A complete log of the phone’s usage over two days, accompanied by frequent updates on remaining battery life, is available on Philippine affiliate Technograph.

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• The N97 is very similar in size to the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in terms of thickness and width, and slightly longer. Will cause pocket bulge but is still impressive for a flagship.
• Compared to the N96 and N95, the N97 is more responsive. Still a bit slow though, especially when trying to run apps that use connectivity a lot (Maybe using a phone under better 3G or 3.5G coverage will provide better results?
• The sliding mechanism of the N97 is very solid and feels well made. A ribbon cable connects the upper part of the phone to the rest of the device. Very inaccessible, but this is a worrying vulnerability—cut the cable, goodbye phone?
• The QWERTY keyboard feels a bit flat. Maybe the next model should take a cue from the E-series keyboard and use slightly rounded keys?
• Why drop the plectrum/guitar key, used as the stylus for the 5800, and replace it with a detachable pen? Detachable = easily lost.

That’s all I’ve got now. A full review to follow when possible. For now, pics! (Click them thumbnails for the full-size editions)

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N96 buyers, consider yourselves screwed. Nokia’s just announced the N97, continuing the kitchen-sink tradition of the N9x series.

Perhaps taking a cue from the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, Nokia has made their new flagship a side-slider, which reveals a QWERTY keyboard underneath. Standard high-end features like WiFi, Bluetooth, HSDPA, and a 5 megapixel camera are on-board, as well as the welcome integration of the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. More info, specs, pics, and a video for those who keep reading.

You can expect the N97 to offer the usual Symbian S60 5th edition experience (to be found on the 5800 XpressMusic), but let’s see how it works with the 3.5” widescreen (640 x 360 pixel touchscreen) and 32GB of integrated memory (a microSD slot will accept up to 16GB of additional memory, according to the press release). Check out the company video for a virtual N97 in action:

And see this iPhone-N97 comparison via Robert Scoble (take care of your phone man!):

Perhaps the most important info—aside from the projected price of 550 euros and Q2 2009 release—is the battery capacity. A phone with so much functionality needs juice to run properly after all, and it’s probable Nokia will equip the N97 with the 5800’s 1320 mAh battery (here’s to hoping they’ll shoot for 1500 mAh). Expect updates on this as they become available.

(N97 product pics courtesy of Nokia)

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The Nokia N96 is big. That’s the first thing you notice when you hold this phone in your hand. Then you notice the slight UI lag, perhaps caused by all those features crammed into a phone. Less obvious is the available 16GB of onboard memory, which makes microSDs unnecessary. In any case, a full review to follow; more pics available over at Philippine affiliate Technograph.

(image from Technograph)

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This is old-hat, but Flickr is actually a great comparison tool for comparing cameras. Just visit Flickr’s camera finder, select the brand and model, and you’re instantly presented with a selection of photos taken with that particular camera.

As an example, check out how a picture taken with the Nokia N95 compares with an N96 photo after the break

Nokia N95:

Nokia N96:

(images by a_sufian_k and Robert Webbe)

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Barring the obvious differences in picture quality (which also make clear the advantages of a dSLR working in good natural lighting), aren’t the similarities between the Nokia N96 and the N81 8GB as apparent?

Much better pics and a review to follow, in that order. For now, here’s another pic for your satisfaction:

Let’s hope the N96 isn’t as slow as its older counterpart. Dun dun dunnnn!!

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Use the internet to form a queue. “Instead of taxing customers by wasting their time, reward the early shoppers by taking orders online. A month before sale date, for example, tell them it’s coming. If you sell out before ship date, that’s great, because next time people will be even quicker to order when they hear about what you’ve got.”

We recently heard that for the N96, Nokia will be holding an online auction; the winner will get the new flagship mobile “way sooner” than anyone else, while the proceeds will go to a charity. Marketing and philanthropy at its finest, in our opinion.

Give early adopters a reward. “In the case of Apple, I would have made the first 100,000 phones a different color. Then, instead of the buyer being a hero for ten seconds, he gets to be a hero for a year.”

Video game publishers make many of their offerings, especially the highly-hyped ones, available for pre-order. These copies usually come with special treats, like Fallout 3. It’s reasonable to think that gadget makers can apply the same thing to their latest and hottest products.

Treat customers differently. “Apple, for example, knows how to contact every single existing customer. Why not offer VIP status to big spenders? Or to those that make a lot of calls? Let them cut the line. It’s not fair? What’s fair mean? I can’t think of anything more fair than treating the people who treat you well, better.”

Big-time online retailers like US Auto Parts and Amazon make an effort to connect with the big spenders, to provide more value for the relatively large sum they’ve committed. Some telcos also give long-time subscribers, especially those who’ve paid for expensive plans, free phones every renewal period. There are just some examples marketers should stay on top of.

When things happen in real time, you’re way more likely to screw up. “One of the giant advantages of the Net is that you can fix things before the whole world notices. Try to do your rollout in small sections, so you can fix mistakes before you hurt the very people you’re trying to embrace.”

In short, be aware of Murphy’s law. Embrace the reality, and make contingencies. No matter what, something’s bound to go wrong; a prepared person has double or even triple redundancies. In short, act with the worst scenario in mind.

Give your early adopters a forum to celebrate. “A place to brag or demonstrate or show off or share insights and ideas. Amplify the heroes, which is far better than amplifying the pain of standing in line.”

Somewhat related to number 2; you can’t expect every first-time adopter to maintain a blog and share their happiness. Build a forum to express, and they shall come.

On a side note, we’re pretty sure a lot of people felt betrayed when Apple suddenly slashed the price of the first iPhone a couple of months after its much-heralded release. Their irritation was understandable, because instead of being on the cutting-edge, the early adopters became people who spent unnecessarily on what eventually became a cheaper product.

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Yikes, pity my Nokia N95. I may soon need to replace it since the bigger brother is out now and the Nokia N96 is getting a lot of attention. Just unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2008, the N96 sports GPS, an accelerometer, 16GB of storage, a 5MP camera, DVD-quality video, a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, Wi-Fi, and a handy kickstand for desktop viewing. Its got dual slider and scroll wheel functions just like the N81.

Check out the Nokia N96 hands-on video by Noknok.tv

via

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At first sight, the leaked Nokia N96 looks like a bigger version of the Nokia N81 8GB, with the same slider design and rounded keys. There’s not much specs to go around but it said to feature the S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2, 5 MP Carl Zeiss lens with a dual LED flash for brighter pictures. So keep ya wallets for the new Nokia N96 and feedback touch-screen Nokias. Don’t let my Nokia N95 or it will throw a fit.

More pics on the Nokia N96 here

via

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