N97 Network

Does anyone have low or no signal with the Nokia N97? After updating to v21 I have had no network or very low signal. Waiting for v30 to come out to see if that will fix it.
I'm from South Africa.

The signal strength of the N97 isn't verry good, but the main problems with it was on FW version v10-and v11. I remember it got much better with v12 at least it stopped dropping calls because of it.
How is the signals around you with other phones? If I recall correctly, the antenna are in the bottom of the phone so maybe you should rework how you hold it?
Do you have your n97 on 3G network or not? It may be that it's bad 3g coverage around you... Try changing to GSM and see how it behaves.
If it seems to be a total distaster, I would concidering taking it to a Nokia care point.

Similar Messages

N97 network issues

hi there - after finally managing to update my software last night - it seems now a new set of issues has cropped up on this nightmare phone.
Wondering whether anyone can help.
I cant seem of access the network destinations. So the phone now only seems to want to search of a network that I used in a coffee shop and has that one as the defualt. there is no way of going beyond the initial access point menu. The network 3g internet will not work on the phone either.
Seems to be a glitch on the software as before the update it was working well.
I even tried to restore to factory settings but that has not worked either...can anyone help??

Hi,
I've got the same problem.
I cant browse the internet or use any apps that require network access since the firmware update.
I ran a software update on my N97 using the Ovi PC software from v11 to v12 and now I cant access any of my network destinations/wireless networks. I cant access the internet via 3G either.
When I try to view my networks in: Applications > Connectivity > Destinations... I cant access the 'Uncategorised' link which contains all of my set up access points to delete and re-create them.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this??

N97 Network question

Hello,
I just got my N97 and started using internet(for example OVI). I want my phone to connect to these things via WIFI. My question is; Is there a way for me to turn of my network so that it'll automaticly use WIFI for my internet?
Greetz Mitch
Just to clear things up: I want my phone to stop connecting to the internet via my providers network and want it to connect via WIFI

Set your wifi to priority 1 in access points, or set the phone to offline mode and set up a wifi connection !
Good Luck
If I have helped at all, a click on the White Star is always appreciated :
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N97 Network Failure 2G

My Nokia N97 purchased in july 2009 is now having network trouble, ie it wont catch any network in a 2G sim. But works in 3G mode.. When I contacted nokia care they said to replace the entire mother Board which is quite expensive.. Friends any solution for this please inform me.. Weather a new Firmware upgrade can solve this? Heard that a new firmware v30 id releasing for n97.Any information regarding that?
Please help me friends!

Was the network mode set to GSM, just a check.
If a reply has solved your problem click Accept as solution button, doing it will help others know the solution. Thanks.

Problems with n97 apps connecting to network (Voda...

Problems with n97 apps connecting to network (Vodafone UK – 3G)
Recently a number of my apps which used to connect automatically to the internet (which ever was available – known wi-fi or 3g) have stopped doing this. They now only connect to one known wi-fi.
I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling each app, but this hasn’t solved the problem. I’ve checked for software updates and do not believe any have been applied or are available. All apps have been downloaded via Ovi on the phone. I still am able to access the internet by the web browser which was installed on the phone and via google maps (which also still manages GPS position, search, etc).
The apps which I notice causing a problem are:
Sainsbury’s/nectar
Tesco
Map my tracks
Snaptu
Opera Mini
Any one got any ideas???

I have the same problem since i updated my mac to 10.5.6.
Each time I have to do a diagnostic and retype the WEP password to have the internet connection.

Nokia N97 Mini - Network coverage disappeared

My Nokia N97 Mini, about 1 year old, suddenly decided it did not want to get any reception at all. I have travelled via train to different places for work and such and noticed it still was not getting reception. I have also tried restarting the phone, trying my sisters sim card and none of this seemed to work. It is getting quite frustrating, so, hopefully you can help me!?

Hello stockobmx, check the network settings in your phone see whether its automatic or manual. If its manual then set it to automatic. Try and reply.
Nokia C7

N97 Startup - "Allow connection to network for hom...

When the N97 starts up I get a message; "Allow connection to network to enable updates to Home screen content? Updates can be disabled from 'Options'.
Can I make this request go away?
I have tried to find the means to disable it in Options, but cannot find it. Home screen is on offline mode, but still this appears.
C7-00 Vodafone UK
E71 O2 UK
6300 Vodafone UK
6300 & N97 - resting

My home screen is quite simple.
Messaging - which should not need updates
Camera shortcut - no update there
Calendar - as above
Maps - set to internal GPS only, so should not ask.
Clock - no updates
Images shotcut
WLAN wizard
Converter shortcut.
I can't see any reason for any of these to ask to go online. Have I missed something?
Should I remove them all and add one at a time to see which is causing the issue?
C7-00 Vodafone UK
E71 O2 UK
6300 Vodafone UK
6300 & N97 - resting

Good network traffic counter N97 mini?

