Nokia N97 to be the next worthy Apple iPhone Challenger!

Nokia announces the all new N97, a smartphone unlike its Chinese counterpart. The Nokia N97 is hyped to be a mobile phone for media enthusiasts and is likely to retail for EUR550 (Rs. 35,010/- approx., taxes not included) in the second quarter of 2009.

The all new Nokia N97 would directly compete with the Apple iPhone and would be lacking in the multi-touch feature. It is now not possible to pinch and Zoom pictures in and out. It has a tilting 3.5-inch touchscreen with tactile feedback and 640x360 pixel resolution i.e with 16:9 aspect ratio.

The Nokia N97 has a full QWERTY keyboard with 5 megapixel camera equipped with Carl Zeiss optics which promises DVD quality videos. There is a personalized home screen as well. It can carry up to 48GB data (32GB internal memory and 16GB expandable memory via microSD), which makes it a multimedia phone with storage device functionality. The all new Nokia N97 is apparently one with the Symbian OS on the prototype shown at the conference.

The So-Lo concept has been introduced in the mobile phone which updates the user on the location based on the data from an integrated A-GPS sensor and an electronic compass. The digital compass is however a very unique feature, present in the App Store for the Apple iPhone.

What's more, the home screen can be customized with social media widgets of popular social networking sites and services. Coupled with support for Nokia Music Store, Nokia has introduced two new Ovi services - Mail on Ovi and Maps on Ovi.

Equipped with the most touted features, the Nokia N97 may be a revolutionary device for Nokia but its timing is relegated to one of the Apple iPhone killers in the market. But will the Nokia brand which is the main highlight for the N97 match iPhone's iconic status, well time will only tell.