Since the launch of Nokia’s new Messaging devices , I’d been hearing a lot about c6 being a replacement of N97 Mini , so here’s is specification comparison followed by our thoughts and for both

The pictures above show the C6 and my snaps of N97 with N97 Mini and Nokia 5800 for comparison

Operating System

C6 : S60 V5 with Standby Widgets

N97 Mini : S60 v5 with Standby Widgets

Winner : None , same OS and same feature set

Screen:

C6 : 360 x 640 – 16 million color Resistive Touch Screen

N97 Mini : 360 x 640 – 16 million color Resistive Touch Screen

Winner : Both has the same Specs

Size and Weight

C6 : 113.4 x 53 x 16.8 mm – 150g

N97 Mini : 113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm – 138 g

Winner : N97 Mini as it’s marginally small , thin and light

Connectivity

C6 : GSM – 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 – WCDMA 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 – A-GPS

N97 Mini : GSM – 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 – WCDMA 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 , A-GPS

Winner : None both are the same

Data Bearer

C6: EDGE / GPRS / HSCSD / HSDPA / WCDMA / WLAN 802.11 b/g

N97 Mini : EDGE / GPRS / HSCSD / HSDPA / WCDMA / WLAN 802.11 b/g

Winner : Same Specs

CPU :

C6 : Single Processor ARM 11 – 434 MhZ

N97 Mini : Single Processor ARM 11 – 434 MhZ

Winner : both are losers as none got the new 600 Mhz processors

Internal Memory

C6 : No onboard flash – 240 MB user available Memory

N97 Mini : 8 GB onboard flash : 256 MB user available memory

Winner : N97 Mni with 8 GB onboard flash

Camera :

C6 : 5 MP back – 30 FPS Video recording at 640 x 480 – Front Cam 320 x 240 – Single LED Flash

N97 Mini : 5 MP back – 30 FPS Video recording at 640 x 480 – Front Cam – 320 x 240 – Dual LED Flash

Winner : None but N97Mini has Carl Zeiss Lens and Dual LED Flash

Battery :

C6: Bl-4J  – 1200 MAH

N97 Mini : Bl-4D 3.7 v 1200 MAH

Winner : None Same Capacity

Talk Time :

C6 : GSM – 7 hrs , WCDMA – 5 hrs , Standby 17 days , Video Playback 4.1 hrs , Music playback 30 hrs

N97 Mini : GSM – 7.1 hrs , WCDMA – 4 hrs , Standby 13 days , Video Playback 3.5 hrs , Music playback 28 hrs

Winner : C6 , although it has the same capacity battery , better power management makes it last longer

Conclusion :

In all aspects , C6 stands equal to N97 Mni , even the onscreen widgets are the same . What matters is the form factor . C6 when closed looks more like the classic Nokia 5800 Xpress Music while N97 Mini copies it’s looks from it’s elder bro N97 . C6 has a plastic body , while N97 Mini has ample use of metal . The Keyboard slide in C6 is straight as in N900 , while in N97 Mini it’s angular making it easy to keep it and view it on a flast surface and also gives it a laptop look and feel.

No matter how we biased we feel towards N97 Mini – it’s the price which matters . N97 Mini when launched was commanding almost double the launch price of C6 and till now in Pakistan the new N97 Mini is sold for Euro 280 while c6 ‘s starting price is Euro 220 which will surely fall with time and soon will be available for 150 – 170 Euros in Pakistan , brining it In many people’s reach

For those using N97 Mini , we don’t recommend upgrading to c6 as it offers no extra value but for those thinking about N97 Mini , we recommend to wait for C6 , as it’s going to offer the same functionality as N97 Mini but at a lower price .

Mr Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President Markets admits in an interview given to All About Symbian and Mobile Industry Review that N97 was a big disappointment .

According to him N97 sold well and was a success in shipment and making money but where actual user experience is concerned it was  “disappointment” .

Anssi further admits that Nokia did tried to fix the problems associated with the software but the more they tries the more the situation went bad and they have stretched too long something which should not be stretched and when something is stretched from all sides , eventually nothing stays together and that happened with N97 .

Well I told Nokia Pakistan about the memory problems I was told that it’s only with a proto , I tried to ask the head of N series in MEA region and he didn’t answered my question and later they all were having the N97 nightmares and as Anssi says he can finally sleep after a lot of sleepless nights

Anyway the good news for all of us that another Firmware upgrade is in works and had been tested in the real world in Norway and Nokia has incorporated all the feedback to make the ultimate , error free OS so for Anssi his “ Agonizing Experience is Over “

He also talked about Symbian ^3 and how it’s going to be  a perfect OS and through Quality Control Process .

So what you think better late than never or you are angry at Nokia for selling a flawed phone for so long .

