Nokia N900 (unlocked)
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"spectacular super smartphone" on by wintercold74
Pros: amazing web browser comes with adobe 9.4 support,can play most videos even youtube hd videos with not much lag,excellent tmobile 3g connections,well built,excellent camera,amazing playback videos,linux platform,very responsive touchscreen,multitaskin
Cons: needs a better battery
Summary: amazing internet tablet with samrtphone features is a hackers dream device,excellent multitasking,the best web browser experience just amazing,no lags,lots of memory,well built,video qualities is amazing,excellent camera dual lens and flash,tons of features,powerful little gadget
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"What in the ----?!" on by jouten907
Pros: Too many to list
Cons: Not enough to list
Summary: Why do they allow people to write reviews of the device when people either don't own one or the phone has not even been released yet? Come on!
I have this phone on pre-order and this is going to be pretty much my be-all, end-all, mother-of-all-cell phones for at least a couple years.
This will be a phone worth getting just for historical purposes alone. 1st Linux phone.
I will add/edit more once I ACTUALLY get my hands on this phone and have used it enough to give a PROPER review.
I wouldn't even mind if they deleted THIS review as long as they delete other reviews from other people who don't own or have this phone too. -
"The EVERYTHING device" on by Jayveebee
Pros: Wicked web browser, deep HD screen, zooming w/ finger twirl or volume control, responsive screen for non capacitive, buttery smooth scrolling, charge through USB or charger, perfect slide-out keyboard, best contacts handler on any device ever.
Cons: A little brickish, battery drains fast, sometimes you have to plug in charger or USB a 2nd time for it to recognize - weird, Carl Zeiss optics & 5MP not quite as focused as on other Nseries, non-responsive to headset volume control
Summary: With 32 gigs of space, a supercharged CPU and such a fine screen, the N900 is as potent as it feels. At first, for anyone used to the Symbian UI of other Nokes, you feel wonderfully lost figuring out the Maemo UI - then you realize this is as easy as it gets to add, subtract and other wise customize the screen. There are 4 desktops you can slide through, so you can cluster social thins, work things, etc., however you like. No fight for tight space.
The power options help you make the little battery (same size as for the 5800 music express) go the distance, but if you are going distances and want to use real GPS, get yourself an extra battery. Fortunately, unlike other Nokias, this N900 does let you get a charge through USB, meaning car trips, desktop computer time, etc., can easily be used to keep the power level up.
It's tempting to compare with Moto's Droid due to the form factor, but it's just not fair. Droid is priced down and featured down for mass audience. It's android on a big wide screen, and that's about it. Doesn't have the horsepower, the connectivity, the multimedia, the storage to compare.
The one problem I had was trying to get the camera logic down. It didn't want to stay focused where I put it, and the delay seemed a little longer and disjointed from other Nseries devices with the exact same optical and resolution specs. Could be that it was early. The Ovi Maps on it is cool, but limited in some features from the Ovi Maps on N97.
Apps play very well, and run in widget-view or full screen. The catalog needs expansion - these are linux-based .deb files. Nokia is pushing that along with a new development environment, QT, to replace the old GTK language. If that does allow developers to convert even some of the cool apps already on Symbian or Java, the N900 will be ruler of mobiledom. And if they get it to plug into Ovi and all the mapping, sharing and syncing/messaging features in it, people will understand what a really connected mobile services network can really do.
Oh, and in case you were looking for "just a smart phone", the 900 is the Harley, not the Vespa. -
"Wonderful device with great potential" on by amar_raavi
Pros: + Maemo OS
+ Screen resolution
+ Browsing experience
+ Multiple Video & Audio format support
+ Graphics and Performance
+ Multi-Tasking
+ Physical Keyboard (Personal choice)
+ TV Out (being included in the package)
+ Overall Build QualityCons: - Bulky
- Volume button behavior (Not really a big deal)Summary: Nokia N900 is one mysterious looking device with loads of potential. Even though it is my first cell phone/internet tablet from Nokia, i am quite impressed with what Nokia did with Maemo OS.
I have always followed the news about Nokia devices, but none of the devices impressed me as much as Nokia N900. Even though i am new to Nokia world, this devices caught my attention amid apple fanfare and android glory sweeping the market.
Physical Aspects:
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Nokia N900 is a bulky device compared to other phones/internet tablets in it's category and that is the only thing i can really complain about this device. But don't get scared, it is not awfully obese.
It feels much nicer in hands with it's compact form factor and the button layout looks logical. My only complaint is about volume up/down button. Not sure whether you know or not, Nokia N900 is mostly "landscape mode only" device. Even though Nokia promised that they are going to support portrait mode, currently only phone dialer works in portrait mode. Let me come back to my complaint. When the device is used in landscape mode the left end of volume button acts as "volume down" and right end acts as "volume up". But in phone mode (portrait) it's the opposite. Even though it's a minor issue, i got confused few times.
