http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/ Engadget Comments for Nokia N900 Maemo / MeeGo dual boot 'will come at some point,' but not next firmware http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 1:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 1:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Because at this point almost everyone building Android or WinMo devices are doing so with the intention of getting a carrier to pick it up.

The handful of outliers will disclaim any warranty the moment you step outside their sandbox. In contrast, Nokia supports the N900's warranty regardless of what you do to it software wise.

Never mind that Maemo, being a true *nix type system instead of a Java sandbox, offers much more in the way of a "techie" phone.

]]>Mar 27th 2010 3:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
Yeah, I'm willing to admit that Nokia is trying hard to do the right things and that it has repeatedly shown more commitment to its clients (including me) than any other cell producer, still I can't help thinking that this is too little (and far) too late.
Next week I'll receive my preordered HTC Desire (to substitute my present HTC Hero and HTC HD2) and for all the fondness I still may feel for tha Nokia brand, after the frustrations I experienced with my old N97, Nokia will have to show me something more to convince me to buy one more of their smartphones.]]>Mar 27th 2010 9:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 1:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
im looking at mine right now and it has 4 rows onscreen. what firmware do you have??? they pretty much just moved the top row to the bottom and put the space bar in the center]]>Mar 29th 2010 8:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Most of the device will remain landscape.]]>Mar 27th 2010 1:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
Nokia,

Quit trying to prove a point, and start focusing on your customers' needs and interests. Kick your ego to the curb.]]>Mar 27th 2010 2:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
as a owner of an 5800 , I am liking the the fact that they(Nokia) are man enough to stand on their own feet, rather than trying to save their ass and being a 'me too' company to use Android.
Its like asking Microsoft to adopt Android.. will they ?]]>Mar 27th 2010 2:39AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/It's hardly a "desktop OS," Maemo is very much designed around being used on a small screen.

Neither webOS nor Android were designed with the intention of you ever stepping below their GUI. Android was made as a deliberate sandbox for the carriers and webOS... webOS will die with Palm.]]>Mar 27th 2010 3:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
As for Android, it's hardly a closed system for the carriers. That would be the iphone. It is designed so the carriers and even google cannot prevent third parties from distributing apps, and you can design below the GUI if you are willing to spend the time. I don't think I ever had to read a manual to use my Android devices, but I can't say the same for the N900. ]]>Mar 27th 2010 3:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
I am a programmer and system architect at my company, if my boss would decide that we should move on the mobile platforms and asked me for advice which ones should we cover, my answer would be clear - Qt and everything that it covers. Just with the support for Symbian you get the largest number of smartphone users and potential clients in the world, way above any other smartphone on the market, and having MeeGo coming just around the corner the situation can only get better. And all that while taking into consideration that most of the developers in my company are Java developers thus Dalvik would be somehow preferable option. Yes, the Maemo/MeeGo system is that much better, and with Qt it will only get better, that going back to a sandboxed system would be a huge step backwards and would make no sense at all.]]>Mar 27th 2010 6:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 6:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
My problem with Maemo on the N900 is that the UI is not intuitive. I think they can improve that, and I don't understand why, with all of Nokia's resources, it will take so long. The complaints about Android here seem to be driven from the fact you think it is "sand-boxed", but it is as open as linux in general. Google may restrict what is offered on the android market, but unlike Apple, they don't prevent people from installing their own applications (it's not that difficult, is it?). I doubt that Nokia will offer any and every app that is developed for their OS's - it is more work to install an app on the N900 that doesn't come from Ovi than it is to download an app on an android device and manually install it.

I don't believe Intel's participation in MeeGo will add any value. They are still harboring the fantasy that they can sell the Atom or maybe some other $40 CPU into mobile platforms. They have failed in virtually every endeavor outside of x86 CPUs, and I don't expect this attempt at winning a piece of the mobile market to be any different. They never really understood why they were successful at the x86, it's as if they think just because they hit a grand slam once, they will hit home runs every time they get up to bat. And they're not happy with singles (they don't like selling $10 chips).