For me the admittance enhances my trust on Nokia that although they made a mistake , they were honest enough to admit and fix it although late but still my father’s N97 will work the way it should .

On a side thought , will Nokia port Symbian ^3 to N97 , just dreaming

Nokia like many others in not immune to counterfeit and which Chinese coming up with such copies that one time even I was confused to see one of my subordinates using E71 made in China with touch screen and all . In off mode their was very negligible difference between the original and the counterfeit and at quarter of the price it’s very popular . Beside E71 , E75 and even N97 are available as counterfeit in Pakistan market.

it’s not only happening in Pakistan , the phenomenon is world wide and counterfeit phones are available all around the world be it Nokia , iPhone and soon to be available Nexus One copies.

To counter the loss in sales and brand images , Nokia along with SAP for business and quality reassurance and Giesecke & Devrient , for security solutions has launched Original 1 .

The concept behind Original1 is to use available technologies like bar codes, RFIDs, holograms and other machine-readable marker technologies to ensure the authenticity  of the product and ‘PREVENT’  Piracy .

How this could be done

In our opinion as Nokia is using SAPs Supply Chain Solutions , they may RFID tag each and every of their components and tags and labels , like high street retailers are doing which will not only make Nokia and others aware of the quantity of parts being made but also the number being used and dispatched . 

With the online data collections Nokia can easily monitor their suppliers productions and avoid leakages which may lead to manufacture of counterfeit products such as phone bodies as good and original as the actual product.

But will Nokia limit the Original1 solution to themselves

We don’t think so with Original1 being used in cellphones , Nokia can use their NFC phones and develop the technology for others like pharma companies to monitor the authenticity of the stocks being sold in the market , the same solution can be used be big name fashion brands .

On the other hand the data will also help Nokia with ‘Grey Market ‘ imports with RFID data Nokia service shops can easily check the phone , model , date of manufacture and even IMEI without even touching the phone .

The possibilities are endless but what about privacy that’s one question Nokia needs to answer , I don’t want people to know which phone am I using etc so in future if the solution is not addressed , I may keep my new phones wrapped in foil

Nokia’s flagship N97 had been a constant sinker with it’s memory vows , earlier in July ‘09 Nokia launched a Memory Optimizer which did nothing  , later In posted about how to free up memory by uninstalling blaotware by Nokia ( http://senseapplied.com/index.php/n97-reclaim-thy-memory/ ) now again Nokia has launched Memory Organizer 1.0 ( earlier it was Optimizer ) 

You can find the update in the Software Update option , users are reporting between 2-6 mb of additional memory , given only 50 MB available memory which dries up fast every MB counts to keep the phone running 

Photos and Information Courtesy The Nokia Blog

Finally I got done with the N97 Mini review , there is so much to talk about the phone that a quick review wouldn’t have done he justice to this piece of fine craftsmanship  . As I opened the box  ,  I fell in love with the color , the Garnet /  Copper color is immaculate , it gives the phone a sober outlook with a fun side , you can carry it to your office and to the day out with the kids , the color fits every occasion . Could this be the new black in phone , I don’t know , Nokia changed the color norms on the phone by introducing Grey Steel on E71 , a multitude of colors on E75 , E72 and even the Mica Brown color on E90 so the ‘Garnet’ color on the N97 Mini could again be used on other phones.

On material side , Nokia didn’t slouched , for a phone to act as the mini version of a ‘flagship’ it had to show it’s worth and with abundance of metal such as Garnet Matt coated Stainless Steel to Copper Alloy hinges and ofcourse high quality plastics , the phone gives a feeling of substance in the hand .

On Functionality as I called the E72 , a N Series in E Clothing , Nokia N97 Mini is made by the N Series team with users of E series as their target . The smooth flow of screen to unravel the keyboard which in itself is a marvel of technology .  The key presses are just perfect , those missing the D-Pad , there is always the cursor key pad at the bottom , thus everything is made just perfect whether the keyboard is used to fireoff a tweet on Gravity or writing a whole  business proposal while on the subway with the option to show it up on the larger screen with TV-Out capabilities of Nokia N97 Mini .   

I also had access to a N97 ( Courtesy Nokia Pakistan ) and a Nokia 5800 XM ( Still trying to sell it to my mom for the N95 8GB )  with the size and weight Nokia N97 Mini feels more like a 5800 XM but with the on screen widgets and slide out keyboard it proves itself as a worthy sibling of Nokia N97 .

Although the screen of Nokia N97 Mini is small as compared to Nokia N97 ,  3.2 inches vs 3.5 inches , none the less with the same pixel screen , the screen is much more sharp however Nokia put standard TFT on N97 Mini while Nokia N97 had the translefective TFT making it easier to use in sunlight

When keeping Nokia N97 and Nokia N97 Mini side by side ,  the Mini does looks like the miniature version of N97 with almost the same front layout ,at the bottom are touch sensitive call send and end keys , Diagonal Menu key made of mesh like material as in Nokia N86 8MP not the solid chrome like in N97 .

