Nokia N97 – worth a second look?

We already took a pretty in-depth look at the Nokia N97, the handset maker’s then flagship and much anticipated touch screen phone.

We loved the form-factor, were less impressed with the UI of Symbian S60 5th edition and thought the keyboard could be better. But it never does any harm to get a second opinion, especially after a major software update or two.

That’s exactly what David Gilson gives us over at All About Symbian, a site that we’re big fans of (see side bar for others). And if you hadn’t noticed, David’s now a regular contributor to last100, so it goes without saying, he’s a source I trust.

On the N97, David concludes:

Overall, the N97 is a flawed gem. Its size might not be for everyone, and the poor stability is likely to be tolerated by only the most enthusiastic of users. Which means it can only be recommended to tech enthusiasts who are prepared to work through the problems. Otherwise, the N97 mini will probably give a smoother day to day experience.

The N97 mini that David talks of is actually a device that I currently own. It’s slightly smaller than the N97 – 3.2 rather than 3.5 inch screen – has a little more metal in its frame and a deceivingly improved keyboard. The mini also has more RAM (though much less on-board storage) which is cited to be the real deal-breaker by most reviewers – including David – of the original N97.

Of note, I’ve considered selling the Nokia N97 mini a few times – I’m fickle like that – but I can’t quite let go of its form factor and excellent BBC iPlayer (and podcast) support.

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last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

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