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Nokia shows off SNES on N900, quickly thinks better of it
A little bit of emulation is a basic rite of passage for a modern day device that allows open software development, and the N900 is no different. We first saw the device rocking some SNES way back in September, but apparently Nokia couldn't pass up an opportunity to demonstrate the phone's prowess and put up its own video of a few emulators in action. Unfortunately, while emulators are completely legal, the ROMs that run on them are rarely legit, and despite Nokia's odd assertion in the video that "most publishers allow individual title usage provided that the user is in possession of the original title," the phone giant has since pulled the video from the internets, and Nintendo is reportedly looking into the matter. Of course, N900 emulatin' is still easy to come by from third parties -- check one out after the break. [Thanks, Nirvan]
Nokia N900 now shipping in the land of Ford freedom trucks
Love to tinker and tweak your smartphone? Find running beta apps a challenge, not a burden? Then you'll be happy to hear that Nokia's N900 running Maemo 5 is now shipping in the US, a week later than the press release suggested. This Cortex-A8 phone with 32GB of on-board storage is ripe with potential and the perfect holiday gift for grandma as long as she's comfortable dropping into the X Terminal for the occasional "rm -R /home/user/.microfeed" command. It's still listed for $649 unlocked from Nokia direct though that price will be dropping soon enough. [Thanks, Alex]
Nokia N900 drops to $480 on Amazon
The N900's US retail price of $649 is a steep barrier to cross without the carrier subsidies negotiated in Europe. But what if we told you that Amazon has cut the price to $530 minus another $50 (after mail-in rebate) for a $480 take home price? Not bad for an unlocked ARM Cortex-A8 handset with excellent browser, 32GB of flash, 5 megapixel camera and an enthusiastic Maemo development community hellbent on making this the greatest device ever known to mankind. No, not by ship date (which is presumably any day now) but by 2012 if things go according to plan. [Thanks, Samuel]
Nokia's Maemo 5-equipped N900 on sale in America for $649
We've already given you a glimpse at the N900, but as of today, you Yanks in the crowd can wrap your own limber paws around Nokia's hero device. Admittedly tailored for enthusiasts and developers to use while the company maneuvers Maemo into its product line, the N900 is now available through Nokia Flagship stores in New York and Chicago, the firm's website and "various independent retailers and e-tailers." A tidy sum of $649 (or $510 if you're smart enough to check Amazon) nabs you an unlocked version with a 5 megapixel camera, 32GB of internal storage and a bombastic, Flash-lovin' web browser. Ain't no shame in lusting after one, but tell us earnestly -- are you forking out nearly seven bills to bring one home?
Nokia N900 quick hands-on
We've finally had a chance to play around at length with a very late pre-production version of Nokia's N900 (retail units are already shipping, but not to our neck of the woods just yet) and we wanted to scribble out a few notes for you before taking delivery of a final build for a full review hopefully in the next week or two. Here are some highlights we've noticed so far: 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. Follow the break for more impressions and a quick rundown on video!
Nokia N900 ad suggests a history of mental illness
The DROID might have started us down the road of dark sci-fi phone ads, but this new Nokia N900 spot takes things to the disturbing next level. We have no idea of what any of this means -- and we're not too sure Nokia really wants to suggest that its new flagship device is the cellphone manifestation of Twitchy McSanity here. You'll see what we mean -- video after the break. P.S.- Are we the only ones who see this as a nightmarish dystopian remake of Pump Up The Volume? Is that just us? Okay.
Nokia N900 is now shipping!
Nokia's Maemo-based future has begun: the N900 is shipping. According to Nokia CEO, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the eagerly awaited handset is now en route to at least some pre-order customers. We'll soon see if this new generation of Nokia smartphones will be enough to generate the type of mass-market / high-margin appeal that Nokia needs at the top end of its product portfolio or if it's just a tentative first step on a potentially wobbly new platform. Update: Nokia's official blog says to expect the Maemo 5 device to land in "Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and North America" shortly. However, it won't be compatible with the new 3G SIM cards from 3 in the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark and Austria until a software update hits sometime later this year. [Thanks, Juhana J.]
