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Is this Nokia's Lankku?
Well, hello there... beautiful? It's a bit hard to tell, you know, given that shroud of mystery that's veiling what appears to be Nokia's heretofore elusive Lankku. If you'll recall, the outfit's first consumer MeeGo handset (N9-00) was purportedly axed back in February, and now it seems that the successor is finally getting its time in the sun. We're told by an insider that the object shown here may or may not keep the N9-01 moniker when it ships to consumers. Moreover, it'll run MeeGo Harmattan, ship in Q3 to folks in Europe, boast a 960 x 540 screen resolution, include an 8 megapixel AF (read: not EDoF) shooter and sport a frame that's just marginally thicker than the iPhone 4 -- reportedly, anyway. We'd obviously take all of this with a grain of salt for now, but with Elop himself set to speak this week in Singapore at CommuicAsia, hopefully the outfit's CEO will be the one shedding more light on the situation. Needless to say, we'll keep you abreast of any related developments. Update: Oh, and these certainly look an awful lot like the first leaked press shots of this thing. Update 2: Looks like she was it! This, folks, did indeed turn out to be the N9! %Gallery-126746%
Nokia N9 gets teaser video, Rick Springfield soundtrack (update: it's running MeeGo)
Sure, we've known of the Nokia N9's existence for some time now, a fact made all the more real by the handset's recent FCC appearance, but is a phone really real until its gets its first dramatic ad spot? Pocketnow managed to score a teaser for the upcoming QWERTY slider -- not the first time we've seen this thing on video, as those who can remember as far back as 2010 will recall. Interestingly, the UI seems to be consistent with the Anna release of Symbian rather than something totally unique to MeeGo -- though elements like the status bar and multitasking appear different from what we've seen of that version of Symbian. Also, if you don't blink, you'll see the 12MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens and the chiclet keyboard. As for the live version of "Jessie's Girl," that's anyone's guess. Update: General consensus is that the N9 is running Meego. We also noticed after watching the video a couple times that the camera is autofocus instead of EDoF (see enhanced video frame after the break), which is excellent news! [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia N9 hits the FCC, packs more bands than a rubber tree
Last we heard, the Nokia N9 rode Stephen Elop's burning platform into the sunset, never to be seen again. Today, there's a FCC filing that begs to differ. Wireless Goodness spotted that RM-680 in the always-helpful government database, where it claims support for six cellular frequencies as well as Bluetooth and 2.4GHz 802.11 b/g/n WiFi -- enough to appear on most any GSM carrier, to say nothing of AT&T and T-Mobile. Will the MeeGo-packing QWERTY-sliding hardware that Eldar Murtazin called "near perfect" appear in the US or Canada one day? We don't think it's terribly likely, but if it comes with a dash of Windows Phone 7 on board, we can't promise not to jump for joy. See the full list of bands after the break.
Nokia's marginalization of MeeGo came as a surprise to Intel
Yesterday's announcement by Nokia that it's switching to Windows Phone 7 as its primary smartphone platform has already had, and will continue to have, great repercussions for plenty of parties besides the Finnish company and its new best bud Microsoft. One of the biggest effects of that deal was that Nokia now no longer considers MeeGo -- the open-source OS it was co-developing with Intel -- an item of priority, classifying it as a "learning project." No prizes for guessing Intel's nowhere near happy about that, but would you have also guessed Nokia kept Chipzilla in the dark about its new direction until the day it announced it to the world? Such is the word from TechCrunch's well placed sources, who also say that Nokia dedicated only a three-man external team to the development of UI customizations for MeeGo. Not exactly the hugest investment in the world, we'd say, and when you consider Nokia and Microsoft already have concept devices drawn up, you've got to think plans to abandon MeeGo as a sincere flagship strategy were materializing in Espoo a long time before this event. It would probably have been nice to tell Intel, though, just to be classy. Hit the source link for more detail, including confirmation that Nokia's N9-00, its first planned MeeGo device, was canned -- apparently due to complaints from operators about its hinge.
