Nokia N97

bazzachazza

Got my 97 yesterday.

Started playing around with it today. About as stable as a block of jelly. Took ages to sort the net out so that it would run anything other than Vodafone live.

Camera now doesn't work. Only works once after you switch it off and take the battery out.

I hope this update next month fixes these issues or I will be going back to my N95.

km991148

bazzachazza wrote: »

Got my 97 yesterday.

Started playing around with it today. About as stable as a block of jelly. Took ages to sort the net out so that it would run anything other than Vodafone live.

Camera now doesn't work. Only works once after you switch it off and take the battery out.

I hope this update next month fixes these issues or I will be going back to my N95.

dont know about n97 specifically, but this is another reason I go sim free these days, the operator modified firmware is usually cr@p, espiecially if modified on a particularly roper original firmware..

Moriarty

deep1, did you notice any difference in touch screen responsiveness with that cover as opposed to the one that comes with the phone?

deep1

Moriarty wrote: »

deep1, did you notice any difference in touch screen responsiveness with that cover as opposed to the one that comes with the phone?

no diff at all, apart from this one is scratch free.

mickoneill30

km991148 wrote: »

dont know about n97 specifically, but this is another reason I go sim free these days, the operator modified firmware is usually cr@p, espiecially if modified on a particularly roper original firmware..

Not really needed for this phone. There are piles of posts on how to debrand the phone and update the firmware. Sim free is handy for choosing your operator but it's pricey.

km991148

mickoneill30 wrote: »

Not really needed for this phone. There are piles of posts on how to debrand the phone and update the firmware. Sim free is handy for choosing your operator but it's pricey.

true, but I still dont like to mess about with them tools, although I guess it is easy enough these days; but for your average user out there, they go get a phone on a contract and it hass been modded by the operator to the stage where it is quite unstable, then they are waiting for ages to get an update for it, if they (ave user) even bothers..

Anyway, dont see how sim free works out that much more expensive (if at all), but I guess thats for another thread..

mickoneill30

km991148 wrote: »

true, but I still dont like to mess about with them tools, although I guess it is easy enough these days; but for your average user out there, they go get a phone on a contract and it hass been modded by the operator to the stage where it is quite unstable, then they are waiting for ages to get an update for it, if they (ave user) even bothers..

That's true enough.
I think it's the locking the users to old firmware that is the big sin of the operators here. Mine had V10 when I got it about a month ago and that was the latest version that the operator would allow me to go to. V12 is much more stable for me.

Anyway, dont see how sim free works out that much more expensive (if at all), but I guess thats for another thread..

Without doing masses of research there are plenty of people in this thread that got theirs for less than €300 (as did I) from an operator. The average price on eBay is €450. Admittedly I'm on a business plan with my company but my monthly bill is about €15 so I'm not a big customer to my operator.

Thats obviously not a scientific study but you get the gist. For me it was worth the saving. But you're right about the average user.

1: They're not going to even know what firmware is or that there's a new version.
2: They're definitely not going to be reading forums like this to figure out how to debrand it.

That is an advantage to the iPhone. They're not cutting edge but they take it slow so at the end of the day the users have a solid phone. The N97 has fantastic features but it seems that V2 of the software next month is what it should have been released with.

donkey balls

Without doing masses of research there are plenty of people in this thread that got theirs for less than €300 (as did I) from an operator. The average price on eBay is €450. Admittedly I'm on a business plan with my company but my monthly bill is about €15 so I'm not a big customer to my operator.

i got mine for 200 euro bill pay sent it back to the operator(nokia maps&signal crap) they were to send out a replacement the same day still waiting on it so they have put 200 euro on my account for the inconvenience.
so hopefuly if i get the phone in the morning it will have cost me 0 euro i have also ordered the zagg cover for it.

