Nokia N900

Update your Nokia N900 with the latest software.Combining a mobile computer, cell phone, high-quality camera, and portable media player into a single device, the Nokia N900 unlocked cell phone offers fast 3G connectivity, global roaming capabilities, and a wealth of messaging capabilities to keep you in touch with family, friends, and business associates wherever you roam...

Features

• This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless, Alltel and Sprint.
• Optimized for WCDMA 900/1700/2100, Quad-band EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, Optimized for 3G networks on WCDMA 900/1700/2100 Quad-band EGSM, 850/900/1800/1900. Does not support 3G on AT&T network.
• Mobile computer with full cellular voice and messaging capabilities, 3.5-inch touchscreen display, slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, and powerful Maemo 5 operating system
• 5-megapixel camera/camcorder; GPS for navigation and location services; Wi-Fi networking; Bluetooth stereo music; digital media player; personal and corporate email
• What's in the Box: handset, battery, travel charger, stereo headset (WH-205), video out cable (CA-75U), cleaning cloth, operating instructions

Reviews

Awesome piece of technology!

by TrekGeek from Florida on 2009-12-04
I received my n900 just a few days ago from Nokia USA. For the purposes of this review, I will compare it to my previous phone, the HTC G1. My opinions are solely based on the user experiences in the past days with the n900, and since I've never owned an iphone, I will not compare it to such. Physical layout: *The N900 is a pretty beefy phone, and rightfully so. While having some heft to it, the n900 is solid and well-built. The black metal rim is a nice touch without being too gaudy. The slide is not spring-assisted but gives a nice click upon opening and closing. I have not noticed any creaks or wobbles from the screen. Few have complained about the back being hard to open. Although true, I rather have that with the peace of mind that the battery won't pop out if I dropped it (God forbid)! the n900 is of comparable size to the G1, albeit being slightly thicker, and not a problem for me. *I don't really understand all the fuss about resistive and capacitive screens. The n900's screen is gorgeous and is incredibly brilliant. There is a little 'give' to the screen, but I've yet to have problems with it. The screen is quite responsive and supports kinetic scrolling. I did have some difficulty clicking on small links in the browser, but that's because your index finger isn't exactly the most accurate pointing device. This was easily solved by zooming in (more on that later). *The keyboard is pretty good. It is a different experience coming from the G1 (as you have to type with the 'chin' in the way on your right hand) so naturally, it felt better. The keys have a grippy rubberized texture feel to them, and although the buttons are smooshed next to each other, (like a real keyboard) they have good response. I do miss the 5-row keyboard on the G1, and I don't understand why the n900's screen doesn't open up a bit more. For those with large hands, it might be a little uncomfortable. However, one plus for the n900 is that my thumbs don't have to travel as far to type. *I love that the placement of the speakers are on the sides of the phone, as opposed to the back on the G1. I do a lot of talking on speakerphone, and so I'm not forced to flip it upside down during a call. Sound quality is good and the speakers are decent. Maemo 5/ Software *This is the ultimate customization OS. When they meant open source, they really meant it. The 4 desktops make things a lot easier to navigate. For example, one page is devoted to my common phone contacts, another utility apps, the third has bookmarks to frequent sites (the homepages of those links are previewed on the desktop, fyi), and so forth. *The way Maemo multitasks is ingenious. The "overview" page where you see all your actively running programs makes navigating between windows and programs very easy and efficient. One thing to note is that you have the ability to close out any of those windows upon your choosing, as opposed to the G1 where the 6 app limit neither allowed to you open more nor shut them down, making it very sluggish, especially during critical times (ie texting someone directions while running gps). *SMS (called conversations in Maemo) is pretty similar to the G1, but has one added step - conversations either in text or IM by the same person are displayed in the same window. The ability to have the other person's contact image in the text box (that is if you set one up for that person) is a nice touch. I personally don't care about MMS, so no gripes there. *The email client is pretty decent, I set up my gmail account with a few simple steps, but it isn't nearly as accessible as the gmail app on the G1. For example, I haven't found a way to delete an incoming email when it first comes in. I have to leave the letter, go into the inbox, back into the email, then delete it. *Browsing experience is comparable to the pc, and is nothing short of awesome. Full flash means I can access full youtube pages, and among others. I think the "swirling zoom" gesture is pretty neat, and helps me to click on the smaller links. I figured out that using your index to swirl zoom produces the best results. Alternatively, you can double click the screen or use the volume rocker. Going to previous pages not only allows you to go to the last page, but scroll through the entire history of that window. Neat. *Applications-wise, there are not many out there, but I'm certain many will be out soon. You can also access the Maemo repositories for more (google it) but be careful as many of them are still in development and are potentially dangerous to your phone. Noteworthy apps include Hermes (connects your social sites, like facebook to your contacts so you get contact phones, birthdates, etc) and Qik (live streaming recording). Hardware: *Fast, fast, fast. Need I say more? *No hang ups yet, since I can close apps at my own will. *The camera is good, that is for a 5mp phone camera. It will never compare to a dedicated camera, but is more than effective for quick shots to upload on facebook. *The FM transmitter is a great add-on. Now I can share songs without having to look for an aux cable. *Battery life seems to last a little over a day with some text and internet. Wifi is on all the time when I'm at home. My G1 would be down to around 70% by noon. Of course, no phone/mobile device is perfect. Here are some things that came to my attention: *The volume rocker is on the right side (in portrait), meaning it is nearly impossible to use as a zoom when the screen is up. Same goes for the lock switch, which is on the bottom (in landscape). Would have been much better on the sides, as it would be easier to lock after a phone call, for example. *Copy and paste is kinda sporadic. While you can copy all you want on webpages, I couldn't copy a phone number from one contact to another in the phonebook. *The stand is nice, but it swings out way too deep and feels a bit too weak. I'm afraid I'll break it someday. *Little portrait support as of now, but I think it'll be fixed soon. So there you have it. My impressions of the n900. There is still a lot of exploration to be done, but I can honestly say this is the best phone/mobile device I've ever owned. In spite of a few shortcomings, its an amazing piece of technology. A lot of things I didn't mention probably will be fixed within a firmware or two so that isn't a problem. I hope this helps anyone who is on a fence on buying one, good luck!

