Nokia N900 – The Best Smartphone Or Not ???

Hello everyone :P

Today i am going to make a review of the latest smartphone from Nokia, N900 which is my favourite so far. It’s the newest addition to the N-series and is considered to be the top-end device. As Nokia claims this is not a phone but a mobile computer!!! Also at the end you will see it against his worst rivals and how it stands to them as a champion in my opinion :P

Ok Now let’s start with the detailed specifications ;) :

n900_stand

Operating frequency

  • Quad-band GSM EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
  • WCDMA 900/1700/2100 MHz

Display

  • 3.5 inch touch-sensitive widescreen display
  • 800 × 480 pixel resolution

Operating system

Maemo 5 software on Linux

Processor and 3D accelerator

TI OMAP 3430: ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX with OpenGL ES 2.0 support

Memory

Up to 1GB of application memory (256 MB RAM, 768 MB virtual memory)

Mass memory

  • 32 GB internal storage
  • Store up to 7000 MP3 songs or 40 hours of high-quality video
  • Up to 16 GB of additional storage with an external microSD card

Keys and input method

  • Full QWERTY tactile keyboard
  • Full QWERTY onscreen keyboard

GPS

  • Integrated GPS, Assisted-GPS, and Cell-based receivers
  • Pre-loaded Ovi Maps application
  • Automatic geotagging

n900_games

Camera

  • 5 megapixel camera (2584 × 1938 pixels)
  • Image formats: JPEG
  • CMOS sensor, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar lens
  • 3 × digital zoom
  • Autofocus with assist light and two-stage capture key
  • Dual LED flash
  • Full-screen viewfinder
  • Photo editor on device
  • TV out (PAL/NTSC) with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable (CA-75U, included in box) or WLAN/UPnP
  • Landscape (horizontal) orientation
  • Capture modes: Automatic, portrait, video, macro, landscape, action

Video

  • Wide aspect ratio 16:9 (WVGA)
  • Video recording file format: .mp4; codec: MPEG-4
  • Video recording at up to 848 × 480 pixels (WVGA) and up to 25fps
  • Video playback file formats: .mp4, .avi, .wmv, .3gp; codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid, WMV, H.263

Music and audio playback

  • Maemo media player
  • Music playback file formats: .wav, .mp3, .AAC, .eAAC, .wma, .m4a
  • Built-in FM transmitter
  • Ring tones: .wav, .mp3, .AAC, .eAAC, .wma, .m4a
  • FR, EFR, WCDMA, and GSM AMR

Web browsing

  • Maemo browser powered by Mozilla technology
  • Adobe Flash™ 9.4 support
  • Full screen browsing

Connectivity

  • 3.5mm AV connector
  • TV out (PAL/NTSC) with Nokia Video Connectivity Cable
  • Micro-USB connector, High-Speed USB 2.0
  • Bluetooth v2.1 including support for stereo headsets
  • Integrated FM transmitter
  • Integrated GPS with A-GPS

Data network

GPRS class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 107/64.2 kbps (DL/UL) EDGE class A, multislot class 32, maximum speed 296/177.6 kbps (DL/UL) WCDMA 900/1700/2100. Maximum speed PS 384/384 kbps (DL/UL) HSPA 900/1700/2100. Maximum speed PS 10/2 Mbps (DL/UL) WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g

Call features

  • Integrated hands-free stereo speakers
  • Call waiting, call hold, call divert
  • Call timer
  • Logging of dialed, received and missed calls
  • Speed dialing via contact widget
  • Virbrating alert (internal)
  • Side volume keys
  • Mute/unmute
  • Contacts with images
  • Conference calling with up to 3 participants
  • Internet calling

Email & Messaging

  • Supported protocols: Mail for Exchange, IMAP, POP3, SMTP
  • Support for email attachments
  • Support for rich HTML
  • SMS and Instant Messages as conversations
  • Support for Nokia Messaging service
  • Instant messaging and presence enhanced contacts
  • Multiple number, email and Instant Messaging details per contact, contacts with images
  • Support for assigning images to contacts

n900_keys

Personalisation

  • Background pictures
  • Widgets on your desktops
  • Intelligent contact shortcuts
  • Shortcuts to your favourite websites
  • Shortcuts to applications
  • Themes

Applications

  • Maemo Browser
  • Phone
  • Conversations
  • Contacts
  • Camera
  • Photos
  • Media player
  • Email
  • Calendar
  • Ovi Maps
  • Clock
  • Notes
  • Calculator
  • PDF reader
  • File manager
  • RSS reader
  • Sketch
  • Games
  • Widgets
  • Application manager for downloads

Gaming

  • Bounce
  • Chess
  • Mahjong

Battery

BL-5J 1320mAh

Size and weight

Volume:
Approx 113cc
Dimensions:
110.9 × 59.8 × 18 (19.55 at thickest part) mm
Weight:
Approx 181g

nokia-n900_4

Colour

Black

What´s in the box

  • Nokia N900
  • Nokia Battery (BL-5J)
  • Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-10)
  • Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-205)
  • Video out cable (CA-75U)
  • Nokia charger adaptor (CA-146C)
  • Cleaning cloth

nokia-n900-3

Great specs indeed :P This device has some hardware inside!!! The greatest weapon though it’s the MAEMO 5 which it runs and it’s full openess to developers and geeks. Cause of its linux root it’s very easy to make applications and customize the whole N900 experience you have.

In addition to the MAEMO 5 is the compatibility with a lot of programming languages, and the best of all PYTHON. There are a lot of Python developers around the globe who make applications for platforms supporting python. Well this device supports it OUT OF THE BOX, meaning that you just run the python script and VOILA your application is running :P :P :P This in my opinion is one of N900’s biggest reasons that will make it a sky success!!!