Hi,
I would like to know about any free network traffic counter apps for my N97 Mini.
On my HTC I had a very good free app called "Net counter" where I could select the amount of data I had signed up for, also it had a selection where I could set the date brakepoint.
The app always gave the exact amount of data I had received during the selected dates, and resetted the value at the selected date.
Is there any similar free app for the N97 Mini?

In the log!
Open the log and you'll get a choice of missed/received/placed calls, call duration and packet data counter.
You'll have to reset it manually on the refresh date, though, and it doesn't distinguish between internet access and MMS.
Was this post helpful? If so, please click on the white "Kudos!" star below. Thank you!

N97 no network signal after reboot (useless)

This is the second N97 I've got. First one I have returned since I thought there was a failure on the machine.
On the second one I've got the same issue. I need an EXPERT help.
1. Previously I've got an N95 8Gb. I did my back up using OVI.
2. I connected my new N97, after I've configured the phone (e-mail account with pop3 and smtp settings; personal preferences; network connections; SIP settings, etc). Then I passed the content of my N95 to the N97.
3. I also transfer some pictures and songs, but doing a copy and paste (The N97 it is listed twice on my PC as two storage devices, both named N97; when I click on anyone there is shown - on both - the phone memory and the memory card)
4. I've installed some applications using OVI, except Fring, that I downloaded searching the application through the Nokia website.
5. Everything runs pefect and smooth, including Fring application (I use only Skype, SIP and LAST FM through Fring). All the settings are the same I am currently having on my N95 (I still having it and using it).
6. Once I turned off my phone and restart, my screen it is "empty", with no content. On the bottom menu where it is by default "Options - the keypad icon - Contacts" only it is shown "Options - the keypad icon". The "Contacts" option has dissapeared and the "keypad icon" it is useless (I cannot operate it).
7. Also on the upper left section of the phone, where there is the 3.5G signal and some other data (I think the carrier name, in my case it is AT&T) it is only shown the antenna, with no any bar signal over it (like when you don't have signal at all). Please, notice this is not an X sign that usually it is when the phone is on "Offline Mode"
8. I checked the Network, under Connectivity menu (I can enter on the menu pressing the front key on the lower left section of the phone). It shows "Network unavailable". I've got inside the Network menu. Operatior selection now is under "Manual" (it was under Automatic before). When I am entering to the Operator Selection a message says that I cannot change the operator since I am in "Offline Mode". I press the power button once, to change to Normal Mode. Nothing has changed.
9. I have RESET the phone (*#7370). Phone starts again as a new phone, but the memory card has the same content (the memory card it is not formatted, even when I do the RESET).
10. I've tried to configure the phone with my e-mail account settings but not adding any application (I thought that maybe the Fring was giving some problem, specially since it is configured by default to start the application when the phone startup. That's the way it is configurated on my N95 with no problem. Even not installing the FRING application the problem is still there: I turned off the phone, then I powered on and the screen was the same as I have described.
11. I though that the problem could be some file copied from the N95, when I did the copier content, or when I just did the phone switch or when I did the copy and paste of my pictures (jpg) and mp3 files.
12. The weird is that this is happening to me AGAIN on another phone. As I said, the previous one I have exchanged for this one since I thougt something wrong was with my phone. Obviously or there is something wrong with all N97 or there is another reason. But I need HELP!!!!!!
By the way, after this problem occured, when I left my pohne on for a while and it gets locks I cannot unlock it unless I remove battery and connect the usb cable.

Ok.
I have tried that before already. It is the same as *#7370#. Just in case you ask, I tried both methods, the key sequence and the code imput, and just want to say that I will not loose all my data if I do it. For example my pictures and songs are still there.
Actually I did this reset already..... 7 times? (more or less)
I did it on the FIRST n97 and also in the SECOND n97 machines (if you don't understand what I mean you will se my first post here where I describe all my nightmares)
BOTH has the same response. After a while, I turn it off/on and it is converted in a nice useless ornament.
Also, connecting my device to my PC trhough USB cable, if I do a search I can find some files related with previously installed applications like FRING (previously to the "hard reset" that I doubt it is a real hard reset, since it is not leaving the phone as the first time; does not format the whole memory on it).
BOTTOM LINE: this is not HELPING
By the way: yesterday I was surfing this place and I found another post named: "Re: how to fuly hard reset/format n97?", where for an instance you, radical24, has participated on it, too.
There is a post from bbianchi. He has uploaded some pictures that are actually showing what my phone does (looks like there are MANY doing the same outthere!!!). Specially the FIRST picture, where it shows the antenna with no signal (not Network available, even with my AT&T SIM card inside)
bbianchi wrote:
This is all I get when I turn it on:
http://gallery.me.com/n6oob#100041/IMG_0942&bgcolor=black
Did this user find a solution? Is he or she using his n97, running applications, having solved his problem?

