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The Nokia N96 is Dead folks … yes, I’m going out on a limb a little bit, but I think I’m right. However, it has died in perhaps the best way possible – giving birth to the Nokia N97.

If you read other blogs (and I strongly suggest you do as I’m not the most regular of updaters lol) you’ll perhaps already have been aware that NokiaWorld has been happening. There had been a lot of anticipation as to what might be announced … and after many years of media leaks and such Nokia finally managed to surprise us with the Nokia N97.

Firstly, let me be clear, the Nokia N97 has not been released yet. It is scheduled for the first half of 2009, and it’s not totally clear which end of the half it will be. So if you really need or want a Nokia N96 then of course, get one. It is a good phone, with some good features … BUT if your current phone can last a bit longer (like me with my trusty N95-1) then I strongly suggest you WAIT for the N97.

Yes, WAIT!

But why?

Look at this :

Yes folks, that’s right, it’s a touch screen with a full “flip out” QWERTY keyboard. Finally, touch, with haptic feedback, comes to Nokia N-Series.

This phone has so much, SO MUCH cool stuff!! It has a compass. It has what they are calling “social location” – the phone íntuitively understands where it is’. It has a huge battery. A 5MP camera. A dual LED flash.

*tyres screech to a halt*

Yes, sadly, they are still only giving us a dual LED flash. This top of the line phone will still be lacking a top of the line flash … that makes me sad a little … ( . Would it cost that much more for a proper Xenon flash?

Anyway, nevermind, the other features of this phone make it absolutely awesome.

Check out this video :

And why not squeeze in another video :

Looks pretty cool huh!!

There is so much to say about today’s news, more than I can squeeze in tonight … so, firstly, here’s the specs, and then I’ll give you some cool links where you can read more about the Nokia N97.

Nokia N97 Specifications (as listed at TheSymbianBlog.Com )

SPECIFICATIONS

N97

• S60 Touch 9.5 OS
• 3.5? nHD Screen (640×360) (!)
• Haptic Feedback
• Slideout QWERTY (!)
• Dimensions – 117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9
• Weight 150g
• 5MP Camera with Dual Led Flash – with sliding lens cover
• 32 GB Onboard Memory with microSD slot = 48GB currently. (!)
• N-Gage Touch (!)
• 1500mah Battery (!)
• COMPASS (!)
• Customizable Home Screen with Widgets (RSS, Weather, Facebook, Ovi)
• 400 hours of standby time
• 320-400 (3G/GSM) hours of talk time
• 4.5 hours of video playback and over 37 hours of audio playback
• The Nokia N97 is expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 at an estimated retail price of EUR 550 before taxes or subsidies.

AND THE USUAL NSERIES FEATURE SET:

• AGPS
• HSDPA
• WIFI
• 3.5mm Jack
• TV-out

No stylus built into the phone, but one will be included in the box.

And now, for some more Nokia N97 news and thoughts from people who were lucky enough to be at NokiaWorld :

• TheSymbianBlog.Com :
  • Meet Nseries, QWERTY & S60 Touch S60 Together – Meet The N97 (Full Specifications & Pictures Inside)
  • Initial Impressions Of The N97
• Symbian-Guru.Com :
  • Nokia’s “Big” Announcement Is Phenomenal: N97 Rocks Nokia’s World!
  • Initial Thoughts On The Nokia N97 From The Guru
• SMS Text News :
  • NokiaWorldWatch: The new Nokia, the N97 – the full skinny, the complete low down, the full enchilada – everything you needed to know but were too afraid to ask.

That’s it for today folks … after reading so much about the Nokia N96, somethin didn’t quite add up as to why Nokia hadn’t pushed things further … now we know why, they were already thinking of the N97.

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Not quite N96 related but extraordinarily interesting is the news that Nokia is to pull out of Japan. Japan, where they love all their gadgets and electronics is apparently a market where Nokia has struggled to succeed. Apparently they will continue to sell their luxury handset phones which are branded as Vertu, but the Nokia branded handsets are gone. According to the the BBC : Nokia has nearly 40% of the global market… ....

Click here to read the rest of Breaking News : Nokia To Pull Out Of Japan

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If you've ever tried to transfer data onto or off of your Nokia N95 via the USB cable you'll know that it's a very slow process ... and by slow, we mean sloooooooooooowwwwwwwwww. So it's refreshing to see that one of the lesser reported aspects on the Nokia N96 is that finally this issue has been resolved and the Nokia N96… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Reviews - It's A Speed Demon

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The Nokia's N96 Camera is one of the more important factors in a person's decision to buy or not buy. When the Nokia N95 first came out it was almost unheard of to have a 5MP camera on a phone. Yet, 18 or so months later when the Nokia N96 was released with ... well, a 5MP camera, there were already phones here or soon to be here with 8MP cameras… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Camera Review - Fast Focus

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As promised, in Day 4 of our Nokia N96 Reviews series we will look at battery life. Firstly, apologies, I know Day 3 was a rather long time ago ... nevermind, we're back and able to carry on with our series! So then, battery life ... when the Nokia N96 specs were first released there was a lot of debate over battery life. Many people struggled with the battery life… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Reviews - Battery Life

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In Day 3 of our Nokia N96 Reviews week we post a bit of a followup to yesterday's article in which we read some unflattering comments in a review of the N96. The interesting thing is that the followup article (by a different poster on a different site) both agrees and disagrees with the post we discussed yesterday. Dotsix at Symbian-Guru.Com has written about his Joy and Sorrow

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As our Nokia N96 reviews week continues, you'll remember that yesterday I promised that today we'd be looking at a review that wasn't so fond of the Nokia N96. Today I deliver as we explore Whatley's review over at MobileIndustryReview.Com . Although I haven't read much of Whatley's articles before, in the beginning he points that he is a big Nokia fan ... however, the Nokia N96 has… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Reviews Continue - "Nokia, What ARE You Doing?"

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I thought it was only a matter of time and I was right, the Nokia N96 reviews have started rolling thick and fast. On the Nokia N96 blogs that I monitor there's been a number of reviews posted lately. Some in favour of the N96, and some perhaps a little harsh. But the great thing about the blogging world is that everybody is free to share their opinions and we… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Reviews - N96 Reviews Everywhere

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As election day in America begins, just a quick update on yesterday's article about the Nokia N96 now being available in America. Thanks to Symbian-Guru we are happy to report that there are a couple of more confirmed options for those in the USA wanting to  purchase the N96. According to the article :

• As stated yesterday, Nokia flagship stores are selling the phone for $842.
• Best Buy stores are stocking

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As most of America (and the world) waits to see who will win the election on Tuesday, Nokia lovers are already enjoying a changed world with the news that the Nokia N96 is now available in America. PlanetN96 reports that the phone is now available in America at the Nokia flagship stores. The price they give is $842, which means it is roughly equivalent to the UK price based on… ....

Click here to read the rest of Nokia N96 Released In America

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