I don't have a problem with Nokia continuing development of Maemo and Meego, if they ever create an OS that has broad appeal, they will certainly have enough devices to translate a good design into a successful product. In the meantime, it would be nice if us non-software developers had an OS option that didn't constantly require googling linux commands.]]>Mar 27th 2010 10:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
I don't see what's not intuitive in Fremantle UI - as I said, if we except the extremely limited iPhone OS, I haven't seen more intuitive interface than that on a smartphone. Yes, it is more intuitive than any Android UI I've seen up to date, YMMV. I didn't even bother with the manual, I've picked everything up within half an hour, and if that's not intuitive I don't know what is.

Sandboxing has nothing to do with the openness of the system, nor whether some manufacturer's applications are free/open-source or not, but with the structure of the system. Android IS NOT GNU/Linux - Android is as much Linux as is webOS, or TiVo OS for that matter. Yes, it runs on a Linux kernel, but everything else has nothing to do with what we came to think of Linux (that's why we must constantly remind people that Linux != GNU/Linux). When you say Linux today you don't just think of the kernel, but you think of the complete GNU toolset around it, full POSIX compatibility, user/group structure, data structure, common libraries... and yes, the GUI part as well. None of those common Linux components is present in Android. Android just uses the Linux kernel (which is not even up-streamed as Google's modifications are not in a true spirit of Linux), everything else is custom-tailored for the Android platform. Further, it doesn't even use the X Window System (X.Org) for its graphics which makes any Linux-compatible GUI application totally incompatible with the Android. It doesn't even allow you to run native code (apart from specific libraries in the latest iterations of Android) as everything runs under the Dalvik VM, and that's where the sandbox term comes from - your applications cannot have a direct access to the underlying hardware, you need to rely on what Dalvik VM services are providing you. Thus, your applications are sandboxed. And when it comes to applications, how in the hell you came up with that? Ovi is probably the longest way around for installing any application on N900 - you can always go to the Application Manager and install whatever you like from the available repositories (or you can add your own repositories, including .install links on web pages that will do that automatically - that's how Ovi installs software on the N900), and you can also download a .deb install file and install it right from the File Manager. Could you please explain how can it get any easier? It's easier than on the f. iPhone!

Intel is one of the biggest contributor to the Linux code base, so they have tons of things to contribute to the cause. Merging of Maemo and Moblin is one of the best things that could happen to the Linux platform itself, not to mention the mobile computing arena. Don't bog it down to some CPU sales...

As for the command line options and `googling linux commands`, what exactly you needed to do on your N900 that required you to type those commands in the xterm? I use Command Prompt on my Windows box far more often than I've used it on the N900. Are you calling Windows as user unfriendly as well?]]>Mar 27th 2010 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/"you contradicted what microlith said - he said Maemo was not a desktop OS, while you claimed that its' desktop grade Linux is one of its great features. Also, Android is based on linux, so why is the Maemo linux not good enough?"

He didn't contradict what he said, you just don't quite understand what he's saying. Maemo/MeeGo is NOT a desktop OS, though it uses the same internal infrastructure of most common Linux distributions. What makes it unique is that Nokia worked on Maemo for all these years to create the first true full version of Linux that was entirely mobilized, complete with a finger controlled UI. So Maemo is in fact not a desktop OS, though MeeGo will have multiple UIs, one of which will be a desktop/netbook style UI. But the version on tablets, MIDs, and phones will use the Handheld UI. Same internal components, just different UI layers.

"My problem with Maemo on the N900 is that the UI is not intuitive. I think they can improve that, and I don't understand why, with all of Nokia's resources, it will take so long."

I have to question how you'd be able to say such a thing. When you first power on the N900, there's a video tutorial on the desktop that shows you how to switch between or close open tasks, how to manage desktops, and basic UI navigation. The iPhone isn't as simple either if not for the zillion pinch to zoom commercials on TV. I wonder how many people who've never seen a PC would be able to figure out how to use it?

I see no problem with a company introducing a new UI paradigm if its efficient and useful. Maemo allows PC grade applications, processing power, and productivity in a pocketable package. This is a potent creation that will pave the way for how we do computing in the future.


