With the long-awaited Nokia N97 about to hit the market, what can fans of the Finnish manufacturer expect from its latest flagship smartphone?

Unveiled at the company’s Nokia World event in Barcelona last December, the phone promised to be much more than any other mobile; instead, speculation on the Internet has claimed that it offers the kind of technology one would expect from a personal computer.

The firm itself was happy to promote the device in this way, announcing that it was indeed “the most advanced mobile computer in the world” and capable of transforming the way people interact with each other, as well as with the Internet.

Although some of these claims may sound grandiose, it appears that Nokia has equipped the N97 with a number of innovative features to help back up its claims, including a 3.5-inch touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, multiple sensors, memory functions Enhanced and high performance processing power.

The phone provides a “social location” function that combines A-GPS technology with an electronic compass, allowing the device to “intuitively [know] where is it”. Fans of social networks may find this service particularly useful as it will let their friends and contacts know where they are and when the application is activated.

“The Nokia N97 makes it easy to automatically update social networks with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their status and share their social location, as well as related images or videos,” the firm said in a statement.

Equipped with a 16:9 widescreen display, Nokia also claims the N97 is ideal for browsing the web, as the user interface can be customized to provide desktop links and bookmarks tailored to the user’s individual needs, a feature showing how the mobile phone has come a long way from the Xpress-on covers that used to adorn the most up-to-date Nokia phones a few years ago.

In addition, the Nokia N97 is capable of supporting up to 48 GB of music, images, data files and video content, using its built-in 32 GB capacity or the 16 GB expansion that is available through the use of a micro-SD card. . This means that the device’s DVD-quality playback and multimedia features, including a 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, can be fully utilized and can be shared using services such as Share on Ovi.

Jonas Geust, vice president of Nokia’s Nseries brand, said the N97 is “the most powerful multi-sensory mobile computer out there” and is likely to appeal to those who want to stay on the cutting edge of technology. “The Nokia N97 mobile computer fits in with the world around us, helping us stay connected to the people and things that matter most.”

Consumers looking to get in shape may also be interested in some of the other options the manufacturer has since announced. In January it was announced that the firm would launch a new package that would be fully compatible with the N97, with a Bluetooth heart rate monitor created by Polar health experts. Nseries Device Manager Juha Kokkonen commented that users could expect the device to be useful in keeping you “entertained on those long workouts while getting fit for next summer”, adding that the Polar heart rate belt “will lets you know exactly how you’re doing.”

Reviews at this stage are a bit sparse as it seems Nokia has kept its cards close to its chest in terms of providing the press with advanced access to its secret weapon against heavy hitters like the Apple iPhone 3G, T Mobile G1 and BlackBerry. Storm. However, earlier this month, the NokNok website received 24 hours with the phone and concluded that it was indeed “a beautiful thing”.

The article said there was only a sample version of the device and added that while consumers wouldn’t be disappointed when it finally hits stores in June, they were bound by a deal with the Finnish firm that meant they couldn’t give too much away about it. why this was the case.

However, it was noted that having “spent the last 24 hours in his company”, they had been able to get “a real idea of ​​how well built and robust he is”. The article went on to give advice, although there was little to say at this stage, it was something people should expect.

A further review of the phone surfaced last month from gadget news and reviews publication T3, which compared the phone to a “glorious meal” made up of “all your favorite foods”; the result was a “delicious, feature-packed N97 mobile computer.” .

One of the featured ingredients was the touchscreen, similar in many ways to the one recently seen on the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, the Finnish company’s first foray into the full-touchscreen market. Additionally, the qwerty keyboard was praised for offering a “web-friendly” option that takes the lead from the firm’s other E-series devices, as well as a “terrific camera” and the kind of multimedia extras you’d expect. of an N-series offering.

Although the phone’s Wi-Fi and HSDPA capabilities were noted as “fast,” the article explained that the N97 might be more suitable for social networking than business users, who may be more comfortable with something similar to the recently launched E75. .

“While still a great all-around player, the N97 isn’t the sum of parts borrowed from its brothers and sisters. It’s still about choosing a phone that does everything very well, or one that does a couple brilliantly. The N97 is the first, but it’s definitely Nokia’s most complete phone yet,” the site concluded.

In any case, the launch of the Nokia N97 is likely to give smartphone makers a reason to pay attention, even if it’s just to see if all the anticipation and speculation has paid off.