Nokia N97

Nokia N97 carves a new space in the otherwise blurred realm between smartphone and laptop - a product built on a foundation of rock solid mobile principles, Nokia innovations, and tangible new technologies, pushed to the extreme and embodied in a slimline pocket shell.

Just as the original N95 re-shaped our perceptions of what's possible with a mobile device, the N97 again raises the bar beyond the reach of its peers by equipping us with a product that fuses the best proven Nokia hardware, software and Internet services, blended with a new flavour of design, ergonomics and usability.

Read on to explore the N97's full list of talents.

The most physically immediate stand-out feature of the N97 is its kick-out full QWERTY keyboard, hidden behind a 3.5-inch widescreen 16:9 touch display that tilts smartly above the keys. Both control methods neatly coexist and are tailored to ensure every experience, be it messaging, social, entertainment-focussed or otherwise, are manageable via the most instinctive physical toolset available. The touchscreen promises to be exploited to full effect, even when inactive, courtesy of a new homescreen that automatically sucks in live information via custom widgets sat on a S60 5th Edition backbone.

The N97 enters the fray stomaching 32GB of on-board storage, double that of any mobile device currently in existence, and can take up to another 16GB via microSD, enabling it to become a portable multi-media computer with 48GB in your pocket. Of course Nokia wants you to abuse this space with music, movies, photos and N-Gage games, and as such has worked hard to ensure the N97's battery is up to the task - it promises to kick out up to 37 hours of music and 4.5 hours of video.

Embracing location based services and the concept of context awareness, the N97 is location-savvy, automatically sensing where it is at any given time via A-GPS. The benefit being that you'll be able to tap into local services with ease and share your social location with friends minus any extra fiddling or fuss.

key talents

Size: 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm* *18.25 mm at camera area
Weight: Approx. 150 g
Memory: Up to 48GB (32 GB on-board memory, plus 16GB expansion via microSD memory card slot)
Display: 3.5 inch TFT with up to 16 million colors nHD 16:9 widescreen (640×360 pixels)
Talk time: Up to 320 min (3G), 400 min (GSM)
Standby time: Up to 400 hrs (3G), 430 hrs (GSM)
Video playback: Up to 4.5 hours (offline mode)
Music playback: Up to 37 hours (offline mode)
a 3.5 inch widescreen 16:9 touchscreen
haptic feedback
full QWERTY slideout keyboard
5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and dual LED flash
Symbian S60 5th Edition
A-GPS and GPS
HSDPA, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0, stereo Bluetooth connectivity
a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Phone will cost 550 Euros before taxes and subsidies and it will be launched in the first half of 2009