Finnish handset maker Nokia comes crashing into the
competitive North American smartphone marketplace this week with the
N97, its flagship smartphone that the company announced in December.
The phone is being sold without carrier backing, carries a $699 price
tag and is available online and through Nokia stores in New York and
Chicago.
The announcement comes on the heels of a price reduction on Apple’s
popular iPhone at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference
(WWDC), which saw the price of the iPhone 3G reduced to $99 and the new
iPhone 3GS retailing for $199. However, users bent on owning an N97 may
find some relief at Amazon’s online store, which has the unlocked
device listed for $603.99, although the shipping date doesn’t arrive
for another two weeks.
Briefly available in the U.K. before shipping to 75 countries this
June, the N97 offers a tilting 3.5-inch touch display, QWERTY keyboard
and a customizable home screen. The handset will also have access to
Nokia’s Ovi Store, which provides applications, videos, productivity
tools and Web and location-based services. The company said the
lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 9.5 hours of GSM talk time (6
hours while on 3G networks).
The astronomical price, more than twice what a consumer would pay for a
32GB iPhone, may represent a large stumbling block for the smartphone’s
market penetration chances. While the N97’s quad-band (GSM
850/900/1800/1900) capability gives users a range of HSDPA networks to
choose from worldwide (including AT&T and T-Mobile), the phone
faces competition from another less expensive competitor offering
similar features—the touch-screen Palm Pre.
The Pre also offers a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, full Web browser and
8GB of storage. Customers buying a Pre from exclusive carrier Sprint
pay $299 at the time of purchase, but receive $100 back through a
mail-in rebate. Even without a contract, the Pre, then priced at $550,
costs $150 less than the N97.
For $700, the N97 offers users a smartphone backed by features such as
integrated Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g) Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
capabilities (including Bluetooth headphones) and 32GB of on-board
storage, which is expandable via optional 16GB MicroSD memory cards.
The 5 megapixel camera contains Carl Zeiss optics and has a video
capture feature. The touch-screen includes haptic feedback so users
know when they’ve pressed a key or onscreen men and includes an
orientation sensor that switches from portrait to landscape viewing.
A-GPS functionality and a “Nokia Maps” application offers maps with
satellite views and the ability to search and download information
about destinations and points of interest. A built-in compass (recently
introduced on Apple’s 3GS keep the map adjusting to the direction you
are walking in. The N97 also comes with a three-month Walk and Drive
navigation license.
Nokia is focusing on keeping users connecting, offering the Mail for
Exchange mobile e-mail client of Microsoft Exchange, which comes
pre-loaded, although an Exchange e-mail account is required and the
Exchange administrator must enable the account for synchronization. The
device also supports VOIP application Skype, which allows users to make
and receive free Skype-to-Skype voice calls.
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