It is not often that a mobile phone arrives and causes quite so much excitement. We saw it with the iPhone a little while ago, and now we are seeing it again with the launch of the Nokia N97.
Following on the evolutionary path of the excellent N-series of phones, the N97 is the most advanced mobile computer in the world, and already people are predicting that it will see a shift in the way that we communicate with each other.
The N97 is so advanced that it almost goes beyond its rightful boundaries as a mobile phone. The screen is a fantastic 3.5”, and sports a full touch display, very much like the iPhone. But the top also slides out to reveal a useful QWERTY keyboard, making it more adaptable to Blackberry enthusiasts.
The phone has already received praise not only for its design but its incorporation of high-level technology, including good memory, processing power, and connection speeds.
Jonas Geust, the vice president of Nokia, summed it up nicely when he said that “from the desktop to the laptop and now to your pocket, the Nokia N97 is the most powerful, multi-sensory mobile computer in existence”, adding that it “adjusts to the world around us”.
All very fancy stuff. And one of the reasons behind such grandiose statements is the nifty “social location” feature, whereby A-GPS sensors detect exactly where the phone is at any given time, making it possible to update social networking sites with this information in an instant. On top of everything, the N97 also has up to 48 GB of storage, a 5-MP camera, DVD-quality video capture, and access to the Nokia Music Store.
However, with an estimated price tag of €550, there may be a few of us saving our pennies over the festive season to get our hands on it in the new year.
