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Review: Nokia N97

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This is where Nokia absolutely blows it. Apple, Google and Palm have come up with some great ways to manage and sync personal data and messaging services on devices such as the iPhone, the HTC G1 and the Palm Pre.

With the Pre, for example, Palm asks you to create a new user profile as part of setting up the phone. It then uses this master profile to collect your data and manage your various accounts. A phone such as the N97 is begging for that kind of integration. Alas, it's not there.

Nokia should have an Ovi client on the N97 that has new users create an Ovi account and set up an online profile. You can do this separately online, of course, but Nokia would convince more people to use this service if it were part of the registration / set-up process with each phone it sells.

That complaint aside, the N97 supports just about any messaging medium that you care to use it for. The email wizard will walk you through email set-up, which supports POP3, IMAP and Exchange. You can create and store multiple accounts on the device. The email software itself sees very little change compared to what's on S60 3rd Ed. In fact, it is disappointingly similar. No nice new graphics, no nice new user interface. It offers the same old look and feel that the email app has always offered. It doesn't come anywhere near the competition.

Same goes for the SMS/MMS application. This app has long needed an overhaul, and S60 5th Ed was the perfect opportunity to bring in some fresher software. Didn't happen. Native threaded SMS is still not available. There is a workaround, but it involves downloading a beta app from the Nokia Beta Labs web site and then viewing SMS conversations via the Contacts application and not the Messaging app. That's not very user friendly.

It is nice that there is a native Facebook application on board, but what about Twitter and MySpace? Including one of the S60 Twitter clients is a no brainer, yet it isn't here.

The N97 certainly covers the messaging basics, but it doesn't cover any new ground, something that Nokia sorely needs to do.

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Nokia N97

3.5" display 360 x 640 pixels
ARM 11 processor
1,500 mAh battery
Memory Card Slot, Hardware Text Keyboard, Headphone Jack (3.5mm)