My First Week With My N97

[dynomot]

Just thought I'd share my experiences with you. First and foremost, I liked it out of the box and now it's grown on me even more despite some of its faults. Here is a breakdown.

Calls

Works fine for me, I get the annoying plays the default Nokia tune bug instead of my ringtone every now and again but over the ear piece no problems at all. Over loud speaker it's disappointing. The inbuilt speakers, as acknowledged elsewhere in the forum are not the same quality or as loud as the N95-1 which is a let down, but worse is the microphone sensitivity. On my N95-1 I could answer a call, switch to loudspeaker and have a conversation handsfree while driving on the motorway. OK I was told that I sounded like I was in a hurricane but they could here and understand me and me them. Not so on my N97, they simply cannot here me and I strain to here them even at full volume. Not good I spend a good 30% of my working day driving.

Texts, MMS, E-mail, and BT messaging

No problems whatsoever here the speed of Bluetoothing a piccy to another device is fast, way faster than my N97. Also when receiving multiple files in one go over Bluetooth on my N95 I used to run out of memory, not so with my N97 as yet. (tested between my N95 and N97 using a twenty track album and also my wife's 6220 and a mate's Samsung thing). Email the application in messaging works well enough all though its limited, its identical to the N95. I use Nokia Email that works well and has my four different email accounts it monitors (don't ask me about POP etc, I don't know it just works !) and while it's free its great (they are planning to charge) I've not missed an email yet and quite like it.

Photos & Camera

Piccys are 'better' than my trusty N95's they don't seem as compressed (and indeed if file size is anything to go by aren't) colours while a bit less natural are warmer and more pleasing to these eyes. Video records and plays well with no lag or skipping. The Gallery or Pictures as it's now called is much different to the old 'Gallery'. You get six options on opening 'Pictures' - 'Captured' - piccys you've taken with the camera, Months your piccys in monthy order order, Albums you define yourself, Tags (obvious), 'Downloads' everything you drag and drop, recieve via a BT or MMS message and bizarely all the piccys I called the folder 'From N95' which is self explanetry and expected to show as an album but doesn't and 'Share online' I liked the carousel of the N95 and in an ideal world a carousel where you could display albums, months & tags, only, as well as all photos and pictures should you want to in any combination would have been great. Instead you get a grid view with no information on the tiles unless you click on them. Finding a photo from the 1639 I have exported from my N95 is a nightmare. Showing all files also still shows all downloads shows all your downloaded (including BBC i-player) videos too. Its not possible I don't think to show every photo you posses on your phone. This is something I'm going to have to sort via my PC and mass storage mode. The N97 saves piccys in month files like the N95 so listing the N95's month files rather than sticking them in one great big file may do the trick of showing all photos I have taken if not those that have been sent to the phone. 'Photos' may have more options than 'Gallery' but it isn't as pretty or as good. You may have got everything on the phone with gallery but at least you got information with your thumbnails.

Music player & FM Transmitter

Music player still displays embedded art in songs synced from WMP 11 if it feels like it, lord knows why it does that. Album covers are shown much larger than an N95 (showing the poor quality of some of mine). Other than that identical to an N95's display wise. Something akin to coverflow would have been nice. Musically it's better, hiss seems almost non existant and music sounds crisper and much more punchy. Streamed to my Panama BT box individual tracks now sound great, almost as good as the original CD's they were ripped from and played through my (now ageing) proper Hi-Fi separates. Musically apart from the inbuilt speakers already mentioned much better than my N95. The FM transmitter is too weak to be any real good although in my car its OK but on my works van it's awful and not worth using. My trusty Belkin transmitter will have to stay. I hope a firmware update increases the transmitters wattage just a shade, upto the Belkin transmitter I own would make it at least listenable if not great. In an ideal world all head units would have Bluetooth.

[u]GPS and Nokia Maps[/u

Touch screen Nokia Maps V2.0 - no more no less, my N97 came with a free three month license. GPS lock is quick and grabs without losing it, within twenty seconds and obviously the slider doesn't need to be out.

Web Browsing

Is a joy, its fabulous using the full screen in landscape with the keyboard its easier than a PC with keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is delightful to use. forget about the s criticisms of the space bar - it's actually in a very natural position. The keys are responsive and give just the right feedback, I have pretty small hands but letting my mate who has shovels for palms and sausages for fingers have a go with the keyboard he found equally as easy. Pulling the screen around is simple with one finger and most web pages (just) fit width wise in my experience. Nokia got this right IMO.

General

I have the black version I think it looks superb with its stainless steel band with 'Nokia' embossed into its right hand side (upper left in landscape ;) ). The keylock switch feels great in mine, pity the light bug is there. It feels well built, much better than my N95. Bugs wise it does have a few and they are annoying if not critical, new firmwares I'm sure like the N95 will sort it. Would I want a perfectly running N97 but have to wait nine months or so for it's release ? No, and besides Nokia like to use their loyal followers as unpaid paying beta testers. At least they do eventually sort the firmware out.

I love my N95 it has been an education and a joy to use. My N97 is not yet but will be with improvements to firmware a worthy successor.

[Tommie]

Great first week review ! Thanks for share , I really like what you say about the
camera and web browsing and also the e-mail.
I hope they sort out the bugs who be report from you all beta testers..(

[TheThinker]

Enjoyable read - thanks for posting.

The Thinker

[Micky]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I agree about the spacebar, its in the idea place for a mini qwerty.

[dcastrog]

your review was posted on Nokia Nseries cool

[Sp00k]

Originally Posted by dcastrog

your review was posted on Nokia Nseries cool

I wonder if mine will be?

[pogiewun]

nice review! im thinkin that i may have gotten a faulty n97. when i play my mp3s on the highest volume (through the phone's speakers), its still doesnt come close to the loudness of my n95-1 and n95-4. are any of you experiencing the same thing or is it just me.

[Micky]

Its not faulty. The N97 at the moment produces far less quality sound than the 5800, and Im hoping its down to an oversight in the equalizer configuration in V10 & V11

[barsuk]

Hello everyone!
Sorry for changing the subject... but i need some help!
Im having i problem with my device... i got the 1st one a week ago.
The lock key on the side on the phone is loose, on top of it... when i shake it there is some noise like one of the parts inside is loose 2!!! :(
I send it back! Got another one today... The lock key is solid :), but noise while shaking is still there...:(
This noise dissapears when i slide the phone open to use the key board....
My idea , maybe its a spring of sliding mechanism?!????
Have anyone expirienced that?????
Any advices or suggestions??!!
Thanks in advance.

[buxz777]

Originally Posted by Micky

Its not faulty. The N97 at the moment produces far less quality sound than the 5800, and Im hoping its down to an oversight in the equalizer configuration in V10 & V11

i think they are different speakers mickey

either that or they have hid the speakers behind the plastic of the fascia

seems they have replaced the good speakers of the 5800 with a cheaper alternative alltogether