Is it a phone? Is it a computer? Nokia has erased the difference.
Anand Parthasarathy reports
Mobile phone leader Nokia, has launched the Nokia N900, a device that bridges gap between phones and handheld Internet tablets, to provide a PC-like browsing experience, while running a full-fledged Open Source operating system.
The device which unveiled to a select audience of Indian bloggers and phone reviewers, goes on sale today, June 9 across Nokia retail outlets in India.
“The Nokia N900 has been designed specifically to address the unique needs of techies and mobile workers who demand enhanced functionality and constant connectivity said Jasmeet Gandhi, Head of Product & Services Marketing, Nokia India”, “For them it offers powerful mobile computing, with our Maemo open source operating system, faster multitasking ability, a 600 MHz OMAP processor, real time web widgets and the ability to be connected just about anywhere.”
Maemo is a software platform developed by Nokia for smartphones and Internet Tablets. It is based on the Debian Linux distribution. At the Mobile World Congress in February 2010, it was announced that the Maemo project would be merging with the Intel developed Moblin ( Mobile Linux) platform to create theMeeGo mobile software platform. http://maemo.org . The N900 may be a preview of Nokia's future game plan for smartphones, where an Operating platform like Maemo, is closer to pure Open Source Linux than its own Symbian software and for that reason, sharply escalates the opportunity for third party application development.
'Soul of a computer, body of a phone'
Arguably the most powerful Nokia computer launched so far, the N900 features a slide out qwerty keypad, high-resolution, 3.5-inch, WVGA touch screen and fast internet connectivity with 10/2 HSPA and WLAN. “It has the soul of a PC”, says Nokia L Series Product Manager Vishal Kaul. Indeed, the browser in landscape mode, users will get the exact look and feel of desktop browsing rather than the scaled down experience most smart phones offer, using mobile versions of popular websites. Zoom in and out is intuitive – scrolling clockwise or anticlocklwise with a finger.
Another first – the browser is a full Firefox; the first time on a mobile phone. Thanks to running on a standard OS flavor, users have access to a huge web repository of free Linux apps and the space to store them, with the32GB of storage. The 5 megapixel camera features Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash. The Nokia N900 supports the company’s own Ovi Services which means Nokia Maps, Nokia Messaging, IM, Ovi Files and so on.
The N900 costs Rs 30,639 in India
Technical Profile System: WCDMA 900/1700/2100 (HSPA),
EGSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
OS: Maemo 5
Dimensions: 110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm (L x W x H)
Weight: Approx. 181 g
Display: 3.5 inch widescreen (800x480 pixels) touch
Battery: Nokia Battery BL-5J, 1320 mAh
Media
(32 GB on-board, 16GB expansion via microSD memory card slot)
Video playback: H.264, MPEG-4, Xvid up to WVGA (800x480) resolution in 25fps. WMV up to VGA resolution in 30fps. Flash Video streaming in browser.
Music playback: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, M4A, WAV, WMA
Main Camera
Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar™
Image capture: Up to 5 megapixels (2584 x 1938) JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit color)
Video capture: MPEG-4 WVGA (800 x 480) at up to 25 fps
Aperture: 2.8
Focal length: 5.2
Flash: Dual LED camera flash and video light
Operating Times
Talk time: Up to 5hrs WCDMA, 9hrs GSM
Active online usage: Up to 1+ day
Connectivity & Data Services
• WLAN IEEE 802.11b/g with UPnP support
• BT 2.1 with support for stereo headsets
• Integrated FM transmitter
• Integrated GPS with A-GPS
• Nokia AV connector 3.5mm for audio input/output and
TV out
• Micro-USB 2.0 high speed for file transfers and charging
(http://maemo.nokia.com/n900/ )
June 9 2010