Absoutely a keeper

by F. Rose from No. California on 2010-03-20
I should start by saying that I'm one who doesn't mind making a few adjustments when leaving an old phone for a new one. I've been using the N900 for almost 30 days. It is my opinion that most of the negative points in the reviews seem a little extra specialized in nature. i.e. They aren't really show stoppers for the typical user. Although some issues are real, I found others to be petty, not quite accurate or already fixed through software updates. Reading the online (101 page) manual helps too. There is only one real issue with the N900 for me: * Portrait view is supported only in phone function. A portrait option for all functions would clearly make the N900 easier to handle and use. Things I didn't like at first but now consider non-issues. There isn't a To-Do List but I've learned to use the Task function on Calendar and now, it actually works better than the To-Do List I was using on my previous Nokia. Sound is not adjustable (no equalizer) when using audio through Media player. After a couple of weeks, this has become a non-issue. Essentially, the sound from this unit's two speakers is above average. Regarding the touch screen: At first I was using the stylus but gradually migrated over to the touch screen in combination with the physical and online keyboard. It's a breeze once you get on to it. The phone did seem a little heavy at first but this too became a non-issue. Considering we're only talking about an ounce or two, I (somehow) managed to adapt. I added a wrist strap which has been helpful. Issues raised in other reviews: I have experienced no technical issues; No freezing or lock ups as described in some reviews. The phone performed perfectly out of the box. I've used Bluetooth and have had no issues. Regarding battery life: I charge this phone mostly every night and sometimes hook up the car charger during the day. I've been doing this for years with all my phones. You never know when you're going to use up a large chunk of battery, no matter what phone you have. Call quality and reception is outstanding. Web browsing is smooth and very fast. The four desktops provide ample room for shortcuts to frequently used applications. Once your shortcuts are set up, you can pretty much go anywhere you want with just one or two touches of the screen. With a 16GB memory card, I was able to sync mp3 files through Windows Media and contacts through Outlook Express without a hitch. Just a couple of clicks for each process and the phone took over. In all honestly, the more I use this phone, the more I like it. I also take comfort in knowing I have a quality device made by Nokia, who, in my opinion, has always been the real leader in cell phone technology and design.

