As follow up... here are the highlights of what me thinks are positives for this phone:

- 32GB memory + 16GB expansion
- large screen of decent resolution
- full size keyboard
- various connectivity options
- design
- Nokia brand name & support

Some more on why I think the N97 is a good option...

http://thenokian97.com/2009/03/12/wh...an-the-iphone/

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Seems this phone comes with AGPS chipset.

From a Nokia site? :)

Most of the arguments against the iPhone are incorrect or meaningless. The biggies for me are the QWERTY keyboard and the removable battery. You do a heap of wireless posting so the QWERTY would have to be one of your top priorities.

I do prefer my E71 to my wife's iPhone 3G - just....

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I dont argue against the IPhone... if Apple comes out with a new generation handset that has a qwerty I will consider it.

Any idea if any of the US carries will pick it up?

Cant you just buy the handset and insert an existing SIM card...?

Sure can do, but then I would have to pay 100% of the price without incentives. Like $500 vs. $99, or similar...

Ah yes.... the carrier subsidies are indeed sweet, although the fine print of some of the contracts that they want you to enter into to enjoy some of the subsidies are kinda' lousy.... do the consumer laws allow the phone companies to get away with lots of small print stuff...?

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why the deletion?

My feeling is that this is too good to be true... but one of the Asian mobile phone forums is posting this info....

(start quote from this BBoard)

latest update from nokia insider source: N97 production units will be having 8mp cam with 5x optical zoom, internal memory is 60gb solid state drive, processor changed to AMD Mobile-Ultra 1.2GHz due to latest OS.and the most surprsing is N97 will have nvidia mobile dedicated graphic card, but still not sure which type. price will not be increased.

(end quote)

N series are all about exciting, cutting edge features so none of these rumors are impossible. At the moment, I use an E71 I bought in Hong Kong and for me, this is the true successor to my 9210. The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't do fax (which my 9210 still does with my UK Virgin Mobile SIM a few times every year)!

BTW, I can still see the old 9210 coming in useful. I was using it to reply to emails to the UK during my nightly 1 hour taxi drive from the office to the hotel in Bombay, back before mobile packet data existed. We still operate in places where mobile data is hard and circuit switched (9600) data is the only way (though even the most limited parts of the world are slowly going GPRS and 3G).

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Glad to find another N97 fan here...

:D

I got my E71 through Rogers wireless provider in Canada.

Nothing but good things to say about the E71 (except the camera quality, but I never use the camera).

Highly recommended for email, wifi, gps mapping, Outlook synced calendar, etc.