First, here is a video of Nokia trying really hard to be cool. Mind you, their new flagship device, the N97 is pretty cool and Nokia seems like it will deliver another hit. But I think they are going overboard with this video..

Abu Dhabi’s The National newspaper is reporting that the N97 will hit the UAE market in a couple of weeks.

UAE consumers will be among the first in the world to be offered the Nokia N97, the Finnish company’s new top-of-the-line handset.

Nokia hopes the N97 will become a direct competitor to the Apple iPhone, with the device including a large touch screen and deep integration with the internet. Since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, each of the world’s major mobile manufacturers have announced or launched similar devices.

Also have a look at at The National’s exclusive N97 video preview.

Now I am a bit conflicted. I currently carry a Nokia 5800. I like it’s browser and touchscreen. I am getting increasingly frustrated with its camera, especially in low light conditions. My N95 was better in the camera department, not just resolution wise but also from a basic picture quality standpoint. And do I really need a physical keyboard? I mean, yesterday, I wrote a 900 word article on the plane using the 5800’s touchscreen.

More importantly, is the N97 so much better that it’ll make me go out and buy it? I still don’t know.

I will be watching the release of the Palm Pre and the new iPhone expected this summer. Together with the N97 (and a host of other phones from Samsung, LG and others, whose names I’ll never be able to remember) the smartphone wars of 2009 will be fun to watch. Yet, every time I use my wife’s iPhone, I just can shake off the fact the Apple is making the iPhone so much more fun and useful to use because of their AppStore.

Wait and see is the name of the game.

Read these related posts on 360east:

• Nokia XpressMusic 5800 available for pre-order in Jordan
• Win Nokia Nseries devices with Ikbis in Ramadan
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic ships in the UAE, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in December ‘08
• Hey Nokia Levant people: I STILL can’t get Ovi to work on Zain Jordan
• Nokia launches war of openness against the iPhone