The Nokia N97 Launches Last, But Launches Well
For all the talk about positioning, road-maps of products, and filling in the different sectors of the value chain for all consumers, the announcement of the Nokia N97 is going to be perceived by many as the start of the latest smartphone war. The main players now all have devices at roughly similar price points, with roughly similar specs and features, and each having their own quirks which are either (a) the thing that makes device A better than device B, or (b) cripples device A and why didn't the manufacturer recognise this?
As Slim Pickens said in Dr Strangelove: "This is it boys... Nuclear combat, toe to toe with the Ruskies." Except in this case it's a four way fight, and it doesn't necessarily have to be to the death. In the four corners, we have the Nokia N97, the Apple iPhone 3G, RIM's Blackberry Storm, and T-Mobile's G1 (Google Android) phone. And looking at the list, the first conclusion is that Nokia are late to the press party.
It's important to realise that this PR game is one that Nokia needs to be involved in. While the mid and low tier phones are the ones which provide the impact on the bottom line of the company balance sheet, it is the flagship aspirational models that catch people's eye and makes them happy to carry a device with that company's name on it.
And that means the N97 has a tough hill to climb. The, how shall I put this, youthful exuberance of anything Apple has placed the iPhone at the top of the tree. While it has made some good moves (e.g. the popularity of the app store and developer uptake, over 10,000 apps at the last count), there are still issues, the fixed battery, lack of text editing basics and poor camera spring to mind. But Nokia need to make an inroad into the online love that all the other devices mentioned have.
Look around the instant reaction from the online pundits this morning, and it appears that Nokia have hit a sweet spot with the N97. There's no general consensus on exactly what makes everyone want the device, although adding touch and a decent sized Qwerty keyboard to the mix are certain features that have been noticed.
What's more interesting are the number of bloggers and tech sites that have been invited to Nokia World this year. Each section of the media offers differing PR benefits, but there are very few traditional media outlets that provide such an instantaneous reaction than internet residents. By seeding the online conversation through bloggers and reporters at the event, news of the N97 spread from their homes (sites such as Robert Scoble's Scobleizer, GoMoNews and yes, All About Symbian) through the blogs, live chats, twitter updates, comments on news posts and people writing their own reflections.
These first influences will have a huge bearing on the N97's success in the market. Companies want people to say good things about their device. By giving the influencers access to the device at this incredibly early stage, some six months away from public availability, Nokia have created a buzz of expectation and anticipation around the device. Reading the spec sheet would be enough for gadget fans, but for a general audience this buzz will be noticed and picked up.
And when the articles to be written in the trade press, the feature articles in newspapers, the 'phones you want to die for' articles in the glossy technology-porn mags are considering the N97, they're going to use that buzz to open their article. Where before they had a vacuum, the online chatter will help guide the story.
Of course, all this is going to be useless if the firmware turns out to be a right dog - I refer back to Apple and the amazing demos of the Apple Newton they were showing off in 1993. Lots of buzz (pre-internet mind you) and lots of eager customers. When the Newton arrived, it was slow, had a clunky touch interface, and handwriting recognition that failed to recognise anything - and failed to take off in the consumer market.
Golfers drive for show and putt for dough. Nokia needs the N97 to be their show. The snap judgement of the web so far has put them squarely on the fairway. The next six months will see them approach the hole and go for the putt. Let's see if they can sink it.
-- Ewan Spence, Dec 2008
Published by Ewan Spence at 14:39 UTC, December 2nd 2008
Categories: Comment, Hardware
Platforms: General, S60 5th Edition
Feature Discussion
who cares about US it's only a tiny part of the smartphone market.
ppl put too much bearing on US when in fact most ppl there own phones from the stone age
This phone will still be great but it will be up against newer models for Christmas 2009 and I suspect by that time it will have lost a lot of the wow factor we get from seeing it today. I just wish nokia could have released it now, I would absolutley buy it today, but next year is another story.
I'm glad that Nokia didn't just decide to pack a technological showcase, but rather create a device that is their vision of the mobile future. Well ok, they did create a technological show case; but only as a by-product. Everything in this device really ties the whole thing together.
My big hope for this device is that it launches with good firmware. Bad firmware has killed the N96 even before today's announcement. I'm amazed at how many N95 users I know that have never upgraded their firmware and base all of their opinions and beliefs on launch firmware. I think the iPhone has managed to help dispel the myth that firmware is a all voodoo, but Nokia would do well to really knuckle down on this if they are looking to attract more users to the smartphone sector.
Also, is it too much to ask for some "pretty" transitions between Portrait and Landscape? Even the menus look like they can do with a little push in this direction. The screen blacking out and screens hanging is sooooo 2006. Some nice snappy animations to let you know the phone is doing something would go a long way to making this sexy enough really make the casual users look at it as a serious alternative to Mr Job's creation.
Oh, and I hope those boys down at Beta Labs are putting in the overtime to create some great new applications tailored for this device.
