Nokia has put all its experience together for the Nokia N97 smartphone, and it certainly pays off. Not only does it looks good, it works like a charm, with the type of camera other companies can only envy, even though it’s just five megapixels with an auto-focus lens.

The company seems to have done most things right with this model. There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack for listening to music, and with a 32GB memory there’s room for plenty of tunes, as well as the ability to add another 16GB with a microSD card. Since the battery life is strong, users can play music for a long time without hitting empty.

That’s all great, but it’s only part of what the Nokia N97 offers. Among new mobile phones it’s outstanding for the resolution of its home screen, which allows a user to have some items continually updated. Everything works fast, thanks to a superb processor, while built-in GPS is an advantage for anyone who’s on the move, thanks to Nokia Maps.

The Nokia N97 uses a pull-out QWERTY keyboard, although it’s not the easiest for typing, due to its width. The browser that comes with phone is one Nokia’s been using for far too long, and its age really shows on this handset, taking far too long to respond.

The touch screen does need plenty of pressure, although that might be resolved in the future. Hopefully that will be true of Nokia’s Ovi App Store, too, which is still far too small. Those caveats aside, the Nokia N97 is a wonderful smartphone.

Photo by William Hook.