Nokia kills N9-00, its first MeeGo handset?
We've been hearing this one for awhile now, primarily around the Twitterverse thanks to Eldar Murtazin. Now Reuters has jumped in with a couple of sources close to the company claiming that Nokia has ended development of its first MeeGo handset, presumably the device pictured above. It's not all bad news though. Reuters tosses in a bullet claiming that the next MeeGo device could be unveiled this week, meaning Nokia's highly anticipated event on Friday or even at Mobile World Congress next week. Of course, Nokia has never gone official with any handset, only saying that the first MeeGo device will be a 2011 event (after missing the planned 2010 launch). So really, this is a lot like saying something that didn't exist still doesn't exist. Nevertheless, it jibes with what we've heard that the N9-00 QWERTY slider (aka, RM-680 codename "Dali"), leaked with gusto back in August, has been scrapped as a consumer device with all emphasis now on releasing the N9-01 touchscreen slate, dubbed "Lankku" (Finnish for "plank" or "board") internally. Just another reason for "Nokia CEO" to continue trending on Twitter. No, really. [Thanks, Tuomas]
Nokia's leaked MeeGo device resembles dual-core ST-Ericsson U8500 reference platform
Yesterday's leaked image of a purported Nokia tablet device seems to have been more informative than we initially believed it to be. An eagle-eyed forum member over on mobile-review has spotted the similarity between it and a reference platform for ST-Ericsson's U8500 system-on-chip. Last we heard, that little powerhouse was running a pair of 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 cores, so excuse us if we find the prospect of it driving Nokia's next flagship a rather exciting one. You can see video of the reference device in question after the break -- it ends on the delicious and unequivocal assertion from the ST-Ericsson rep that Nokia has signed up to deliver the U8500 in an upcoming device. Bear in mind, however, that the video is from November of last year and we still don't know for sure that the Nokia slate above is its MeeGo progenitor or just a prototype. Either way, the U8500 is expected in smartphones at some point in the first half of this year, which kind of fits Nokia's roadmap, no? [Image credit: Cor72z]
Nokia N9 to bust loose with MeeGo on Intel Atom power?
Nokia has to do something big if it wants to crack the US smartphone market. We can agree on that, right? And believe us, Nokia wants this -- nothing will make the mighty Finns (and the company's global investors) prouder than to gain some traction in the home of Apple pie and Google desserts. So how will the company do it? With Symbian? Oh, hell no. By introducing another MeToo handset? Nope, with MeeGo on a rockin' platform like the rumored N9 slider pictured above. Nokia announced its hardware plans for Maemo 6 a long time ago. At that time, the company was clear that it would continue using TI OMAP processors. Much has changed since then, however. In addition to several key leadership changes including a new Canadian-born CEO who spent much of his time working in the US, Nokia has joined Intel to roll up Maemo 6 and Moblin into MeeGo with Nokia's first Maemo 6 MeeGo/Harmattan handset pushed into 2011. Simultaneously, Intel has also been doing its best to show its new Moorestown platform as a powerful ARM alternative, even showing off MeeGo handsets exploiting a Lincroft SoC and Atom processor core. And Intel has said that Medfield-based smartphones (Moorestown's successor) would arrive in the middle of 2011. So why the build-up? Well, we've just been tipped to a claim by Prosessori, a respected Finnish technology magazine, that the Nokia N9 will launch with a 1.2GHz Atom processor. Better yet, it could be unveiled as soon as Mobile World Congress in February, presumably during Stephen Elop's keynote. Do we believe it? Not entirely, but it is possible given the chain of events that have taken place. And you can bet that the first commercially available Intel smartphone with a brand new Nokia user experience would certainly grab headlines in the US and around the world. Something that should translate into high-end market share (and profits) if it's as "exciting" as Elop claims. [Thanks, Janne]
Keepin' it real fake: Nokia N9 doesn't wait for mature MeeGo to launch in China
As with the N8, so with the N9. Nokia's first MeeGo device is widely expected to be dubbed the N9 and sport a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, but its elongated time to market has given Chinese KIRF artists the chance to beat Finland with their own device. Parsing together leaked pictures and perhaps some insider info we're not privy to, some crafty folks have put together the above 14mm-thin slider, outfitting it with a 3-inch screen, front- and rear-facing cameras, Bluetooth, WiFi, FM radio, microSD card slot, dual SIM capabilities, and an almost entirely metallic construction. The OS is some sort of Symbian lookalike, while the price is an eminently affordable 700 yuan ($106). You'll just need to find the right market stall in Shenzhen to get yours.
