We promised you N97 coverage and now its time, the avalanche is about to start. Starting today, we here an Mobonoid will be running a series of posts looking at various aspects of the N97 to see if it actually measures up to the praise it has been getting. Today we will be looking at the hardware of the N97 and instead of boring you with a long post, we’ve decided to write in small points which should make it easier for you to skim through. Read on for thoughts about the design, build quality and keyboard amongst other things.

• Lets start with the build quality. The device is made of high quality plastic and the display is surrounded by a metal border which adds a nice touch of elegance to the device. The back is rubberized and holds firmly in place. No creaks anywhere and the slide to reveal the keyboard is spectacular and addictive. I have found myself playing with it on more than one occasion.

• Like I said earlier, the N97 looks much bigger in pictures than it actually is and feels fairly compact in the hand. Going by its thickness most people wouldn’t even imagine that there is a full QWERTY keyboard lurking underneath.

• Another thing worth mentioning is that the N97 is capable of single handed operation and this is a huge plus for it. But what really seals it for me is the beautifully made angled hinge that allows one to comfortably use both the touchscreen and the keyboard at the same time.

• The Dpad is located on the left and the menus for options on the right hand side of the touchscreen, this makes both thumbs free to manage their respective territories and in turn leads to a situation where you can use any at will instead of being forced to use either. A major win for the design team.

• Because of the angled display, the N97 can also be set down on a table while watching a video, a slideshow of pictures and so on. This come in really handly while say travelling in an aeroplane.

• The N97 has taken some flak over the design of the keyboard, however I quite like it. The spacebar is in the natural position where your thumbs rest and the tactile feedback is okay. With time I have started to get speeds comparable to my E71 on the N97 and if you feel you need more feedback, just turn on the keypad tones from the profile settings and that will give you a good indication of whether you have hit a key. What I didn’t like is the fact that there is no dedicated comma key and I need to hit shift everytime to enter it, but again, this is something I have gotten used to.

• The screen on the N97 is as good as resistive touchscreens will ever be, it is pretty responsive and really bright and crisp. If you are new to S60 5th Edition devices, then you will also appreciate the vibrate feedback that accompanies ever touch input you make. If need be, this can be turned off from the profiles menu.

So there you have it, a look at the hardware on the Nokia N97. If you have any specific area you want us to look at, just drop a line below.