Nokia N97 Gets Firmware v20

Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia has just released a new software version for the high-end Nokia N97 handset, which comes with the version number 20.0.019, 20.1.021 or 20.2.019, depending on the region users are from. The new version is said to deliver a nice series of improvements over the previously available software, yet one should note that not all model numbers are supported in this update.

The changes the new firmware v20 comes with should include (via All About Symbian):
- Kinetic scrolling in the User Interface in all lists and larger-than-screen views
- The keyboard driver has been enhanced so that a long press on any key brings up its associated 'function' symbol (or number)
- Music player shows album art more reliably, plus extra MP3 ID3 information
- Half a dozen new social media and service widgets have been added by default
- Camera still and video improvements
- Offline mode for homescreen widgets (shown below)
- The N-Gage client is now included (shown below, saving 10MB of your C disk, compared to the current situation)
- Ovi Maps 3.1 is now included (shown below, saving 7MB of your C disk, compared to the current situation)
- Ovi Contacts and Ovi Store clients now integrated (saving more space)
- More responsive touchscreen driver (so fewer 'missed taps') and the usual minor bug fixes across the board
- Improvements to Sync system.

Those who own a Nokia N97 and would like to update it to the latest software version available can do so via the Nokia Software Update. Users can check for updates by going to the 'Sw update' application in their phone. The handset, as many of you might already know, comes with UDP (User Data Preservation), yet a backup of all data on the handset is recommended before proceeding with the update process, just to make sure that no important files are lost.

The new software solution also comes with a reworked memory mapping model, which means that applications are bound to make a more efficient use of the RAM features of the device. The available 'Free RAM' after booting is said to be lower, 47MB, yet applications should use less memory than before. More information on the new software version can be found here and here.