Looking To Buy A Touch Screen Mobile Phone

[Gary A]

Thanks for your review, I am still searching and just seen this ...

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i8910_omnia_hd-2691.php

YouTube Review ....

It seem's to have every thing on my spec list , but not too sure about this part .... OS Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5

could some one please comment on that ..?

The other thing that I wonder about is , in the past ive had a Samsung mobile phone, and had a lot of problems with up dates, and connecting

the phone to a computer, and I generally found the Samsung mobile web site , difficult and not user friendly .

Thanks

Looks good i have found this review you may be interested in

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/samsung-i8910-hd.htm

Do you know the price are they asking for this phone here?

Well the review words .... Outstanding and a Full 5 Stars , has to make any one look , although from my past experiences

in trying to use the Samsung web site , download and use software and tether a past Samsung mobile phone to a PC and Mac , makes me wince just thinking about it .

Features of the Samsung i8910 HD include:

* 8 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus and power LED flash

* HD video camera with power LED video light, DivX playback

* 3G video calling with secondary VGA camera

* Display: AMOLED, 16 million colours, 640 x 360 pixels (3.7 inches)

* MP3 player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats), stereo speakers & DNSe 2.0

* Stereo FM radio RDS

* MP3 ringtones

* Speakerphone

* GPS satellite navigation

* Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4), instant messaging

* Document viewer

* Java games (Java MIDP 2.0)

* Personal organiser functions

* Offline mode

* Memory: 8/16 Gbytes plus microSD memory card slot (up to 32 GB)

* Internet: HTML web browser, WAP 2.0, GPRS Class 12, EDGE, 3G HSDPA (7.2 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps)

* Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, 3.5mm audio jack

* Quadband GSM plus triband 3G HSDPA/HSUPA

* Size: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm

* Weight: 144g

* Talktime: up to 13.5 hours

* Battery standby: 600 hours

As for the price , not sure

has any one seen this phone on sale here in Thailand ..?

Thanks

I looked on eBay and they are NOT cheap. Average about $800 US.

[Theyreallrubbish]

I recently lost my HTC Touch Pro so I'm also looking for a touch screen smart phone. I'm considering the HTC Touch Pro 2, but its 34k Baht and very large and no flash, the Nokia N97 which is only 24k Baht and fully featured but there are rumours its underpowered and slow and the Samsung Omnia HD but I don't know the price yet.

Another phone to consider is the Sony Ericsson Experian X2. The X1 was a good phone, but not quite as good as the HTC touch Pro which it was very similar to and it'll be interesting to see what they've done to improve it.

Since I paid 33k for the HTC Touch Pro and lost it, I'm loathe to spend money on another very expensive phone and may go with the N97 as I got the N95 when it first came out and the functionality of it at the time blew me away

[wiki256]

wait for Andriod or get yourself an iPhone or HTC.

[Maestro]

I don’t see any HTC model at the moment that would meet all your requirements.

Sony Ericsson has not yet released the specifications of its new development code-named “Rachael” and while I expect it to have a camera flash, radio and the lot I doubt that it will have a USB bus.

--

Maestro

[selenic]

Omnia HD is good but keep in mind that's really bulky.

If price is not an issue I'd opt for Iphone 3gs.

Samsung Omnia (not the hd version) is also a good choice..less bulky, windows mobile instead of symbian and much cheaper.

[cdnvic]

wait for Andriod or get yourself an iPhone or HTC.

The reviews for Android have been luke-warm at best. iPhone or HTC Touch on the other hand have been excellent, same with the Palm Pre.

[toret]

Not double checking this. Symbian is an open operating system, i think maintained by Nokia. Just about all the more expensive Nokia phones run on it. There are sjaitloads of programs available, some work and some dont. I have it on my N95 8GB and think it is ok, but apps are not always very kind on processing power, maybe because anyone can make a program and sell it. But you do have freedom and good selection for apps.

[monty]

I recently lost my HTC Touch Pro so I'm also looking for a touch screen smart phone. I'm considering the HTC Touch Pro 2, but its 34k Baht and very large and no flash, the Nokia N97 which is only 24k Baht and fully featured but there are rumours its underpowered and slow and the Samsung Omnia HD but I don't know the price yet.

Another phone to consider is the Sony Ericsson Experian X2. The X1 was a good phone, but not quite as good as the HTC touch Pro which it was very similar to and it'll be interesting to see what they've done to improve it.

