Nokia @ CTIA: 7205 Intrigue and N97
Next up in our coverage of Nokia’s CTIA handset highlights are the Nokia 7205 Intrigue and the N97 — two handsets that couldn’t be on more opposite ends of the spectrum. The Intrigue is a low end feature phone with an insanely tall and thin stature, unique styling cues and a polarizing design to say the least. The N97 on the other hand, is a sleek and subtle smartphone with the honor of being Nokia’s first touchscreen Nseries. The Intrigue was made specifically for Verizon Wireless and costs a mere $130 on contract. The N97 will probably never find its way to a US carrier and will cost you upwards of $700. The Intrigue was announced and released in nearly the same breath. The N97 was announced back when Carter was in office — or maybe it just feels that way — and it “should be released sometime in June”. A cheapo feature phone aimed at American tweens and a sleek smartphone that has mobile enthusiasts around the world drooling in anticipation… With range like this and the ability to appeal to such opposite markets/demographics, it’s no wonder Nokia is still top dog in the handset game. Hit the jump and enjoy a few hands on pics of your next handset — right after some more hands on pics of your daughter’s next handset.
7205 Intrigue:
N97:
I really, really think the N97 is sexy.
Agreed. I was less than impressed with S60 Touch on the 5800 though and clunky, unpolished software can kill a phone with awesome hardware. Android please Nokia?
I guess its just me but the n97 look kinda ridiculous to me… I would much rather have a storm, iphone or g1.
What is android?
i prefer cyborgs myself
Hm, the N97 looks really large- not necessarily a bad thing, mind you…
the only verizon phone at ctia and it has to be the piece of shit intrigue that we already knew about. lame
man i love nokia, and i love S60. touch s60 sounds like a winner, but the N97 is not that sexy. she’s more like high school cute but definitely not grown & sexy. who the hell would suggest android over S60?! the OG of the open source game?
The N97 doesn’t look as appealing as it once did, for some reason I can’t name. The Touch Pro 2, which has a very similar form factor, is much sleeker and smoother looking. Still, I would like to see the OS in action.
@ B: I thought the same thing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in the matte black like that. I’m sure that isn’t the only reason though.
Thats getting to be the problem with these devices that get previewed/teased years before they get released. By the time they do get released they’re either average or outdated.
Still if given the chance (which for Nokia in the US is a big if) I wouldn’t turn one down.
wow, the N97 is really UN-impressive
I feel for Nokia. The HTC device line has already had big hits off of this form factor with subsidized carrier sales. So a familiar or now old form factor coupled to a high priced/unsubsidized handset is a uphill climb. Especially, when the major difference is the OS, which is having a hard time being accepted widely in the U.S. I wish them the best.
Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).
When will Nokia and/or the carriers stop slacking and bring us those flagship Nokia devices…
Nokia will never release an Android smartphone as it holds an incredibly large stake in the Symbian company & platform.
N97 rocks big time I like it!!!
Sent via BlackBerry.
I agree with the statement that the n97 will cost too much unlocked and that no US carrier is going to sub this phone for us. what a waste. $700-$1000 for a phone is crazy, unless you got it like that
The N97 was so disappointing when you played with it. The UI was bad, just way to cluttered and hard to move around. From the early pictures it looked pretty good, but it clearly isn’t that sexy. This will be more like the N96 (failure) than the N95.
The N97 is not really targeted to be a sexy phone, this is a powerful workhorse. So at least you get things done efficiently with that phone and the battery lasts at least twice as long, as HTC Diamond 2 or Touch Pro 2.
It would certainly not hurt, if Nokia would have developed a complete new OS (like Palm WebOS), but with their market share they obviously wanted to make sure, that S60 users will not have a problem switching to S60 Touch.
The same in all categories, if you are no.1, you try to be evolutionary, if you are in the hunt, you have to be revolutionary.
The Intrigue has a really cheap plasticky feel to it. I wasn’t impressed.