N97 Internet-based apps don't work, but network is...

I just got my N97 yesterday, and I'm quite happy with its feature set, but I've developed a problem. My phone was fully operational out-of-the box, but I made the foolish decision to upgrade the OS to the latest version, and now web-based apps will not stay open. The front page widgets can't connect to the network, and when I open the browser, the app opens, tries to start loading my homepage and then closes immediately. Facebook app does the same thing. I know I have a working data connection as I am able to download emails with the messaging client and the maps client is able to stream map data, but anything that uses the browser won't load. I've tried this with the AT&T connection and with several WiFi connections to no avail.

I too had this problem and I had to restore factory settings and start over. This wipes all your settings, contents, etc. but fixed this problem.
640K Should be enough for everybody
El_Loco Nokia Video Blog

N97... is there a way to find out if it's network ...

I know, not the best idea to buy these products on ebay, but I'm afraid I've done it and now looking for any advice anybody can give!
First of all the seller told me it was unlocked and had his location down as Ireland, which is where I'm based. I therefore presumed it had been checked on Irish networks.
However when the phone arrived it had come from Poland and was made in China.
When I insert my sim and switch it on it just says "insert sim". I'm wondering if this is because it's locked or a fault in the phone. The seller insists he had tried it and it was unlocked. Of course, I now realise he would have tried it in Poland, not a whole lot of use to me.
Is there a way of finding out which network it is locked to? Or even if the phone is a genuine nokia product.
Any advice appreciated!

If the games come up in Chinese script then I'm SURE you have bought a Fake. I bought a Fake phone on ebay from a seller in Ireland about a year ago.
I didnt bother with paypal to start, I sent him an email :-
"I have recieved the phone and suspected it was a fake copy. I have taken it to my local Nokia Store and a branch of Phones4you. Both shops confirmed it is a fake, they went to the trouble of comparing to the real thing in the shop.
I have done my research:
My local Trading Standards Office
address
telephone
website
email
Your local Trading Standards Office
address
telephone
website
email
I am sorry if you too have been conned but I will pursue you through Trading Standards, the Police & Paypal.
Please send me money back within 2 days or I will contact all 3 agencies without delay. Give me a refund and that will be the end of it"
That worked, I got my money back, He did ask me to return the phone, I sent it to trading standards.
George
De Criminalised 0570817: RM-505_EMEA_EURO_QW1 Black on Vodafone

N97 v11 available for 5 more networks.

V11 is now available for the following networks with branding:
Mobilkom AT (austria)
Optus (Australia) *
Singtel (singapore)
Swisscom (Switzerland)
Telenor (Serbia)
Simobil (vodafone slovenia) *
Vipnet (Vodafone Croatia) *
Turkcell (Turkey)
the ones with the stars were released a few days ago, the rest were released this afternoon.
Message Edited by flagpole on 09-Jul-2009 03:40 PM
There's no dignity in begging for kudos. Do it for the karma.

palwinder, if I am not mistaken, I've seen posts here stating that v30 (or atleast v20) is available in India. Have you been to a Nokia Care Center, or are you trying to downlaod it OTA or via NSU? I think you should try Nokia Care Centers if near you.
Lumia 920, Lumia 800
Nokia N8-00 (NAM, Product Code: 059C8T6), Symbian Belle, Type RM-596, 111.030.0609
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (NAM, Product Code: 0577454) Software v51.2.007, Type RM-428

My experience with the N97 - "my last Nokia"

