We're all too aware that Nokia are making efforts to break in to the US market, I think it's long overdue. Nokia have been one of the market leaders in the UK for many many years, with an army of loyal fans.

Blow 1: I was first surprised to learn that US customers ordering direct from Nokia are set to receive a free bluetooth headset, whereas no such offer for those in the UK.

Blow 2: It was then noticed that Nokia UK didn't list a stylus as being bundled with the N97, whereas the US website did. Nokia have confirmed the UK N97 will indeed not be packed with a stylus.

Blow 3: In the US, the N97 can be pre-ordered for $524.25 from Nokia direct, whereas it's going to cost those in the UK £499.00 which at current conversion is $795.461

Blow 4: Many rumors suggest the N97 will be launched in the US almost 4 weeks earlier than the UK.

Blow 5: At launch the N97 will apparently only be available in black with UK carriers.

Blow 6: This is a global blow, the Nokia N97 will not be shipping with Skype, contrary to earlier announcements.

Yet, all that aside, I'm still excited about the launch. I hope Nokia don't continue this trend of giving a lesser deal to it's UK customer base. I appreciate they want to win over the US, but great hardware and marketing will do that, not throwing in extras, that's just going to upset the rest of the world.

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Andrew said:

Corrections You got it a little wrong: 1. Nokia USA isn't selling the N97 for $524, that was an 8 hour glitch. They agreed to honor the price for some people and have been canceling orders for others under the pretense of "credit cards not authorizing." Mine was canceled and Amex did authorize the charge. Normal price is $799 with $10 bt headset. (do you really think it's worth $80??) 2. I got a 10% discount to $640 with a promo code, and no Bt headset. 3. June 2 was a rumour and probably wrong. Amazon is listing a ship date of June 25th the last I saw. 4. The US stylus sucks, look at that thing, I would rather have the 5800 guitar pick, at least there aren't a couple of parts to lose.

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May 28, 2009 | url
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Gregory Kimmel said:

... Actually, the N97 is being sold on Nokia USA's website for $699 and you get a bluetooth headset valued at $80. Amazon offers it for $603 with a release date of June 25. I just spoke with a representative at Nokia and was told that they will ship N97 pre-orders for a shipment date in July. I'd much rather have the UK deal where I can get the phone at a subsidized price instead of paying full price.

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May 28, 2009
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Paul said:

	... Hi guys, updated the article to correct the price to $699. Apparently the UK price on contract is going to be very expensive or "premium" as Vodafone put it.
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May 28, 2009
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Stella said:

... I'm still going to be buying my N97 sim free direct from Nokia. I might also consider ordering a 5800 wrist strap/stylus too, not too sure on the idea yet though. I do think its not fair that the UK received no promotional discounts or extra's at all. I think Nokia should make a little more fair. Not the way I would have treated loyal customers, after all this the (rumoured)iphone 3 will probably be more popular in the US than the N97. Only time will tell.

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May 28, 2009
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Gregory Kimmel said:

... Unless AT&T picks up the N97, the phone will not do well here. The majority of Americans have no idea that they can buy phones that are not sold by the carriers. When I tell them what they can buy, they are shocked how much an unlocked phone costs. The carriers have trained Americans that they should not pay a lot for a phone. Americans are used to being locked in for 1 or 2 year contracts and more importantly, used to paying almost nothing for these phones. For Nokia to succeed without carrier support, a lot more marketing and special pricing will be needed. I'm a huge N97 fan but I'm in the minority here. My friends think I'm crazy to pay $700 for a phone.

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May 28, 2009
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Stella said:

	... I know how you feel, I have more than a few people who think I'm mental for spending £500 on a phone. But its my birthday present to myself and I can't wait. I hate contracts and I hate branded phone's too, so for me unlocked and sim free is the only way to go.
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May 28, 2009
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frank said:

	... The $534.00 price was only a glitch. I went round and round with them. It is still $699.00 in the states.
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June 01, 2009
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Marko said:

... I agreed with some of the folks in here that the phone carriers in US doing a very good job on training their users not to spend anything over $100 to purchase an unlock phone, unless it came directly through the carriers themselves. I am, just like some of you folks, are a few that actually spend money to buy unlocked phone and enjoy the freedom of choices for which carriers to be used without getting locked up in some dumb 2 year contract. The Nokia N97 can be purchased through Ebay web for around $575, plus an additional 8% discount being offered by microsoft search engine services provider, BING, if you use Paypal to pay for it. So... the total price wuold come out somewhere closed to $530, just be cautious when buying stuff on Ebay because you migh got scam and lose your money. Chose the seller with lots of positive feedback and buy from them using "Buy It Now". These are the step: 1. Go to BING.COM and do a search for something like "MacBook" 2. Click on the Ebay sponsor link 3. once you in Ebay, do a search for Nokia N97, click on "Buy It Now" tab 4. Look for the lowest price of course, then click "Buy it Now" 5. You will find out if the item is eligible for cashback promotion. You can read the enclosed instruction for further info on this cashback promotion. I got my N97 for $526 with this cashback promotion ($46 cashback directly put in my paypal account). good luck

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July 10, 2009
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May 20, 2010 | url
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July 21, 2010 | url
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