The N97 - where's the wow?

, and is, like most people who have spent much time with the handset, not super impressed:

I bought the 5800 as soon as it came out because I wanted to text via a QWERTY keyboard and because I wanted an easier to use browser to interact with than the one on my older N95. I also appreciate Nokia's maps for the region. So do I have regrets now? should I have waited for the slicker N97?

Not really. Yes a better camera would be nice on the 5800. But I don't care about physical keyboards. I also feel that the JD 255 [Dh1320] price tag on the XM 5800 is amazing compared to the JD 450 [Dh2300] of the N97 (which is more than the price of a typical netbook!).

Interface chunkiness. Lack of interaction wow factor. Lack of an easy software and content offering. These are the curses that Nokia has to live with these days.

Still, the N97 might be a viable choice if you want a device that crosses over from media consumption/creation to social networking/web life to heavy business texting and if you are ready to shell out JD 450 for a phone. And if you don't care about easy to get apps and games.

Pretty much every review of the N97 I have read says the same thing: great hardware, a camera that takes the iPhone / BlackBerry crowd to school, nice homescreen widgets, all marred by a terrible operating system.

I've been playing with it for a few weeks, and am extremely unimpressed, and agree with the