GOOD TO KNOW:

• Touch screen with QWERTY keypad
• Pre-loaded applications
• Smaller than the original
• GPS enabled

I'm an old-school type of gal. I don't have expensive tastes and I definitely don't care about the latest and greatest thing since Chuck Norris, I'm talking in terms of memes not so much his acting. But, I digress. The Nokia N97 Mini has been described as, 'less is more'. I completely agree, the scaled version of the original Nokia N97 is smaller, so it's able to fit in your clutch without being intrusive, but still gives you all you would need in a Smartphone.

"A Smartphone is a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality (PC-mobile handset convergence)." –Wikipedia

This is exactly what sold me on the Nokia N97. The touch-screen comes loaded with your internet functionality. A Facebook app, which gives you minute-by-minute updates and notifications, a Gmail application to integrate your email capabilities and the ability to customise the applications on your 'home screen'. So it was quite easy for me to check my mail, Facebook and if need be, login to the Nokia Ovi Store to download other applications. Another huge plus was the app that linked you to the Nokia Music Store, where I could buy songs. Very useful for days when patience is short and bank queues are long.

The Nokia N97 Mini carries off social networking and other online functionality integration rather well, for example,  the 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED, together with a front-facing camera allows you to  you can upload Facebook pictures of that hilarious moment in traffic where someone picks their nose or a crazy girls' night out. The GPS was quite amazing in its accuracy, however; it did eat a lot of airtime which was annoying as I ran out before reaching my destination.

One of the highlights of the phone is the connectivity - the N97 Mini is packed with quad-band WCMDA as well as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi which means that when sitting at a restaurant with Wi-Fi capability you can connect to the Internet, a huge plus for the busy individual who needs the connectivity for meetings or for some light-browsing while waiting for the kids to get out of school.

The sliding/tilting display with its strong spring-loaded ability was a bit of a shock to the system as I kept thinking it would shoot off and land in someone's coffee. However, once moved the screen reveals the QWERTY keypad which also took a bit of getting used to as the buttons are...well...tiny! Not ideal for sending SMSs in a hurry or looking for a contact in your phone book. This was a bit of downer as I strategically buy Nokia phones for their ease of manoeuvring.

The touchscreen I found to be a tad difficult and rather sluggish in its response. At one point I timed how long it took from touching the contacts button on the phone to actually landing in the phone book and...Wait for it...It took a good 30 seconds (the equivalent of listening to a radio advert). This also made it difficult to play the pre-loaded games as they were all touch-based. However, I am happy to say I did get the high score on one of those typically unproductive days at work. As for the kinetic scrolling (scrolling on screen as opposed to using buttons) it was difficult to say the least...perhaps I have fat fingers?

As a phone, the Nokia N97 Mini is amazing. I experienced no dropped calls and the signal was strong, not sure if that was MTN or the phone, either way it was a lot stronger than my current Nokia N95.

Here comes the girly bit, its one pretty phone! A sturdy case and touches of metal on the screen front and battery cover; and the 'garnet' colouring made me proud to whip it out in front of friends and family. I'm pretty sure I heard angels singing in the background. All in all, I loved the Nokia N97 and begged Girl Guides to let me keep it. To sum up my review, I can say that there were evenly matched pros and cons, but I  if you are tech-savvy and you place a lot of emphasis on good looks,  The Nokia N97 is the one for you.

Turn ons:

• Great application integration and customisable home screen 
• Solid camera 
• Great signal and Wi-Fi functionality
  
• Attractive design and feel
  

Turn offs:

• •The touch screen is a little unresponsive
• Outdated camera interface and features
• No smart dialling
• The key lock is on the side of the phone
• Tiny keyboard