Nokia N97 - so how exactly is it doing?

[Hands0n]

Tales of the to-be-expected-by-now Symbian early day deficiences and bugs. Although people wax lyrical about the hardware itself.

Perhaps one can't be too hard on Nokia, the iPhone and early Android OS weren't exactly bug-free, although great and early efforts to remedy faults. Can Nokia do likewise?

Are there any N97 in Talk3G hands? And before anyone suggests, no, I am not going out to get another handset ...!! Thank you :)

[Hands0n]

I'll get things started ...


... so like any other good consumer, I scoured the net for N97 user reviews. At howardforums, they have an official thread of Nokia N97 bugs, issues and problems. Most common issues include the phone bricking after installing some apps...Not a good sign.

Source: http://www.cellphone-reviews.co.uk/2009/07/nokia-n97-bugs-issues-and-problems.html

I'll say!! FFS, how can installing an app really 'brick' a handset? Surely the OS has no end of devices to prevent such things happening. Especially an OS that requires signed apps!!


... There are like, 38 pages of issues, ...

Okay, fair enough, it is a new device, and no doubt Android and iPhone have a similar number of pages of bug comments ... I tried getting on to howardforums to see what the fuss is about, but gave up after the website didn't respond in two minutes...

[Ben]

I liked Gizmondo's review :p http://gizmodo.com/5308440/nokia-n97-review-nokia-is-doomed

I'm sure Nokia are selling plenty on brand, and I'm also sure it's a very capable handset. For me, personally, the desirability factor of a Symbian handset is about 1/100 (0/100 being Windows Mobile), and the desirability of the form factor is pretty close to zero, too.

[miffed]

What that thing with the resistive touchscreen and the worst keyboard ever seen on a top end mobile device ?(even the one on that crsppy PAYG LG on Orange looked better !)
Have they not discontinued it yet then ? Think I'd rather have a 5800 !

[Ben]

Think I'd rather have a 5800 !
I actually (finally) played with one of these last month. I was horrified! Its owner wasn't very impressed, either. Looks nice, though, and probably quite good VFM. Seen them on sale SIM-free at under £200 and I wasn't even looking.

I was going to say that The Reg liked the N97. But at 75% (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/24/review_phone_nokia_n97/) I don't suppose they did, really. But then the iPhone 3GS only got 80% (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/06/22/review_phone_apple_iphone_3g_s/) off of them, despite the fact that it "continue(s) to set the pace." Bonkers :D That said, the 3GS is very expensive, available on a limited selection of tariffs on a network with underwhelming 3G coverage, and has a myriad of other tech spec 'limitations' that often make like-for-like comparison difficult.

[chaslam]

How many of you have actually used the keypad on the n97? I actually find it very easy to use and fine it (for me) alot easier then the fiddly and in my experience slow keyboard onscreen on the iphone. Am i impressed overall? Yes i think i am. A little to many bugs at the moment but imo nothing that cant be sorted with firmware updates.

[Hands0n]

Yea, see, I stayed away from the T-Mobile Android G1 for precisely the reason of the fold-out keyboard. I tried it and didn't like it immediately. I have yet to lay hands on a N97 myself, waiting for my so-called mate to bring his round - I took my iPhone 2G round the day I got it, the rotten bar steward that he is! ;)

The resistive touchscreen puts me off a bit, its so very everything that has gone before. But Nokia build is generally and usually quite good, the N97 seems to be no exception.

I suppose my biggest worry would be good old, and I mean old, Symbian and Nokia's traditional tiny memory real estate. I don't know why a so-called multi-tasking OS is shoehorned into a memory with barely sufficient room to swing the electronic cat about. Surely RAM is low priced enough to allow sizes of 1GB - instead they use an eye-dropper of 128MB which, after launch, leaves round 70MB (http://www.nokian97blog.com/2009/01/memory-and-its-performance-nokia-n97/) for you to play with. In a handset the capability of the N97 that is pure criminal.

But all that said, the N97 does look the part - but is it worth the dosh?

What say you chaslam? You're probably the only one of our regulars with one in his posession. Where has the N97 taken you today :)

[chaslam]

Here are my views. :)

http://www.worldofnokia.co.uk/2009/07/my-loves-and-hates-of-the-n97/

[Ben]

Cool, thanks for that. Will be interesting to see how the firmware update improves things when it surfaces.

Shame on Nokia for yet more shoddy firmware, though :( They've been doing this for a LONG time now. My N73 was in such a state when I got it, restarted itself several times in the first day of use :( I was mortified!