Nokia's MeeGo device chief quits
The VP in charge of Nokia's MeeGo Devices has resigned. Ari Jaaksi confirmed to Finland's Talous Sanomat that he resigned last week. According to a Nokia spokesman his departure does not affect MeeGo's rollout schedule which had called for a first device to be delivered before the end of 2010. We've confirmed this with Nokia as well, who tells us that an "update on MeeGo" (note the wiggle room in that phrase) will be announced before the end of the year. In case you're keeping track, Jaaksi's departure follows the high-profile exits of Nokia's former CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo (replaced by Stephen Elop) and the head of Nokia Mobile Solutions, Anssi Vanjoki. Notably, Nokia's MeeGo team picked up Palm's Peter Skillman as the head of MeeGo User Experience and Services during the same period. It's also worth noting that just yesterday Mobile-Review's Eldar Murtazin said that Nokia's N9 hardware is "near perfect" but the MeeGo software build is "not so good at the moment." Given all this, we can't see how Nokia could possibly ship its first MeeGo handset -- a device Nokia hopes to position against the iPhone 4 and best Android handsets in the US -- in 2010, do you? [Thanks, JJ Ehto]
Nokia's VP of Design has a plan to crack the US market with MeeGo, and we're all accomplices
One look at the N8 and E7 should be enough to convince the casual observer that Nokia is serious about design. The man behind Nokia's hardware and software design for the last year is Marko Ahtisaari, Senior Vice President of Design and former CEO and co-founder of Dopplr. We asked Marco what it would take to be successful in the US market. His response, while not direct, was still illuminating and gives us implicit insight into how MeeGo, not Symbian, might be Nokia's near-term play to conquer the American smartphone market. While gesturing to the N8, Marko had this to say: "In the US I think it will require a somewhat more consequent approach in the high end. No matter how smooth and fast we make this, and we improve the camera -- this is the best camera right -- it still won't cut though enough until we do an operating system level innovation. It will do extremely well in the market but it's not a breakthrough device." Marko later added this clarification: "In order to cut through in the media environment, I think you need to do operating system level innovation. The products will be cut-through successes in the market, in people's hands, in share of palms and share of thumbs it will be successful. But in order for it to cut through and people to say, whoa, why didn't somebody else think about that and that's kind of what Nokia should do, it will be easier to cut through, from the media point of view, with MeeGo." In other words, it's the media (read: us), in Marko's opinion, that will affect consumer opinion by influencing enthusiasts (read: you) who will in turn evangelize Nokia's products throughout the US. MeeGo, not Symbian, is the product that will generate that degree of buzz and excitement. Marko finished by adding, "My goal is that very soon it will be cool to upgrade to the Nokia." So, what will Nokia's high-end MeeGo devices look like? Click through to find out.
Nokia's QWERTY-slidin' N9 shows up in the wilds of China (update: running MeeGo!)
