Nokia leans on new N97 as best hope for an iPhone rival
At a special event in Spain, Nokia has revealed the N97, which is just the second touchscreen phone in company history -- and potentially the company's one real chance at reversing market share losses to Apple's iPhone.
As the successor to the N95 and this year's N96, the N97 is Nokia's first truly high-end smartphone to use a touch interface and is technically far superior to the 5800 XpressMusic that earned the distinction of being the phone maker's first touchscreen handset just two months ago.
Unlike its more basic sibling, the new model is aimed at pleasing heavy-duty Internet users and not just music enthusiasts. Its trademark feature is a new, sliding keyboard that tilts out from the side of the phone for typing. It also adds a larger 3.5-inch, 640x360 touchscreen, a sharper 5-megapixel camera with a better flash, and -- in a likely first -- 32GB of built-in flash memory. A card slot gives room for yet another 16GB of space.
With 3G, a digital compass, GPS, and Wi-Fi also coming along for the ride, the phone is being marketed first and foremost as a social networking device which is constantly aware of where it is and what's happening with its owner's friends. The home screen appropriately has a new interface with widgets that supply an at-a-glance view of contacts from Facebook and other services.
It also includes a full HTML web browser with Adobe Flash, cut-and-paste text, video recording, and options for a removable battery and storage that are either already in place or missing from certain rivals, Nokia says. Apple's patents nonetheless prevent it from using multi-touch.
But while the N97's features and overall focus are different than those on the iPhone, the chrome-trimmed, uncluttered design and certain interface elements for Nokia's new offering also share more than a few passing resemblances to its American-born rival -- including, as blogger Robert Scoble notes, a similar photo browser.
"You can see Jonathan Ive's challenge taken up all over the device," he says.
The debut ultimately reveals the N97 as Nokia's real answer to the iPhone and comes just as the Finnish company finds itself in the unfamiliar position of having to stem a rapid loss in market share, much of which can be attributed to Apple. Compared to the year before, Nokia has lost 20 percent of the smartphone market this summer and can pin the blame largely on iPhone 3G's appearance this July.
Before it published its quarterly results earlier in the fall, Nokia itself had warned that unnamed competition, now widely known to be Apple, was undermining its market share by using heavy carrier subsidies to beat Nokia's pricing.
However much closer the N97 may bring Nokia to having its own ultimate touchscreen phone on a hardware level, the details of the launch have already been deemed problematic. The unlocked, unsubsidized phone will cost 550 Euros, or nearly $700; this is as much or less as the iPhone costs in countries that allow contract-free sales but about 75 percent more expensive than the 5800 XpressMusic.
And though attendees of the iPhone's Macworld 2007 debut were frustrated when the first Apple cellphone wasn't slated to ship for another five months after it first became public, the N97 isn't scheduled to ship until sometime in the first half of 2009 -- and then while largely excluding the US. As is customary with most Nokia phone introductions, the N97 lacks support for AT&T's 3G network.
As the successor to the N95 and this year's N96, the N97 is Nokia's first truly high-end smartphone to use a touch interface and is technically far superior to the 5800 XpressMusic that earned the distinction of being the phone maker's first touchscreen handset just two months ago.
Unlike its more basic sibling, the new model is aimed at pleasing heavy-duty Internet users and not just music enthusiasts. Its trademark feature is a new, sliding keyboard that tilts out from the side of the phone for typing. It also adds a larger 3.5-inch, 640x360 touchscreen, a sharper 5-megapixel camera with a better flash, and -- in a likely first -- 32GB of built-in flash memory. A card slot gives room for yet another 16GB of space.
With 3G, a digital compass, GPS, and Wi-Fi also coming along for the ride, the phone is being marketed first and foremost as a social networking device which is constantly aware of where it is and what's happening with its owner's friends. The home screen appropriately has a new interface with widgets that supply an at-a-glance view of contacts from Facebook and other services.
It also includes a full HTML web browser with Adobe Flash, cut-and-paste text, video recording, and options for a removable battery and storage that are either already in place or missing from certain rivals, Nokia says. Apple's patents nonetheless prevent it from using multi-touch.