The screen although smaller in size has the same widget set as in N97 giving both the same familiar user interface of Symbian S60 v5 

On the top of the phone display are the proximity sensor ( to turn off the screen while you hold it against your ear ) Secondary Camera for Video Calling and Ambient Light sensor to adjust the screen brightness according to the surrounding light.  

Unlike N97 which had a metallic NOKIA ‘badge’  on the side   the N97 Mini has NOKIA printed on in the portrait mode right beneath the phone speaker .  This causes a little problem , for N97 it was easy to see from where to slide out the keyboard determining from the location of badge , while in a N97 mini , for a newbie it takes some time to get used too as the phone can be pushed from the hinged side. Took me 24 hrs to get used to it    

The side panels options are same as Nokia N97 with the right side having the screen lock key , micro USB sync charging and Sync port and stereo speakers on the edges . The small visible ridge three quarter way up from bottom is is to open the battery cover.

On the left  side are the Camera Key and Volume Keys . same as in N97 and 5800 Xpress Music

On the bottom of N97 Mini is devoid of anything except the charm /  strap connector

The top has the Power Key and 3.5 inch AV connector to be used both for sound and TV Out.

It’s the back which differentiates the N97 Mini from it’s elder sibling the N97 .

At the back , and what a back the Mini has , unlike the N97 which had a full matt coated plastic back which is to be fully removed to get access to the battery and SIM Card , the N97 MINI’s back  has both sides of premium Granite color premium plastic while the center is the Stainless Steel cover for access to battery compartment ,  SIM Card and MicroSD card .  Also the N97 Mini features the same 5 MP Carl Zeiss camera as on N97 , unlike the N97 , N97 Mini has no lens cover to protect the lens which is left out in the open.   I guess after the problems with the   N97 lens cover scratching the lens , Nokia wants us to be responsible for our own scratches on lens.

Opening the battery cover is fairly simple just pull from the ridge on the side and it comes off.

The battery cover is made of stainless steel and has a small foam strip attached to it to hold the battery firmly in place.

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The main design flaw for N97 mini is inside the battery cover .  In N97 to insert the SIM card , there was a SIM tray which is pulled out and inserted back while N97 mini uses the same concept , in it the SIM tray is a SIM Holder which is a separate piece which has to be removed from the body , SIM Card is inserted at the bottom and then it’s inserted into the phone , the pics below will explain it better  and the video will show you how to do it

The N97 Mini just like the N97 uses the same hinge design on which the Nokia promotional Video Blood Sweat and Tears was made ,  I think it was a good carry forward  , as the hinges does work smoothly and made of Cooper Alloy ( You can see Cu Alloy written on the inside of hinge ) it’s much durable .  The screen gets signal from the same thin transistor film visible when the screen is pushed out . 

The keyboard keys are almost the same as that on N97 sans the D-Pad instead of which N97  Mini now has directional keypad beside the spacebar .  The keys are positioned the same as N97 with Z key coming right below A key .

Upon opening the keyboard , the N97 Mini sits at a flatter angle than the N97 , some may like it as it’s handy when typing while on the move but for some who use it on the desk , it could be cumbersome . For me I liked the rather slant screen

Another design flaw is on the back of the screen where there is a hole supporting the back hinge through which you can see the screen light filtering out , why Nokia didn’t covered it  I have no clue but one thing is for sure it will let dust enter the back of the screen

Overall it’s a beautiful phone with  a much better build than N97’s plastic body , the ,metals and alloy complement the phone and even the color is something different from the norm .  There were no hangups , no out of memory errors the whole time I used ( read abuse ) it .  Not for once it let me down , the camera although needs some improvement ( was not at par as on N97 )  the picture were nice , the screen was responsive ,  the widget screen wisely used to enhance productivity ,  the keyboard was great ( didn’t test the onscreen keyboard) .  I recommend it to everyone looking for a Entertainment centric phone suitable for business .  

If I’ve left out something or you want to know more about the Nokia N97 Mini do leave me message and I’ll get back to you

Today , Friday the 13th ‘09 , a beast of a phone unravels itself to me , and I uncover the l petite and sexy clad in Matt Garnet color The N97 MINI in front of you .

The sleek incarnation of the earlier Flagship Nokia N97 , the Mini is only mini in size , in features well N97 can’t even reach it’s dust   before I divulge any further details let’s unbox it

The Nokia N97 MINI comes in the same box as that of Nokia N97 , the size is smaller and the box is thinner but made of the same Grey recycled Card .  The outer design is also the same as that of N97 with the N 97 MINI Silhouette embossed upon the card complete with it’s directional keypad . 