Since I paid 33k for the HTC Touch Pro and lost it, I'm loathe to spend money on another very expensive phone and may go with the N97 as I got the N95 when it first came out and the functionality of it at the time blew me away

If you're not sure what to buy or are waiting for a model to come out, why don't you buy a second hand HTC touch? It's exactly the same phone you had but without the keyboard (and funnily enough without the card slot)... You know the device, no learning curve and I've seen them around 13,000 Baht in Pattaya, assume you can get them even cheaper in Bkk.

When your dream model comes out, just sell the HTC, and you'll only have lost a few thousand in the process!

[real]

How about Samsung Jet S8003 (aka S8000)?

The below is taken from http://www.mobilestopic.com/reviews/samsung/s8000-jet.html

Samsung S8000 Jet Review

Samsung resents a new touchscreen mobile phone, Samsung Jet S8003 (S8000). Powered by a 800MHz application processor, the Jet runs the TouchWiz 2.0 UI. It has 3.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen and a 5 Megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED flash, face detection, Smile Shot, Panorama Shot, Blink Detection, Geo-tagging, and Photo Editor.

The multimedia-oriented Samsung S8000 Jet sports a 3.1-inch AMOLED touch display with WVGA resolution and 16 million colors.

Some of the other highlight features of Samsung S8000 Jet include a 5 megapixel autofocus camera, built-in GPS, 3G support and Wi-Fi as well as DivX and XviD video support. FM radio with RDS and 2GB internal memory expandable via microSD slot are also onboard the Samsung S8000 Jet. A powerful 800 MHz CPU will make sure that the performance doesn't disappoint.

The audiophiles will appreciate the fact that Samsung S8000 Jet comes complete with a 3.5mm audio jack and will features DNSe & SRS Sound Effect technology which should provide for great sound quality.

Check out our Samsung S8000 Jet preview for our first impressions of the handset.

Introduction:

Devices with awesome multimedia capabilities have been all the rage in the mobile world lately. Samsung has taken over the competition with their blitzkrieg introduction of the OMNIA HD i8910i. Now the manufacturer needs to put a more affordable device on the table, since not everyone is willing to shell out an amount equal to the gross military spending of a small European democracy over such a thing as cell phone, even if this happens to be the ultimate move to watch the next Miss Universe contest with stunning quality. This is exactly the market niche Samsung is targeting with the Samsung Jet S8000, initially known as the Cubic. It comes with new version of the TouchWiz interface that is all about a 3D cube that, truth be told, brings the LG ARENA KM900 to mind the second you see it. Although it is not a smartphone, Samsung touts it to be smarter than one, with multitasking, Microsoft Exchange support and a fast 800MHz processor.Let´s go over its design and overall look first.

Design:

Even if the unit we have got our hands on is not a final, retail one, we simply must say this is one of the most polished pieces of workmanship by Samsung we have ever had the pleasure to behold. Most similar devices, i.e. ones with huge touch sensitive screens, tend to have rather nondescript faces with the only exception being the Samsung BEAT DJ M7600, due to its oddish overall shape. The front side of the Samsung Jet S8000 houses a beautiful 3.1-inch display with 16 mln colors and WVGA resolution, send and end buttons and a key with prismatic shape. The latter is used to enter the main menu, while holding it pressed calls up the multitasking interface on screen. It´s also half transparent and the particular way it reflects light is quite an eye catcher.

Samsung S8000 Jet Features

Speed - 800 MHz processor

Graphics - 16 million colours in a 3.1-inch AMOLED display

Web - Dolfin web browser lets you view up to five web pages at the same time. Multi-tasking capable

Video - supports DivX, Xvid and H.263/4

Other Specs - HSPDA 3.6 Mbps, 5 Mega camera, 30fps video recording, music player, MS Exchange Active Sync, A-GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 1100 mAh battery

Network

EDGE/GPRS Class 12 (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)

HSDPA 3.6Mbps (900, 2100 MHz)

Display

3.1" 16M WVGA AMOLED

Camera

5.0 Megapixel AF camera+ Dual Power LED

Face Detection, Smile Shot, Panorama Shot, Blink Detection, Geo-tagging, Photo Editor