Hi everyone,
I know this is a user-to-user support forum but I believe a complaint to be some sort helps users to decide whether the N97 is for them or not. Before you read on, this post will contain comparisons to competitors, so if you hate apples, feel free to ignore me! (Also I don't think users should stop harassing Nokia for what they have done to us - the more complaints the better. Igoring customers is not a very good corporate strategy. Eventually it will take them down - people buy Nokia for quality, otherwise they could buy a rip-off from ebay).
Just skimming over the posts shows me that I am not alone. So let me share my experience with Nokia and the N97. I am too tired complaining about this phone, at least I think my experience has made sure that no-one of my friends and relatives is ever going to buy a Nokia again.
When I bought the phone for then 500 pounds at the Nokia flagship store in London it seemed nice enough. Good camera, decent keyboard and features competitors could only dream of. Unfortunately, that's paperwork. For a start, the much advertised facebook application was completely disfunctional and taking into account that Nokia clearly tried to compete with the iphone (my apologies again for mentioning a competitor) frankly a lame joke. I know a firmware update has somewhat relieved the situation now, but I will come to that later.
Okay, so I have disabled the facebook application. Not a drama, surely the rest will work okay. But then after a week some of the pictures I took with the built-in camera weren't accessible anymore (broken image displayed). Again, I have another camera and I was hoping for a firmware update so I ignored it. I had now started using the joikuspot app to browse the internet on my linux box. Very nice. I started using email a lot on my phone but again was disappointed. I have a £165 ipod touch here. Without kinetic scrolling and an extremely bad UI design, by which I mean the icons and menus (ignoring the graphics flaws all the time) it is no match for the ipod, so what i did was to use joiku spot with my ipod touch. Before that firmware update the N97s browser was also still buggy so I used joikuspot for that too. I was now down to using my £500 smartphone as a wireless modem. What a shame. But I was still hoping for some kind of magic update.
Then finally, I found out about the firmware update. I had to open my phone, check the serial and visit the Nokia website. Unfortunately, the Ovi software and drivers supplied with the phone did not recognize my N97 properly. Something which I think was fixed with the firmware update (anyone seeing a circular dependency here? ) Furthermore, the built-in firmware update over 3G seemed to be disabled. So I made the journey back to the flagship store in London, explaining the problem. I was greeted by an extremly rude employee. Well, I think that's not really his fault, I guess he was just sick of all the complaints. Anyways, I told him that the 3G update was not working and he started to be really patronizing telling me that I wouldn't listen to him (he said it was "working" but "disabled"). Maybe I should have told him that I am a software engineer and that in 99.9% of the cases in which we disable a feature, the reason is that it is "not working". Anyways, he kindly allowed me to use one of their machines to update the firmware "at my own risk", which worked. At no point I have received an apology for the fact that I have paid Nokia £500 to beta-test their products.
Now of course, the firmware update has succeeded, but is all fine? Far from it.... As many report on this forum the N97s battery meter is faulty. Countless times, my phone has just literally died overnight. It even forgets time and date! This is more than bad - every phone I have had so far complained about a draining battery well in advance. I had to dig out my old phone to serve as an alarm clock again - the fact that the alarm clock itself is unreliable is a alltogether different matter... One time the battery died during the day - after doing nothing for 4 hours in my sports bag (started with 1 bar down). When I had to make a call that day, for the first time in I don't know how many years I had to use a telephone box. Progress?!
The firmware update has also barely improved the email client - just a few ui glitches solved. However, the biggest issue at the moment seems to be the weird memory organization. When I buy a phone I don't want to deal with something like the c drive problem. Reinstalling applications on the 32gb partition helps somewhat but why didn't Nokia do that in the first place? Has this phone never been tested?The phone is still way too slow.
I can't comment on the iplayer app - says it needs wlan to work. But the youtube player has crashed every time i used it. And by crashing I mean it took down the whole phone with it. I admit that my ipod crashed a few times too - in just under a year (~3 times). But the reset was straightforward every time. With the N97, the only thing that seems to help is to take the battery out!
Before I forget, the N97 doesn't even work as a phone. In a 30 minute conversation, the call got dropped 4 times. I don't know whether it was because of a calibration issue with the proximity sensor or a more serious problem, all I know is that this is unacceptable!
I am sick of the phone and Nokia's service. The joikuspot app ran out and asks me to pay... I have paid £500 pounds for the bloody phone already. The adobe reader asks me to pay... (somehow it ran out without me even using it). Maybe you see why I am getting angry now - the only use case that actually put the N97 on top of my old phone was gone. What infuriated me even more, is that Nokia bundles this software with the phone. It cannot actually be deinstalled! It just sits there merrily and takes up my hard drive space.
Last but not least, I have written to Nokia already, but not received a response! This is a Nokia forum with Nokia employees following the posts. I would be very, very, very grateful if Nokia could give me a refund. However, with them not even acknowledging the various problems I somehow don't see that coming. I'll probably have to sell it with a massive loss on ebay.
Cheers,
Will
P.s.: I have all the same small issues as the other guys here - slider lock at the side not working etc. You are not alone... Has anyone complained about the music player? I have 16gb of music on the phone and scrolling is impossible! The Symbian OS is so obviously not built for a touch screen that it hurts. Of course they don't put much music on the phones in the Nokia store so people only find out when they get home...
Message Edited by alcroth on 12-Sep-2009 11:32 AM
Solved!
Go to Solution.

