Here are some of the little features on the N97 that I like. I have actually complied a list of things that differentiates the N97 from the 5800… but today, I will be showing just 4 of them, hence this post being the 1st part.

Note that these are not obvious/notable features ya.. just something that adds up to the usability of the interface. All 4 features below have been recorded in a demo video at the end of this post.

I Like #1: Sliding Homescreen

We can actually slide the homescreen left or right to hide the widgets. It also serves as a blank screen that displays nothing but the wallpaper and time/date.

I Like #2: Mark Several

Finally! The option to mark several files! 5800 users know that the ‘mark several’ feature is not available for the S60v5 platform and it’s nice to see it again on the N97. Now, a firmware update for the 5800 please?

I Like #3: Video Play Button

In certain folders we might encounter media files like photos and videos. Users might not know which one is a photo and which is a video. Nokia has actually added ‘play’ buttons on each of the video thumbnails and we can click on the button to start watching them.

I Like #4: Favourite Contacts

Now we can set anyone in our phonebook as favourite contacts! Once we have set it, these people will appear at the top of the contact list for easy access. There’s also a favourite contacts widget that we can place in the homescreen for one touch access to call and sms to that particular person.

Check out all these features in a video I recorded.