Video

D1 Video Playback/D1 30fps Video Recording

MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, DivX, XviD, Video Editor

Music

Audio Music Player with DNSe & SRS WOW Sound Effect

Find Music, 3.5 Ear Jack, FM Radio/Recording

MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AMR, MIDI, SP-MIDI, i-melody, WAV, MMF, XMF, OMA DRM v2.1, WMDRM, DivX VOD

Value Added Features

In-house developed Dolfin Browser, WAP 2.0, One finger Zoom

Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Share Pix & Mobile Widget, A-GPS, On Board Navigation(3D Map), TouchWiz 2.0, Motion UI, Media Gate 3D, Multi-tasking Manager

Connectivity

Bluetooth® v2.1, microUSB (USB v2.0 Hi-Speed), Wi-Fi

Memory

2GB/8GB, External MicroSD slot (Up to 16GB)

Battery

1,100 mAh - Talk time : 2G/492 minutes, 3G/300 minutes

- Standby : 2G/422 hours, 3G/406 hours

Size 108.8 x 53.5 x 11.9 mm

[neverdie]

I'm very happy with my Nokia 5800. It has all the features you want at a reasonable price. It comes with a stylus, but the on-screen keyboard can be switched to fullscreen, so you don't need it. Good software available, including GPS navigation and map for Thailand from Garmin.

HTC is fine for me........

The GF's Nokia 5800 that we bought new almost 5 months ago has gone on the blink. It hasnt suffered any abuse but it seems to be dropping programs, locking up & not doing the things it should. Its on its way back to Nokia repair for the second time in two weeks.

[tigerbalm]

Thanks for your review, I am still searching and just seen this ...

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i8910_omnia_hd-2691.php

YouTube Review ....

It seem's to have every thing on my spec list , but not too sure about this part .... OS Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5

could some one please comment on that ..?

The other thing that I wonder about is , in the past ive had a Samsung mobile phone, and had a lot of problems with up dates, and connecting

the phone to a computer, and I generally found the Samsung mobile web site , difficult and not user friendly .

Thanks

Looks good i have found this review you may be interested in

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/samsung-i8910-hd.htm

Do you know the price are they asking for this phone here?

Well the review words .... Outstanding and a Full 5 Stars , has to make any one look , although from my past experiences

in trying to use the Samsung web site , download and use software and tether a past Samsung mobile phone to a PC and Mac , makes me wince just thinking about it .

Features of the Samsung i8910 HD include:

* 8 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus and power LED flash

* HD video camera with power LED video light, DivX playback

* 3G video calling with secondary VGA camera

* Display: AMOLED, 16 million colours, 640 x 360 pixels (3.7 inches)

* MP3 player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats), stereo speakers & DNSe 2.0

* Stereo FM radio RDS

* MP3 ringtones

* Speakerphone

* GPS satellite navigation

* Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4), instant messaging

* Document viewer

* Java games (Java MIDP 2.0)

* Personal organiser functions

* Offline mode

* Memory: 8/16 Gbytes plus microSD memory card slot (up to 32 GB)

* Internet: HTML web browser, WAP 2.0, GPRS Class 12, EDGE, 3G HSDPA (7.2 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps)

* Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, 3.5mm audio jack

* Quadband GSM plus triband 3G HSDPA/HSUPA

* Size: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm

* Weight: 144g

* Talktime: up to 13.5 hours

* Battery standby: 600 hours

As for the price , not sure

has any one seen this phone on sale here in Thailand ..?

Thanks

Saw one yestrerday in carrefour CM on the lower level price was 14900 and the guy said he would discount to 14500 then we went past another shop and it saw one more with the price on it at 13900

[Theyreallrubbish]

Thanks for your review, I am still searching and just seen this ...

Samsung i8910 Omnia HD

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i8910_omnia_hd-2691.php

YouTube Review ....

It seem's to have every thing on my spec list , but not too sure about this part .... OS Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5

could some one please comment on that ..?

The other thing that I wonder about is , in the past ive had a Samsung mobile phone, and had a lot of problems with up dates, and connecting

the phone to a computer, and I generally found the Samsung mobile web site , difficult and not user friendly .

Thanks

Looks good i have found this review you may be interested in

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/samsung-i8910-hd.htm

Do you know the price are they asking for this phone here?

Well the review words .... Outstanding and a Full 5 Stars , has to make any one look , although from my past experiences

in trying to use the Samsung web site , download and use software and tether a past Samsung mobile phone to a PC and Mac , makes me wince just thinking about it .

