My life, my phone

MANILA, Philippines - How often have we heard people say – whether tech-savvy or not – that they want to use a mobile phone that fits their lifestyle? Everyday, perhaps.

It is no wonder that mobile phone makers have devised ways to get to know what their users want and then to manufacture mobile phones that respond to those very needs.

Enter the highly anticipated Nokia N97 which has almost reached the 2 million mark for units sold worldwide. Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5” touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an ‘always open’ window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations.

“The Nokia N97 is an important step towards our vision of delivering a highly personalized online experience,” said Sandeep Khanna, Head of Marketing, Nokia Philippines. Fuelled by a multitude of music, maps, games, media and applications via Ovi, the Nokia N97 transforms the Internet into your internet, an experience that’s completely tailored to the tastes and interests of its owner.

On track and up to date

The Nokia N97 is Nokia’s first device to feature a fully customizable home screen, which can be personalized with a range of widgets, bringing live information directly to the device. These widgets include key social networking destinations like Facebook and Hi5, news services like the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters, local sites such as Clickthecity, and shopping and weather information.

The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with the Ovi Store, which offers easy access to applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, and much more. With easy and quick access to Ovi, you can back up your contacts and calendar online. You can also download fun stuff through Ovi Store, which has free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Paramount Pictures, Facebook and Qik, as well as a selection of Twitter applications.

Tech Talk

There’s a lot of techie jargon that comes into play when one talks about a mobile phone. But, do users really care? Perhaps they do and perhaps they don’t. All that the Finnish company does know is that the Nokia N97 was created for people who create their own lives – and even make a better world for those they work with. Yet, we do know that a mobile phone makes a difference only if there are people who will say that it does.

For businessman Raymund Tinoco, there are lots of things that he looks for in a mobile device. “ It has to have multiple functions for me to just carry one device instead of carrying a separate  camera, laptop, and cellphone. And of course it has to look nice and easy to bring.”

“The Nokia N97 is by far, the best phone I’ve ever had. It’s easy to use with its home screen instantly displaying my favorite contacts, music player, and available applications ready for my use,” says Raymund. “Internet connection via WiFi is also at par with most laptops, and internal memory space is adequate enough to store music, files and photos.”

Raymund definitely maximizes the fun features of the Nokia N97 to the hilt. He uses it to watch YouTube videos, log on to the Internet, snaps photos of his kids using its 5 megapixel camera, and listens to music while he works out at the gym.

Society columnist Pepper Teehankee swears by his mobile phone. Although, Pepper says that the Nokia N97 is slightly bigger than the Nokia N96, it’s lighter.  The stylus and the touchscreen are a few more features that Pepper has come to love in the Nokia N97. And, for a guy about society a big memory allows him to keep his contacts, photos and videos up to date all the time.

“Touchscreen and big screen, choice of normal keypad or qwerty,” says Pepper are what got him hooked. “The five mega pixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and two flashes made it just perfect.”

For blogger and editor of Technogr.ph Rico Mossesgeld is one guy who knows his tech specs and lives and breathes only if he makes the best connections all the time – anytime. Rico says that in terms of features the Nokia N97 is the most comprehensive phone Nokia’s come out with so far. He likes the facts that the phone is compact and that Nokia figured out how to squeeze in a QWERTY keyboard into its latest flagship model.

“My favorite features are the built-in WiFi, the camera, and the 3.5mm jack,” added Rico. “I find it great that I can use normal earphones with this phone.”

As a guy who is always connected Rico relies on the five megapixel camera of the Nokia N97. The N97 has a lot of integrated extras, and they are all useful. Rico has taken the device on a complete test. He was able to download (free, non-copyrighted) songs, load it on the phone’s music player, and play it on his car radio through the Nokia N97’s FM transmitter. Of course, the WiFi or 3.5G connectivity, and the QWERTY keyboard, have helped Rico write articles for www.technogra.ph from all over. The Nokia N97 has a battery life of about two days on a single charge which is just perfect for him.

There are mobile phones and there are mobile phones – but the Nokia N97 is a device that fits into any lifestyle and then complements the life of its user. Consider it a computer gone mobile phone – and that is where the future is going.