"The complaints about Android here seem to be driven from the fact you think it is "sand-boxed", but it is as open as linux in general."

I think you know less about Linux than you imagine. Linux is open at its core, and all files are accessible and able to be changed as the user sees fit. Android is only open to the device makers. It is designed to cater to carriers and manufacturers, not the consumer. Notice how at&t removed some of the typical Google apps and replaced them with Yahoo, and prevents the user from installing anything not listed in the Android Market? That, my friend, ain't open.

See Maemo and other full Linux OSes for example. You can install apps from the Ovi Store, the Application Manager, or manually from a download, no trickery involved or required.

Also, they removed the standardized, open application toolkits available on most Linux distros and used a rudimentary Java Machine as the default runtime, and its not an open thing, but something totally under Google's control. Maemo and other Linux OSes use common, open runtimes, and they are upgraded in the open by a large consortium of developers, not one entity tailoring it for their needs alone.

"Google may restrict what is offered on the android market, but unlike Apple, they don't prevent people from installing their own applications (it's not that difficult, is it?)."

True, but they allow manufacturers the opportunity to restrict consumers from installing apps not from the Android Market by providing the tools and access to do so. So why they claim to promote open, they facilitate closed, thereby supported closed systems by participating in their creation. So in truth, they do prevent users from installing certain apps.

"I doubt that Nokia will offer any and every app that is developed for their OS's - it is more work to install an app on the N900 that doesn't come from Ovi than it is to download an app on an android device and manually install it."

That's totally untrue. The same mechanism that installs apps to the N900 is the same that delivers them from the Ovi Store to the device, and that's APT. The Application Manager is an APT front end, and the Ovi Store is an extra step. Apps not offered by Ovi are freely available in the repositories to search and download without going through the Ovi Store, and any server supporting APT can be accessed from the App Manager.

Either you're speaking from experience, or are talking about apps still in development, which aren't meant for wide consumption. That barrier is intentional to keep normobs from using unfinished apps then complaining about their state.

"I don't believe Intel's participation in MeeGo will add any value. They are still harboring the fantasy that they can sell the Atom or maybe some other $40 CPU into mobile platforms. They have failed in virtually every endeavor outside of x86 CPUs, and I don't expect this attempt at winning a piece of the mobile market to be any different."

If you don't see the value in having the biggest silicon maker behind an OS, I doubt anyone can say much to make you understand. Having the top two processor architectures supported gives MeeGo an advantage only Android, WinCE, and MeeGo can realize. What puts MeeGo ahead of Android is the much better runtime support and cross platform ecosystem, plus the desktop class app frameworks to exploit the extra power brought by Intel processors.

Also, Intel already has alot of manufacturing partners like Fujitsu, Dell, HP, and others. While HTC and Sony Ericsson are playing cat and mouse with Google, part overseer, part competitor, much bigger manufacturers in need of a new way to get into mobile can choose this more technically superior platform, which is devoid of any service lockin.

Intel hasn't failed outside of x86 processors, but has just excelled at them along with chipsets to the point that they are the world leaders, much like Nokia.

You claim to have some sort of insight, but I think Intel and Nokia have a bit more experience and credibility than you at this point.

"I don't have a problem with Nokia continuing development of Maemo and Meego, if they ever create an OS that has broad appeal, they will certainly have enough devices to translate a good design into a successful product."

I guess you're one of those that fails to see Symbian as that OS with broad appeal, even though it once had almost 70% of the market, and now has a healthy 45-50%. Americans like you don't like it, though I doubt you've had much experience with it in more than a device or two. This American know's exactly which OS the globe favors, and Nokia is its leading manufacturer. They have many successful products.

I also bet the Nexus One and N900 have similar global sales figures. Try to focus on facts instead of public opinion or mindshare, which is always overly represented by US voices.

"In the meantime, it would be nice if us non-software developers had an OS option that didn't constantly require googling linux commands."

