The new Nokia N97 software update 2.0 is available immediately through the PC on the Nokia Software Update website (http://www.nokia.com/softwareupdate), and will be followed by a wide range of country and operator versions over the coming weeks as well as possibility to do the update over-the-air.

“In September, 2009, we exceeded 2 million Nokia N97 devices sold, and now introduce the Nokia N97 mini, underscoring the success of the design. We have also listened to consumer feedback about the performance of the device. The Nokia N97 software update 2.0 is a way for us to optimize the device and add new features and functions,” said Jose-Luis Martinez, Vice President, Nokia Nseries. “We are also excited about the early feedback that we have received on the Nokia N97 mini, which carries a very similar feature set to the original Nokia N97 and comes in a pocket-friendly size for those out and about.”

Among the new experiences available with the free 2.0 software update are:

• ‘flip scrolling’ has been added in the entire user interface, making scrolling in all views very smooth
• shortcuts to personalized homescreen
• Ovi Maps 3.1 with 3-D maps
• Nokia e-mail (Nokia Messaging)
• Ovi Contacts
• Ovi Store

Check out the N97 mini hands on video below:

[via slashgear]

Click here to view the embedded video.

The lifecasting with Ovi is in partnership with Facebook, allows you to publish your location and status updates directly to your account from the home screen of a mobile device. The Nokia N97 mini is expected to begin shipping in October 2009 for an estimated retail price of EUR 450 before taxes and subsidies.

Nokia N97 Mini specification

• WCDMA 900/1900/2100 (HSDPA), EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• User Interface: S60 5th Edition
• Dimensions: 113 x 52.5 x 14.2 mm
• Weight: 138 g
• Display: 3.2 inch TFT with up to 16 million colors, nHD 16:9 widescreen (640×360 pixels)
• 8GB internal memory
• microSD card slot
• 5 megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss Optics, dual LED flash
• Bluetooth, WiFi
• GPS
• TV-Out
• 3.5 mm headphone jack

[via slashgear]

mobile-review has also got the chance to review the Nokia N97 Mini prototype, stating a price difference of 100 euro compare to Nokia N97. Check out the review via the link for more live photos.

How are they different? Imagine someone armed himself with a hacksaw chopped around a centimeter off the original N97 – exactly the area occupied by the navigation key. The shortened lip gave this modification it’s current codename – “mini”. Same N97 on all fronts, but a bit smaller than the original. I’m curious what name they’ll use for the Nokia 5800i (with it being identical to the good old 5800, yet without WiFi connectivity); I suppose it’d make a lot of sense to call it “mini” as well, rather than waste a new index on a variation of the 5800.

Check out the change log below:

• USB detection error fix: PC does not detect N97 or USB charging connection not detected.
• Widgets
  • Home screen online/offline widget crash fix
  • Fix for “Alphabetical and Number input are mixed in facebook until end key is pressed.
  • Widget UI improvement – New facebook widget fixes a problem of Home Screen background visible on soft-key area.
  • Browser fixes to improve widgets stability.
• Mail for exchange related fixes
  • Partial fix for Messaging/calendar entry lost.
  • Mail for exchange calendar entry synchronization error fix.
• UI transition error fixes (Portrait <-> landscape transition, there is a home screen corruption.)
  • UI transition (Slowness and bad effects)
  • Slow Touch UI response
  • Picture of the device lock appears half of the screen when transitioning the UI sometimes
  • Landscape: in some cases the soft buttons on touch (right hand) show the Home Screen in background (install maps.google.com)
• Photos thumbnail performance and stability improvements
  • Device performance deteriorates when lots of content in the device – especially photos
  • Partial fix no display backlight illumination when unlocking lock-key – CAP Genius reported already
  • New version of Accueweather to improve the “Connection error” situation
  • Device reset when browsing with high speed packet access (for Malaysia )
  • “Browser soft key UI doesn’t work after putting Chinese character with qwerty keyboard”
  • Java fixes (TCK, Pre-install app disappearing, *#7370#*)
  • Operator fixes (CMCC, Hutchson and Telefonica, Vodafone)
  • Ovi store client now embedded in the core image

[via symbian-freak / serie-n ]

The Nokia N97 is Nokia’s first device to feature a personalizable home screen, which can be customized with a range of widgets which bring live information directly to the device. These widgets include key social networking destinations like Facebook and Hi5, news services like the Associated Press, Bloomberg and Reuters, as well as shopping and weather information. The Nokia N97 is the first device to ship with the Ovi Store, which offers easy access to applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services, and much more. Ovi Store has paid and free content from a range of global and local content providers and developers, including Paramount Pictures, Facebook and Qik, as well as a selection of Twitter applications.

Specifications:

• Network: WCDMA 900/1900/2100 (HSDPA), EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• User Interface:S60 5th Edition
• Dimensions:117.2 x 55.3 x 15.9 mm (L x W x H) *18.25 mm at camera area
• Weight:Approx. 150 g
• Display:3.5 inch TFT with up to 16 million colors (640×360 pixels)
• Battery: Nokia Battery BP-4L, 1500 mAh
• 32 GB on-board memory
• microSD memory card slot
• Video playback:MPEG-4 / SP and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, up to 30 fps, up to VGA resolution
• RealVideo up to QCIF @ 30 fps
• Windows Media (WMV9) up to CIF @ 30 fps
• Flash Lite 3.0 / Flash Video in internet browser
• Music playback: MP3, AAC, eAAC, eAAC+, WMA
• 5 megapixels camera (2584 x 1938 max)
• Video capture: MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps
• Flash: Dual LED camera flash and video light
• Talk time:Up to 320 min (3G), 400 min (GSM)
• Standby time:Up to 400 hrs (3G), 430 hrs (GSM)
• Video playback:Up to 4,5 hours (offline mode)
• Music playback:Up to 37 hours (offline mode)
• WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g with UPnP support
• Micro-USB connector
• 3.5mm stereo headphone plug and TV-out support (PAL/NTSC)
• Bluetooth wireless technology 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio, enhanced data rates (EDR)
• GPS receiver with support for assisted GPS (A-GPS)

And remember the leaked of Nokia road map last year? The keyboard-less Ivalo should have a similar specification compare to Nokia N97, which will come with a 3.5-inch touch screen, 32GB internal memory, A-GPS, FM Radio receiver, 5 megapixe l camera, WiFi and Bluetooth.

Below are a few more enlarge screenshots and a Nokia N97 picture for comparison.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The video is brief, but shows the Home Screen, and how to edit it. It also shows a privacy feature to clear the Home Screen with a gesture. You can also see a video playing on the N97 in 16:9 (HD) format (video is also recorded in that format, if you want – cool). Finally, you can see how the hinge works (it’s not a slide).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

[via Nokia]