I agree with Unregistered though, that even if phones don't have 32GB integrated by mid-next year there will be a SD card that can do it, though actual cost will play a factor. The screen size will be matched, maybe a keyboard Touch HD. The camera owns all the other touch keyboard phones right now; HTC has a bad track record here, and RIM's cameras are so-so, but Sony Ericsson might make HTC shove a good one into later XPERIAs if they feel threatened. Apple doesn't care about cameras, so there's a good chance the camera will still be tops in H1 2009. Magnetic compass seems to be another Nokia exclusive.
I get the feeling if the Nokia is outmaneuvered it'll be on some new feature on currently covered, or maybe Samsung will have a competitive Android phone.
Seconded.
Was at the Symbian night at the Nokia Store in London a month or so ago and got demo'd the 5800 and the portrait<->landscape transitions were shocking - like you might expect of a prototype iPhone. The menus seemed sluggish too (you could see the screen loading in patches) and as I see the same on my N95 with v30 firmware I'm guessing it's an S60 problem rather than early 5800/N97 firmware. I might put up with it for a phone that costs 1/3 or 1/2 the price of an iPhone, but for a top-of-the-range flagship model, it will look crap when the two sit side-by-side in the inevitable comparisons on TV shows where there won't be time to go into the extra features the N97 possesses.
My other concern is with one-handed operation - how easy will it be to flick through contacts when on the move? I don't want to look like I'm playing Speak-and-Spell when I'm out and about...
Otherwise it looks great!
The N97 is more advanced. Its only real competitors are the Xperia and the Touch HD - windows mobile devices.
N97 impressions:
I'm disappointed in a couple of aspects .. its a touch screen device - so who the heck needs a D-pad!! That space could have been utilised in a better keyboard layout (I don't like the tiny space bar)
It really should be equipped with a more sophisticated camera - 12+ MP chip-sets are now available.
At the very least there should be both xenon and led. Dual flash isn't good enough.
I'm even more pleased I didn't buy an N96 now .. sorry for those who did. ;)
Unless N97 is released now, it makes no sense to speculate what the impact of N97 will be to the smartphone market. Nokia should hide it secretly (like Apple) to give the market a BIG impact when it is released.
I'm disappointed in a couple of aspects .. its a touch screen device - so who the heck needs a D-pad!! That space could have been utilised in a better keyboard layout (I don't like the tiny space bar)
Well... It wrote there it is a N-GAGE supported phone...
If its a phone without the D-pad... How are games suppose to be played on the device??
Don't tell me about the touch screen... Touch screen aren't meant for games...
At least I, as a semihardcore-gamer DON'T like touch-base game :(
I am glad Nokia placed the D-pad on the left side of the keyboard...
That means Nokia at least thinked of the gaming-path this phone can take...
LONG LIVE NOKIA~~~ woot~~
There is nothing stopping Nokia producing this form factor in 2009. Nokia produces multiple form factor variations based on platforms - the N97 is just the newest and most advanced platform with built in touch support.
This phone would much more comparable to the iPhone and should be cheaper to produce.
Watch this space!
Los Anuncios Oficiales se deben apoyar con productos inmediatos en el mercado.
Me gusta el N97 - 6 meses de espera!!!... para los que elegimos productos Nokia y vivimos en paises periférico el n97 recién podría estar a nuestro alcance en un año y con mucha suerte!!...mucho tiempo para un telefono!!!...cuando los productos con los cuales el N97 pretende competir, me los están ofreciendo todos los dias a la vuelta de la esquina.
La comptencia, después de este anuncio de Nokia, por un buen tiempo no tiene nada que temer! por lo menos de Nokia.. y está brindando con el mejor champagne del planeta...lo paga Nokia...!!!
Ah... tengo un N95...(lástima que la opción 3g esté capada por zonas-Euro-Nam-Etc)
I'm disappointed in a couple of aspects .. its a touch screen device - so who the heck needs a D-pad!! That space could have been utilised in a better keyboard layout (I don't like the tiny space bar)
Well, even we don't talking about the games, think that you can push D-pad with left thumb for fast scrolling in the web-page and then precisely click with right hand finger touch, or drag the picture with right thumb and change next by left thumb push D-pad downward...
...who cares about US it's only a tiny part of the smartphone market...
Is that not as "narrow-minded" as those in the USA who say, "Who cares about (fill in your state/continent here)?"
I mean, really.... Do I even need to go into a rational and logical discussion?
Lets keep it to the phones, the apps, the OS, etc... and avoid the useless "flame."
I would like to see the N97 in the USA. Media (Hollywood) can/does drive sales. What we have now is the Tube appearing on many music videos (worldwide), but no available Tube to supply the demand in the USA.
I just want to know why Nokia is no longer in the USA like it used to be back in the 1980s. Everyone had a Nokia then--even in the USA. Is it cost? Cost-sharing? No provider willing? Anyone know?
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