If you refer to Maemo/MeeGo, then you're a bit off. It isn't required, but if you are doing advanced maneuvers without the skillset required, you sometimes have to learn first. But basic functions of the device NEVER require you to use the Xterminal.]]>Mar 27th 2010 4:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
If you have to watch a video to learn how to use the device, then it is not intuitive. An intuitive interface means the average person (not someone very experienced in Linux) would have no trouble using it without reading a manual or watching a video. Don't compare it to a PC, I wouldn't, I am comparing it to Android and WebOS phones, neither of which did I need to watch a video or read the manual to become relatively comfortable with the device.

I don't have a problem with a company introducing a new UI, as you suggest, but I don't think it's just me that would rather use something else. N900s aren't exactly flying off the shelves, even though it is pretty impressive hardware. I say go ahead, keep on improving the Maemo or MeeGo, but if you're going to make a truly open system, let it run any OS.

I am painfully aware of my limitations when it comes to Linux, which is why I would like some other options. I do know enough, however, to say that Android is open to anybody, not just device mfrs. Anyone can easily get root level access, and from there, you can do whatever you want with the device. Don't use ATT as an example of Android's limitations, that is their option, not google's (why do you think Google is trying to change the business model for mobile phones? they want to get carriers to accept any phone the consumer has, which will ultimately reduce the ability of the carriers to prevent users from doing what they want with their phones).

When I bought the G-1 (since replaced by a Nexus), I had no trouble installing apps that weren't on the Android market. Google didn't stop me, T-Mobile didn't stop me, and HTC didn't stop me. I don't understand this business about Android being locked up, when it is a specific carrier that is locking up the device.

I may not be a linux expert, but I do have lots of experience with silicon and hardware in general. Intel has failed in EVERY attempt to diversify outside of the x86. They had to quit the flash business, even though they have the most advanced processes in the industry. They only sell chipsets because if you want a good price and delivery on the CPU, you better design in their chipset. Intel does not know how to build a profitable business selling $15 processors, and that's where the mobile market will be in a year or so. There aren't going to be any smartphones running on Atoms, or any other Intel device, so their support of MeeGo will add nothing to the mobile device industry. I didn't lump Nokia with Intel (I think I mentioned I am a Nokia shareholder, so obviously I think highly enough of them to bet a significant amount of money on their ability to maintain a commanding presence in mobile devices), and I feel very comfortable in predicting that partnership will yield no measurable benefit to Nokia. Intel has already abandoned the ARM market once before, and will be driven out again by companies who know how to be profitable without an 80% market share

Symbian doesn't compete with iphone, WebOS, Android, RIM, or even Maemo. It's just not at the same level. I didn't say it's not successful, it's a different product. Symbian phones are not taking sales away from any of those phones I just mentioned. If they were, Nokia wouldn't be investing so much in Maemo and MeeGo.

I am well aware of Nokia's success outside the US, which is why I bought and held their shares, even as they lost half their value. I think they will continue to do well, but not with Maemo as it is currently designed. As somebody pointed out a while ago, it is more a small computer with a phone inside than a smartphone - and that's why you guys love it.

As for installing apps on the N900 - where do you get them? I get emails from Nokia about their new apps all the time, but none of them work on the N900. ]]>Mar 28th 2010 3:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Or to Optus customers who have no access to paid apps on the marketplace on any android device.
]]>Mar 28th 2010 9:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
Android may not be the best OS for developers, but it works for many users, especially those who avoid ATT.]]>Mar 29th 2010 3:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
due to engadget comment system = FAIL, my reply can be found on the next page]]>Mar 29th 2010 10:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:13AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
And WebOS still has a lot more apps than Maemo.

I'm amazed at all the comments this hardly-sold phone is attracting at this hour. Kind of says something about the typical N900 customer. ]]>Mar 27th 2010 3:29AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/if you make an OS with the most holes and missing functions, you're bound to have the largest app library. If the OS is functionally robust and complete, less apps are needed. The real question is, in its present state with its small app library, can the iPhone do more than the N900? It can't even match the N95's 2007 feature set, so its a rhetorical question.]]>Mar 27th 2010 4:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 11:29PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/there is nothing inherent about the iPhone that stops any other device being paired with such a marketing campaign. Is it the marketing or the device we're talking about?]]>Mar 28th 2010 1:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
thank you! thats what i always try to explain to people! besides, most apps are just really shortcuts to iphone-taylored web pages anyway! both symbian and maemo have apps to tell websites that you're running any kind of browser you want, even mobile safari. therefore my 5800 or n900 can view pages exactly how they would look on the iphone. but in most cases you wouldn't want to do that to begin with! these devices are capable of providing the real desktop browsing experience and don't need special reformatting!]]>Mar 29th 2010 10:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:41AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
Nobody uses the on-screen keyb with the N900 anyway, so this is just an extra feature they put in and now must fix it. Believe you me, the original keyb is so terrible, that this looks beautiful compared to that.

