Because it’s been a while since I’ve had a Nokia mobile phone I was keen to see how much they’ve changed since my last one so was very grateful to the folks at WOM World of Nokia for the chance to try some and the first I’ve been having a go with has been the N97 Mini.
The first thing I noticed about this phone is how dinky and small it is especially compared to the full-size N97, however it may be small but it packs an awful lot in to it’s tiny frame, the handset feels very good to hold and is a nice weight. The screen produces a good sharp and colourful image and the homescreen can be customised with various widgets already pre-installed or available for download from the Ovi Store, this was a feature I really liked. I downloaded the excellent Facebook application which comes with a homescreen widget and the AccuWeather application which also features a widget, many more are available. Both widgets were easy to install and set-up. The homescreen can also be customised with an e-mail widget and 8 shortcuts to your most used applications or bookmarks. Setting up e-mail accounts on the phone is a very quick and simple process, it took me no more than a couple of minutes to set up my Google Mail account.
Also featured on the N97 Mini is a slide out QWERTY keyboard accessed by pushing up on the left hand side of the phone and is a real joy to use, it’s responsive, and the keys are well spaced out, composing texts, e-mails or tweets is a doddle using this keyboard. When you slide out the keyboard the screen automatically changes to landscape mode, very clever.
It also comes pre-installed with the Qik live video streaming application, Ovi Store, Ovi Maps, Vlingo which allows you to control your phone using your voice, and Boingo which is for locating Wi-Fi hotspots. An FM radio is also included.
The web browser included on the N97 Mini is easy to use, and the connection was quick and reliable, however my personal preference is still Opera Mini 5.
The camera on the N97 Mini is 5 megapixels with a Carl Zeiss lens, accessed via a dedicated button on the right hand side of the handset, and as you’d expect it produces crisp, sharp and excellent images as does the video recording mode.
I’ve always liked Nokia handsets and have owned several in my time but this is, by a mile, the best I’ve used so far, it’s small, feels good to hold, has an excellent camera, is packed with features and a customisable home screen, will be very sorry to return it at the end of next week! But have got an N900 hopefully coming next to trial to look forward to!