Not just another smartphone, it's a pocket computer!

by A. Jaramillo from ATL, GA USA on 2009-12-03
Nokia is right when they refer to this device as a Mobile computer. I've been using it for almost a week and it surpasses all my expectations, and bear in mind that Nokia will be pushing updates to the OS to make it even better. The web browsing experience can only be matched by a computer, no smartphone even the iphone (I own a 3G iphone for over a year) come close. Skype integration is outstanding, 5mpixel camera is great, gps and compass work great with ovi maps, screen resolution and size are perfect! All features work under 3G, no hacking necessary. Corvette=Iphone Lamborghini=N900 In a few words, if you like to excel this is your phone!

Mobile Computing reached. The N900 does it all.

by Compton Boodhoo from Queens, NY USA. on 2010-01-12
This phone/Mobile Computer really lived up to my expectations and passed them. in terms of speed and power. I am a cellular salesman , I have been since 2007 so I've followed cell phones closely only because I'm crazy about them, and I normally change phones a few times a year. Not anyone more, The Nokia N95 actually kept me for 2 years and I'm sure this Nokia N900 will keep me for 2 years or more. This phone/mobile computer is a good investment, The only rumored phone to be released this year or next based on this platform is the Nokia N920(in progress title) and the N920 does not have a keyboard like the N900, so this will be similar to T-mobile G1 and My touch 3G I imagine. In that respect even if they come out with a newer model with a snap dragon processor , it won't be a huge leap I believe, I can't imagine any programs that can run on snapdragon that won't run on the N900's Cortex A8 even if it needs a little tweaking. Anyway This phone is definitely for geeks and enthusiasts. I think it's pointless to repeat what everyone else is saying, so I'll just tell you to believe them, this phone really is that fantastic, all the hardware you could need for a long time is there and any feature not yet implemented will be soon, MMS is not available on this handset however they have recently released a MMS program in the Developer repository on this phone that allows you send and receive MMS. I mentioned this because any feature that is not available yet can always be added. The Maemo platform allows for real integration into the os with third party apps and not some cheap parlor tricks, or under developed interfaces. there are a lot of downloads for third party plugins that don't even have their own interface, they work so well that they use the standard Maemo OS interface to configure them, such as adding Aim support( AIM chat is not available out of box). However once installed , you can configure them through conversations just like the other protocols that came with the phone such as skype etc.( There are many others this was just the easiest example). Anyway if you reading all of this, it means your seriously considering this phone, if you want to have everything at your finger tips and want to have piece of mind knowing that your phone CAN'T become outdated anytime soon or later for that matter, then this phone is for you. Just be ready for the weight, the phone is about 1.5x heavier than other smartphones. I swear it's worth it. If you have any questions about the phone or interface, feel free to ask. Now is the time before February when I return to college, otherwise I'm not doing anything right now.

What is a iphone??

by Curtis Berkland from on 2009-12-09
I just got the phone yesterday and let me tell you it is amazing. I am coming from a iphone 2g so it does take a little while to get used to the touch screen but once you do it is way better then the iphone. The screen is the best I have seen almost looks like a AMOLED screen. The Camera is very good takes amazing pictures, and video. The keyboard is very good and easy to get use to. The phone has a 2.1 speaker system that sounds amazing for a phone, very clear and amazing quality. I had a issue with hearing or feeling my iphone ring or vibrate and this phone is far better I can hear and feel when I receive a call or a text 10 times better then the iphone. I really enjoy the widgets I just cant wait until more are made for the device. The phone is very smooth in transitions, and does not get laggy while listening to music and web browsing at the same time at all for me. The internet is by far the best on a phone I have seen. My T-mobile service is far better then what I had on a iphone there is no comparison at all. I cant say anything but good things about this phone if you get one you will never regret it this phone is well worth the wait to get one. Nokia did a amazing job on this phone all they need to do is have someone develop new widgets and come out with the ovi app store and the phone will be unstoppable.

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