Nokia N900 not coming until some time in November
We've just heard some pretty sour news. Peter Schneider, head of Maemo marketing, has waxed official about the N900's release and quite casually noted that it'll "start shipping during November 2009," which as you very well know is a whole month later than originally expected. An interesting tidbit to his post is that he notes Nokia had lent out 300 pre-production units to the community, and he stresses the importance Nokia places on the feedback received. Connecting the dots might suggest that feedback wasn't quite as hot as Espoo had hoped, and a few last-minute refinements are now being applied. Either way, you're gonna have to refill your patience for potentially another month of waiting. [Via Chronicles of N900; Thanks, Habib Q]
Nokia N900 can ride the Google Wave
We're not talking about some mobile version here à la iPhone, no sir. MobileDeveloperTV has itself a Maemo-powered Nokia N900, and sure enough, it runs the full version of Google Wave. There looks to be some lag between the keyboard and text box, but if you're hankering to mash up Espoo's latest and greatest with the G man's latest and greatest, there's nothing standing in your way. See for yourself, victorious laughs and all, in the video after the break. [Thanks, Welly]
Nokia N900 unboxed, and no, you can't unbox your own (yet)
So it seems like the new thing for manufacturers is to gather a bunch of platform champions (read: developers and bloggers) in a room, wax poetic for an hour or two about strategy, and -- here's where it gets awesome -- give out or loan hot, new devices to everyone in attendance. Google's done it, Palm's done it, and now Nokia's getting in the game by handing out pre-production N900s on extended loans at its Maemo Summit event last week, and that inevitably means that we're going to be seeing a ton of unboxings and reviews over the coming days. This particular unboxing comes to us courtesy of Slashgear, which notes that the devices are currently running non-final firmware even though the hardware is the same stuff we'll be seeing on shelves in the next few weeks. It's looking great so far -- but then again, so did the N97 in its muted black box prior to release, so we'll withhold final judgment until this one's been thoroughly vetted for awesomeness.
Nokia N900 video shows off 3D gaming, YouTube shenanigans, and more
Not satisfied with a video of the Nokia N900's browser, an in-depth look at its Maemo 5 operation system, or even a glimpse of it playing the odd SNES game? Then fear not, 'cause the device is on the scene at the now-happening Maemo Summit, and it's thankfully been caught on video once again for those not lucky enough to be in attendance. Highlights this time around include a look at the device's 3D gaming capabilities (demoed with a Marble Madness-type game called Bounce Evolution), and a demonstration of the device not only playing YouTube videos in a browser, but within a thumbnail in the Maemo interface -- not exactly the most practical thing in the world, but it sure is impressive on a mobile device. Head on past the break to see the whole thing for yourself.[Thanks, Welly]
Nokia shows off N900's sweet web browsing skills on video
Eager to get your pulsing palms around Nokia's N900? Yeah, we feel your pain. As if the phone itself and Maemo 5 haven't been talked about enough, Nokia itself has published a new video showcasing the Mozilla-based web browser. Only time will tell if said browser lives up to the hype, but if the video posted up after the break is any indication, we'd say things are looking good. Six minutes may be a long time to look at something you can't touch, but we're guessing you'd listen to six minutes of the host saying anything. Have a listen -- you'll see.[Via HotHardware, thanks dafrabbit]
Nokia N900 undergoes extensive preview, N97 found sobbing in a corner
