Nokia N97 - but can I wait ANOTHER 6 months?

(By Richard Holway) One of the more fascinating aspects of writing HotViews is what subjects create the largest postbags. Since HotViews started nearly two years ago I’ve commented from time to time on my indecision buying a replacement for my Nokia E61 (Blackberry) smartphone. (see No iPhone for Holway – yet)

I was mega excited about the iPhone but said I’d wait for the 3G version. When that arrived it wasn’t available on Vodafone. As I’ve been really happy with the Vodafone service I thought I might go for the Blackberry Bold. But then Jeni Munday, CTO of Vodafone UK, told me to wait for the Storm. But that hasn't got WiFi.

Many readers have vented their frustration at my indecision. “If you wait for the next gizmo, you’ll still be using your E61 in five years time…” or “It’s no wonder the industry is in the state it’s in if even well off people like you have stopped buying the latest gadgets”.

Now, today, Simon Ainslie (CEO Nokia UK) has emailed to tell me to wait still longer for the Nokia N97.

I must admit that the N97 really is “the business”. See The Times Nokia N97 launches latest challenge to iPhone. What I really like is the combination of a big touchscreen AND a proper qwerty keyboard. On top of that, it runs full internet with Flash video (unlike Apple). It’s got 48gb of memory so I could put all my music and pictures on it (unlike the iPhone). It handles 3G, HSDPA and WiFi (unlike the Storm). Of course, it’s also got all the new ‘must haves’ like a 5mp camera (with DVD quality video, again unlike Apple) and a rather snazzy GPS.

Its downside is the cost (c£470 sim free), the fact that it “isn’t Apple” and, much more critically, the fact that you’ll probably have to wait six months to get one!

More generally, what the N97 shows is that the Netbook (see my 20th Nov 08 post Netbooks – Threat or Opportunity?) and Smartphone segments are merging together. Nokia describes the N97 as "the world's most advanced mobile computer".