N97Mini Review Part-1: Design

Well with a comparison with the N97 done, we have highlighted what is the difference between the mini and the original N97, and as you can see it is quite a bit.

But let’s move on and talk about the N97mini as a device. Over the next few days you shall get to read more about the mini.

Design:

Since this is a miniaturized version of the N97, one would say that it is hardly any different except that it does not have a D-Pad and a lens cover. Well, then I hate to tell you but you are wrong. The N97mini is a hugely different device, yes it is essentially a miniature version of the N97, but that’s where the association ends.

The Nseries team of designer seem to have paid a lot of attention to certain details about the device that many of us might not have even talked about. Let me point out the differences in terms of design besides the obvious,

• Smaller screen size has resulted in an overall compact device.
• The device is more rounded, meaning easier and more friendly to hold in the hand
• The camera key protrudes out a little bit but that is rather helpful when it comes to clicking vs. a depressed key.
• The sensors are placed in a different manner
• The incline of the screen once opened is different from the angle that is on the N97
• The menu key is now more of a porous key, the countless small holes in it means that the breathing light actually can be seen
• The micro USB is placed in an inverted position compared to the N97 and the light beside it is brighter.
• No lens cover to keep the overall profile thin (bad move I say!)
• Metallic cover at the back gives a unique look to the device
• The keypad is definitely different in feel and usage than the N97 (more on it later in the post)
• Rubber stoppers under the screen prevents marks from appearing on the backside of the screen due to the keys.

As you can see it’s quite a long list of changes making it more than just a D-Pad ‘less’ N97. Let’s look into a few things in detail. With a smaller screen I thought that the N97mini would really not look that great, but I found the smaller screen size to be much better. The touch aspect has been tremendously improved upon by Nokia. I have to say on record that the touch on the mini is way better than on the N97 also. It is extremely responsive and a pleasure to use. Because the resolution is the same, everything on the device looks sharper.

A more rounded design means that the device is much more comfortable to hold and provides much better natural grip than the N97 provided. It’s definitely more pocketable too.

The camera key seems to protrude out a little more than one would normally find in a camera phone. I have to admit that it works better like this, the button gives a positive ‘click’ sound when you press it, lovely!

Since this device is not as wide as the N97, the sensors have been placed differently, thus making the N97 distinctive and yet the same as the N97. The incline of the screen is also different, from a 45ish degree angle to a more flatter angle. This approach makes the device easier to use when walking and using with both hands. We found it to be pretty neat, but when put on a table it was too flat for our liking. If that was not all the menu key has also changed. It now has many small holes on it making it porous, this allows the breathing light to be seen and a design step which should have been taken during the N97’s design itself.

Another positive design step was put rubber stopper beneath the screen enclosure of the phone, this has put a small gap to the shutline of the device, but it has also ensured that the keys do not rub against the backside of the screen enclosure, this indeed is a very good thought and deserves to be appreciated.

The one thing which I did not like is to have removed a lens cover for the mini. Without a lens cover the lens is bound to get scratches and that would only affect the quality. This is a rather poor thought, and I feel it should not have been done.

The metallic cover for the battery has definitely given the device character and easily makes the device look and feel like an upmarket device, the fact that it is matte and not glossy makes it even more beautiful, the brown color also adds to the appeal. I hope metal becomes a permanent fixture from now on in the Nseries phones.

Lastly, the keypad. This is one aspect which was criticized by many of us. A soft keypad with very little travel was a major grouse, but no more, the mini completely fixes that giving the keys ceramic coating. This helps as one can feel the keys much better while typing. The travel of the keys has been improved upon, firstly the travel is slightly more and also the keys have been made harder to press. This dual change makes the keypad a much more enjoyable experience. Kudos for finally getting it right guys! The omission of the D-Pad is noted, but the direction keys require just a little bit of learning.

I guess it is evident that a lot of effort has gone into the redesigning of the phone and it’s not just a smaller version only. In terms of the design I’ll give it a 8/10. Some real improvements to design along with some omissions deny it from taking a top score. Undeniably a better looking device than it’s older sibling though!

Stay tuned as we will bring you more on the N97mini….

Do let us know what you think about the mini….

In case you want to have a look at the complete gallery of N97mini pics, click here.

A ring to unite them all!

I was just sitting and watching something known as the television and as soon as the episode was up, it was back to my E75 just doing one of those random things we do on the internet, when we got nothing to do. I hit ‘Search’ and typed news, looking for nothing in particular, and Google News it was. After having read a few articles here and there on the happenings, I hit the Science and Technology section, there was an article on the N97 and below that another article on the N97 being a worthy contender to the iPhone. This article spoke a lot about a many things and it got me thinking. I thought it best to rant them out for you all to read.

The N97 comes at a point for Nokia when a lot of things have changed in the mobile industry. What seemed like a battle of only handsets and megapixels has slowly, with the advent of the iPhone escalated to something more. the iPhone has brought many features previously unknown to us, multi touch and phones were not used in the same sentence, UI – suddenly became a huge differentiator, materials became important.

Then came the rush to overturn the iPhone, Samsung, LG, HTC retaliated with a slew of devices, each claiming to be one up on the iPhone. Nokia trusted it’s flagship – the venerable N95, there were many video comparisons and countless blog posts about the two.

Then Google came not with a phone but with an Operating System and changed the rules of the game. Suddenly with the advent of Android, there were many foundations which were formed to take on the might of Android and Google’s marketing prowess. LiMo Foundation, and a few more, then Nokia decided to make Symbian an open source platform and created Symbian Foundation. In between all of this it is the ‘app store’ which became the next weapon to sharpen the divide between iPhone and the others. Soon every phone manufacturer had to have an app store or be looked down upon. Nokia, Samsung, Microsoft, Google, RIM – they all launched their ‘app stores’.

