


Nokia rolled out its next generation of smartphones, with more power, more features and stronger specs. The Nokia N97's 3.5-inch touchscreen has a 640 x 360 (16:9) display, and gives you subtle buzzing haptic feedback with every touch. It's also packing a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, shooting stills and recording 30fps video, all stored on a generous 32GB internal flash drive.
Oh yeah, the N97 is a phone, too, connecting with 3.5G (otherwise known as HSDPA), and also hooks up with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and A-GPS. Also like its predecessors, it has that slide-out Qwerty keyboard that we prefer over clumsy touchscreen typing. Alas, it's rather heavy and big, weighing a comparatively hefty 5.23 ounces and is 2/3 of an inch thick. Aside from that, we especially like that always-open window up front, showing off your chosen data.
Priced at around $697 before the usual discounts, too bad we won't be seeing this trinket in the real world until the second quarter of next year, which could mean the end of June for Europe, later than that in the U.S. If it just had a robust app store, multitouch capability, and were a little less bulky, this would be the perfect smartphone. Check out the gallery of close-ups below, and then click Continue for a hands-on video:
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By drwedge at 12:31 PM ON 12/02/08
I've been waiting for a really good phone like this from Nokia. For me, all the others; Treo 650, BB, and iPhone have been stand-ins for this one.
By MrRedrum at 8:16 AM ON 12/04/08
I too have been waiting for a really good phone from Nokia. I've always loved Nokia phones and they always seem to know how to throw almost everything you want in a single phone. I'll most likely pick this up when it hits stateside pending reviews and what carrier it'll be on.
By WendyLincoln at 10:46 AM ON 12/04/08
Nokia used to be the leader in cell phones in the late 90s/early 2000s, its good to see that they are trying to go for the crown again.
By raisedinarkham at 4:07 PM ON 12/04/08
Everything I've been waiting for in a phone! It looks gorgeous, has a speedy and clean-cut interface, and most of all, it's got a real keyboard. Now, it had better be on a good carrier when it comes over here - hopefully Sprint.
By Ted at 10:13 AM ON 12/05/08
What a great phone, looks great, and seems to do so much with ease, so when can I have one. What about right now :)
By X15 at 6:19 PM ON 12/10/08
An excellent product.Quite complete one in its functions and apparently easy to use.The result of a leader mark.
X15:
An excellent product.Quite complete one in its functions and apparently easy to use.The result of a leader mark. ...More »