But yes, I hope that by june/july Nokia will have its game figured out with all the new Symbians coming out and this plan with MeeGo will hopefully have been made clear to everyone.]]>Mar 27th 2010 2:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
actually i use the onscreen keyboard a lot! if i just want to type something short then i use it instead of sliding open the phone. i like the original better. with this one it seems to be missing features. for starters, wheres the button to make the keyboard go away? do i click the blurry area at the top? it seems like that should mean "cancel" instead of "send". wheres the button for additional symbols? wheres the freakin shift and backspace keys???]]>Mar 29th 2010 10:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 2:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 3:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 3:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 3:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/]]>Mar 27th 2010 4:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 4:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Mar 27th 2010 4:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
]]>Mar 27th 2010 5:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/No. Because this multiple-OS-strategy-harms-you thing is BS. Engadget has been bitching to Nokia about it. When will they do the same for HTC? When will they do the same for Samsung? Samsung has, what, million smartphone OS's? And still Nokia is the one who is target.
Nokia who hasn't done anything remarkable during couple last years and still dominates smartphone market shares. When they needed a little fix (end of last year) they just introduced few models and boom, market share +4%. They are so dominant that atm. they can tune Symbian & MeeGo as much as they want and still no one can challenge them.
Although, this year Android might be a challenge for them. But I'm pretty sure they know it.]]>Mar 27th 2010 5:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/Hi Eric,
You need to look more closely at Nokia's own sales statistics.
Nokia sell a huge amount of Symbian devices, which makes them all technically smartphones. But these are "entry-level" smartphones which have very low retail value and make very little in terms of profit. The volumes are huge, but the profits are small.

The important part of the market, is the high-retail value, high-volume devices. This is where the money is made.

In this market, Nokia pitches its N-series devices. And year on year, sales of the N-series machines is declining rapidly. It's now about a half of what it was when the N95 was king. Consumers at the high end are abandoning Nokia.

So if Nokia is dominating anything, it's this low-end of the market. At the top end, they are losing marketshare hand over fist. And its not hard to see why. Their message to the consumer is confusing, the product line-up is cluttered with too many products, which compete with themselves. Products are pre-announced which makes the current models instantly redundant. And now this barrage of confusing messages about Meemo this and Meego that.

No one cares about this. Consumers need a clear product they can understand.

Nokia *has* done something remarkable in the last 4 years. They have take a company with global dominance, and been passed (in terms of profitability) by a rival that only entered the handset space only 4 years ago.

C.




]]>Mar 27th 2010 6:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/couldnt agree more :( I feel bad for Nokia. So much potential to do amazing things but..]]>Mar 27th 2010 6:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
Yup, that kinda sums up my own feelings about Nokia's doings in last couple of years. It's almost like that they packed all they knowledge and enthusiasm to the now-almost-forgotten N95 and then dropped the ball to others thinking "That's got to be the final smartphone, there's absolutely nothing more to do". Now they're apparently trying to get back to the game, but just don't have any solid plan to achieve it.

And in addition to their current smartphone catalog, I'm bored to hear Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo rambling about how's Nokia going strong at the entry-level market areas and models in every presentation his giving. If that's the future for the once so innovative company, well .. good riddance. ]]>Mar 27th 2010 7:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/27/nokia-n900-maemo-meego-dual-boot-will-come-at-some-point-bu/
If that's the future for the company, great! Technology exists to serve humans, not the other way around. I'd rather give a cell phone to a third of the world's population than get a N99 with specs from the next century.]]>Mar 27th 2010 11:44AM