Nokia N900: Conclusion

CONCLUSION

It is very easy to say after my time with the N900 that Nokia has a sure winner. The developers have done an excellent job in making a mobile device that is a spiritual successor to the N95. However, for as much as the N95 was such a technological tour-de-force, it still took a number of software updates (and hardware variants) to see the real potential.

The N900 attains the same judgment -- it's just not a device for mainstream or prosumer smartphone/mobile computer users. This isn't a knock on Nokia, they announced the device not targeted to these types of users. The N900 is meant to be pushed, tweaked, and built on.

Some could read that though as excuses and see issues like Mail for Exchange w/Exchange 2003 issues, Ovi Maps, and random app crashes as Nokia's means of creating yet another set of beta users. I don't think that's the case. The N900, and Maemo as a whole has changed a lot of the internal workings of Nokia toward development and community involvement. This company is still learning lessons of how to be a facilitator of open source development in mobile. No other company does mobile like this.

That being said, the N900 does have some issues that must be resolved. The addition of the Ovi Store and its applications, portrait mode, and other items fixed in the two updates have shown that Nokia is willing to put the attention and resources towards Maemo. The user experience does needs to tighten up in the way of how users are introduced into Maemo 5 -- it's still not clear what problems for mobile users that it solves, and it's just enough of a departure from Maemo OS2008 that the Maemo community (Nokia, developers, and users) need to communicate better about things like help documentation and support for third-party apps.

Overall, the hardware is about as pleasing as you can get in a mobile device. Sure, it doesn't have a capacitive screen, and is a fingerprint magnet (comes with a cloth), but it’s as powerful as mobiles are these days: 600 MHz OMAP 3430 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 32 GB internal memory and micro-SDHC expansion for more, etc. This side of the N900 will serve it well for future updates as there's plenty left for the Maemo 5 platform to do to exploit all of this power. And thankfully, the platform seems primed for just that.

What the N900 isn't though is another rehash of a smartphone. It’s a data-driven device that's gained a voice-to-voice accessory. It's about as close as I've seen to a modern reinterpretation of the classic PDA (next to a Palm LifeDrive it would look like family). The PIM applications, email/IM/VoIP apps, and web browser point to an always connected person who uses web services to better connect.

The N900 and Maemo 5 point to a use and perception of mobile on Nokia's terms, and while it looks like it should be familiar, in use, it's just cut differently. To those willing to try on something new, the N900 is a solid addition.

Pros

• Aggregated contacts with VoIP, and IM
• Browser performance
• Quality of optimized third-party applications
• Battery life (on EDGE connectivity)
• Speed of major updates

Cons

• Battery capacity
• Disconnected user experience with some default apps
• Really hard to remove rear panel to access micro-SDHC and battery

Specs

• 3.5in touchscreen (800x480px)
• 256MB RAM (w/additional 768MB reserved for heap)
• 32GB Flash RAM internal storage
• Micro-SDHC (up to 32 GB)
• 1320mAh battery; charges via micro-USB
• 3-row sliding QWERTY
• 5 megapixel camera, w/dual-LED, autofocus, geotagging
• Video: WVGA(848 x 480)@25fps
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1 w/A2DP
• Quad-Band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) with HSPA (2100/1700/900)
• GPS w/A-GPS
• Maemo Linux 5 (v1.2009.42.11.002)