Nokia: Video Review, Smartphone Round Robin 20
I can't tell you how pumped I am about this year's Smartphone Round Robin - it's already been a great first week and week two should be a blast. This year we're lucky to include both the Nokia platform and the best Nokia Expert I know: Matthew Miller. Now that we've filled that Nokia-shaped hole in the Round Robin things feel a lot more complete.
After the break, check out a video of Matthew teaching me the ways of Nokia, both on the Nokia N97 Mini (pictured above) and the Nokia N900. I'm also hoping that I'll be getting some good advice from Nokia Experts Readers. If you're a Palm user wondering what the majority of smartphone users worldwide are used to, this week we hope to figure that out.
(Meanwhile, keep an eye out in our own forum for a post from Casey Chan, who will be looking to measure webOS up with Android.)
20 Comments
looks like a great phone. i like the home screen quite a bit compared to WebOS's cards. it did seem a bit confusing on how to get the basics down, closing current view and switching to another app or webpage. seemed to multitask witch is great. the bigger one was nice. i think ill stick to my pre, but would be a great option
linky no worky
which link?
youtube link doesn't work for me. Weird. Normally they do.
the youtube link doesn't work for me either on my pre...
I like Nokia phones.
Dieter picked it up faster than the Iphone Blog's Rene, lol.
"At the end of the day (and of this review) the best advice I can offer is this
kind of excited to see how new maemo stacks up. I came to the pre from a n810 and samsung omnia. The pre has replaced the both.
the n900 has the exact (not iphone 3gs exact but you know really exact) same processor as the pre.
what maemo was really lacking was pim. Heck it ran a palm emu
http://www.access-company.com/products/gvm/
but that won't work on the n900. Also dieter you have to at least peak at maemo.org the homebrew community here has a more tuxy parallel in that relm.
I think that maemo is even more open than webos or at least on par.
Thanks for the awesome unbiased review. I can see why Nokia is so popular in Europe.
Since the Palm Pre and WebOS, I am not a fan of widget based UIs/OSs. Since the Palm Pre I an not a fan of horizontal sliding keyboards that require you to turn your phone to landscape view!
Nice job, Dieter. I really miss home screen widgets as a WinMo convert, and these look slightly smoother. In my experience it can get ugly and cluttered, so the "go away/multiple page" swipe is nice.
Otherwise... even Maemo still has the look and feel of Win98. They're functional and smooth, so big ups, but painfully uninspired for my taste. That could be fixed if they simply hired a decent graphics designer.
They have some texture and smoothness in Maemo, but everything's still so dry and square. And that font is excruciating.
it is my understanding that a contributing factor to nokia's struggles in America is that they don't play nice with the U.S. carriers. Carriers ask a lot, they refuse to bend, carriers say go screw you then we don't want the high end nokias and so you don't see many as subsidized phones in the U.S.
as a side note i loathe widgets and all that crap on my screen. Keep it simple and customizable. not cluttered.
I am not wanting a landscape keyboard so much, but if the N900 was joined with WebOS, Nokia's R&D, Palm's openness, PreCentral, and Nokia Experts - iPhone Killer, for real! IMO...
winning comment post = ) lol
The N900 looks good but it needs a capacitive screen to be competitive in the mainstream. Most people do not know how to truly use a resistive screen.
I miss true Nokia in the US, and this is why. I'm not the biggest fan of Resistive, but it does look like a great phone. If only Nokia took the US networks more seriously; there'd be a bigger fight on everyone's hands. Thanks for the review.
I am currently a Pre owner that purchased a N900 because I am sick and tired of waiting for Palm to fix the lag and SDK.
However, While using the N900 for a few days, I am having reservations about ditching the Pre for it.
My Current N900 Likes & Dislikes are as follows...
The landscape keyboard design is a really PITA. After using the Pre's one had design keypad, I am just spoiled and accustom to it. This is not a device that can easily TXT while multitasking (Driving) I am told portrait mode is heading to the N900 within a few weeks, so this complaint might be rectified with an portrait onscreen keyboard.
The charging jack is on top of the phone (Top where the earpiece is located) This is really annoying when trying to use the phone when charging.
Nokia's Ovi Maps suck! The GPS also struggles to get a lock even when trying to use the maps. (It take minutes at times or never locks) This appears to be a software related issue, but Google maps would be the ultimate solution. However, after asking members of the Maemo community, it looks as if Google maps will not be heading to Maemo anytime in the near future. - So... No Nav.
No MMS
Working with the repositories to add applications seems archaic when compared to graphical interface app stores.
In my area, no T-Mobile 3G. However, if you have T-Mobile 3G in your area, the plans are GREAT!
Then there's the resistive screen. This is a tough one because it works for the most part beautifully. The only real complaint is have with it is the you cant just swipe your finger and let the page fly when scrolling. The screen is responsive, but I have to swipe more to get things done. If you use the stylus, this is almost a non issue.
The form factor is not as convenient as the Pre. Its larger, but would only be an issue if you like skinny jeans. Although, if you do, the Pixi wold be up your alley anyways. :)
At this point, a snapdragon processor would have been the better choice.
On to the good stuff..
The calendar is great. Palm needs to look at this and take note. Well done Nokia.
The browser is second to none. I can log into pages (and use them) I have never been able to use on any other mobile phone. It has flash and works with the fully intended web page designs of your favorite sites. This will be one awesome browser with Flash 10.
The Contacts are well laid out. It can be used with several VOIP and IM clients.
Better battery life than the Pre.
Awesome camera with great flash. The is a secondary front facing camera for video calls. Although, the resolution is not as nice as I wanted it to be.
Great sounding stereo speakers.
Lots of memory. 32GB + and Expansion slot.
Live desktop widgets are awesome.
Built like a tank an very sturdy.
So the good seems to out weight the bad right? Not necessarily. Palm hit a home run with gesture swipe area and WebOS's ease navigation. I am constantly picking up phones and find them painful to navigate when compared to the Pre. Synergy is also a nice feature that many forget. There is also no email search yet on the N900. While I find the email client on the N900 nice, I still finding the pre getting the edge in this department.
Get you pitchforks ready for this next statement. I actually like the iPhone and what it has done for mobile devices in general when it comes to the web. I find using well done optimized website much better for everyday use. Get in, get the content and get out. Palms web browser is no slouch, and I think ultimately everyone will reap the benefits of this trend. Why an I saying this? Its because I purchased the N900 for the browser mainly. Its the bees knees. But I have to think, will these type of browsers be necessary in the near future? I for one hope not.
I will add more in the cross platform section.
The Pre has many amazing features but without recording video. My daughter has the HTC Hero and I was impressed by the customization of the Hero. I tell you what Pre's "deck of cards" multi-tasking is only going to appeal to people that don't like "techy" phones like the Hero.
I used this phone for 2 wks and then returned. nice phone but i don't think its ready. Nokia rushed this one out after the miserable failure of the N97. maybe in a year or so I will reconsider it, but i am kinda over nokia at this point
it's amazing that the pre and it's new operating system is being compared to all these existing os that have a 2 or more years head start over the webos system. Webos has been existence for an half of a year and people are expecting the world of it. ALL I'VE GOT TO SAY. THERE'S MORE TO COME!!!!! If you feel that six mos. is your timeline, then it's time for you to move on. BUT, YOU'LL BE BACK...
For me the pre looked promising a year ago, but since there are some K.O. features missing (Video recording, only 3 MP camera, small flash memory not extendable) it has lost my attention. I also think Palm will have it difficult in future to exist with it's strong competitors. Also Maemo has to proove to attract enough developers.