I love my N97

I was in need of a friendlier user interface for my active online life. News on new user interface and operating systems were the trend in third quarter of 2009 - be it Google Android or Symbian s60v5. I felt a touchscreen phone was a cool idea after all - considering my peers were having Apple iPhones.

I decided to try something different so I went for Nokia N97. I like the full touchscreen interface with the convenience of a slide out keyboard when I need it.



To buy that, I travelled to the fringe of metropolitan Melbourne to avoid the cut throat price in CBD.

Flipping out the keyboard you'll find specification of N97 in a nutshell:

• 32 GB memory
• AF 5MP Carl Zeiss camera
• nHD 3.5"
• A-GPS
• Bluetooth 2.0
• WLAN
• 3G HSDPA
• USB 2.0
• FM Radio

My phone wouldn't work without a plan! After some researching I match it with Boost Prepaid $25 SMS plan (2 months validity) with 200MB data ($10, 30 days validity) on top of it. So it's a smart choice! Combining to cost it's even cheaper than browsing on my Vodafone prepaid plan.

I use my N97 primarily as a social network device. Big names like Facebook and Twitter are integral part of the N97 experience.



The phone is with me for 8 months now. What have I installed in my N97?

1. Gravity
   Simply the best Twitter clients for Symbian phones. I use this to tweet and foursquare!
2. Accuweather
   I use this to check the weather and read the temperature. Since my room is insulated, I check the temperature in the morning to decide on my clothing before I go out.
3. Opera Mini
   A must have web browser for mobile phones! I use it to search the web when I need to know a fact.
4. Google Maps
   To find my way when I'm in unfamiliar locations.
5. Wikitude
   This augmented reality software is super cool! Integrating the phone camera and GPS, I can determine location of major landmarks. But I always got mistaken for attempting to take candids of people while using this.
6. Palringo
   I can MSN and Facebook message people with this. But I rarely open this app, only when the need comes.
7. Elements
   This is a periodic table for chemistry. Whenever I need values like atomic mass of an element, this comes in handy, especially during chemistry practical sessions.

There's something much to be desired. Audio quality is not very good but since I'm not calling from this phone, it's not much of a concern for me. Touchscreen can be scratched even with the provided stylus! Opening the back cover wasn't user friendly either - a little roughness will break the back cover!

It feels like the whole world in your palm :)