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Robert Scoble, along with our Managing Editor, Budi Putra, is attending Nokia World 2008 in Barcelona. He reveals what’s Nokia up to. Apparently, Nokia is creating new Nseries, called N97, as the ultimate Facebook device. Quite strange that Nokia just released N96 and now it announces N97 as the “top tier of multimedia phone”?

Here are the details about the phone:

1. It does 16:9 video. The iPhone doesn’t even do video. So, how can you go to a Daft Punk concert and record it to taunt your friends?
2. It has a 5 megapixel camera. The iPhone only has 2, and the quality isn’t even close. The camera also has a dual LED flash, so you can take pictures in the dark where the iPhone can’t.
3. I can type three Facebook status messages on the N97’s nice QWERTY keybord in the time that I can type two on the iPhone.
4. It does copy and paste, so you can copy URLs to send to your friends. The iPhone can’t do that.
5. It has replaceable batteries so you can charge up three batteries and Facebook for days, while the iPhone needs to be hooked back up to the wall for recharging after a few hours.
6. The GPS device does turn-by-turn and has a built in compass, so you’ll get to your parties faster than with the iPhone, which doesn’t have a compass and doesn’t do turn-by-turn.

Above is picture of Nokia N97 and iPhone if put side-by-side (thanks Robert Scoble). I think iPhone is wider in size, but N97 is more detail. Here is the more detailed specs from Engadget:

3.5-inch, 640 x 360 pixel (that’s a 16:9 aspect ratio) touchscreen display with tactile feedback and QWERTY keyboard into this sliding communicator with an “always open” window to favorite internet or social networking sites. Nokia calls it the “world’s most advanced mobile computer.” To back up the claim they’ve dropped in HSDPA and WiFi radios, 32GB of onboard memory with microSD expansion (for up to 48GB total capacity), and a battery capable of up to 1.5 days of continuous audio playback. 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss glass and “DVD quality” video capture, too.

The price is about US$ 550 before subsidies, that would count US$ 350 in store. This phone is projected to be available by Q2 2009.

Update1: just got the picture series of N97. Apparently it is available in white and black color.

Update2: add more phone details from Engadget.

Update3: Picture of N97 and iPhone, side-by-side, from Scoble’s Flickr.

This video was taken by Budi Putra:

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