Nokia N97 gets new firmware - V 21.0.0.45

The Nokia N97 has been many things since the hyped-up release of the phone during the middle of 2009...:

1. First-off, it has been a serious multi-tasking machine. It is feature-packed to the brim, making it a serious business tool and multimedia powerhouse;

2. It can be flipping IRRITATING at times... Yes. The N97, for all of it's features (GPS, 5MP Camera, QWERTY Keyboard, FM Transmitter, Kinetic Scrolling, 32GB Internal Memory... the list goes on...) can be downright unstable at times. Reboots after every call, SMS's not arriving until the next reboot, random days of shocking battery performance, jittery kinetic scrolling... (and the list goes on :))

These are some of the things that the N97 throws at you, to make you want to test its ability to withstand a brick impact.

3. Some of its features though, are just incredible:

• The FM Transmitter is awesome, taking your music with you wherever you can pick up an FM signal, be it in the car or anywhere you have a radio.
• The QWERTY keypad makes short work of that long-winded email you need to send when you are anything but close to your PC.
• The 32GB internal memory is a pleasure - that's a whack of music, videos, photos, or whatever else it is that you would use to fill up 32GB of free space :)
• The 5MP camera is excellent, taking great quality shots without too much effort.

4. Nokia just love updating this phone. Is that good or bad? Actually it's both. Good because new software means new features, increased stability etc. Bad because it might mean that Nokia are patching up issues that should have been resolved before the product was ever released...

On that note, the reason for this post was to announce that Nokia have released yet another firmware update for the N97 - V 21.0.0.45.

According to Nokia Software Updater, the new software offers the following improvements:

- improved call reliability

- smoother touch screen scrolling

Seriously Nokia, is that all you can offer?

How about "no more crashing", or "GPS that locks within 3 hours" or maybe even "only 1 reboot per hour".

Seriously though, despite my ramblings above, the N97 is a fantastic phone. Overall it does the job damn well, and if Nokia can overcome the niggles that I have mentioned, then the N97 still stands tall as one of the best all-rounders (in my humble opinion at least :))

I will even risk my neck here, and say that it matches the iPhone 3GS pound for pound... (run for your life... here comes the Apple brigade!!)