But while the N97's features and overall focus are different than those on the iPhone, the chrome-trimmed, uncluttered design and certain interface elements for Nokia's new offering also share more than a few passing resemblances to its American-born rival -- including, as blogger Robert Scoble notes, a similar photo browser.
"You can see Jonathan Ive's challenge taken up all over the device," he says.
The debut ultimately reveals the N97 as Nokia's real answer to the iPhone and comes just as the Finnish company finds itself in the unfamiliar position of having to stem a rapid loss in market share, much of which can be attributed to Apple. Compared to the year before, Nokia has lost 20 percent of the smartphone market this summer and can pin the blame largely on iPhone 3G's appearance this July.
Before it published its quarterly results earlier in the fall, Nokia itself had warned that unnamed competition, now widely known to be Apple, was undermining its market share by using heavy carrier subsidies to beat Nokia's pricing.
However much closer the N97 may bring Nokia to having its own ultimate touchscreen phone on a hardware level, the details of the launch have already been deemed problematic. The unlocked, unsubsidized phone will cost 550 Euros, or nearly $700; this is as much or less as the iPhone costs in countries that allow contract-free sales but about 75 percent more expensive than the 5800 XpressMusic.
And though attendees of the iPhone's Macworld 2007 debut were frustrated when the first Apple cellphone wasn't slated to ship for another five months after it first became public, the N97 isn't scheduled to ship until sometime in the first half of 2009 -- and then while largely excluding the US. As is customary with most Nokia phone introductions, the N97 lacks support for AT&T's 3G network.
Comments
At a special event in Spain, Nokia has revealed the N97, which is just the second touchscreen phone in company history
Well it is, if you don't count the other touch screen devices Nokia has released in the past (like the 7700, 7710, plus the tablets they make(
Another weakness is porn, porn has been a driving force in many technologies and (as far as i know) is not readily available on Apples squeaky clean iphone/itunes.
A platform that provides more freedom in the adult department, could amass the masturbating masses.
And just how thick is this thing, after all?
I do not see any huge threats to the iPhone coming from a single phone but rather from a mobile operating system such as android.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O2Li74EYew
Now I'm not a Nokia-hater. This hardware looks good if a little bit thick, and definitely has some standout hardware features like 32GB flash, 5MP camera with autofocus/flash, high resolution screen (although it is NOT a capacitive touchscreen, instead being a resistive model... similar to all the crappy touchscreen WinMo phones that work with a stylus and a finger. These are nowhere near as responsive as a capacitive model like the iPhone's display). I do wish Apple would take a cue from Nokia regarding the camera though, which is still a sore spot on the iPhone.
However, like all the other wannabe "iPhone killers" that have failed so miserably, they focus on the hardware and neglect the interface. Instead of building a new touch interface from the ground up, they simply bolt-on a touch layer to the existing ancient S60 code base, which is entirely conspicuous in the akward, cluttered, and unintuitive interface. I wish they would just throw S60 out of the window and simply add phone functionality to their Linux-based "Tablet OS 2008" that runs on their iPod-touch like "internet tablets".
The only interesting thing with this phone will be if they upgraded the processor and GPU to Texas Instruments OMAP3 line, which uses the new ARM Cortex-A8 core and PowerVR SGX graphics. Though if the platform is not sufficiently optimized it won't matter how much power you throw at it. Perhaps that is why this phone will not be released until H1 2009. I'd expect an iPhone v3.0 to be ready by then..
Maybe the web should hold off on the "iPhone's in trouble now" talk until the product actually is finished.
And though attendees of the iPhone's Macworld 2007 debut were frustrated when the first Apple cellphone wasn't slated to ship for another five months after it first became public, the N97 isn't scheduled to ship until sometime in the first half of 2009 -- and then while largely excluding the US. As is customary with most Nokia phone introductions, the N97 lacks support for AT&T's 3G network.
