Nokia today launched the N900, a Linux based smartphone which offers a PC-like experience on a handset-sized device. The 800×480 3.5″ touch screen device runs the new Maemo 5 software (which is based on Linux) and also includes a slide out QWERTY keyboard as well as built-in 3G and GPS.
With the release of this new phone Nokia is keen to underline the PC-like features rather than the cellular side of the device. Whilst talking about the processor included in the phone, the Nokia announcement stated that, “the result is PC-like multitasking, allowing many applications to run simultaneously. Switching between applications is simple, as all running content is constantly available through the dashboard.”
Is it a phone or is it an Internet tablet? Well, the answer is both. Just like the iPhone is both a phone and an iPod, the N900 is also a neat mobile phone as well as including a stunning Internet unit.
By supporting high speed connectivity options (3G and wireless) and using a web browser from Mozilla (the people who make the Firefox web browser), websites should look similar to the way they would on any computer. Also the N900 includes Adobe Flash which means that online videos (like YouTube) and interactive flash applications (and games) will work out of the box.
The music player can play MP3 files and also AAC files. AAC is the default audio format of Apple’s iPod and iTunes. It is also the standard audio format for Sony’s PlayStation 3. Along with the music player the N900 has a powerful video player which enables you to watch films full screen and supports all the popular video formats including MPEG-4, Xvid (DivX) and H.264 (which is one of the a 3 mandatory video compression systems for Blu-ray).
The N900 comes with plenty of storage space and is comparable to iPhone and iPod Touch with 32GB of flash memory, which is expandable up to 48GB via a microSD card. For photography, the Maemo software and the N900 come with an easy to use interface (includes a tag cloud for tagging your photos) that will make using the 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens a joy.
The Nokia N900 will be available from October 2009 with an estimated retail price of EUR 500 excluding any sales taxes. Since it is a mobile phone it is expected that mobile phone operators will offer a discount on the purchase price depending on your contract and subscription.
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Tags: 3G, GPS, Internet Tablet, Linux, Maemo, N900, nokia, smartphone, Technology, wireless
