Nokia N900 - Who?
Good day, dear reader.
Let's clarify this article. By name it may seem that this is a regular review of the Nokia N900. I assure you - it is not.
I think that there are more than enough reviews, there is no point in writing another one. But if you still need a review, I can recommend a couple. For example:
official review;
article link to Habré;
article review on Habré;
Wikipedia article;
informative review from mail.ru
another informative review from mobile-review.com.
But a good demo video that illustrates well the main features and objectives of this device.
With a review figured out. Now the actual question: "So what is this article about?" And the essence of the article is just in the title. In this article, I will try to figure out with you what Nokia N900 is or who it is. Maybe this is just another Nokia smartphone, maybe this is the evolution of Nokia phones, and maybe this is a revolution in the mobile market. I will consider this from a subjective point of view. Since I am a software developer for mobile and embedded systems, I will try to present the point of view of software developers in general. Well, I'll add my opinion to this cocktail as an end user. As a result, I hope that the review is “inside”.
And now to the point.
')
In the past few years, we have all witnessed several revolutions in the field of mobile devices. I dare to highlight the most significant and important ones.
1. The appearance of the Apple iPhone. In fact, this was the first mobile device in which the user interface was implemented with the support of a hardware three-dimensional accelerator (although in fact all effects are two-dimensional) and of course Apple’s access to the mobile market. After this debut, the direction of development of mobile platforms has changed, I personally think that it is thanks to the IPhone that we have Android and Maemo 5 as they are now (I think that some conceptual things were borrowed from the iPhone). What are the key revolutionary moments of the iPhone:
Perhaps these are the main key points.
2. Prepared for the fight Palm-Pre. He promised to overtake the IPhone in all respects, but the revolution did not take place. Just came out the next, albeit good, device from a well-known company. Although there were chances. How successful was the output device, I do not know, but in any case, the revolution did not take place.
3. Exit Google Android. That was really a revolution that “shakes” the world to this day. I remember when only one phone worked under it, even then it was clear that a huge number of devices with Android would be coming soon.
What is the revolution here?
Yes, not so much at first sight, but if you look closely, Google did a lot. Android turned out really comfortable and functional.
4. Exit Nokia N900 and Maemo 5. In this case, the revolution has just begun and I assume that its peak will be a little later. But the scale of "revolutionism" is already large. It covers all previously noted points: finger management, desktop libraries and tools, 3D user interface, open source Linux platform. And today we can say that this is a significant event. Here I want to stop in more detail.
It is necessary to clearly define what distinguishes all existing devices on the market in this segment. The device can be decomposed into three main components: hardware platform, hardware implementation, and software (OS + applications).
The first is a hardware platform. In general, all phones on the market in the upper price range are built on the same or similar hardware solutions. Now you can select the OMAP-3 platform (the N900 and a number of other devices are built on it). If we compare it with the same IPhone / IPone 3G, which is built on the Samsung S3C6400 ARM 620 MHz (the frequency is underestimated to 412) or with the same Iphone 3GS based on the Samsung S5PC100 ARM 833 MHz (the frequency is understated to 600 MHz), there are no special differences in performance and capabilities. This also applies to new Android devices (Motorola milestone, for example, has exactly the same OMAP3430 processor as the Noka N900). Only HTC HD2 based on Qualcomm Snapdragon (ARM) with a clock frequency of 1 GHz stands out here, but the platform is relatively new and I would not talk about the advantages over OMAP from TI or Freescale i.MX31. Who cares there is a small article on this topic . I hope the idea is clear - it is not critically important what kind of hardware platform underlies the device, today they all provide a rich set of features for a good mobile computer.
The second is hardware implementation. Well, there is likely to taste and color. Whether there are hardware buttons or not, where and how the power buttons are located, the headphone jack and the USB connector. These are all trifles, I think that the really important parameters are the following: the quality and convenience of the sensor on the screen (the so-called “digitizer”), the build quality, ease of handling, “reasonable” dimensions, the quality of the screen, the duration of the work, the ease of “small” repair.