By the time they release this phone Apple will be ready to release new version of the iPhone. I don't know what is the problem with Nokia! They gave up too much information about the device that by the time they release it it will become yesterdays news! The specs looks great but too much Nokia and as mrpiddly said they seem to keep reinventing the same phone over and over again.
....... the N97 isn't scheduled to ship until sometime in the first half of 2009 ........
OK. We'll check back sometime in the first half of 2009.
(By then, the world will probably be abuzz with the 3rd Gen iPhone which could well end up freezing the market for Nokia; Nokia appears to be simply chasing yesterday's technology).
Although my initial reaction was to say 'meh', halfway through the article I read the device is being touted as a "social networking device". This worries me, and should worry apple, Apple does not seem to understand social networking and the significance it will play in the future. I see no clear strategy, and I consider it one of Apples few weaknesses.
The App Store should be able to provide social networking Apps for the iphone, but Apple could certainly help the developer community along a bit by opening up the OS a bit more.
Another weakness is porn, porn has been a driving force in many technologies and (as far as i know) is not readily available on Apples squeaky clean iphone/itunes.
A platform that provides more freedom in the adult department, could amass the masturbating masses.
Apple is does not provide some anit-porn firewall for safari on the iPhone and if one were so inclined, one could find the same porn on the iPhone as they could on their home computer (as long as it is not flash or java based)
The App Store should be able to provide social networking Apps for the iphone, but Apple could certainly help the developer community along a bit by opening up the OS a bit more.
Apple need their own social networking system (one that works), and more integration is needed with the iApps and social sites. I believe a good Social networking strategy is crucial to their future.
Apple is does not provide some anit-porn firewall for safari on the iPhone and if one were so inclined, one could find the same porn on the iPhone as they could on their home computer (as long as it is not flash or java based)
Sure but (again I havent checked but at a an educated guess) the App store would not approve porn apps.
Porn is also not available on itunes (as a movie). Therefore for your average human, access to porn is hampered.
>No 3G
Good luck. By the time this thing ships, the 3rdGen iPhone will be out.
I would note though that nokia phones are way better spec wise on paper. I would love to have a 5MP camera with LED flash on my phone so I am hoping Apple produces a "Pro" version of the iPhone. One that is more expensive but has more sophisticated hardware in it like a better camera, and flash. Video capture and video chat would be amazing too but i can live without those.
Apple need their own social networking system (one that works), and more integration is needed with the iApps and social sites. I believe a good Social networking strategy is crucial to their future.
Sure they could make their own social network, but it's much faster to just burn a huge pile of cash every once in a while. Either that or they could just partner with existing networks.
Sebastian
Another weakness is porn, porn has been a driving force in many technologies and (as far as i know) is not readily available on Apples squeaky clean iphone/itunes.
A platform that provides more freedom in the adult department, could amass the masturbating masses.
You, are an idiot. But thanks for supplying justification for moderating forums.
Apple need their own social networking system (one that works), and more integration is needed with the iApps and social sites. I believe a good Social networking strategy is crucial to their future.
Their is no reason why Apple needs to waste money on building a social network. All of the major social networks have apps for the iPhone.
Sure but (again I havent checked but at a an educated guess) the App store would not approve porn apps.
Porn is also not available on itunes (as a movie). Therefore for your average human, access to porn is hampered.
Their is no reason why Apple needs to provide porn through iTunes or the App store, any more than Blockbuster needed to provide porn for the VCR.
Porn sites can easily provide downloadable content for iTunes and streaming content for the iPhone.
Sure they could make their own social network, but it's much faster to just burn a huge pile of cash every once in a while. Either that or they could just partner with existing networks.
Sebastian
It wouldn't touch the sides for apple to develop their own social network, in-fact I could practically write it myself.
The main social network is Facebook, and they seem rather cosy with microsoft, Facebook Connect extends their reach even further.
I know Facebook has had a lot of hype, but it deserves much of that hype, it certainly deserves more than the attention Apple currently gives it.
You, are an idiot. But thanks for supplying justification for moderating forums.
What the on earth is your problem? What exactly offends you that I have said? You registered simply to say that? How very sad.