hi ! the nokia n97 is a really an amazing device. It keeps up to the promise of live online 24 x 7. I discovered it and wanted to share. Still there are some unanswered questions and if any vetran could help would really appreciate.
i am an user from India. and have the n97 for about 3-4 weeks now. Practically I have been living online 24 x 7 as The list of unexpected issues that a nokia n97 offers seems unending, some of which i am narrating have made me scout on the web to try n search answers.Not that i will be able to action information you provide instantly. My new phone has gone for reparis(sic), so once its back can do that & will acknowledge your replies.
My Quests:
1. First things first! How to request for & get refunds for a Nokia Phone in India.
2. Is there a touch querty as an input method? like windows mobile ? Request Know How. I now seem to agree to the feedback on one of the blogs.. that nokia designers feel that the average size of user hands would be that of big people & fingers like a japaneese teen. The physical keyboard does not seem to offer any additional functions other than text input !
3. Predictive text where in the touch screen menu, the words dont get auto completed. This increases the number of taps/input strokes. Is the n97 intelligent & learn words from sms, contacts, emails. my blackberry does so. Request Know How & any options to edit custom dictionary. Auto Punctuation ? Am i expecting too much already ?
4. Single hand use of phone impractical using touch pad t9. Entering alphanumerics on the physical querty is a nightmare... Request Know how on tips & tricks.
5. Green tick yes or v button on top left of the text input screen. friendly again only for big handed people. Could this have been at bottom right. Is alternate screen for text input touch t9 available? Requested Know how.
6. Unnecessary taps additional taps alomost in all menus...for eg.. sending a biz card from n97 requires 5 taps... in the other mobile phone systems it can be done in 3 taps. Requested Knowhow for shortcuts.
7. Can In a nokia we get a view of the entire events as single thread.... No Provision for search display against keywords upon I can get call logs, messages - Here in Nokia, no search filters / advanced search and all searches results plotted to applications vs person/events. Requested Know How if it can be done like blackberry / windows mobile.
8. Copy & Paste across applications. eg. Select text from web page copy n paste on message application.... possible on Nokia...? Requested Know How
9. Call& Event Logs e.g Missed calls. If there are 5 missed calls the log will show the last called time only. In most other mobile systems Blackberry, windows each event is logged against a user. Requested know how on how this is handled in Nokia.
10. Lag in picture display upon call. Number displays first and after few seconds lag the pic pops up. Is this normal & acceptable ? Other windows / rim devices show it instantly.
11. When will Nokia enable usage of Native clients like google talk, yahoo like blackberry, iphone ? Any know how on possibility of release. Any equal alternatives suggested for n97. Tried Nimbuzz, Fring, Ebuddy. Miss the chat message notification icon on home screen, notification on the chat messaging icon, sound, breathing lights.
12. Is there any planning for better email client? Likely Release dates?
13. The Java App for GMAIL on blackberry shows an indicator on icon in addition to customised alert setting tone & breathing light for new messages. Retreiving Emails is consistent & auto on other devices. The Nokia Does not seem to auto refresh + No Notification. How is it handled on Nokia ?
14. Can user friendliness be something where we can do actions with a contact or on contacts screen single view... e.g see contact on google map, Help on contacts screen/n97 help, lookup contact on server, filter by category. new address, new group, view, edit, delete, activity log (incl sms, mms, email, calls), call, sms, mms, email, send as attachment, send as im, add a custom ring tone, add picture, options - sort by, separators, sync settings, actions, switch
applications, exit. We have seen it on inexpensive phones. is it possible to be done on Nokia?
SOME OF MY STILL UNRESOLVED PROBLEMS Post upgrade to ver 12. Did you also face similar bugs/issues?
15. Contacts inaccessible – “Memory Full Error”. No other applications were active at the time of the error. Just unable to reach any of my 3500 contacts through the contacts options & do anything.
16. Pbk2 error upon selecting contacts in the messaging application.
17. Audio Delay upon receiving a call. No Sound upon connection of incoming call. Especially if picked up too fast.
18. Shows as searching for network constantly many times a day. We have 2 n97s & observed that both n97 almost have similar timing of network loss. Whereas, our other devices like blackberry do not show any weak signal signs.
19. GPS Lock. Keeps searching for GPS locks constantly i.e Drops connection to GPS network frequently.
20. Unpredictive battery talk time, standby & required Charge time.
21. Voice inaudible at other end, when using loudspeaker & especially during calls from moving vehicle.
22. Camera:
a. Picture clarity issues. Secondary camera highly pixelated. Primary camera shows light flooding on pictures. Clarity Missing.
b. Erroneous Time stamp on images.
c.Lens Cover Started to show minor scratch pressure.
23. Ovi Suite recommends erroneous updates for E.g Maps 3
24. Text Input touch t9 screen freezes / Hangs, especially when entering special characters like period(.), comma(,), exclamation (!) etc
25. Selectively & at random contact Name not displayed on Caller ID (sometimes)
26. Selectively Message & Message delivery display number, instead of stored contact names.
27. Sync Issue, All contacts not synced always.
How to sync "categories" field as stored in outlook or how to map custom fields to Nokia.
28. Format Mass Memory error, Unable to format. Unable to delete specific files.
29. The auto lock... When attempted to unlock with querty out .. it still opens in portrait mode ?
30. SMS Logs Not updated. e.g any sms sent before storing a contact.... after storing or adding
contact the number does not get automatically updated to the name. It reflects the number still in the logs.
31. Picture caller... The face is half cut ..Looks weird on most images... as the number is not transparent. In landscape mode there is enough space on the screen to put up the answer or reject buttons and displaying the numbers.
32. Browser will close on its own & return to menu or home screen.
thanks in advance for your time to stop & read. Pls do send any information that you think will be useful to me for making the n97 do some work.
NEW additions:
(tested on another n97)
33. Predictive Text :
Usage for auto word completion only on physical keyboard, when the Dpad down key is used it throws up options but the way the scroll is designed you can see the full word and one makes mistakes.
34. another strange behaviour is on the text input... this was on an email i was trying to reply. the stylus touch will paste the last keyed in word !! we wonder why.
35. and while showing off the second n97 we have (again 3-4 weeks old) - we were asked how much did we pay for this second hand unit - 50% off .. apparently the comment as the surface has got scratched very badly.
i hope the info is good use to others who want to take the risk of buying this device

