Well, there are already ‘n’ number of reviews out there on web about Nokia N97! So, I don’t want to go through all that again. This write up is only concentrated on Internet capabilities of N97. So, let’s start!

Browser:

When we are talking about internet, first thing comes up in mind is Browser. Nokia N97 has very powerful web browser which is capable of loading almost any website on internet. Pages render much faster compared to browser on S60 3rd edition phones. Browser comes with advanced features like “Overview” where you can see the whole web page & select any area to zoom in. User can also tap on any portion of the web page to zoom in & tap again to zoom out. Javascript/AJAX fields, dropdown box works well as in PC browser. Browser supports tabbed browsing, but my complaint about the browser remains since there is no option to open a new tab (or concurrent window). New tab open only when you are clicking on a link which open in new window (target=_blank). Overall browser experience is amazing with powerful browser & a wide display, I prefer browsing in landscape mode.

Email/Calendar/Contact Synchronization:

Though Nokia has it’s own push email service Nokia Mail, I prefer System Seven push email service for it’s simplicity. Both of them are really good in features & real time email. I configured two email IDs on Seven, one is Gmail & the other one Google Apps email. Similar to Nokia Email, Seven also provides calendar & contacts synchronization. Personally I don’t prefer to use contact synchronization since it messes up the Phonebook. But calendar sync is one amazing feature I use a lot, create an entry either on web or phone, it’s reflected everywhere.

for Business users:

It’s time to say bye to Blackberrys where business users are forced to use completely business oriented phones & not at all looking at personal life! Configuring Microsoft Exchange server is 10 minutes job! Just install MFE (Mail For Exchange) & configure server details to start using it. MFE also provides contacts & calendar synchronization. Right now N97 is not listed under supported devices for MFE, but I can see a blank MFE folder in the phone which gives a clue that MFE might be out for N97 soon. If your Outlook server provides Web Access (webmail), it can also be configured on System Seven. Users can also open attachments including MS Word, Excel & PowerPoint, edit them & send it back. Though editing requires Quick Office license, it shouldn’t be a big overhead for corporates. So, N97 fills all your requirement as a business user & also let’s you enjoy multimedia features on phone.

Facebook, Orkut:

Nokia bundles Facebook application with the phone. This app is seriously made for the phone, just perfectly fits in! Facebook app let’s you perform all the operations you do in web interface. Update status, view friends status messages, accept/decline friend requests, view photo galleries…etc. Unlike Facebook there’s no bundled app for Orkut, but you can get it by going to m.google.com/orkut on phone’s browser. Orkut app also works really well & let’s you do all stuff, but since this is not really made for N97 (J2ME App), app is not touch sensitive. You have to use navigation keys on keyboard to navigate through menus.

Twitter – Gravity:

I have been using Gravity from day 1 it got released. I must say it’s *the* best app I ever used on a Symbian device. To all who still don’t know about Gravity, it’s an S60 twitter client with hell lot of features! Gravity has a very nice, glossy user interface with options to do almost everything. I have seen lot of iPhone Twitter Apps, all of them load a new page when tapped on a tweet. But Gravity loads all the options inline with a smooth slide down effect when tapped on a Tweet, which is so convenient & reduces number of clicks to achieve certain task. It’s clear that developer of Gravity gives a lot of concentration towards usablity of the app. With additional support for other services like Twitpic, Posterous, MobyPicture, Yfrog, Instapaper, img.ly, TwitGoo, Delicious…etc Gravity makes N97 an awesome Tweeting device!

Feed Reading – Google Reader:

Feed Reading is a daily exercise for me to keep up with the latest news & trends. And there is no better option than Google reader for feed reading. Mobile version of Google Reader isn’t that great & there are no good application on Symbian platform yet for it. But there is a separate version of Google Reader for iPhones! This AJAXified iPhone version of  Google Reader can be accessed over http://google.com/reader/i . You can also perform Star, Share, Share with Note, Email operations for each feed entry. Since Nokia’s browser is also built on same platform (webkit), this version is well supported on N97.

Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, Skype – Fring:

Fring is a IM/VoIP client for Symbian phones which supports multiple protocols including Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger & Skype. Fring helps you keep in touch with friends on the move. Fring not just enables you to chat with your friends, but also let’s you make a call & talk as in Google talk or Skype. Call quality will be better when you are connected to a WiFi network since India still don’t have 3G.

So I have got enough reasons to say Nokia N97 is an ultimate internet device!

What you say!?