The third is software. There really is something to talk about. After all, to use all the features of the hardware platform, you need the appropriate software. Plus, no one needs a bare OS, the set of programs available for this phone is important. And of course the development prospects of the software platform and the attractiveness for developers.
As a result, we decided that we will discuss two points: hardware implementation and software.
Here you can argue, you can agree, but you can not believe at all. But I will express my point of view.
1. The touchscreen is really very, very pleased. This is probably the best resistive screen, if you manage your fingers. But he is resistive and this is his main disadvantage. Of course, the ability to operate the stylus is good, for example for handwriting. But why is it for a device with a built-in keyboard? I'm really looking forward to a solution from Nokia with a capacitive touch and with multitouch support (this is not so important).
2. Screen raises no objections. A more than sufficient resolution of 480x800 and a large diagonal of 3.5 inches make it comfortable to work with almost any type of application. Brightness and saturation of the pictures are also encouraging. The only complaint is the viewing angle - it’s not that bad, I didn’t feel any discomfort, rather, I’d rather find fault with and compare with competitors. And this is not so important for a mobile device.
3. Build quality is up to par. The device is plastic, but comfortable and does not creak. The keyboard is held securely. Feeling that you can tear it off from excessive efforts are not. The screen is not recessed, it is convenient to hold both vertically and horizontally.
4. "Convenience" also liked. The only thing that causes a complaint is the location of the headphone jack. It’s more usual to have this connector on top, not bottom.
5. It’s hard to say about dimensions. In principle, the device is quite “pot-bellied,” and it seems to me that everything could fit in a more compact body (even with the presence of a keyboard), but in reality it is not catastrophically thick. And if you make it thinner, will the two previous points suffer? On the other hand, my very first desire was to increase the diagonal of the screen. It turns out that I want thinner and more. And if to summarize, then the device of minimization cannot call this device, but also accuse of gigantism too: something turns out to be average.
6. With a battery here, too controversial. The battery is standard and it is easy to change. Cheap analogues can also be found a bunch. Therefore, having a pair of charged spare batteries in your bag will not be a problem. On the other hand, the battery is not very capacious and with intensive use it lasts only a day.
It turns out that in terms of hardware implementation, we have a very high-quality device, but nothing supernatural. I think a good solution for Nokia would be to have such a device in the line, but without a keyboard and 10-20 percent cheaper.
It remains to discuss the software stuffing device. The heart of the device is Linux - this is not new, previously there were devices based on this OS. But exactly which Linux is more than a surprise. Maemo did not debut with the N900, rather evolved. Prior to that, he stood on Nokia's pocket tablets. But on the N900, Maemo first appeared as the OS for the phone. There are a number of Linux systems running on such devices: Access Linux Platform, Android, LiMo Platform, Mobilinux, Moblin, MotoMagx, Openmoko, Palm webOS, Qt Extended, Ubuntu Mobile. Some of them can be thrown out, since they are more focused on netbooks. Of the remaining competitors can be considered Android and Palm WebOS. Maemo has advantages over these competitors - the software implementation approach. The fact is that Android and Palm WebOS are essentially only Linux systems, and they run the application programs in the sandbox and the program should be written according to the standards of this sandbox. For Android, applications must be written in Java using special classes from the SDK to implement the interface and interact with the system and other programs. For Palm WebOS applications must be written using web technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript. But Maemo does not impose such restrictions on the developer. Maemo is standard Linux, just like on the desktop. There is a huge range of development tools available, from web technologies (like Palm WebOS) to kernel modules in C or assembler. True, there is no official support for Java yet, but this is more a matter of time and not a platform restriction.
In addition to this, the Maemo 5 on the Nokia N900 already has a lot of things from the box and works quite stably and quickly. The convenience and simplicity of the interface are admirable. Unlike previous versions of Maemo, the progress is obvious.
So as not to say much, just look at this demo:
Here you can talk a lot, and most importantly you need. Therefore, I will devote the following articles to a more detailed review of Maemo and show how easy it is to write or port an application to this platform.
