Nokia N97 Arrival

One great result of having online connections is that I am now the soon-to-be owner of a new black Nokia N97! I got it at a great price from a friend who took advantage of the NokiaUSA pricing glitch that changed the retail value from $700 to $450!!! Since he didn't like the N97, he passed it on to me for $500!!! I was then able to cancel my Amazon.com order that would have cost me $600!! Even with shipping expenses added, I still came out of the deal with a new N97 for an amazing value! Not having to pay full price for a phone that was still brand new (my friend had just received his unit on June 11th) boggles my mind to this very moment! Not only had I saved $200 off the original amount of the phone, but this happened just in time for my completion of college in the next month! Upon finally earning my Associates Degree in Wireless Communications, there will also be a graduation present in the N97! I am EXCITED to be receiving this device next week, and will hold to my opinions until I can use it in person.

While I expected criticism of the touch interface for Symbian S60 5th edition, I hoped the opposite for the qwerty keypad. Just as I feared, there have already been accounts of the qwerty and d-pad being unpleasant to use due to their poor tactile feedback. While I love a reassuring "click" from typing on mobile devices, I think I can do without it as long as the keys don't feel like a stone slab. With my track record of previous gadgets, the qwerty still continues to be a most essential preference of mine that can easily claim the most importance. After reading a couple of online reviews and watching Steve Lichtfield's Phones Show netcast, I still have some initial concerns for the qwerty usability of the device. Well, let me take that back...I actually felt these concerns when I saw YouTube footage of N97 handsets being manufactured in a Nokia factory. I can still visualize that staff member who appeared to be placing a strip of flexible material onto where the qwerty was to be located. Quite frankly, my expectation for a high-quality keypad were dashed upon seeing such a sight. In the back of my mind I was horrified to imagine that Nokia would resort to using a cheap method for building a flagship device! Upon paying for such an expensive price for the N97, it is not unreasonable to expect a bit more than the bare minimum in regards to its craftsmanship. Not meaning to sound too critical, for I do realize that this model is truly worlds away from the low-cost, free upgrade flip phones of yesteryear. However, when the N97 is compared to current smartphones in the same pricing bracket, there should be no doubt of its being up to par. All I can do at this point is wait until the box arrives via courier.

Overall, I am hoping to maintain functionality comparable to my current E71 once I receive the N97. I am prepared to accept change that cannot be helped in certain situations, like the possible absence of efficient one-handed usage and compatibility with Nokia Messaging and Missing Sync for Symbian. It may take a while to adjust to leaving the form factor of the E71 with its quick access qwerty, but the slider may not be too bad on a daily basis. I did hear of a Messaging app version being available for S60 5th edition, but some previous online reviews from usage on the 5800 XpressMusic were not really promising. Having to return to the native messaging app will not be much of an inconvenience, considering the benefit of owning the N97. While I can be somewhat flexible in my acceptance of this new phone, having to deal with possible lack of Missing Sync may be more than I am willing to bear. I have also heard that there is no Apple iSync plug-in available at this time, but even if this was false I'd most likely still refuse to tolerate iSync's inconsistent performance. Nokia Sport Tracker would be great to have, but is only a luxury that can easily be replaced by the Nike Sport Kit that I continue to use with my iPod Touch. Unlocking Quickoffice should not be an issue since I can get my license transferred from the E71, and most of the other features in the menus should not be any different. A learning curve will definitely have to be in place to get accustomed to the new touch interface, but this only adds to the excitement!

In regards to multimedia, I am ecstatic to be returning to the NSeries line. While the E71 is sufficient, there's sometimes a lack of simple charm that is felt from its overall appearance in handling media. Galleries are bland when browsing photos and movies, and the sound from the mono speaker (though tolerable) leaves room for improvement. The E75 showed much more potential with its 3.5mm headphone jack and feature pack 2, but it suffered from a tiny screen and flat qwerty buttons. This N97 appears to blend every single feature that I would ever want in a Nokia!

I am also thankful to have had the opportunity to cancel my Amazon.com preorder for the white N97 and switch to the black instead. While white does have a flashy allure, it my be a bit too flashy for me. I can recall using the white E71 for a few days and feeling like I was playing with a toy instead of using a smartphone. I got much attention with the white, but it was usually from average phone users more interested in having a fashion accessory instead of a capable phone. I also didn't want to give the wrong impression of my character if I were to use this in a workplace environment. The difference from white to black can absolutely tread that fine line between "mobile professional" and "brat pack", but this only my opinion.

A week or two may be enough to determine whether the N97 is worth the effort to make the switch back to the NSeries, but we shall see. The days cannot go by fast enough as I await the arrival of my new Nokia!

TRENT
Sent from my Nokia E71
TRENT SENSE blogger/netcast host
trentonnsmith.blogspot.com
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