Our amateur sleuthing skills tell us there might be a tiny bit of excitement about this N900 device. With the Maemo 5 environment already measured up, it's the turn of the hardware to get exhaustively previewed. The My Symbian team took a look at a prototype unit and were immediately impressed by the 800 x 480 display and relatively compact dimensions for such a loaded phone. The resistive touchscreen was on par with the N97, though it picked up scratches too easily for their liking ( a screen protector is recommended), while the keyboard was deemed small but still a major improvement over the N97's. Internals rated well, with the 600MHz Cortex-A8 CPU and "superb" video recording grabbing plaudits. Perplexingly, there was only 256MB allocated to application installs (see image after the break), which can be altered by those with Linux knowhow, but this may draw plenty of ire from mainstream, app-hungry consumers, considering the device is capable of holding 48GB of total memory. On the outside, the camera cover was found to scratch the case around the lens (but not the lens itself like on some N97 units) while sliding, and removing the stylus from its slot revealed some bare electronics, both of which rather undermined the overall feel of a well-built device. They did find connectivity on the device a pretty dreamy and trouble-free affair, but we're still only scratching the surface here -- hit up the read link for the whole enchilada. [Via MobileTechWorld]Update: Nokia has expressly stated that the retail phones will come with repartitioned memory, which will provide "plenty" of space for app installations and obviate the storage issue noted above. [Thanks, sockatume]
Video: SNES runs beautifully on N900, makes out hearts flutter
We've already seen Nokia's Maemo 5-powered N900 pull off some pretty fanciful tricks, but without qualification this is the one most dear to our hearts. Somehow or another, Konttori managed to get his palms around an N900 of his own, and rather than testing out the social networking abilities or battery life, he simply installed an SNES emulator, tweaked it to accept Wiimote controls and even connected it to his TV for a staggeringly authentic gameplay experience. Vicarious living is just a click or two away, so hop on past the break for a video of the action. Oh, and don't mind the baby -- he's not in the corner or anything. [Thanks, Sathish]
Video: SNES runs beautifully on N900, makes our hearts flutter
We've already seen Nokia's Maemo 5-powered N900 pull off some pretty fanciful tricks, but without qualification this is the one most dear to our hearts. Somehow or another, Konttori managed to get his palms around an N900 of his own, and rather than testing out the social networking abilities or battery life, he simply installed an SNES emulator, tweaked it to accept Wiimote controls and even connected it to his TV for a staggeringly authentic gameplay experience. Vicarious living is just a click or two away, so hop on past the break for a video of the action. Oh, and don't mind the baby -- he's not in the corner or anything.[Thanks, Sathish]
Maemo 5 reviewed in breathtakingly granular detail
It's one thing to read a product preview here and there, but if you really want the Maemo 5 experience before you're even able to set foot in a store and buy an N900, look no further than mobile-review's characteristically exhaustive look at the platform. From the endless array of screenshots, you quickly get the impression that this is an attractive shell -- evolutionary and familiar for owners of the 770, N800, or N810, yes, but significantly freshened nonetheless. Here are a few big takeaways from the War & Peace-esque compendium: There's apparently an N920 in the works that lacks a QWERTY keyboard. We've heard rumors in the past that the N900 will remain Nokia's sole Maemo 5 phone for at least a few months, so we might look to see this in 2010. Process management invokes a curiously webOS-like card view which looks great. Helps when you have a beefy OMAP3 in there, doesn't it? The call log effortlessly aggregates GSM and VoIP calls -- a neat trick, and a tip of the hat to Maemo's roots as a VoIP-friendly platform. MMS isn't supported, strangely, though the platform's SMS support handles both threaded and traditional views. While chatting up Maemo's calendar services, Eldar specifically says that he "Palm's WebOS-powered organizer much more enticing and promising." Lack of Google Calendar synchronization sucks, but we're not sure what that's all about -- Maemo does support Exchange ActiveSync, after all. Eldar his the nail on the head regarding Maemo's Mozilla-based browser: it's always been good, just way too slow. The N900 cures those ails on better hardware, though "it hasn't caught up with the rest of the pack yet." Flash support seems wonky and performance isn't always great -- it depends on how many apps are running. The music player is pretty bare-bones (typical Nokia), though anyone happy with the N97's sound quality will feel right at home here -- it's the same hardware. The integrated Maps app apparently lags way behind the bar that Ovi Maps has set over on S60 -- super slow and "resource-hungry." Of course, the beauty of Maemo is its wide-open philosophy, so many of the niggles here that aren't corrected by Nokia proper will hopefully be handled by the community at large -- and the good news is that by the time you get done reading this review, the N900 should be on store shelves for you to try yourself.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCXXXVI: Nokia N900 rip shows no trademark fear
