Nokia N900 quick hands-on
By Chris Ziegler 
posted Nov 16th 2009 9:00AM
posted Nov 16th 2009 9:00AM
- Processor, processor, processor. Oh, and did we mention the processor? The N900's Cortex A8-based core yields significant improvements in day-to-day usability over the N810's ARM11 unit.
- Though it's still quite raw and feature-incomplete, Maemo 5 is by far the most user-friendly version of the platform to date, if for no other reason than the fact that it's very pretty. Screen transitions are smooth and look great, the home screen is as attractive and versatile as any widget-based home screen on the market today, and the Expose-style task switcher is a welcome addition.
- The N900 may very well offer the best browsing experience of any smartphone on the market today (yes, including the iPhone). What little ground it gives up in user friendliness is more than countered by the fact that you have the closest thing you can get to a desktop-class browser in a device of this size and form factor; it's straight-up Mozilla, after all, and everything renders faithfully. Flash doesn't blaze, but at least the Cortex A8 makes it usable.
- The hardware's a mixed bag. It doesn't feel cheap, per se -- but considering that this will become Nokia's highest-end smartphone, it doesn't necessarily feel the part, either. On the bright side, it's narrow enough to rest comfortably in the hand while using it as a phone, and it's not annoyingly thick -- don't get us wrong, it's a beefy phone, but not to the point of causing a problem in your pocket.
- The keyboard is mediocre. The N900 doesn't seem to slide open as much as it could, which means that it's got a uniquely narrow three-row QWERTY keyboard; fortunately, Nokia did a great job of shaping the keys to give them about as much feel as possible. The spacebar and directional keys are strangely located, which might necessitate a learning curve for some users.
- As we mentioned before, this is a pretty raw phone. Basic features like MMS and portrait mode aren't supported; MMS won't be a big deal for many users, but being forced to use the N900's non-phone functions in landscape is a pretty big deal.
- The N900 may have a "good" resistive touchscreen, but it's still a resistive touchscreen, which means it's not going to be as finger-friendly as it could be -- we were repeatedly disappointed by how much pressure was required to actuate scrolling gestures in menus, for example. Thing is, the N900 is a device where we can see many (if not most) users still preferring to have access to a stylus from time to time for precision input, and that being said, this is probably about as good of a resistive display as Nokia is capable of manufacturing.
Not Capacitive.. STAMP!
For early adopters..STAMP!
Not an iPhone.. STA-STAMP!!!
I'm using a touch pro 2 right now and the resistive on that is just fine.. and I've used an iphone a small bit and a G1 extensively in the past. There's not much of a difference if the UI is designed correctly. I actually like the option (READ OPTION) of using the tip of my nail when it exists, or whipping out the stylus for some precision work.. There's some more complex and intricate apps that just need the precision at 480x800..
please ban this 'word' , his trolling is limitless.
test of what? your stupidity?
get a droid
Is it me or is it low-ranked around here? There are a lot of phantom comments..........
Wow. Pretty extensive.
I also want to apologize to everyone for not being capacitive. I'll make the best of it. Promise.
your stupid, its not expensive.
EOT
There's a reason for the resistive touchscreen - it gets cold in Finland in winter, so people need to wear gloves. So they'll need a phone that they can operate using gloves!!! :D See the youtube video for a demo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eZu3nku2uM
hereandlater, I didn't say expensive.
How did I know you would be the first to post on this article ;) lol
Honestly, the resistive touch screen is a deal breaker to me.
I would say N900 is much like palm pre. Innovative but needs lots of improvement.
The next generation should be a descent choice.
in before someone say, it is bulky - it is for the following reason
*Stereo Speakers
*Expansion Slot
*Full QWERTY
*IR
* 5mpx - bigger sensor , lens cover , kick stand,dual LED.
*Removable battery
*stylus
*integrated 32GB
*FM transmitter and Receiver , TV-out chip ?
It needs to be resistive because of its target audience. In all honesty though I don't see it being too big an issue.
oh Front camera for Video Calls
@chancekang
That's what has been said of *EVERY* Maemo device to date. It's got so much promise, but the firmware always seems a day late and a dollar short ( assuming it doesn't break something outright.. hello, browser hot-keys I'm looking at you ).
Hearts are breaking all over.