Are we Beta testing the N97 for Nokia?

Because if i was given this as a beta release i would have told them what i thought, the current launch version on the N97 with V10 firmware is barely an Alpha release, this phone was a rush job thrown out on the market to coincide with the launch of the iphone 3Gs.
This is my fourth N series, N80, N95, N95 8gb (the best N series yet), and now this N97 what should be Nokia's flagship, but being stripped of apps and filled with Trial versions to please the accountants at Nokia.
Day one and it locked up twice, corrupted my contacts when synced with OVI, and ran down to less than 4mb on the C drive, day 2 i found the GPS was not working, it was a joke, walking down the road under a clear sky and it could not hold a signal lock, driving was worse barely holding a signal for a few seconds and as for sitting spinning it round for an age to get the compass to work........forget it id rather be lost than look like a **bleep**.
Deleting apps and reinstalling them on the mass memory frees up some space, but why should we have to do this, the whole phone is badly thought out and configured.
Soon after the stylus supplied with the phone and attached to the phones only tie point scratched my screen, what was wrong with a rear cover with a bump and a thin PDA style stylus, no not good enough for Nokia, a fat thing on a string will do for them.
New Firmware release 4 days after UK launch and still not available to most users as it has not been network approved yet, 3 network say its Nokia's job and they are delaying things, Nokia say its the networks delay. Come on if it was needed that quickly why leave most of your customers waiting, or just get to work on a layered OS with a standardised core with a network layer, so everyone can have the updated without waiting.
4 weeks in on this phone, i too have the scratched camera lens, still No working GPS, and having some good negotiations with Three to try to reverse the contact upgrade, as i don't think another N97 will last any longer than this one.
I see Nokia spending Millions on punting the N97, TV, Billboards, Net adds, why push so hard on what is a sub standard product, could you imagine Joe public trying to free off some memory by moving apps, tell the care centres to brace themselves the N97 flood will be coming their way.
What next, well if 3 don't cancel the upgrade, then Nokia will have to fix my phone again and again and again untill it works as advertised, in the mean time i am off to get in touch with watchdog so they can let Joe Public know what to expect from an N97.
Rob
Solved!
Go to Solution.

I don't believe we're beta testing the N97 for Nokia. Beta testing suggests it is in a state prior to production. Nokia's track record (at least to me) seems that leading edge phones never reach a stable plateau.
What I believe happens is the phone is released and remains unstable until they sort of perfect the platform, then a new handset is released bringing a whole new world of bugs and problems and so the cycle continues.
By the time the phone is suitable for every day use it is, by today's technological stance, ancient and the damage has already been done to the reputation.
S40 phones seem to fare much better, mainly because it is much more widely used within Nokia. S60 is up against some fine competition from vendors who will rush fixes out.. Nokia only ever seems to rush phones out. It isn't the same and it shows (see their forcast for the next 6 months)
I honestly would not be surprised if this flagship phone limps on in a partially functional state until it is superceeded by a budget blackberry clone.
Sad? Very! Am I being cynical, or telling it like it is.
I'd be real interested to know if any exec at Nokia used the N97 in the weeks before it was released.. Not that I'm a fan, but we all know Stevie J used an iphone long before it was released.. I kind of get the impression they must all use very basic "corporate" s40 handsets and assume their flagship product must be of the same calibre.
Next release, why not give 100 people N97 for testing, real testing. It seems Nokias quality assurance team is out of touch with what a $700 handset demands.. ooooh, I gasp in awe at your 30 MB of free capactity when you remove ALL the applications you can. (It's like having a 2TB hard drive in a computer and continuing to boot from a floppy)
I appreciate there are product time lines to meet, but if Nokia were aiming to compete with the likes of the pre, iphone and the various android handsets (not even mentioning windows mobile) rushing out a phone like this was very wide of the mark. Concept wise, the N97 is a great design.. the implementation of both the hardware and software just isn't going to cut it in todays market..
(but this is what they want? you'll get bored with the handset and buy a replacement! yeay!)