Remember this scandalous little leak from back in June? It looks to have been validated today, as imagery of Nokia's MeeGo (or is it Symbian^4?)-powered N9 QWERTY slider has emerged over in China. As usual with these things, we can't be certain that this device is in fact part of Nokia's roadmap and not just another creative hardware emulation, but it sure seems to have our old buddy Eldar Murtazin convinced. Seeing it with clear N9 branding, we can now say that the previously unknown Nokia slider was more likely the N8-01, a keyboard-equipped version of the (still) upcoming N8. The source of this N9 leak reports that it's not in its final retail shape, as it doesn't match up to "the latest drawings," but is apparently planned for a release in the 48th week (i.e. beginning of December) of this year. The prototype, built in Finland, is said to have an entirely metallic construction (more aluminum would be our guess), with only the keyboard buttons, USB cover, and a few decorative parts being plastic. See more of it, including a thorough teardown, in the gallery below. Update: A friendly mole of ours ran this handset's serial number through an internal Nokia system and has confirmed it as a Nokia prototype. He was also able to uncover an RM-680 product type classification (further distancing this from the RM-626 slider) and a 0595571 product code. Add those to the "Prototype Build B2" and "Property of Nokia" labeling inside the phone's battery compartment, and you've got yourself a very strong candidate for the real deal here. Update 2: A closer look at the display reveals that this is running something that bears a heavy resemblance to the MeeGo screens we've seen so far -- and if you run the product code through Google, you see some Maemo 6-related bug tracking results, which of course has since become MeeGo. Good stuff, eh? Thanks, Sockatume! %Gallery-99863%
Nokia N9: the MacBook Pro Phone
Look, if there's one thing Nokia knows it's how to build hardware. Say what you want about the S60 user experience, the latch on the N97 is a mechanical masterpiece. But how could we resist sharing this image, posted by a reader in comments, of the presumed Nokia N9 "sitting on" a MacBook Pro? What was it that Anssi Vanjoki said? Something like, "If there is something good in the world then we copy with pride."
Mystery Nokia slider shows off proto-Symbian^3 one last time, commits cellular suicide (video)
We never did quite get the name of Nokia's prototype slider -- it certainly isn't the C7, and it's apparently not the N9 -- but regardless of what you call our dearly departed, its journey is over. In what will no doubt be a fairly familiar tale to readers everywhere, TechnoBuffalo saw the phone remotely wiped right before their eyes, and Negri Electronics (our original source) says they've got private investigators breathing down their necks for the device. Stalwart to the bitter end, RM-626 gave one last performance before it dropped. See the 4-inch handset play an embedded YouTube video after the break if you must, but be sure to stop at the 5:45 mark. For true phone lovers, the rest is too painful to watch. [Thanks, Larry N.]
Nokia (N9 / N8-01?) prototype sized up against iPhone 4 and EVO 4G on video
Setting aside the naming confusion, this Nokia prototype procured by Negri Electronics just keeps attracting our attention. Though we saw plenty of it in an earlier video, this latest rendezvous between Finnish hardware and camera lens includes a few familiar suspects to offer us the best size comparison we've had so far. Squaring up against a 3.5-inch iPhone 4, the QWERTY slider from Nokia seems barely any larger from the front though quite a bit thicker from the side -- an expansion justified by its inclusion of a physical keyboard. It does a lot better when compared to the EVO 4G and the departing iPhone 3GS, looking only marginally chunkier than those keyboard-less devices. Don't take our word for it though -- skip past the break and see for yourself. P.S. -- The UI on this device looks to us a lot more like Symbian^3 than the S60 the narrator believes it's running, leading us to think that this is most likely a keyboard-equipped variant of the N8. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia N9, E7, C7, or whatever it's called gets caught on video
The mechanism that opens and closes the articulated display is pretty neat -- but otherwise, there isn't much from Negri Electronics' video of its mysteriously-obtained Nokia prototype that is likely to raise many eyebrows. The phone -- labeled "C0" but more likely a member of the Nseries or Eseries -- gets poked and prodded over the course of four-odd minutes, revealing a number of ports protected with plastic flaps (micro HDMI included, it seems) along with a good, close look at that expansive QWERTY keyboard. Performance looks reasonable but not mind-blowing -- and we don't want to pass judgment on a software build that's likely got months of work left before retail -- so this could be a reasonable option for N97 and N97 Mini owners looking for an upgrade with a capacitive display and some ultra-mild UI rework. Follow the break for the video. [Thanks, Anphase]
Nokia N9 (or something) in the wild: 8 megapixel camera, American 3G?
