, the cheaper N97 mini was reviewed as an improvement, especially its keyboard. In spite of the generally lukewarm reviews the phone sold well.
