Major Nokia N97 Firmware Update Released

While the Nokia N900 has drawn the most attention lately, it's the Nokia N97 that is actually the company's flagship device. The N97, however, has not performed to many user's expectations, making the roll out of the version 2.0 firmware very significant.

This update (Symbian v20.2.019) is the third that the N97 has received since its release in June. However, this is the first major one, due to the amount of enhancements and depth of the improvements to the device.

The highlights of this firmware release include:

• A revamped memory structure which devotes more system RAM to the device during operations -- addressing the low memory issues many users have encountered;
• The replacement of the Contacts application with Nokia's presence and IM-enabled Ovi Contacts address book;
• Enhancements to the keyboard, enabling secondary characters and symbols with a long-press of the key(s);
• Update of Ovi Maps to version 3.1, plus its inclusion into the ROM for additional memory savings;
• Addition of over a dozen new homescreen widgets;
• Update to the music player UI and performance;
• Integrated Ovi Store application;
• Improved Touchscreen response algorithms for better performance;
• Camera improvements for both still images and video;
• Kinetic scrolling added through the user interface for all pages and menu items;
• Improvements to Sync application;
• Various bug fixes and performance enhancements.

Despite this list of enhancements, the N97 still does not have the built-in Skype client that was spoken of during the device's announcement.

Installation
This firmware update is being rolled out to device users via the Software Updater application on the device (for over-the-air updating) and via the Nokia Software Updater PC application.

Because of the user data preservation feature (UDP) within the Symbian^1 (Symbian S60 v5) operating system, users should not have to reinstall applications or content after this update. Users should take appropriate cautions towards this update in making sure to do a complete backup of the device memory, 32 GB internal memory, and any memory cards before updating.

Not all N97 models can see this update. So far two of the four product codes have confirmed seeing this update. The release for the other product codes is underway.

More Information about the N97
The Nokia N97 is a Symbian S60 5th Edition smartphone. It has a sliding QWERTY keyboard which tilts up when extended, and also features a 640-by-360-pixel touchscreen.

This is a quad-band GSM phone with 3G (UMTS, HSPA) wireless capabilities. It also has Wi-Fi, GPS, an electric compass, 32 GB of internal storage, microSDHC slot, 5 MPx digital camera, and more.

It is currently available worldwide ($600-700 USD) in European and North American variants. For more information about the Nokia N97, read the Brighthand review and visit the Nokia website.

Source: All About Symbian

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