BATTERY. 15 hours of medium usage before Battery Low warning. (N97)
OPERA MINI. For fans of Opera Mini or those want to find a faster way to browse the internet, here's the N97 way on how to use it. Opera Mini is a java web browser with speed dials and key shortcuts to make browsing the internet on your mobile device much easier and faster. I won't go into all the details, but Opera Mini works by "starring" (*) or "pounding" (#) number. #1 for example will allow you to type a web address, ## will forward a page, and * with any number will load a saved bookmark set on speed dial.
YouTube: Nokia N97: Opera Mini Web Browser
The number keys on the N97 are on the top row and require the (blue arrow) key to be pressed in order to activate the numbers (unless you're pressing those numbers straight from the home screen then it will dial it as a number). However, Opera Mini lets you use the middle keys as a number pad very similar to the E71's number layout:
This makes it much easier to navigate the browser's full features to press #9 for a web search instead of (blue arrow) H (blue arrow) O. Opera Mini can be used in full screen mode or with frames displayed. Unlike Nokia's default browser, Opera Mini does not have kinetic scrolling. You can also page down, page up, page left, and page right with 2468. Although the page direction buttons are veru useful, it would also be nice to scroll through the bars on the side and bottom, but they are on there to display where on the page you are.
Opera Mini Home PageBUGS. 1. Starting Opera Mini with the N97 closed will let you use the number keys on the first row and the * and # keys without pressing the blue arrow. Starting Opera Mini with the N97 open will let you use the keys similar to the E71.
2. The backlight issue seems to be slowly fixing itself. The backlight will turn on about two seconds after unlocking (sometimes). There hasn't been any updates that I'm aware of and I've tried waiting it out before but now it seems to be getting better.
3. 10 hours into the day, battery is still being displayed as fully charged. It's a nice idea, but I know it's not.
DAY SIX WRAP UP. Although a small detail, the N97's stereo speaker is placed in a great location. With music playing and the phone in landscape mode, your hands cup around the speaker to amplify the sound and makes it more audible for your ears. I had a problem using the iPhone due to my hands covering the speaker hole. I also removed the Facebook widget because I don't like the Facebook App too much (more on that tomorrow).
And if you haven't heard about the leaked video for Nokia's E72, that seems to be a hybrid of the N97 and the E71, something I'd definitely prefer. But I the N97 build quality and detailed design.
