Nokia N97 - what phones might stop it from dominating the world?

The Nokia N97 is soon going to be mounting an assault to be the phone of 2009. But there are a few phones standing in its way. Let's take a look at two of the best.

Nokia N97 - why is it so good?

One of the big reasons why the Nokia N97 is so anticipated, and why it'll no doubt sell like hotcakes, is the Symbian S60 Touch interface it uses. A brand new operating system, Symbian S60 Touch gives the Nokia N97 a finger friendly interface, and on top of that, the phone has a built in QWERTY keyboard, so it has more ways to access the phone than ever before. It's not just about the interface, though, as the Nokia N97 is packed with high-end features. A 5 megapixel camera makes for superb photos, the multimedia playback is stunning, and with HSDPA and GPS, it's not short of connectivity options.

However, let's see what phones could knock it from its perch.

Palm Pre - the intuitive option

If we're talking interfaces, then the Palm Pre easily outdoes the N97, as it uses Palm's new WebOS software. Put simply, this is the most touch-friendly user interface to ever appear on mobile phones, and it's led some to say that the Palm Pre out-iPhones the iPhone. But then, it is the most intuitive and simple interface ever seen on a phone, with finger swipes and other gesture controls being the order of the day. Okay, the Palm Pre may be the least powerful phone in this article, in terms of features (having only a 3 megapixel camera, although it does have HSDPA and GPS), it outdoes the Symbian S60 Touch interface by being clever, to the point where it even seems like the Palm Pre is doing your thinking for you. No other phone has that level of user interaction!

Sony Ericsson Idou - the powerhouse contender

If the Nokia N97 is the all-rounder in this contest, being best described as a mobile multimedia computer, and the Palm Pre is the sleek- sexy contender, then the third phone must be the powerhouse camera contender. It is, of course, the Sony Ericsson Idou, the first phone announced for the UK to feature a massive twelve megapixel camera. It doesn't just sell itself on the camera, though, as the Sony Ericsson Idou also uses a stunning multimedia player, based on Walkman technology, and features the Symbian S60 Touch OS (like the Nokia N97), to give it true smartphone credentials. Wrap that up with a new front-end that's almost as slick as the Palm Pre, and it may well mean the N97 is going to lose the battle for phone of the year, to the awesome Sony Ericsson Idou.