Yes - photo gallery is now horribly slow. It was fine before. Also, unlike you, I am finding the touch less responsive and precise. Except for the long key press updates, I'm regretting having done this so quickly. I hope Nokia will release an update sometime soon. I thought performance would be better, given the new memory reconfiguration.

You can also swipe to answer now. Used to have to unlock and then press. I actually approve of this improvement - I frequently missed calls while trying to unlock and then hit answer, etc.

Folks - if you're any kind of Nokia user, you'd know to first check for OTA updates on your device; and thereafter, the SW Update, which says: "Why yes - the new firmware is available! Please use your PC to update." Which I did, having been waiting for this for awhile (loads of video's out there, as we all knew this was coming in the Oct/November time frame).

I have not detected any major bumps in performance. In fact, my photos don't process as quickly as they did before. But the scrolling everyone was screaming about is now functional.

Spend more on gadgets and everything will be just fine.

I've just bought my E75 at 50% off (for the doubters out there).
And if anyone wants an N97, let me know. I'm trying to return it but Nokia has yet to send my RA number (love their devices; hate their customer service).

New for the sake of new doesn't do it for me. I have had an E71 for about a year, and have tried the iPhone 3G, several different HTC devices, and the N97 along the way. I've always returned to the E71. Why? It does what I need it to do, in an elegant and reliable fashion. The phone (these are phones afterall) is excellent; battery life phenomenal (and I don't need to double the size of the device by using the ridiculous cradles required by the iPhone); ability to get at multiple email accounts without having to bore down through five thousand screens (iPhone), welcome; and it has literally never crashed. For people who buy these things to aid with productivity, tried and true with performance enhancements every now and then, is just fine. I'm happy that Nokia seems to have recognized that some people want and need a device like the E71 and E72.

Yes I'm replying to my own post....My N97 has arrived and it's pretty magnificent. My only question is: has anyone successfully synced this (using iSync) with a Mac? Nokia normally provides a download but has not yet done so for the N97. I'm wondering if anyone has gotten this to work with an earlier N-iSync plug in?

Thanks.

Yes - I received a confirmation with Fedex tracking number (white N97, to be delivered by 3 PM today). Nice surprise just before the weekend!

I've been told a number of times by Nokia that the phone won't be sent until the first week of July, notwithstanding any signs to the contrary. I recently received a duplicate confirmation of my May 6 pre-order, and like other readers, took it as a sign that the thing would ship sooner. But every time I've communicated with Nokia, they've said the same thing: first week of July.

Expansys-USA claims the white one will be available September 1. It's also a decent choice for purchasing the other one now. Oddly enough, nokiausa.com doesn't yet have it for sale. I got my gray one from Popular Electronics in Chicago...