Nokia N900: Nokia’s First Real “Mobile Computer”
Kirollos Fares | September 2, 2009
Today Nokia showcased it’s first Maemo based smartphone (preferably called a Computerphone), The Nokia N900, a phone so good it brought me back to blogging. 
The N900 is packed from head to toe with new exciting features, a much needed evolution for the Nokia lineup. New features include; new OS “Maemo 5″, a “3GS” Processor, higher resolution video capture and faster Internet browsing.
The N900 features a 3.5” touch-sensitive widescreen display with an 800×480 resolution, an internal memory of 32GB with an external MicroSD slot, blazing fast 3G reception of up to 10MB/s speed, a 5 Megapixel camera with dual-LED flash that can capture videos at a resolution of 800 × 480 and the usual add-ons “GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, 3.5mm Headphone Jack that also functions as a TV OUT and MicroUSB charging”.
Nokia listened carefully to people’s needs and bloggers rants, the slow processors in probably all of Nokia’s lineup of devices, even on high-end devices like the N97, was much criticized, but now Nokia addresses this issue by using a much faster ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz processor. Think iPhone 3GS! this is the same processor Apple uses in it’s flagship iPhone 3GS where S stands for speed, so it’s safe to say that it is the fastest Nokia device out there “Including the Booklet 3G, Nokia’s entry to the netbook industry”.
Another issue, at least for me, is Nokia’s dependency of older 3G Chips that only support 3.6 Mb/s data reception, all 3 operators of my country support 7.2 Mb/s speed a.k.a 3.75G, one of the operators, Etisalat; Already conducted tests for HSPA+ and plans to roll out speeds reaching more than 20 Mb/s. Other companies like Apple beat Nokia and added faster 3G chips, that supports 7.2 Mb/s, Nokia, putting the expected main usage of the N900 in mind which is web browsing, decided to go with a chip that supports 10 MB download speed and 2 MB upload speed, making the N900, easily, the fastest 3G device on the market.
Software wise, Nokia is incorporating the new Maemo5; A linux based Operating system, which; I think, is an exellent choice to broaden the offerings of Nokia in the smartphone market, Cause having numerous devices and only one OS doesn’t, the new Maemo5 features a browser based on Mozilla Technology with full Adobe Flash™ 9.4 support, bringing the real web experience; phrases like “true web, deskotp-like experience is an under-estimation of how the device handles web pages with ease”.
Thanks to a new feature called Panorama Desktop, Users can have multiple desktops, where they can add shortcuts of contacts, web pages, applications and widgets. and multitasking couldn’t be easier with a dedicated button at the top-left of the screen to switch between open applications, demo here.
The OS also features Over-the-Air updates, where you can update the firmware version from the device itself, Ovi Maps and numeros tweaks.
Personally, I like the device and find it a real opportunity for Nokia to strike back at Android and WebOS devices, the OS itself looks very promising and the new features are warmly welcomed!
The Nokia N900 will be available for purchase October 2009 in select markets for 500€ before taxes and subsidies,
Gallery: (Click to expand)
It looks and sounds a great device for my business use. The only fault that seems to be levelled at it is the option of the 5MP camera, instead of the 8MP one. I do love my photography and the thought of a Zeiss lens with the 8MP sensor, is still pushing me towards the N86 8MP for my next N Series. Having said that there’s nothing wrong with the photos I get from my N95 8GB! Great post, thanks!
@Mediasmith the N86 is great!! one of my friends own it and it’s just fantastic. but I haven’t seen a much visible difference in camera quality.
@Kirollos thank you for your opinion, I am getting more and more excited about the prospect of getting an N86! I will n doubt put the camera through it’s paces!