Features of the Samsung i8910 HD include:

* 8 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus and power LED flash

* HD video camera with power LED video light, DivX playback

* 3G video calling with secondary VGA camera

* Display: AMOLED, 16 million colours, 640 x 360 pixels (3.7 inches)

* MP3 player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA formats), stereo speakers & DNSe 2.0

* Stereo FM radio RDS

* MP3 ringtones

* Speakerphone

* GPS satellite navigation

* Messaging: SMS, MMS, email (POP3 / SMTP / IMAP4), instant messaging

* Document viewer

* Java games (Java MIDP 2.0)

* Personal organiser functions

* Offline mode

* Memory: 8/16 Gbytes plus microSD memory card slot (up to 32 GB)

* Internet: HTML web browser, WAP 2.0, GPRS Class 12, EDGE, 3G HSDPA (7.2 Mbps), HSUPA (5.76 Mbps)

* Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, 3.5mm audio jack

* Quadband GSM plus triband 3G HSDPA/HSUPA

* Size: 123 x 58 x 12.9 mm

* Weight: 144g

* Talktime: up to 13.5 hours

* Battery standby: 600 hours

As for the price , not sure

has any one seen this phone on sale here in Thailand ..?

Thanks

Saw one yestrerday in carrefour CM on the lower level price was 14900 and the guy said he would discount to 14500 then we went past another shop and it saw one more with the price on it at 13900

YOu sure it was the Omnia HD as that price is a third of any comparable smart phone and the retail price in the west is the same as comparable phones

[ThaiLife]

14.900 Baht does sound a very good price

[Theyreallrubbish]

Bought the Nokia N97 yesterday. Initially was pretty unimpressed and was mentally preparing myself to take the loss and sell it in a couple of months when the Omnia HD comes out.

However, its starting to grow on me. Its not nearly as flashy graphics wise as the Omnia or HTC phones and really it seems to be a Nokia N95 with a bigger screen that is also touch, but although the Nokia N95 floored me with its huge list of features and then floored me again when you quickly realise that you can't use any of the features without keeping the phone permanently attached to the charger, the N97 allows you to use all these features.

Plus, the huge 32GB of onboard memory means storing music, movies, pictures etc is no longer a set of decisions, but just slap it all on.

So far today I used the phone to listen to my music through the car radio using the music player and FM transmitter for about an hour over a few trips, watched an hour long TV program that I'd downloaded to my PC and transfered, having the phone on the table with the angled screen while eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant during the day, the screen was bright and sharp and I could even hear the sound through the speakers over the traffic going by. Also used it to check the internet a few times, taken about 2 dozen photos with flash and, of course, since its new, randomly played around with it quite a bit. Oh, I also made and received about 20 phone calls and received a few text messages.

That used up less than half of the battery and I'd taken it off the charger the previous night. So battery problems seem to be solved, so it'll be great to fire up Nokia Maps and have the GPS lock on *before* the low battery warble comes from the phone. (Anyone who's owned a Nokia N95 will know what I mean!)

I do think the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Omnia HD are probably better phones in terms of graphical sparkle and the operating systems, but they are also 10,000 Baht more expensive and lack certain features that the Nokia has (flash for the camera being one big example that its important to me)

Also, there was only one left in the whole of Central Airport Plaza, so it must be quite popular.

[pop3]

I wonder why apple did not put a flash on their iphone ? my wife has an iphone 16GB. a great phone but whenever she wants to take a picture in dim light she has no choice but to take it with her old 1,500 baht's worth of second hand Samsung D600 with its strong flash.

[Theyreallrubbish]

Bought the Nokia N97 yesterday. Initially was pretty unimpressed and was mentally preparing myself to take the loss and sell it in a couple of months when the Omnia HD comes out.

However, its starting to grow on me. Its not nearly as flashy graphics wise as the Omnia or HTC phones and really it seems to be a Nokia N95 with a bigger screen that is also touch, but although the Nokia N95 floored me with its huge list of features and then floored me again when you quickly realise that you can't use any of the features without keeping the phone permanently attached to the charger, the N97 allows you to use all these features.

Plus, the huge 32GB of onboard memory means storing music, movies, pictures etc is no longer a set of decisions, but just slap it all on.

