By Alfred Siew

THROW in more RAM, a bigger screen and more features than anyone else and you get a packed-to-the-brim device that will get the geeks buying in.

That seems to be Nokia's strategy with the N97, its latest 'hero' product aimed squarely at emerging rivals Google and Apple.

First off, the screen. The 3.5-inch display is as big as the Apple iPhone's generous screen, which means easy Web surfing. There is, of course, a touchscreen as well to let your fingers do the navigating.

Better yet, the N97 comes with a slide-out Qwerty keyboard. It's the first time Nokia has such a keyboard on a phone and it seems aimed at Google's similar Android phone launched just months ago.

The N97, however, has its keyboard angled sharply. This makes it excellent for peering at the screen as you type away on the keyboard.

Another nifty feature is its geo-location features. The best among these is the 'So-lo' beta service which makes use of the phone's in-built GPS to let you point at, say, a famous cathedral and get information sent instantly to the phone.

That seems aimed squarely at Google, which is also seeking to make phones that tap on its maps.

How good is the N97? Like similar phones offering a slide-out keyboard, this one is bulky and not for everyone.

However, techie users looking for an all-in-one phone now have another choice on top of offerings from HTC, Google and Apple.

This story is first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on 17 December 2008.

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