We told you, didn't we? Whether you want to call this the N98, the N900's successor, or the N8 plus QWERTY, what you're looking at above is potentially the visage of Nokia's next smartphone. It's being dubbed the N9 by the folks at Negri Electronics, who also inform us it has an 8 megapixel imager on the back, 850 / 1900 3G bands (good for AT&T, Rogers, Telus, and Bell), and "ridiculous screen clarity." This sort of throws us for a loop, since we're looking at some straight Symbian action up there, whereas Nokia has told us directly that there'll be no more Symbian on the N Series after the N8. A clue to what might be going on is provided by the "C0" label at the upper left corner of this device, suggesting that it could be a future C Series member. All we know is that the thing seems pretty real and it's headed to a full video review in the next few days. Yay! [Thanks, Jason]
Nokia N9 MeeGo slider leaks in early video tease?
Um, yeah. Let's just put this out there: the image above was grabbed from a video that could be an early, leaked teaser for the N9, Nokia's first handset to run the MeeGo OS. Could be. The production quality of the promo is certainly up to snuff and the industrial design of the slider itself features just enough N8 to make the whole thing seem very plausible. It doesn't hurt that it resembles an earlier leak... but that doesn't help authenticate it as real either. And what's with those impossibly shallow keys on the QWERTY? Watch for yourself after the break. [Thanks, Tigran]
Nokia's 16 model house reveals a smokin' S series, N9 MeeGo?
Lovely home except for those pesky leaks. This Nokia house built (circa 2010) upon on a foundation of Symbian with a MeeGo roof is also sporting an interesting looking S-series smokestack. Most of the building blocks we've already seen including the flagship N8. The N9 is almost certainly Nokia's followup to the N900 and Espoo's first handset to feature its new MeeGo OS. But what's with the business-class E7, mainstream C7, and socially entertaining X7? None of these handsets have been announced, yet all three are at the top-end of their respective series meaning more functionality at a higher price. Still, the most interesting revelation is the S-series which Nokia has never referenced under its new naming scheme. The translated text from the S-series bullet describes it as, "A name reserved for limited phones. Mobiles that do not fit in other categories come in here." The first Moorestown phone to run MeeGo, perhaps? Hey, we can dream. [Thanks, Mark]
Niveus reveals upgraded Rainier, Denali and Pro Series media servers
If you were curious as to which manufacturer would begin utilizing those fancy Core i7 chips first, we highly doubt Niveus Media came to mind. Granted, it isn't first to the punch per se, but Intel's latest will help power some of the 2009 line of media servers. The passively cooled Rainier, Denali Limited Edition (rear pictured after the break) and the rack-mountable Pro Series have all been upgraded with niceties like HDMI 1.3 and Seagate's Pipeline HD hard drives. You'll also find the G45 Express chipset, SSDs and support for eight CableCARDs scattered about, though pricing won't be disclosed until we get closer to the Q4 release date. More specifications are listed after the jump.
Niveus says "never enough," adds support for eight CableCARDs / ten Extenders
At least year's CEDIA, EI's quad-CableCARD 754 LifeMedia server was all the rage. Between then and now, Cannon PC has jumped out to offer a system with six CableCARDs. Now, Niveus Media is showing 'em all up by announcing support for up to eight CableCARDs and ten Media Center Extenders. The functionality will soon be available on the forthcoming Pro Series n9 powerhouse, which will utilize Intel's Core i7 processor. The sum of eight is reached by pairing the n9 with four Niveus Digital Cable Receivers and an external, dual CableCARD tuner device, giving users the ability to view and record eight SD / HD programs at once. Oh, and you can also stream those eight signals along with all other HD content to eleven zones. Don't kid yourself -- you know the next US President is so getting this for the White House. Full press release after the break.