Unlike the Nokia N97 which has 32 GB of internal Flash memory , N97 MINI has only 8 GB and it’s prominently written on the box along with the mention of Carl Zeiss Lens

If you look at the box , the top has the N97 MINI silhoutte embossed on it with Nokia N97 MINI and Nokia N Seriescatching the eye with   Silver Foil Printing

The Front Wall has the 8GB and Carl Zeiss optics mentioned on it ( pictured above ) while the right wall is plain , the the left side wall has Nokia N97 mini printed in Silver Foil in large not to miss font

Behind the box , unlike other Nokia packaging , no phone detials are given except the mention of the phone and Designed in Finland ( the phone is made in China ) mentioned along with Nokia copyright Infomration and the wordings that it’s a OVI Services Device and registration via SMS is required.

The back wall contains the most information like the IMEI , WLAN MAC Address and most important for me the mention of Pakistan QWERTY Garnet which shows the that phone has the QWERTY keyboard unlike some European QWERTZ and is meant for the Pakistan market and is of course Garnet in color.

open the Lid and first thing you will see is nokia.com/nseries web address and WE Recycle , Nokia Logo open the second and here lies the phone in all it’s glory

The inbox content includes

BL-4D Battery

AC-10 E Micro USB charger Cable

CA-101 Micro USB Sync and USB Charger Cable

and the best of all WH-701 headset with slim remote to control music playback , sound , builtin mic and call Receive and End button .  If that’s not enough the 3.5mm connector is Gold plated for extra sound clarity .

In Paperwork and software  , the box includes

Nokia N97 Mini User Manual

OVI Store pamphlet, some what dazzling in lime color for people to notice and read it and shows how to get to the OVI Store

and OVI Suite CD

So here was what was in the box , about the phone and other details , well good things come to those who are patient   Tomorrow I’ll post a detialed review of the N97 Mini and run comparison with N97 ( F/w 20  to be fair ) 

So be patient , also if you have any questions about the device do let me know so I can answer them later

Finally I’ve managed to update the F/W on my father’s Nokia N97 -  and my first impression was WOW , the Kinetic scrolling rocks other updates include

• OVI Maps 3.1 with 3-D mapping
• Nokia Messaging
• OVI Contacts
• OVI Store and
• VOIP Support

some improvements in battery performance and memory had been made but I’m unable to notice any memory improvements

Eyecandy below shows everything and the Video further below shows the WOW -  Kinetic scrolling

so what you think about the update , discuss in comments

Finally the much awaited F/w update . version 20 for Nokia N97 , announced in Nokia World 2009 is available on NSU for update , I got it in Pakistan and currently updating

What’s the difference well I’ll check it out later

Farhan 

Nokia Singapore has teamed up with fashion design house RAOUL to create limited edition Nokia N97 RAOUL Edition phones for Singapore $1138 only.

For the fashionistas the limited edition phone will come in a Leather Wrapped RAOUL Box containing

Limited Edition Nokia N97 -  with RAOUL Signature strips at the back 

Calf Skin Leather Pouch

Matching Leather Dangler

The phone will also has builtin FASHION ASIA widget

In addition to the phone you;ll also get RAOUL GOLD Membership with Singapore $ 50 Credit ,

If ordered before 29th Oct , you’ll also get an additional RAOUL S$50 voucher along with S$50 Nokia voucher . 

4 RAOUL Stores and 10 Nokia Singapore Stores are participating in the promotion and phones can be collected on 31st October.( may change )

For preordering a S$100 advance is also required

so after all rebate vouchers the phone will less than S$1000.

I think Nokia has made the right move , with the N97 fiasco , Nokia does need limited editions and other promotional themes to market the followup the N97 Mini .

If successful , Nokia could use the same promotional strategy in other territories especially China where  people always want something unique . 

Finally Nokia is slowly realizing the problems with their flagship N97 and slowly taking steps to rectify them .  First it was the memory optimizer which in reality did nothing but now Nokia is going for a more serious approach , upgrading the entire Firmware to version 2.0 -  Displayed at Nokia World

The enhancements will include

Kinetic Scrolling comparable to that of iPhone ( atleast on video it looks the same flow )  ,

Newer Applications and Widgets , here I differ as it will result in more bloat ware on phone memory , Nokia can make the shortcuts available to be installed on demand

Enhanced stability  , this I’ll see when I’ll use it

The major upgrade is memory enhancement , those who had been reading me earlier know my gripes about the N97 Phone memory , right now the one in the family has only 25mb left .  Nokia is taking steps to enhance it up to 25 MB to 30 MB that means available total memory will become 75 MB to 80 MB  up from 50 MB currently available .

The newer firmware will be available from October’09 ,  I sure am looking forward to it

The Video can be seen at

via Nokiablog.com