When was n97 launched

Stay tuned for our full review of the N97 -- in the meantime, check out our preview video to see what all the fuss is about. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read.

Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. The GPS antenna was under-sized and badly shielded from the N97's main circuitry - cue a re-designed antenna and the addition of a special shield around it so that it was less affected by stray electronic RF signals.

Also perhaps coming under the category of 'mistake' was the use of a resistive touchscreen, though at the time there were no swiping motions in S60 5th Edition - it was all tap, tap, tap, something that resistive screens are very good at, especially with a stylus - something that the shipped with! The iPhone UI changed expectations though, and as of v20 firmware swiping and kinetic scolling was firmly now part of Symbian - yet the Nokia phones were saddled with a resistive screen that was great in temperature and humidity extremes, but which was fragile and relatively unresponsive to the new, more sophisticated gestures needed in a UI.

All of which was fixed in the N97's replacements, the N8 and E7 though would have been nice to have combined more of the features into the one device - in fact, it's a compliment to the N97 that it needed two devices to replace it Other defects were less obviously design decisions and simply trade-offs.

The tinny speakers, for example, had no room left for any kind of acoustic cavity. The plastic battery back allowed RF through and added minimal bulk. And so on. The upshot, though, was that, especially after summer , with Nokia's software releases and runtime decisions, the N97 became less and less practical for using it was anything other than a basic messaging phone and camera.

The N97 mini solved enough of the issues that I voted it my no. Well, in the light of the litany of problems above - not a lot. Unless you're prepared to ignore some of the software Nokia provide and go down the third party route especially for email. I did an extensive piece on Pimping the Nokia N97 back in February and most of this is still very valid.

But you're still fighting against the prevailing tide, to be honest. If you love the N97 form factor i. OK, you'll lose the FM transmitter and 'hero' battery, but you do gain more internal disk space and a brighter, more vivid screen - indoors.

So, a valid option - but do get a spare battery from a reputable seller - you'll need it. Though do note that some Qt-written applications are still not available for the N97 mini, despite its more capacious internal disk.

Set to start retailing from the end of November for Rs. But at this price, is it really worth it? Would you buy an N97 Mini? Tell us what you think in the comments section.