What you can immediately say about Maemo:
1. Very beautiful and nimble 3D effects.
2. Really convenient and simple, focused on any user.
3. A lot of opportunities go immediately out of the box.
4. It is a full-fledged Flash player, the only mobile phone that can boast of it.
5. There is a full-fledged Linux OS, again the only mobile phone that can boast about it.
Here you can safely say - hurray! Here it is, the revolution!
I am deeply confident and I hope that I could prove to you that there is a “revolution” in front of you. The full-fledged Linux OS represented by Maemo and the worthy “carrier” of this miracle represented by the Nokia N900 are the beginning of a new era. This is the era of the intersection of desktop and mobile devices, and the Nokia N900 is a huge step towards this event.
It was an introductory article where I tried to show the potential strength and revolutionism of the Nokia N900 against the backdrop of turbulent developments in the mobile technology market. In subsequent articles, I will describe in more detail what Maemo is and what is hidden in it. Next, I will show how easy it is to write or port an application to this platform and how development for Maemo is critically different from development for other mobile platforms for the better. And in conclusion, I will show how you can functionally expand the core of the system, using the example of writing a kernel module for the N900.
The purpose of these articles is to show users the possibilities of a new amazing platform. The second goal is to convince developers that writing for Maemo is simple and promising.
UPD: A little thought on the background of yesterday’s iPad presentation: Apple’s course - stick a mobile axis on a fairly large gadget (a netbook tablet in fact), Nokia’s course - stick a full axis on a small mobile gadget. So in this regard, the policies of the two giants diverge. And it's great, let's see what this will lead to, and plus the end user can choose for himself today what he needs.
Let's clarify this article. By name it may seem that this is a regular review of the Nokia N900. I assure you - it is not.
I think that there are more than enough reviews, there is no point in writing another one. But if you still need a review, I can recommend a couple. For example:
official review;
article link to Habré;
article review on Habré;
Wikipedia article;
informative review from mail.ru
another informative review from mobile-review.com.
But a good demo video that illustrates well the main features and objectives of this device.
With a review figured out. Now the actual question: "So what is this article about?" And the essence of the article is just in the title. In this article, I will try to figure out with you what Nokia N900 is or who it is. Maybe this is just another Nokia smartphone, maybe this is the evolution of Nokia phones, and maybe this is a revolution in the mobile market. I will consider this from a subjective point of view. Since I am a software developer for mobile and embedded systems, I will try to present the point of view of software developers in general. Well, I'll add my opinion to this cocktail as an end user. As a result, I hope that the review is “inside”.
And now to the point.
')
"Revolution, comrades, revolution." (C) V.I. Lenin
In the past few years, we have all witnessed several revolutions in the field of mobile devices. I dare to highlight the most significant and important ones.
1. The appearance of the Apple iPhone. In fact, this was the first mobile device in which the user interface was implemented with the support of a hardware three-dimensional accelerator (although in fact all effects are two-dimensional) and of course Apple’s access to the mobile market. After this debut, the direction of development of mobile platforms has changed, I personally think that it is thanks to the IPhone that we have Android and Maemo 5 as they are now (I think that some conceptual things were borrowed from the iPhone). What are the key revolutionary moments of the iPhone:
- multi-touch capacitive touch screen allows you to comfortably control the device using your fingers;
- development environment and libraries available for the developer are the same as for the desktop system, but naturally with some features;
- the user interface uses graphic effects implemented using the resources of the built-in 3D accelerator
Perhaps these are the main key points.
2. Prepared for the fight Palm-Pre. He promised to overtake the IPhone in all respects, but the revolution did not take place. Just came out the next, albeit good, device from a well-known company. Although there were chances. How successful was the output device, I do not know, but in any case, the revolution did not take place.
3. Exit Google Android. That was really a revolution that “shakes” the world to this day. I remember when only one phone worked under it, even then it was clear that a huge number of devices with Android would be coming soon.
