In this first impression post, I'll be talking about the hardware changes only. I have yet to use Maemo 5, so I cannot really comment on it yet.
The release announcement of the Nokia N900 has been reported by just about every blog already. The spec page shows plenty of changes - but what do they all mean? Let's break it down:
- 3.5" touchscreen, 800x480 resolution. The screen shrinks from the N810's 4.13" but keeps the same resolution. Software won't take a big hit on this since the resolution is the same, but applications that rely on very precise touchscreen use may be more difficult.
- TI OMAP 3430 ARM Cortex-A8 CPU at 600 MHz. This is a massive upgrade over the TI OMAP 2420 at 400 MHz. Faster faster!
- Up to 1GB Application Memory. This is a plus but not as big as it looks. There's only 256 MB of "real" RAM and the rest is attributed to swap. Still - the RAM amount is doubled over the N810 and the usable swap is six times the size.
- 32 GB storage. Wow. That's massive. This puts the N900 squarely in the "multimedia computer" space and even has more storage than some SSD netbooks. The N810 had only 2GB internal. Both support MicroSD (through a MiniSD adapter on the N810)
- Size: About 113 cubic centimeters and 181 grams. That's down from about 129 cubic centimeters and 228 grams. it will feel better in your hand as a phone.
- 3-row Keyboard. This part took the biggest hit. The large D-pad and four-row keyboard was replaced by a three row keyboard with a squashed spacebar and arrow keys that can't easily be used for gaming (not that the N810 ever did much of that.)
- Wireless connectivity: This is the first Maemo tablet that is actually a PHONE. With that, we get 3.5G HSPA, GPRS, EDGE,WiFi, and Bluetooth 2.1. That's a major boost over the WiFi/Bluetooth that the N810 gave us.
- Additional Communication: The N900 now includes TV out, an FM transmitter, a real A-GPS receiver (hopefully destroying the long lock times that the N810 suffered) and a micro-USB connector. The N810 had micro-USB and a GPS. The new features are fun toys, but won't be massive selling points.
- Last but not least: CAMERA: The new camera features represent a massive shift from the previous generation tablets. The N800 had a cute pop-out rotating webcam that worked badly. The N810 had a front-facing webcam that worked badly. The N900 has a 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with a digital zoom, dual-LED flash, macro mode, and MPEG4 recording up to 848x480 at up to 25FPS. The Maemo tablets are now on par with high-end Nokia Nseries devices and soundly beat the pants off iPhones and Blackberries.
12 comments:
My biggest issue with the n900 is T-Mobile, I used to have them and in my area before before AT&T bought Cingular, I was on constant roam to the Cingular network, once it was cut off I only had 911 call for half my city and no in door coverage. If I can tether my Alltel Delve or another phone to the n900 it will be great, I have wanted a Nokia tablet for a long time now.
the n900 can also be charged over usb
I am a little confused over the phone side of the N900. Nokia makes effort to stress it isn't a phone, but includes all the bits needed to make it so.
If I stick in my SIM card will I be able to make a telephone call across the carrier or only via SIP as before with my N810? Is the SIM card limited to data use only?
It will make normal cellular calls as well as SIP
So will this be available only via Cingular (or other carrier) that requires 2 year contract and data package? I'm enjoying my old 770 wifi connection using as a phone via Gizmo and Google Talk....unlimited texting with no monthly fees.....the poor man's iphone!
I imagine it will be available without a carrier contract but that will be at the full price (500 Euros, or about $740USD). It looks like T-Mobile will have this in the US. I'm really interested to see how much the subsidized cost it. I currently have (and am happy with) Tmo. I tether my n800 and was considering going to an android phone next. Hopefully this will be even better
Will the Nokia N900 support SDXC Memory Cards?
Is that a front facing camera on the image or just a light sensor? Can we get some video Skyping going with this baby?
Can't wait to replace my E90 and N810 with this! :)
@Sir Marky
It does have a front facing camera but no Skype video support, which appears to be more of a Skype restriction (e.g. agreements with carriers) than a limitation of the N900.
Hi everyone.I hope very soon will be enable to use front camera on N900 in Skype conversations.I'm expect this from Fring team.These guys are awesome!Just before a couple days they release theirs new updated application-fring,which allows to using a front camera on my Nokia 5800 XM and make a Skype video chat absolutely free.Amazing! Check www.fring.com.Regards.
OK, so this is maybe an old post and mainly US based. Just got my 900 in the UK.
The Maemo OS is pretty, easy to use and fast. There are many software repositories to connect to for extra apps. Regular calls and messaging work as well, if not better than my previous, phones with the addition of all the IM you could possibly want.
Not tried skype yet but apparently it's all built in and supports vid.
All in all...
I love my brick!
Wow, very nice and incredible post. nokia n900 is the best phone and Excellent quality. camera looks so cool. thanks for sharing nokia n900 phone. I really enjoyed the post!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mobile Phone Batteries
Post a Comment