SeamyH

Are there any decent webtext applications for the N97 yet? Navigating through the vodafone.ie site seems to be very slugish at times.I use a great one on my iTouch it's Eirtek our something I think it's called.

deep1

SeamyH wrote: »

Are there any decent webtext applications for the N97 yet? Navigating through the vodafone.ie site seems to be very slugish at times.I use a great one on my iTouch it's Eirtek our something I think it's called.

yes it's a great app called cabbage, more info and download here
http://ww.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055165333&page=160
thanks to sam, i used it everyday and it's great.

km991148

@mickoneill30

yep defo different horses for different courses etc,

I tend to forget that I do a lot of roaming and texting in uk/ to uk phones, hence another reason I go PAYG as no contract tarrifs ever seem to work out worthwile, also the regulators phone comparison never takes european charges (or even data) into account..

donkey balls

i got my replacement n97 today gps&signal seem to be working better is there anyone here on 3? the reason im asking is when you update to v12 the 3 settings get deleted.(and according to there website skype&msn is not available to download).

also has any of the networks ever released new firmware updates or is it just the mobile phone companies

SeamyH

deep1 wrote: »

yes it's a great app called cabbage, more info and download here
http://ww.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055165333&page=160
thanks to sam, i used it everyday and it's great.

Thanks for that, I was getting worried that I may have to start paying for text messages! :eek:

I know this application works fine on my Wireless connection at home but can it be setup to use Vodafone Live access point on the move? I realise this will involve a cost to connect to the Vodafone access point but I was thinking that the cost of connecting and sending then disconnecting would still be cheaper than the standard 11c cost (I think) for a text. Any thoughts?

johnny_rambo

Just got mine yesterday from Vodafone (they've just dropped €100 off the price - from €219 now).
I'm happy with it so far......no problems like those mentioned in this thread (Camera or GPS, which locks much faster than my n95).
Also I don't think it's network locked, which is a plus!

SeamyH

johnny_rambo wrote: »

Just got mine yesterday from Vodafone (they've just dropped €100 off the price - from €219 now).
I'm happy with it so far......no problems like those mentioned in this thread (Camera or GPS, which locks much faster than my n95).
Also I don't think it's network locked, which is a plus!

Got mine from Vodafone also and it's not branded. Not sure if it's network locked as my household are all Vodafone heads.

bazzachazza

Camera was working all last night. Everything else works but just expect to switch it off every now and again to reboot it.

GPS is great. You can download maps for free and there is a 90 day licence for voice guidance as well.

Mine isn't branded either and its VD.

PADRAIC.M

johnny_rambo wrote: »

Just got mine yesterday from Vodafone (they've just dropped €100 off the price - from €219 now).
I'm happy with it so far......no problems like those mentioned in this thread (Camera or GPS, which locks much faster than my n95).
Also I don't think it's network locked, which is a plus!

219 on which priceplan?

SeamyH

PADRAIC.M wrote: »

219 on which priceplan?

The €219 is on the 80 odd euro a month plan as far as I know. I got mine on the €19.67 a month plan and the phone was €279, which is still very good.

bazzachazza

SeamyH wrote: »

The €219 is on the 80 odd euro a month plan as far as I know. I got mine on the €19.67 a month plan and the phone was €279, which is still very good.

I went with the €279 one as well.

PADRAIC.M

i wonder is the price drop to do with n900 being released next month?

SeamyH

PADRAIC.M wrote: »

i wonder is the price drop to do with n900 being released next month?

It's probably due to complaints about how cheap Vodafone Uk are selling their N97's. I think you can get one over there on a similar plan for less than a 100.

xanthor

SeamyH wrote: »

Got mine from Vodafone also and it's not branded. Not sure if it's network locked as my household are all Vodafone heads.

Mine isn't locked or branded, so yours probably isn't locked either.

SeamyH wrote: »

It's probably due to complaints about how cheap Vodafone Uk are selling their N97's. I think you can get one over there on a similar plan for less than a 100.

Irish operators have been charging much more than UK ones for handsets for years.

