Now with the new firmware out for the N97, we thought of shifting the focus a bit and thought of doing a post on the N97 taking on the HTC Touch2.

Let’s see what the N97 is all about:

• Nokia flagship device
• 32GB built in memory with a Micro SD slot for expanding the memory to 48GB (64GB unofficially)
• 3.5 inch resistive touchscreen, 640×360 resolution and 16.7million colour support
• 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens
• S60 5th edition with a customized homescreen
• Widget support
• QWERTY keypad
• GPS
• WiFi

and now let’s have a peek at the HTC Touch2:

• Windows 6.5 Professional
• 512MB ROM with Micro SD card support of up to 16GB
• 2.8 inch resistive touchscreen, 240×320 resolution and 65k colour support
• 3.2MP camera
• Touch FLO screen
• GPS
• WiFi

The HTC Touch2 features an extra something under it’s sleeve, a touch-sensitive zoom bar. The HTC touch2 has a 1000mAh battery. Armed with a lowly 3.2MP camera without flash and autofocus and a mono speaker beside, it certainly seems to be the perfect device or the low end market. Being a solely touch dependent device (stylus included) the QWERTY on the screen is a mini QWERTY and would be a big downer for people looking for a touch and QWERTY  equipped device.

With the device supporting Flash, Youtube will work properly on this device. RSS feeds are smartly organized on the Touch2 and makes life simple on that front. The Touch FLO has a music player of it’s own with a lot of features, including a equalizer. Of course, you can opt for the less intuitive Windows Media Player that is embedded within WinMo 6.5.  FM radio is present on this device. Google Maps does duty on this device and will locate you on the map with the GPS chip inside the phone. A-GPS is also there to speed things up. Weather updates are available through the Touch FLO and is a very good inclusion. Active Sync helps one to sync data between the PC and the phone, a feature which has been a big advantage for business users. Windows Messenger is present within the device and allows one to chat on the MSN and Yahoo contacts, but be wary of the fact that it is slow.

Remote Desktop wizard app is included in WinMo 6.5 and will allow users to access their PCs remotely, you will need a internet connection though. Still a very interesting development and addition to this device.

Now let’s throw some light on the N97. The Nokia N97 comes kitted with a large 1500mAh battery. A 5MP autofocus camera with Dual LED flash and Carl Zeiss optics means you will have a good photo clicked always (almost always!). Dual speakers also improve the audio output and one is not left wanting for a good audio experience without the headphones. Touch and a physical QWERTY means that you have the best of both worlds when it comes to usability and personally speaking, QWERTY does make life a lot simpler and a physical one is even a better thing to have.

Flash has been present in S60th  devices for a long time now, so I won’t tell you that it plays Youtube videos. Nokia’s own music player is pretty good and has almost the same feature set as the players in the Touch2, but it does seem to be showing it’s age. Google Maps and Nokia’s own Ovi are there to help you find your location in this big world. With the latest update, Ovi Mpas is back in the reckoning and is easily a better option an it’s much more simpler and free turn by turn navigation while driving makes it simply the best. weather updates are available from within the Ovi maps app and if you want more you can use Accuweather bundled in with the device. A widget driven interface means there is more to your phone’s personalization than changing wallpapers and themes. More apps and widgets cane be downloaded from Ovi Store. For the Touch2 you need to go to Windows Marketplace. Though it does’t resemble a business device, it’s quite at home when used at work. Though the Touch2 comes with a much better focus towards the workplace.

32GB of storage and room for expansion makes this phone capable enough to carry your office files and entertainment without you having to switch memory cards. The one feature that the N97 does not have is the Remote Desktop Wizard client on it. But one would rarely find himself/herself wanting it.

434MHz processor on the N97 vs. 528MHz n the Touch2 is a big differentiating factor. Clearly the Touch2 is on much better footing here.

Overall though, it’s the N97 which takes the cake. With a better screen, more storage and a larger library of apps, Nokia music store, 5MP camera and lots more, the N97 is a far stronger device in this showdown. the Touch2 is good, but is letdown more by WinMo 6.5 than anything else.

Check out PhoneReport’s HTC Touch2 review if you’d like to know more about this smartphone!