So far today I used the phone to listen to my music through the car radio using the music player and FM transmitter for about an hour over a few trips, watched an hour long TV program that I'd downloaded to my PC and transfered, having the phone on the table with the angled screen while eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant during the day, the screen was bright and sharp and I could even hear the sound through the speakers over the traffic going by. Also used it to check the internet a few times, taken about 2 dozen photos with flash and, of course, since its new, randomly played around with it quite a bit. Oh, I also made and received about 20 phone calls and received a few text messages.

That used up less than half of the battery and I'd taken it off the charger the previous night. So battery problems seem to be solved, so it'll be great to fire up Nokia Maps and have the GPS lock on *before* the low battery warble comes from the phone. (Anyone who's owned a Nokia N95 will know what I mean!)

I do think the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Omnia HD are probably better phones in terms of graphical sparkle and the operating systems, but they are also 10,000 Baht more expensive and lack certain features that the Nokia has (flash for the camera being one big example that its important to me)

Also, there was only one left in the whole of Central Airport Plaza, so it must be quite popular.

Had the phone a bit longer now and its growing on me even more. I recently undertook a 5 day road trip and I'd loaded 500 songs, 6 movies and 25 TV episodes on the phone before leaving and its still had 15 GBs of memory free. I used the FM transmitter to play my songs through the car radio for most of the trip, used the satnav most of the time and the battery was still fine after 10 hours! (Lucky as I forgot the car charger)

In my hotel I'd surf the internet and check email without even bothering to get out my laptop, which I've never done with another phone as before I'd whip out the laptop at the slightest sniff of wireless rather than use a phone.

It was also great to be able to lie on the bed and watch movies and the TV shows on the phone as the hotel TV movie channels all seemed to be showing straight to video schlock whenever I checked. The speakers gave excellent sound meaning I didn't have to wear earphones, but could just lie on the bed with the phone next to me watching the screen until I dozed off.

Don't think I'll even bother lugging my laptop around on the next trip unless I think I'll need it to do spreadsheets.

[tampasailor]

HTC Magic is the one for me - when available. Should interface well with Linux too.

Or maybe the HTC Hero.

I believe my Google Android MyTouch 3G from T-Mobile USA is the HTC Magic and I am bringing to LOS shortly and wondering if DTAC or other have short term sim (3 months) with 3G and if 3G now in Chiang Mai? Yes T-Mob will open it for me for foreign sim. By the way it works well on wifi with no sim card for many apps~!

[petedk]

I have been looking at various phones recently including: Samsung Omnia (different versions), Samsung Star, Nokia N97, Nokia 5800 and Nokia 5530.

Basically what I am looking for is GPRS, Wifi, MP3 and ability to show downloaded films. Of course I need to use the telephone and SMS functions.

I have been to the Nokia shop at Esplanade several times but the staff there are only interested in playing with the computers.

I've been to Nokia at the Emporium but they only had dummies of most of the phones ( or couldn't be bothered to show me a real model). At Samsung, Esplanade the staff really didn't know much about the phones!!!

It seems that wherever I go the sales people are only interested in selling me a 3G phone as "it's the best". When I point our that 3G is not available in Thailand and won't be at least until the end of next year they look at me as if I am crazy.

[nikster]

check out a video review here - N97 vs iPhone 3GS:

About iPhone vs not iPhone most of the competition is still trying to catch up with the 1.0 iPhone, meanwhile Apple's released the 3GS which is way faster and has video editing built into the phone. I am surprised that they can't even duplicate the hardware easily - nobody else has oleophobic glass screen and only a select few have a capacitive touch screen. The N97 has a resistive touch screen for example, so you know it's not going to do proper multi-touch like the iPhone can do... the 3GS has a much faster processor than the N97 yet is smaller and lighter.

http://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_3gs-2826.php

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n97-2615.php

I am waiting for the day Nokia starts to compete but unfortunately the company seems dead set on producing the same old same old. I have had symbian phones.. it's still crap, and it's going to remain crap until the end of time. I mean it's 2 years after the iPhone 1.0 and I see graphics artifacts on the home screen of the flagship product. The mind boggles. Sure, it's possible they rewrite it from the ground up but extremely unlikely at this point. Even Nokia has finally realized this, and they are going to produce Linux based phones soon. Something like Android, except not owned by Google.

Software wise, Android and Blackberry are competing with the iPhone. WinMo and Symbian are trying hard to keep up appearances but are so far behind they're hopeless.