Now, the rivals this phone has. N900 is one of the TOP notch devices this year and the best smartphone NOKIA ever builded, but there are some competitors out there ready to be thrown into the battle for the BEST SMARTPHONE title :P These are as i see it the way famous iPhone 3gs, the new HTC HD2, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the Motorolla Droid. These phones cover every form a smartphone can be, every OS a smartphone can run and all the features currently availiable to us.

Below there is a table comparing them side by side in the most important aspects so i’ll be glad to hear your opinion on which one is better (if you think there is one) and why.

Feature Nokia N900 HTC HD2 iPhone 3GS Motorolla Droid (Milestone) Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
nokia-n900 htc-hd2 apple-iphone-3gs motorola-milestone-1 xperiax10
Frequency GSM 850 / 900 / 1800/1900
HSDPA 1700 / 2100 / 900
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800/ 1900
HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 900 / 2100
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 1700 / 2100 / 900
Size 110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm
181gr
120.5 x 67 x 11 mm
157 g
115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
135gr
115.8 x 60 x 13.7 mm
165gr
119 x 63 x 13 mm
135gr
Display TFT resistive touchscreen
16M colors
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
TFT capacitive touchscreen
65K colors
480 x 800 pixels, 4.3 inches
TFT capacitive touchscreen
16M colors
320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
TFT capacitive touchscreen
16M colors
480 x 854 pixels, 3.7 inches
TFT capacitive touchscreen
65K colors
480 x 854 pixels, 4 inches
Sound Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack Speaker, 3.5mm audio jack Speaker, 3.5mm audio jack Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack Stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack
Memory 32GB internal storage
256MB RAM
MicroSD card
256MB RAM
512MB ROM
MicroSD
16GB / 32GB internal storage
256MB RAM
No Memory Card
256MB RAM
MicroSD
1GB internal storage space
256MB RAM
MicroSD
Data GPRS Class 32
EDGE Class 32
3G HSDPA 10Mbps
3G HSUPA, 2Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port Yes
USB v2.0 microUSB
GPRS Class 12
EDGE Class 12
3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps
3G HSUPA, 2Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Wifi Router
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB v2.0 microUSB
GPRS Yes
EDGE Yes
3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP ONLY headset support
Infrared port No
USB v2.0
GPRS Class 12
EDGE Class 12
3G HSDPA 10.2Mbps
3G HSUPA, 5.76Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB v2.0 microUSB
GPRS Class 10
EDGE Class 10
3G HSDPA 10Mbps
3G HSUPA, 2Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP
Infrared port No
USB v2.0 microUSB
Camera 5 MP, 2576×1936 pixels
Carl Zeiss optics
Autofocus
Dual LED flash
Video light
5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels
Autofocus
Dual LED flash
3.15 MP, 2048×1536 pixels
Autofocus
Touch Focus
5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels Autofocus
Dual-LED flash
8 MP, 3264×2448 pixels
Autofocus
LED flash
Touch focus
Image Stabilization
Face and Smile Detection
Video
Recording
WVGA (848 x 480) @ 25fps
Secondary: VGA
VGA @ 30fps
Secondary: No
VGA @ 30fps
Secondary: No
D1 (720×480 pixels) @ 24fps WVGA @ 30fps
Secondary: Yes
OS MAEMO 5 (based on Linux) Microsoft Windows
Professional 6.5
iPhone OS (based on Mac OS) Android OS, v2 (Eclair) Android OS 1.6
CPU ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz
PowerVR SGX graphics
Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1 GHz processor ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz
PowerVR SGX graphics
ARM Cortex A8 550 MHz processor Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor
TV-OUT YES - YES, partially - -
Messaging SMS (threaded view), Email, Push Email, IM SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Instant Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push email, IM
Browser xHTML, HTML, RSS feeds
Adobe Flash Player 9.4
WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML HTML (Safari browser) HTML HTML
Radio Stereo FM radio (via third party software)
FM transmitter
Stereo FM radio with RDS NO NO NO
GPS YES, Ovi Maps YES YES YES YES
Codecs
Out-of-The-Box
Audio
MP3/WMA/WAV/eAAC+

Video
WMV/RealVideo/MP4/AVI/
XviD/DivX

Audio
MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+

Video
MP4/WMV/H.264/H.263

Audio
AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, AIFF,WAV

Video
H.264/mp4/mov/m4v

Audio
MP3/eAAC+/WAV/WMA9

Video
MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV9

Audio
MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV

Video
MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV

Battery Li-Ion 1320 mAh (BL-5J) Li-Ion 1230 mAh Built in Li-Ion 1400 mAh (BP6X) Li-Po 1500 mAh (BST-41)

Fewww, that took some time to write :P :P:P I hope you find my comparison comprehensive enough and be able to compare them to choose yours !!! As i am concerned i think N900 is the best one cause of its hardware AND the Maemo OS and its open development! I am waiting for your thoughts on these high-end devices or any suggestions you have.

Another phone i think worths the inclusion to this battle is the Samsung Omnia i8910HD which has the best hardware around, it can be even compared to N900 hardware-wise but i haven’t included into the table cause the symbian s60 which runs on is just outdated and luggish against these OSes. But if anyone want to check out its specs can go here and see it in all it’s glory :P
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_i8910_omnia_hd-2691.php

I wish you the best and Merry Christmas everyone i hope Santa will bring you the smartphone you want :P

Thanks for reading!!! ;)

Author: MasterGenius on December 30, 2009
Category: Smartphones
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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