Thing is... this was THE device that was supposed to make people jump back to Nokia. Touch resistive? Oy! Were supposed to be moving forward not backwards... '
I don't mind you being so thick... which you are, and so bland... which you are... I mean for G-ds sake... can you PLEASE update your fonts Nokia?! And go on a diet man! OVER 6 OZ!?!? Maybe its not to thick for the pocket... but you better have a belt to keep yer pants up.
I must admit I got excited at first when I heard flash (thats full flash not lite) support but after seeing it run..... um..... what?
Whats the point if its not usable?
Im sticking with my gorgeous Droid for now, and yes.... if this was a better device I would have jumped to it :)
=..(
to those who are bitching about apps
there are already 50+ , keep in mind N900 is not even released for customers yet
http://maemo.org/downloads/Maemo5/
Nice goin, yaniv, ya made him cry. jerk
Apology accepted. You're the only smartphone to provide a true internet browsing experience!
Can't wait to find out if this phone will work with the Office 2010 web applications - now THAT is productivity.
shut up you nokia cult member
r3loaded @ Nov 16th 2009 9:25AM
There's a reason for the resistive touchscreen - it gets cold in Finland in winter
Soooo....Nokia makes a phone for people in Finland but sells it elsewhere with this "feature"? That doesn't make much sense. I hope Nokia is smarter than that.
Amazing device!!!!!!!!;))))) NOKIA is the best
Ouch man.. I have a resistive screen on my Touch Pro, and it's MUCH more accurate than this device. I'm hoping a software update can bring it around; it looks pretty solid otherwise.
I suspect that's because you're using your device properly. If you try and use the pads of your fingers rather than the angle of your nail you're going to find it pretty difficult unless you've been doing it for a while.
Cap screens are good for simple block entry. Res screens are better for accuracy.
It's a bit of a fat-ass but worth a look. I think the N910 or N920 will address most of the concerns addressed here. I would have to agree with the reviewer and pass on this unit until a revision or two has passed.
This is nothing but Engadget's attempt to prevent users from switching to Nokia/N900.
So they come out with a biased review with a pre-production unit with a pre-production software and also
without knowing how to handle a resistive screen as they refuse to adjust themselves and blame the manufacturer for faulty technology, which in reality is not.
Why else would they come up with such a half-baked review so early without using the real device.
Also they leave out few imp. details that Maemo 5 is expected to get MMS and portrait mode with a firmware update. May take few months though.
However, credit to Engadget, they use Nokia's sponsorship for Engadget shows, make money themselves as Nokia's sponsorship and turn around and screw Nokia purposely with stupid logic.
It's really surprising why would Nokia sponsor Engadget at all?
@hary536: This is really going to blow your mind, but Nokia provided us this unit with explicit instructions NOT to review it, just give a few first impressions. How much clearer could I possibly have made it in the headline ("quick hands-on"), the article text, and the video that this was not a review?
I played with it at the flagship store in nyc for an hour or so. It is a wonderful device, I didn't notice any bugs. By contrast I played with the N97 for an hour and I hated it. The sales people were emphasizing a lot that it was a beta device so to speak so it has its small kinks to iron out by the time it is released. That is probably why Nokia asked it not to be thoroughly reviewed and why they have kept pushing back the release date. SO people please don't get too upset if the review wasn't all you expected. They will have a thorough review once the final product is shipped. Also the screen isn't as bad as he makes it out to be. Seriously. Also of note I can write faster than I can type so a stylus with hand writing recognition is a plus, especially If I can use it to write my notes in class. It is also better for web browsing and clicking on those tiny links.
bloggers should stop posting in the comments if they're unwilling to be ranked.
Engadget has self-esteem issues apparently.
@Chris,
Thanks for the info. You answered selectively part of the doubts.
If you gave the first impressions as per Nokia's instructions, that was fine.
First impressions are not the issue here, the issue here is the attitude towards resistive screen especially when included in phones from Nokia and also towards Nokia phones over all and also N900 in this case, . The kind of smart wording you use needs to be applauded, as its like breaking the stick without noise, (as far as Nokia is concerned), as they don't seem to be listening the noise.