What is the revolution here?
- I think that the main revolution is an open mass Linux-based mobile OS with visual beauties that can compete with Iphone.
Yes, not so much at first sight, but if you look closely, Google did a lot. Android turned out really comfortable and functional.
4. Exit Nokia N900 and Maemo 5. In this case, the revolution has just begun and I assume that its peak will be a little later. But the scale of "revolutionism" is already large. It covers all previously noted points: finger management, desktop libraries and tools, 3D user interface, open source Linux platform. And today we can say that this is a significant event. Here I want to stop in more detail.
What is the difference?
It is necessary to clearly define what distinguishes all existing devices on the market in this segment. The device can be decomposed into three main components: hardware platform, hardware implementation, and software (OS + applications).
The first is a hardware platform. In general, all phones on the market in the upper price range are built on the same or similar hardware solutions. Now you can select the OMAP-3 platform (the N900 and a number of other devices are built on it). If we compare it with the same IPhone / IPone 3G, which is built on the Samsung S3C6400 ARM 620 MHz (the frequency is underestimated to 412) or with the same Iphone 3GS based on the Samsung S5PC100 ARM 833 MHz (the frequency is understated to 600 MHz), there are no special differences in performance and capabilities. This also applies to new Android devices (Motorola milestone, for example, has exactly the same OMAP3430 processor as the Noka N900). Only HTC HD2 based on Qualcomm Snapdragon (ARM) with a clock frequency of 1 GHz stands out here, but the platform is relatively new and I would not talk about the advantages over OMAP from TI or Freescale i.MX31. Who cares there is a small article on this topic . I hope the idea is clear - it is not critically important what kind of hardware platform underlies the device, today they all provide a rich set of features for a good mobile computer.
The second is hardware implementation. Well, there is likely to taste and color. Whether there are hardware buttons or not, where and how the power buttons are located, the headphone jack and the USB connector. These are all trifles, I think that the really important parameters are the following: the quality and convenience of the sensor on the screen (the so-called “digitizer”), the build quality, ease of handling, “reasonable” dimensions, the quality of the screen, the duration of the work, the ease of “small” repair.
The third is software. There really is something to talk about. After all, to use all the features of the hardware platform, you need the appropriate software. Plus, no one needs a bare OS, the set of programs available for this phone is important. And of course the development prospects of the software platform and the attractiveness for developers.
As a result, we decided that we will discuss two points: hardware implementation and software.
Hardware implementation of the Nokia N900
Here you can argue, you can agree, but you can not believe at all. But I will express my point of view.
1. The touchscreen is really very, very pleased. This is probably the best resistive screen, if you manage your fingers. But he is resistive and this is his main disadvantage. Of course, the ability to operate the stylus is good, for example for handwriting. But why is it for a device with a built-in keyboard? I'm really looking forward to a solution from Nokia with a capacitive touch and with multitouch support (this is not so important).
2. Screen raises no objections. A more than sufficient resolution of 480x800 and a large diagonal of 3.5 inches make it comfortable to work with almost any type of application. Brightness and saturation of the pictures are also encouraging. The only complaint is the viewing angle - it’s not that bad, I didn’t feel any discomfort, rather, I’d rather find fault with and compare with competitors. And this is not so important for a mobile device.
3. Build quality is up to par. The device is plastic, but comfortable and does not creak. The keyboard is held securely. Feeling that you can tear it off from excessive efforts are not. The screen is not recessed, it is convenient to hold both vertically and horizontally.
4. "Convenience" also liked. The only thing that causes a complaint is the location of the headphone jack. It’s more usual to have this connector on top, not bottom.
5. It’s hard to say about dimensions. In principle, the device is quite “pot-bellied,” and it seems to me that everything could fit in a more compact body (even with the presence of a keyboard), but in reality it is not catastrophically thick. And if you make it thinner, will the two previous points suffer? On the other hand, my very first desire was to increase the diagonal of the screen. It turns out that I want thinner and more. And if to summarize, then the device of minimization cannot call this device, but also accuse of gigantism too: something turns out to be average.