HTC Magic I think that's the one AIS is selling in Chiang Mai so it should work on AIS 3G in Chiang Mai. Unlike the iPhone, which is why I don't know about the prepaid options. It was pretty reasonable for the mobile data card as far as I remember though.

[Spoonman]

14.900 Baht does sound a very good price

wow, it dropped in price quickly.

Siam Phone

[JoePai]

Bought the Nokia N97 yesterday. Initially was pretty unimpressed and was mentally preparing myself to take the loss and sell it in a couple of months when the Omnia HD comes out.

However, its starting to grow on me. Its not nearly as flashy graphics wise as the Omnia or HTC phones and really it seems to be a Nokia N95 with a bigger screen that is also touch, but although the Nokia N95 floored me with its huge list of features and then floored me again when you quickly realise that you can't use any of the features without keeping the phone permanently attached to the charger, the N97 allows you to use all these features.

Plus, the huge 32GB of onboard memory means storing music, movies, pictures etc is no longer a set of decisions, but just slap it all on.

So far today I used the phone to listen to my music through the car radio using the music player and FM transmitter for about an hour over a few trips, watched an hour long TV program that I'd downloaded to my PC and transfered, having the phone on the table with the angled screen while eating dinner at an outdoor restaurant during the day, the screen was bright and sharp and I could even hear the sound through the speakers over the traffic going by. Also used it to check the internet a few times, taken about 2 dozen photos with flash and, of course, since its new, randomly played around with it quite a bit. Oh, I also made and received about 20 phone calls and received a few text messages.

That used up less than half of the battery and I'd taken it off the charger the previous night. So battery problems seem to be solved, so it'll be great to fire up Nokia Maps and have the GPS lock on *before* the low battery warble comes from the phone. (Anyone who's owned a Nokia N95 will know what I mean!)

I do think the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Omnia HD are probably better phones in terms of graphical sparkle and the operating systems, but they are also 10,000 Baht more expensive and lack certain features that the Nokia has (flash for the camera being one big example that its important to me)

Also, there was only one left in the whole of Central Airport Plaza, so it must be quite popular.

Had the phone a bit longer now and its growing on me even more. I recently undertook a 5 day road trip and I'd loaded 500 songs, 6 movies and 25 TV episodes on the phone before leaving and its still had 15 GBs of memory free. I used the FM transmitter to play my songs through the car radio for most of the trip, used the satnav most of the time and the battery was still fine after 10 hours! (Lucky as I forgot the car charger)

In my hotel I'd surf the internet and check email without even bothering to get out my laptop, which I've never done with another phone as before I'd whip out the laptop at the slightest sniff of wireless rather than use a phone.

It was also great to be able to lie on the bed and watch movies and the TV shows on the phone as the hotel TV movie channels all seemed to be showing straight to video schlock whenever I checked. The speakers gave excellent sound meaning I didn't have to wear earphones, but could just lie on the bed with the phone next to me watching the screen until I dozed off.

Don't think I'll even bother lugging my laptop around on the next trip unless I think I'll need it to do spreadsheets.

Must say I was interested until I found this review from Cnet :

Inconsistent user interface; keyboard with flush keys hard to type on; dated S60 software; limited apps on Ovi Store.

There's no doubt that the N97 is Nokia's top-of-the-line S60 smartphone. But a combination of factors, from dated software to inconsistencies in the interface, make it difficult for us to recommend the device. More so when there are very compelling alternatives from competing camps the likes of Apple and HTC.

[nikster]

Must say I was interested until I found this review from Cnet :

Inconsistent user interface; keyboard with flush keys hard to type on; dated S60 software; limited apps on Ovi Store.

There's no doubt that the N97 is Nokia's top-of-the-line S60 smartphone. But a combination of factors, from dated software to inconsistencies in the interface, make it difficult for us to recommend the device. More so when there are very compelling alternatives from competing camps the likes of Apple and HTC.

Yup. The software is the problem. Basically you can forget about anything Symbian or WinMo. You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.

I think the difference is pretty clear in that YouTube side by side comparison. You see an operating system from 2001 running on the latest hardware vs one from 2009 running on the latest hardware. The camera options seems to be the winning feature for the Nokia, but there's tons of third party camera apps for the iPhone that do this and much more (you should give it a try, it's pretty incredible)...