It's pretty typical for serial KIRFers to make minor changes to the names of the brands they're ripping -- take Sany Ericssan, for example -- but we've never really known why. "Go big or go home" is the KIRF mantra we prefer to live by, and if you're going to gank a phone's design, by golly, do it with gusto. Give it 110 percent. In your heart, after all, that NOKLA's really a Nokia -- it's what you feel deep inside that really matters, and no well-staffed, well-funded Finnish legal team can tell you otherwise. That's why we've got to hand it to this particular model, simply called "Copy Nokia N900" in a painfully honest, accurate admission of its true raison d'être. Strangely, though, they've missed a few basic points: the Copy Nokia N900 trades the genuine article's landscape QWERTY slider for a dual slide configuration in the same vein as the N85 and N95, for example, and Maemo 5 has gone missing -- instead, you're treated to a frighteningly accurate S60 5th Edition knockoff. If you can tolerate the dismal VGA cam, GPRS data, and QVGA screen, you'll be pleased to discover that the phone features an analog (yes, analog) TV tuner and an accelerometer with "support" for flick control, which you can watch in action on video after the break -- looks super fun and usable, doesn't it?
N900 hacked to replace the innards of a Speak & Spell, can never bring back your childhood
Nokia has been handing out the N900 for selective "artsy" uses lately through its "Push" program, and the folks at Tinker it now! sure seem to have put their model to good use. They've paired the device with all matter of nostalgia, including a Rolodex, FM radio and a 3D Viewmaster. Our favorite by far, however, is the Speak & Spell hack, which puts the gargantuan Speak & Spell keyboard to good use in penning text messages for the N900 -- which displays them in the classic font and even articulates your words with a speech synthesis engine. It's all a testament to the flexibility of Linux, hacker ingenuity and of course liberal application of Arduino, but it's also a little advertorial-ey, so you might want to leave your gag reflex at home for this one. [Via Nokia Conversations]
Nokia grabs the Windex, clears up 'erroneous' Maemo carrier customization claims
We aren't too sure where a number of outlets overheard that Nokia was planning to pass on customizing its Maemo-based devices, but one of two things has happened: either Nokia is lying to our faces and has secretly had a change of heart, or everyone was just misinformed from the get-go. Regardless of the hows and whys, Nokia has now come clean and stated that those very reports -- you know, the ones that "erroneously suggested that Nokia will not support operator customization for Maemo devices" -- are "simply incorrect." A long winded explanation follows, but the long and short of it is that the suits in Espoo are (at least now) very open to letting operators "tailor future Maemo devices to suit their needs," which may or may not be a positive in your eyes depending on the carrier you're chained to. Now, aren't you glad we had this little talk?[Thanks, Dallas]
Nokia putting foot down on Maemo, won't allow carrier customizations
Google and Apple have both managed to wrest a great deal of control over the mobile user experience from carriers over the past couple of years -- cheers to that, by the way -- and now Nokia's decided it wants a piece of that action with the introduction of Maemo 5 and the N900, which it says will be free of the branding that Symbian products frequently get subjected to. It makes total sense that Nokia would be looking to come play in that rarified air that Android, iPhone OS, and webOS are all playing in -- a place where ARPUs are high, UIs are slick and modern, and the apps (and data) flow like water -- but since the majority of customers for these types of devices rely on subsidies to justify the purchase, they'll still need carrier buy-in to pull this off effectively. At least Palm and the gang have all proven that there's precedent for it, and it's definitely a noble fight to wage -- no one wants a bright magenta interface, right? [Via Phone Scoop]