Maybe they just didn't sell as many at the launch price as they expected, maybe they were waiting to start a more aggressive marketing campaign before they cut the price, and they had to hold out for more stock before they did that.

If i'd waited a few weeks more i could've got it a 100 or so cheaper. Nothing major, and price cut was going to happen eventually, just didn't think it would be so soon.

johnny_rambo

PADRAIC.M wrote: »

i wonder is the price drop to do with n900 being released next month?

I seems to be a promotion at the moment though.
It might go back to its launch price soon.
I might be wrong but I think they did the same with the 5800 a few weeks after its launch.

SeamyH

Just a question on bill pay contracts - I have been a Pay as You Go customer all my life but signed up to the €20 a month contract (12 months minumum) in order to get the N97. My call credit a month was on average 20 - 25 so it's not costing me anymore than usual. What I am wondering is do I have to keep the same phone for the minimun period or can I purchase another phone (at full price I'd expect) at any stage provided I keep paying my monthly tarif? I love my N97 but I would like to know what my options are in case that changes down the line.

km991148

SeamyH wrote: »

Just a question on bill pay contracts - I have been a Pay as You Go customer all my life but signed up to the €20 a month contract (12 months minumum) in order to get the N97. My call credit a month was on average 20 - 25 so it's not costing me anymore than usual. What I am wondering is do I have to keep the same phone for the minimun period or can I purchase another phone (at full price I'd expect) at any stage provided I keep paying my monthly tarif? I love my N97 but I would like to know what my options are in case that changes down the line.

Not sure what you mean here, you can purchase anyphone you like at anytime! but you would have to buy sim free or payg, you couldnt for example get another phone at the same price as with a contract just because you already have a contract. Your exiting contract is there to subsidise the discount you already got;

Also if you buy a payg, particularly from another network, then you may find its locked, and wont be able to use with your contracted sim card. (sim free will be no problem).

Edit: also, as a rule I would say if you have a query that differs from the thread subject, then start a new thread as this helps others find information, hence we have a 110+ page monster!!

SeamyH

km991148 wrote: »

Not sure what you mean here, you can purchase anyphone you like at anytime! but you would have to buy sim free or payg, you couldnt for example get another phone at the same price as with a contract just because you already have a contract. Your exiting contract is there to subsidise the discount you already got;

Also if you buy a payg, particularly from another network, then you may find its locked, and wont be able to use with your contracted sim card. (sim free will be no problem).

Edit: also, as a rule I would say if you have a query that differs from the thread subject, then start a new thread as this helps others find information, hence we have a 110+ page monster!!

Agreed it's not for this thread, I will start a new one in future - sorry mod

You have answered my question, really what I wanted to know is am I tied into the N97 or could I start using another phone i.e sim free N900 and continue with current sim card. I have never been on a bill phone before and just wanted to be clear on what my options are.

km991148

SeamyH wrote: »

Agreed it's not for this thread, I will start a new one in future - sorry mod

Dunno what you meant about 'mod'. I post little enough on this forum, but generally I find its helpful for all users if people stick to the one thread per unrelated question;

Anyway, glad your sorted;

SeamyH

km991148 wrote: »

Dunno what you meant about 'mod'. I post little enough on this forum, but generally I find its helpful for all users if people stick to the one thread per unrelated question;

Anyway, glad your sorted;

Ha, when I said mod I meant to the moderator of this forum it wasn't meant as a dig at you. I was just acknowledging what you said and apologising to the mod if he / she comes across my post.

Elessar

Christ, that N97 for €279 on vodafone €19/month contract is DAMN tempting.....

Waiting for the N97 mini though.

km991148

SeamyH wrote: »

Ha, when I said mod I meant to the moderator of this forum it wasn't meant as a dig at you. I was just acknowledging what you said and apologising to the mod if he / she comes across my post.

lol, sorry, bad day and took it the wrong way

Anyway, enough of this thread, I am off to enjoy my new n86, which is far better than a poxy n97!!