My N97 consumer feedback

Hello,
I could not find any place to provide a concrete consumer feedback. Discussed the issue with Nokia Care Line numerous amount of times and while the issue gets escalated higher, nothing tangible has ever been realized. So I decided to post this here.
You will need a lot of patience to read the whole thing so get something to drink, sit back and enjoy.
I am based in Dubai and been staying here for 25+ years. My first phone was a Nokia back in 1997 (Nokia 8110) and then I bought the 3310. Those were the good old days. They did not have the fancy features we see in today's smart phones but they were strong and gave a great satisfaction of owning a gadget. From there I've had many Nokia phones ranging from the N-Gage, a couple of E series phones and then finally the N95 8GB. Till this date I was most satisfied with Nokia phones and as soon as the thought of a mobile or cellular comes to mind, Nokia comes to mind. I'm afraid the prestige Nokia once had has diminished and a major round of applause for that to their flagship N97.
The story begins...
I bought the Nokia N97 after great marketing by Nokia (huge model of N97 at a roundabout right outside the Radisson SAS hotel in Dubai Media City). I was mesmerized by the phone and I said to myself wow could this be it. Frankly I also blame the mindset of consumers in this part of the world. Nevertheless, I finally decided to make way for the N97 and put aside my most powerful mobile device ever (N95 8GB).
I bought the N97 on 1st Dec 2009 excited to the bone, waiting to tap those fingers on my first ever touch phone. Get home, unboxed, put it on charge and start to explore. In under 5 minutes while messaging an SMS using the QWERTY keyboard the screen starts to black out with unexplained white/yellow/red dots and lines. I nearly shed tears but decided to restart the phone and get over the dilemma thinking it was a one off. Phone restarts and comes back to life. Another 10 minutes into browsing and the same thing happens again. This is when I was heartbroken. Mind you I completely understand the fact that there can be manufacturing defects. I decided to leave it there and head to the store the next day but since it was 2nd Dec there was a public holiday for National day. I went back to the shop on the 3rd Dec and told them of the behavior. Typical response from the sales guy, "did you drop the phone?"... I grinned and said "Is that the best you can ask?" I had nothing to hide as I knew I was being truthful. I am overly cautious with my phone and so with a cool head I told him "No, I did not drop the phone". He asked me to leave it with them and they will check it out and come back tomorrow. I was there the next morning and he told me "yes there seems to be a problem with the phone and we will need to send it Axiom and it may take up to 8 days depending on when the person from Axiom collects it from their shop."
I decided to take the phone there myself. The same day I reach the Axiom service center on SZR and take a ticket waiting for my turn. I wait 35 minutes and finally my ticket # is called. I go over to the guy sitting on the desk and as soon as he saw my Nokia he went "oh Nokia, we don't repair Nokia's anymore but you can take it to the Nokia Care center. They have one right down the road" (Seriously can you may be put up a note at your center that we do not repair Nokia’s anymore so people don't have to waste their time waiting for you to tell them the same?).
I head over to the Nokia Care center and wait for another 45 minutes (gotta love it) for my ticket # to be called. Finally I have a chance to speak to a guy who is ready to listen to my problems. I explain him the whole deal and by now the phone even refused to start even after removing the battery and putting it back in. Instantly he acknowledged the problem and accepted the phone for repairs. I tried to ask why I cannot get a replacement instead since it has been only a few days since I bought the phone. He said if it was eligible for replacement then they will do so. I get a Job number and now I have to wait. The next day I get an SMS saying that my phone has been sent to high level repair factory and the minimum delay is expected to be 10 days. I am already heartbroken and how worse can it get? You will be surprised. Read on...
I get an SMS on the 7th or 8th day saying my phone was ready for pickup. I breathed normally at this point. Btw you can even check the status of the phone online; strangely and surprisingly the online URL to check the status is actually that of Axiom (http://www.axiomtelecom.com/repair.html) who first refused my phone. So is it still Axiom guys fixing phones for Nokia? I don't care, what I did care was that my phone was ready and I was there in a flash to pick it up. I started the phone while I was there and it seemed OK at that point as I tried sending a couple of SMS messages and watching the demo video etc. The guy told me that the electric circuit board was replaced and it should be fine now.
I come home all happy and excited that I finally got my phone back. Start using the phone and no problems with phone blacking out and no other visual issues either. Now I am a very heavy user and I expect smart phones to work with ALL features as advertised. Everything almost seemed to be okay but then I decided to check out the GPS and I only wished I didn't have to break my heart the second time but I did. The GPS apparently is a big failure on the N97 after reading a lot on the web and YouTube videos of users trying to mod the GPS for a better lock on position. Why would you need to mod something if it's supposed to work out of the box? This is not what I paid money for. Now I am not the most important person on this planet so I don't always need to know the Latitude and Longitude of where exactly I am at any given point but I do use the GPS API for a cool little application called Qibla that helps you determine where the location of Mecca is and this helps me in facing the right direction when I need to pray specially when I am on business travel at a hotel in Europe/America. This is something I would not compromise on.