It is having all standard components like 3.5 mm audio out, microUSB and i feel it's a nice move by nokia to standardize these things. Apart from that the device is having a 5 Mega Pixel camera with flash and a stylus (yes, it is having a resistive touch screen).
Coming to the screen, Nokia N900 has a resistive touch screen and you don't have to poke with a knife on the screen to make it work. It is a sensitive screen and i haven't faced any problem even after using capacitive touch screens from past 2 years. Most important aspect of the screen is it's resolution - 800 x 480. The fonts look crisp and you don't have scroll the web pages horizontally much.
Nokia also provided a TV-Out cable along with device and it works great to see all your content on a TV. I am definitely impressed with the quality.
Software:
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The Maemo OS used in Nokia N900 is based on Linux and it will impress you at the first glance. Nokia implemented multi-talking action pretty nicely and graphics are wonderful. I have used both iPhone and Android devices in the past but i have to rate the N900 version of desktop experience a bit higher.
Leaving the OS, the most impressive application in the device is the Browser. It is having native support for flash and worked pretty well on almost all the sites i have tested. No hopes for hulu yet, but i think it will change once flash 10.x for mobile is in the market. Sites render perfectly and i have faced zero issues with rendering. Here is the best part, you can just open regular gmail (desktop version) and upload a document/image stored in the device. How many devices in the current market can do that. At least i don't know any. Nokia can sue Apple one more time to take the "Waterdown version of Internet" Ad :)). The in-built browser is based on Mozilla and Mozilla itself is working on firefox mobile and it may come out anytime soon (stable version i mean).
There are few apps already available through various repositories and through ovi store and i think those numbers will increase over a period of time. All Nokia has to do now is continuously support the OS and grow the sales figures to attract more developers.
BTW, i forgot to mention about the Remote Desktop app available in one of the repositories. I have never imagined how easily i can transfer files between my N900 and desktop seamlessly with N900 automatically mapped in my PC. How cool is that. So, now you know there are some wonderful developers working on developing and porting applications to N900.
Conclusion:
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Even though N900 is not a perfect device it is definitely an device with good hardware specs combined with it's promising OS. Do i recommend Nokia N900 ? Yes, but only for people with patience. If you are a geek or somebody who wants to explore things and learn, then you are 100% match. If you just want a phone pretty touch screen with gazillions of apps then look elsewhere. -
"Unmatched in web browsing and multitasking..." on by writteininwaters
Pros: Full web browsing experience, currently the only flash compatible smartphone, multitasks with ease, beautiful 3.5
" 800x480 screenCons: Ovi store for Maemo 5 not online, everything thing except for the phone is limited to landscape mode, no MMS, a little on the thick side
Summary: It took months of research and a great deal through Dell on this phone for me to ultimately go with the N900. This is my first foray into the smartphone world and I couldn't be happier with the decision.
I've had the phone for a couple of weeks now and have gone through just about every function at this point. The web experience is the same as any of my computers at home or work. In fact, the phone has saved me from booting up my home computer when wanting to look something up or just vege out online.
The call quality is good and the speaker phone works great. My last phone was a 4-5 year old Nokia clamshell. Being a fan of Nokia and their user interface was another deciding factor for me. Obviously the n900 UI is completely different than their cell phones, but I have to disagree with CNET on this point. I found the UI very intuitive and easily customizable. There wasn't a moment of confusion or frustration in it for me. And again, this is my first smartphone--though I have played around a lot with the mytouch3g and iphone. I am also a bit computer/tech savvy, so it might be more difficult for the tech novice than an iphone or android device. Another piece of anecdotal information, I let my friend (an iphone enthusiast) play around with my phone for a bit last week and after 30 seconds he was sold on it.
As for the negatives, almost all of them will not exist within a month or two. The ovi store is coming soon, and while I doubt it'll ever match the marketplace offered by android and apple, this phone is powerful enough to not require most apps--at least the ones meant to streamline the web experience for the mobile user, since this phone doesn't need it. I don't plan on playing many games, using my phone as a light saber, or using as an odorless fart factory. A fart without an odor is like a featherless chicken without a beak. MMS will supposedly come in an update soon, but since I've probably sent and received 4 or 5 MMS messages in the past 5 years, it's not a big deal for me... especially since I've synched the phone with my gmail and can send all of my pictures, etc with ease through that. The phone is thick and that's not going to change, but it's a good trade off for a solidly constructed phone with removeable battery, storage, and full qwerty.
I guess this phone should be looked at as a mobile computer with phone capabilities, than just your average smartphone. I'll agree with Nokia's marketing on that point, and additionally point out that there's nothing in either equation except for the minor things mentioned above.
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