I had seen your first Engadget show where Nilay and others had bashed N900 and anyone who has used any of the Nokia's previous resistive screen phones (for ex: Nokia 5800, etc), they can easily tell
that the way they swiped the fingers in the engadget show was wrong and seemed to be done purposely few times. (There would be hardly anyone in the audience using Nokia phone here in US, so most of them would easily have a negative impression, which is exactly you wanted, right?). I haven't watched the full video above, but looking at the comments, seems the same thing as shown in the first Engadget show.
Again i can show you umpteen examples of smart selective wording and the tone in case of Nokia articles as compared to other articles, even though the theme or the case would be same.
And yes, it still doesn't make sense to me Nokia sponsoring Engadget shows. Either they are too dumb, or i need to learn the PR and marketing logic fundamentals.
I'm loving that web browser!
but can it play farmville?
@Dave
Yes it can.
Yes We Can!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUCc2C4JPJE
The answer to your question comes in at 1:53
f* farmville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ZfizrEgFM&feature=player_embedded
Google Docs Too
But does it run crysis?
yes, with a firmware update. (software engineers......)
being someone who on my last three handsets had a problem with mms and the settings etc I definitely won't miss it when my N900 arrives. I find sending multimedia by upload or email is a lot easier.
1. How many recipients get a message from their service provider asking them to log on to the t-mobile site to view their message.
2. If you are lucky to receive the MMS to your phone you would then start to look for ways to download it to a pc/ sent it to other people via email. MMS is dead.
Nope on the last 3 phones I had I got MMS straight to my phone with no problems. MMS is far from dead a little out dated but not dead especially as its the main way non-smartphones communicate with pictures.
I take it you have a US carrier on your phone? MMS has been dead in Japan and Europe the last two years with most carriers not making much money off it. It never really took off in Europe sad to say.
MMS is alive and kicking in this side of Europe. Extremely popular.
sounds like propaganda to me Des (iPhone Fanboy), you don't own a iPhone by any chance do you?
Errr what? My last four handsets (3 SE's and my current Galaxy) all do MMS straight to phone, and it gets a lot of use and I recieve a good amount. Don't know what you're on about.
Yeah seriously. I live in Europe, and have had MMS-capable phones for like 5 years now. Total amount of received MMS in that time? 2, both ads for MMS sent by the carrier.
And the same goes for all the people I know. Most of them use Facebook/eMail and so on their mobiles, so they're fairly open to useful new stuff their phones offer, but MMS is a complete no-show.
MMS is well alive here, too. And never had any problems with them, with any phone or carrier. Even my parents (50-60 years old) use them without problems. Most people don't even have email capable phones, while pretty much any phone can manage MMSs.
I saw that in some European countries (and especially the UK, goes without saying) they charge significantly more for an MMS than for an SMS.
Where I live MMSs cost the same as SMSs, so that might be the reason for people using them more.. I get 1000 MMSs already included in my plan, not that I even asked for them, but they are there, so I use them..
Hey Chris,
Thanks for the quick overview. I recently dropped into the Nokia store on Michigan Av in Chicago. They had a prototype in the back that they showed me. I learned a few things from the sales rep, and I'm not sure how much is rumor:
1) She said there is no deal yet with T-Mo US. Once it is launched, and she had no idea when the US launch would be, it would be sold unlocked. Have you guys heard anything more yet?
2) She pointed out that they are positioning this as a "tablet" not a "phone". I think this is a huge mistake. It's too small to compete with the upcoming tablets, and really should be positioned as the top Nokia phone. What's your take on the phone features?
3) Finally, she repeatedly reminded me that the device they had in store was a prototype. I also found the resistive touch screen very, very unresponsive, and eventually just pulled out the stylus. Even when the rep used it, the UI elements would "jump" or "jerk" with finger input. Hopefully this is resolved with the final release. Why the heck they don't just stick a capacitive in, no one knows.
Oh, and any spare invites for the launch party in Chicago? Can you send me one? Please? Please? :)
I think you're picking up on the Internet Tablet ancestry of the N900. We'll see how Nokia's design decisions work out in the marketplace, but this is basically the next iteration of the Internet Tablet series that has the advantage of being constantly networked by being a phone, but has the disadvantage of having a smaller screen than previous Internet Tablets in order to function as a phone.
As for the resistive touch input, I wonder if it's a hardware related issue. Has any 800x480 screen on a phone shipped with capacitative input yet?
dennis, Droid has a 854x480 3.7 inches screen, it's not a hardware limitation, it's Nokia decision.