6. With a battery here, too controversial. The battery is standard and it is easy to change. Cheap analogues can also be found a bunch. Therefore, having a pair of charged spare batteries in your bag will not be a problem. On the other hand, the battery is not very capacious and with intensive use it lasts only a day.
It turns out that in terms of hardware implementation, we have a very high-quality device, but nothing supernatural. I think a good solution for Nokia would be to have such a device in the line, but without a keyboard and 10-20 percent cheaper.
Maemo is a new animal in the Linux family.
It remains to discuss the software stuffing device. The heart of the device is Linux - this is not new, previously there were devices based on this OS. But exactly which Linux is more than a surprise. Maemo did not debut with the N900, rather evolved. Prior to that, he stood on Nokia's pocket tablets. But on the N900, Maemo first appeared as the OS for the phone. There are a number of Linux systems running on such devices: Access Linux Platform, Android, LiMo Platform, Mobilinux, Moblin, MotoMagx, Openmoko, Palm webOS, Qt Extended, Ubuntu Mobile. Some of them can be thrown out, since they are more focused on netbooks. Of the remaining competitors can be considered Android and Palm WebOS. Maemo has advantages over these competitors - the software implementation approach. The fact is that Android and Palm WebOS are essentially only Linux systems, and they run the application programs in the sandbox and the program should be written according to the standards of this sandbox. For Android, applications must be written in Java using special classes from the SDK to implement the interface and interact with the system and other programs. For Palm WebOS applications must be written using web technologies: HTML, CSS, JavaScript. But Maemo does not impose such restrictions on the developer. Maemo is standard Linux, just like on the desktop. There is a huge range of development tools available, from web technologies (like Palm WebOS) to kernel modules in C or assembler. True, there is no official support for Java yet, but this is more a matter of time and not a platform restriction.
In addition to this, the Maemo 5 on the Nokia N900 already has a lot of things from the box and works quite stably and quickly. The convenience and simplicity of the interface are admirable. Unlike previous versions of Maemo, the progress is obvious.
So as not to say much, just look at this demo:
Here you can talk a lot, and most importantly you need. Therefore, I will devote the following articles to a more detailed review of Maemo and show how easy it is to write or port an application to this platform.
What you can immediately say about Maemo:
1. Very beautiful and nimble 3D effects.
2. Really convenient and simple, focused on any user.
3. A lot of opportunities go immediately out of the box.
4. It is a full-fledged Flash player, the only mobile phone that can boast of it.
5. There is a full-fledged Linux OS, again the only mobile phone that can boast about it.
Here you can safely say - hurray! Here it is, the revolution!
Conclusion or "the beginning of the continuation"
I am deeply confident and I hope that I could prove to you that there is a “revolution” in front of you. The full-fledged Linux OS represented by Maemo and the worthy “carrier” of this miracle represented by the Nokia N900 are the beginning of a new era. This is the era of the intersection of desktop and mobile devices, and the Nokia N900 is a huge step towards this event.
It was an introductory article where I tried to show the potential strength and revolutionism of the Nokia N900 against the backdrop of turbulent developments in the mobile technology market. In subsequent articles, I will describe in more detail what Maemo is and what is hidden in it. Next, I will show how easy it is to write or port an application to this platform and how development for Maemo is critically different from development for other mobile platforms for the better. And in conclusion, I will show how you can functionally expand the core of the system, using the example of writing a kernel module for the N900.
The purpose of these articles is to show users the possibilities of a new amazing platform. The second goal is to convince developers that writing for Maemo is simple and promising.
UPD: A little thought on the background of yesterday’s iPad presentation: Apple’s course - stick a mobile axis on a fairly large gadget (a netbook tablet in fact), Nokia’s course - stick a full axis on a small mobile gadget. So in this regard, the policies of the two giants diverge. And it's great, let's see what this will lead to, and plus the end user can choose for himself today what he needs.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/82319/
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