Not to my astonishment the GPS is not just failing but it's practically dead on my device. Nokia Maps even failed to determine the position. It did not even give me a position at all. I tried everything and I mean everything under the sun. Apart from the built-in GPS, I tried the A-GPS (Assisted) and Network based methods with ISP provided access points. That alone cost me roughly 80 dirhams but not a single time did I get a lock on the position. I am left with no choice but to take back the device to Nokia Care and once again explain to the same gentleman the new GPS problem I faced after the first repair. He happily accepted the phone and the same drill again however this time he assured it was under priority and that a swap of the unit is likely. Again I get another Job number and I kept checking that Axiom repair status page online like a million times in vain. In parallel I decided to call the Nokia care line and register my feedback with them who sympathized with my problem but could only give me an escalation reference number. I knew that I just had to wait and there is nothing more I can do about it.
I was just not sure what the feeling was. Angry? Frustrated? Felt cheated. A week went by and I was starting to lose my cool. I called the Nokia care line everyday in an attempt to get things moving faster. I was assured by at least 3 agents I spoke to that my phone will be ready by Saturday 26th Dec but I guess the constant calling raised a few alarms and my phone was ready for pick up on the 24th Dec. In a flash again I was there to collect it. Got my phone, tried the GPS while sitting with the agent and unfortunately the GPS does not work well when indoors or in enclosed areas. I was just happy that I am getting my phone back so I told him I will check it in bright sunny conditions and hopefully I will not have to come back here again ever. He told me the GPS receiver was replaced.
I get home and the GPS is not working indoors. Expected. I rush down to my parking lot which is a wide open area and bright sun shining all the way down. HORROR! The GPS fails to determine the location after 20 minutes of standing there. A-GPS, Network none of them showed any signs of a lock on my position. The Latitude and Longitude showed nothing. It just said No connection after the miserable attempt to calculate GPS data. I started Nokia Maps to see if that can spot the position. The position on Nokia Maps of where I was showed me 6KM away from where I was. This did not change no matter which part of the city I went to. I was broken into pieces, felt like I was left naked.
Do I have to check on every feature that the phone has to ensure what is working and what is not? Seemed like a good idea so I checked the FM transmitter that can broadcast your music to "any" FM radio with a radio wave. The FM transmitter does not activate on my phone. I thought that it maybe has to be close to an antenna for a strong signal (physics) and so I was standing right next to my car antenna, set an unused frequency on my car FM radio and hit the activate button but nothing happens I changed the antenna on my car thinking it was the antenna (Seriously the phone can't be malfunctioning can it?) I still had faith in this phone. Changing the antennas did not help. Trying the same thing in my brother’s car did not help and I was like **bleep** man, maybe it does not work with all FM radios and I would just consider myself unlucky.
Today evening I was at the Dubai mall and there happens to be a Nokia store. I quickly stepped into the store and there lied an N97 in all its glory. For my curiosity I started the FM transmitter application and clicked on Activate and to my utter surprise the FM transmitter shows a message that it will now start broadcasting at that mentioned frequency. WHAT? There are no signs of any radio waves, no frequencies, nothing and it just starts to work like that!! This is when I figured Nokia manufactured the worst single device ever and that one got into my hands.
For any Nokia representative, forum moderator or anyone with any authority who wants to discuss my experience and I am ready to showcase you all that is not working on hand and all I need is an answer from you to this: Did I spend 2000 dirhams on a phone that boasts so many features with hardly any of them working? Or is my case just a horrible manufacturing defect product and if it is then what are you going to do about it?
Regards,
Broken
Message Edited by mvajid on 27-Dec-2009 01:44 AM

Hi,
Just to let you know that this is a user to user forum. We are all Nokia users here just like you. While there may be Nokia moderators here, they only task here is to make sure we behave and don't start fighting. If you wish to contact Nokia directly, you should use the "Contact us" tab to be top right of this screen but I believe you may already have done so. If you haven't already done so then you should because it gets you to Nokia Care directly. Please note that most Nokia Care Points are not run by Nokia themselves so you have been dealing with 3rd party contractors to date, so might be no harm to contact Nokia directly.
Anyway best of luck

N97 Network

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