Nothing unofficial about it!!

Now when we know all the features, It would be fun comparing what the speculations were about the N97 and what it is. It is clearly noticable that the final release model far exceeds the expectations :)

Nokia N97 in development?

Somewhere in 2006
A new, ultra-high-end model is set to occupy the summit of Nokia's cellphone lineup, according to Hungarian news site Terminal. The N97 is said to outclass its predecessors in the N-series by including a 20GB hard disk in its cellphone-sized frame, providing ample room for documents, music, and videos. Nokia will also perpetuate its emphasis on imaging by incorporating a 5-megapixel camera with 2.4X optical zoom for recording and a smaller, front-facing camera for video messages. A tall, 3-inch LCD at the heart of the N97 is likely to be the largest in its class. Dedicated media buttons and an FM radio complete the smartphone's known features. A release date and other launch information is unavailable; the phone is projected to reflect its high-end features in its price when it ships in the near future.

Final Press Release

Desktop. Laptop. Pocket: The era of the personal Internet dawns with the N97
December 02, 2008

Tilting touch display, QWERTY keyboard and personalized home screen - a true mobile computer

Barcelona, Spain - Nokia today unveiled the Nokia N97, the world's most advanced mobile computer, which will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other. Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5" touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an 'always open' window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations. Nokia's flagship Nseries device introduces leading technology - including multiple sensors, memory, processing power and connection speeds - for people to create a personal Internet and share their 'social location.'

Sensing your 'So-Lo'

The Nokia N97 introduces the concept of 'social location'. With integrated A-GPS sensors and an electronic compass, the Nokia N97 mobile computer intuitively understands where it is. The Nokia N97 makes it easy to update social networks automatically with real-time information, giving approved friends the ability to update their 'status' and share their 'social location' as well as related pictures or videos.

Widescreen - Internet and entertainment

The home screen of the Nokia N97 mobile computer features the people, content and media that matter the most. Friends, social networks and news are available by simply touching the home screen. The 16:9 widescreen display can be fully personalized with frequently updated widgets of favorite web services and social networking sites. The Nokia N97 is also perfectly suited for browsing the web, streaming Flash videos or playing games. Both the physical QWERTY and virtual touch input ensure efficiency in blogging, chatting, posting, sending texts or emailing.

The Nokia N97 supports up to 48 GB of storage, including 32 GB of on-board memory, expandable with a 16 GB microSD card for music, media and more. This is complemented by excellent music capabilities, full support for the Nokia Music Store and continuous playback time of up to 1.5 days. The Nokia N97 also has a 5-Megapixel camera with high-quality Carl Zeiss optics, 16:9 and DVD quality video capture, and support for services like Share on Ovi for immediate sharing over HSDPA and WLAN.