Nokia N900 / Maemo - Power and ease of use

The arrival of the Nokia N900 has seen a strategy change by the Finnish manufacturer. Firstly because they have used what was intended as the beginnings of an Internet Tablet with essentially data use planned (with VoIP telephony options provided) as a base for their Smartphone, and secondly because the N900 with its Maemo 5 system on Linux being the start of the company’s transition away from the previous unconditional support of Symbian.

While continuing to support their successful Symbian platform used on the majority of their Smartphone’s, which has allowed Nokia to become the global leader in Smartphone sales despite a lack of visibility and coherence in their handsets in 2009, a door has now been opened towards Maemo. Reserved for very high end models, this system won’t be replacing Symbian in the short term, as it is still in the transition phase towards an open source model.

A small tablet and a big Smartphone
These two elements make up a large part of the Nokia N900, explaining numerous exploratory aspects which are present on the platform that may at times give the impression that the device is incomplete. In reality, the device is in continual evolution through numerous updates to the firmware.

Looking at a Symbian interface which is deemed to be powerful when compared to the competition, but which is still in development awaiting reinforcement from the soon to be released Symbian 3, Nokia are testing new interactions with Maemo and the support of the powerful hardware platform which makes up the Nokia N900.

Nokia has taken the time to develop the tactile interfaces, leaving other manufacturers to innovate and develop the ergonomics of their handsets. Nokia are then able to incorporate the new methods used by their competition for data management and tactile control into their devices, with different programs like messaging and social networks being then adapted to these controls.

Don’t forget content customisation
The Nokia N900 is a mix of many different features, with it being aimed at creating a satisfactory and intuitive user experience, while still leaving customisation and creation options open. We also shouldn’t forget that applications specially aimed at Maemo have recently been made available on the Ovi portal.

Like Symbian, Maemo is in constant evolution and keeps its base as an Internet tablet in tact. The released version on this machine is actually 5, but Nokia promises important evolutions with Maemo 6 which should be launched this year, with it planned to operate on a future line of top of the range Smartphone’s.