So what has changed in the last two years? Firstly, the UI has become extremely important to everyone. How easy is it to work with? What else can it do for me? These are the questions people are asking their dealers and the phone companies. The need for it to be Open Source has also never been louder!

Design which was the only thing is now of prime importance, since the physical object has to close the gap between the real life and the digital life. A candy bar, a clam shell, slider are just not enough… It has become increasingly important for manufacturers to give more in the same form and give new devices in new forms to their customers yesterday.

App Stores, an idea that many people thought of, but only one could exploit successfully. Even if you think the apps on iPhone don’t make sense and their tight controls on what goes out and not, it still remains a success story. Other companies also have their own versions of the same idea and you have some independent ones as well.

Internet, which was not so important a few years ago, is now suddenly something everybody (OK, a lot of people!) wants on their cell phone. Internet innovations have spilled over to phones, and there is an inherent need of having a mobile friendly version of it. People’s needs have evolved. They want to be able to do things with their cell phones on the internet. Share, explore, learn and be informed, they want it all.

Features, they were there earlier, but now are even more pronounced. The megapixel war has only escalated; entertainment features are a deal maker and breaker; hardware additions like WiFi, GPS, etc are a must for smartphones and feature phones. A rather nice development here is a rather large consensus for a few components like 3.5mm audio jack and USB in its many iterations. There’s more but I can recall only these off hand.

Environment, this suddenly is the topic that everyone is discussing. It is now an equally important feature for prospective customers. many of them want to know if their next purchase is going to be a power hog or a power saver. Being green was never so important!

With so many factors emerging and becoming powerful decision helpers many companies are taking up their positions. Each wants to be known for one particular feature that makes them better than their rivals. Every one is gunning for a niche category. Nokia being the biggest has clearly shown that it wants to be number one in them all. It can be also, but only when it can be better than Apple, Samsung, Android, Microsoft and many more combined. In the struggle to be this mammoth amongst giants from other areas, it has released the N97.

The N97 is in many ways like the ‘One’ ring in the movie “The Lord of the Rings”, with this device Nokia aims to rule them all. To what extent it will succeed is something only time will tell, simply because the churning has only just begun. The ring has just been forged. There is a lot more to come. So keep your ears to the ground!

A meeting with Axel Meyer and the N97s

On the 10th of June I along with a select few were invited to the N97 Blogger Meet at the Trident – Gurgaon. This event was to basically showcase the N97 to a select few and have have Axel Meyer explain what made the N97 so different from the remaining Nseries phones so far. Mr. Axel Meyer is currently the Global Design Head for Nokia’s Nseries. He has been instrumental in designing the N97.

The event started with Axel talking about the inspiration behind the N97. He went to great lengths to explain how digital and physical aspects of our lives come together through this device.  According to Axel, the design of the N97 tries to connect your past, present and future in such a way that it becomes possible for you share your memories, stories and your life even with people who are important to you. Axel also stated that one of the most important challenges for the design team was to allow access to everything in a simple manner and also share it in real time. For the design team, the design of the N97 had to begin with people and had to have relevance. The people who did get to try out the handset in the early stages, loved it for what it could do. The device allowed them connect to people, discover things, redefine their future and most of all allowed them to share photos, videos, memories, stories and their life also.

The N97 has had people from all over the world collaborating in its creation. This dispels any thoughts one would have of how Nokia phones are designed. We can be sure that it is not done in a single room, instead it is a global collaboration. The N97 is a step in the direction of making the device, personal. The device’s design is all about freeing you from using it in a fixed way, so you can do what you want, how you want.

The 48 gigabytes of space on the phone allows the user to store 100s of full length movies, 1000s of photos and songs, and loads of information. It allows you to preserve the memories of where have you been, where you are right now and where will you go from here.

Content creation – Movies and photographs was another area that Axel highlighted in his presentation, he mentioned quite a many baffling statistics, let me rattle them off, this will probably help in understanding the reasons for making the N97 a content creating device.

1. By 2012, more than 25% of the content generated will come from people who are not a part of media groups.

2. 1.9 billion people are uploading photos on Facebook.

3. 2.4 billion people have been ‘tagged’ in these photos.

These kind of numbers show that the N97 will allow a user to create and share content almost instantaneously from one device. The 5MP camera with dual LED flash will enable people to take videos in low light and share it on Facebook or Ovi or Flickr perhaps. As Axel rightly pointed out that, “the media is and will always remain social”.

The N97 is truly a device that is for you, designed by you.

Axel also added that the N97 was but only the beginning of what is to come. He clearly said that there will be many more devices following the the principles and footsteps of the N97.

What followed after this was a round of Q&A, where people asked a lot of questions about the device being a gaming device, possible future colour options, hardware of the N97 and how competing players will change the way of the future and current devices. There were even questions pertaining to the environment, and also of how devices like the E71 and 5800 have played a role in the development of the N97.

In between all of this my friend, Vaibhav Sharma and I managed to get some exclusive photographs and at the same time we even managed a play with the device a bit. But that requires another post.

So here are some photos of the N97!

Oh and just in case you wanted to know which colour Axel was using, it was White. Personally it is the black which I loved a lot.

On behalf of everyone at Symbian-Life Blog, I would like to thank everyone at Blogger’s Mind, Nokia India and everybody else involved for putting up such a splendid show. I hope events like these are just a beginning of this initiative started by Nokia India. We bloggers welcome this and wish Nokia all the best!