14 DAY TRIAL // There are only a few weeks left until the Nokia N97 handset will become available on the market, as the Finnish mobile phone maker announced yesterday, and the first unboxing video of the device, along with its first review, already surfaced into the wild. Thanks to Axel from blog-n97.fr, we can now take a look at what the device is really like, and at what one should find in the box when purchasing it.
To start with the beginning, the box includes, besides the Nokia N97 device, a CD containing Ovi Suite Package, as this is the first mobile phone to come to the market with Ovi Store preloaded, along with a classic Nokia hands-free, USB / Micro-USB cable, charger AC-10E micro-USB, charger adapter micro USB to Nokia classic charger, standard Nokia headset, cleaning cloth and user manual.
According to the reviewer, the handset feels great, and seems to be rather compact, despite its keyboard and its hinge. On the front side of the phone we can see that the 3.5-inch touchscreen display has the screen protector still intact, making it look a little darker than it should normally be, and we can also spot the proximity sensor at the top, while at the bottom there are the menu button (silver) and the red and green buttons to start and end a call, all of which are touch sensitive.
The hinge is reported to work great as well, closing and opening easily, without producing any noise. The QWERTY has the keys a bit protruding, which allows users to press them more easily, and it lights up when used, creating a nice effect. Given the fact that the reviewed unit was white, the letters on the keys were gray, while the “functions” were blue.
The software on the device seems to be able to offer a great experience as well, as there are a series of widgets that come preinstalled on the Nokia N97, such as AccuWeather, agenda, Amazon, Hi5, audio player, online sharing, embed e-mail, Facebook, and a few more, including contacts and favorites.
The applications on the mobile phone are meant to deliver a great experience too. Users will be able to enjoy the handset's web browser, which includes an RSS reader and supports flash and zooming, the music and video players (complemented by the 3.5'' jack and the 32GB of onboard memory), Nokia Maps, or the Ovi Store.
All in all, the handset has left a more than good impression on the reviewer it seems, though the high price it comes with has been suggested to be one of its negative parts (SIM free, the N97 will cost 699 Euros in Europe, £499 in the UK, and $699 in the US). The entire review of the device, along with more pictures, can be found on blog-n97 in French and on N97 Geeks in English (thanks to Paul for the translation).
