Click to enlarge image:
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
A breakdown of Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 and Nokia N900
Here is a comment from a gsmarena.com visitor:
"first of all let me just start by saying that this phone sux, the screen is small and the keybord is soo small unlike the SE x2, and also the x2 had an 8.1 mp camera and sony is famous for making cameras and nokia has a 5 mp camera and is famous for their slow softwares and cheap looks. the only thing that this phone has is the 32 gb memory, no big deal u can put up to 16 gb in any phone and u can have more than one memory stick, so SE x2 is clearly a much better choice , the x2 has a better camera, software(panels), very quick and responsive, and i can go on for days!! if you agree post this ********Sony Ericsson X2*********"
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2926&idPhone1=2917
Just a correction on your statements about the specifications of the Nokia N900 and SE X2.
--------
Screen
--------
Nokia N900 3.5"
TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colors
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
SE X2 3.2"
TFT resistive touchscreen, 65K colors
800 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches
The N900 has a bigger screen than the X2, and also is capable of displaying 16M colors versus the X2's 65K colors.
--------
Processors
--------
Nokia N900
ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics
SE X2
Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz processor
--------
OS
--------
Nokia N900
Maemo (GNOME based Linux OS)
SE X2
(Windows Mobile Professional 6.5)
Opinion:
The largest drawback to the SE X2 is the operating system; it is running on a very outdated operating system: Windows Mobile Professional.
The reason is that, in history, Microsoft's venture into the mobile industry did not amass the success required to compensate for the large development costs. It is a widely known fact that Microsoft does not have any plans to invest further into Windows Mobile, due to development costs and competition. This is why Windows Mobile Professional is so unoptimized for touch and has an extremely plain and outdated UI design, even in it's latest build, Windows Mobile Professional 6.5.
This is especially evident, since Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC and other mobile phone developers have to create third party software such as the X2 Panel, TouchWiz, TouchFlo, etc. to update it's user interface. However, the transitions between the added 3rd party UI and the native WinMO interface isn't always smooth, and is limited by the fact that at the end of the day, it is not a native part of WinMO, but rather just an application that runs on top of WinMO to make it look prettier.
Maemo, however, has been around since 2005; and with each iteration, additional functionality and development is produced. Maemo 5 is not the first build ever to exist, but it is more like Windows 7 is to Vista, and therefore has the support of both the Maemo community, and linux community. Also, Maemo was already capable of running SNES emulators while running on obsolete TI OMAP 400 mhz processor (which is slower per mhz than the ARM Cortex A8), imagine the possibilities with the N900's powerful hardware. As can be seen, there has been alot more development in Maemo than with WinMo, simply because Maemo is open-sourced, and therefore has little to no development costs: that is the advantages of open-sourced OS as opposed to a closed-source OS.
N900
- Faster more reliable ARM Cortex A8 600 mhz processor (which is also more power / mhz than the Qualcomm); PowerVR SGX graphics (enabling full 3D effects).
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2
- 8.1 MP Camera
One would wonder why Sony Ericsson didn't include the same hardware specifications from the Satio for the XPERIA X2.
"first of all let me just start by saying that this phone sux, the screen is small and the keybord is soo small unlike the SE x2, and also the x2 had an 8.1 mp camera and sony is famous for making cameras and nokia has a 5 mp camera and is famous for their slow softwares and cheap looks. the only thing that this phone has is the 32 gb memory, no big deal u can put up to 16 gb in any phone and u can have more than one memory stick, so SE x2 is clearly a much better choice , the x2 has a better camera, software(panels), very quick and responsive, and i can go on for days!! if you agree post this ********Sony Ericsson X2*********"
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2926&idPhone1=2917
Just a correction on your statements about the specifications of the Nokia N900 and SE X2.
--------
Screen
--------
Nokia N900 3.5"
TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colors
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
SE X2 3.2"
TFT resistive touchscreen, 65K colors
800 x 480 pixels, 3.2 inches
The N900 has a bigger screen than the X2, and also is capable of displaying 16M colors versus the X2's 65K colors.
--------
Processors
--------
Nokia N900
ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics
SE X2
Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz processor
--------
OS
--------
Nokia N900
Maemo (GNOME based Linux OS)
SE X2
(Windows Mobile Professional 6.5)
Opinion:
The largest drawback to the SE X2 is the operating system; it is running on a very outdated operating system: Windows Mobile Professional.
The reason is that, in history, Microsoft's venture into the mobile industry did not amass the success required to compensate for the large development costs. It is a widely known fact that Microsoft does not have any plans to invest further into Windows Mobile, due to development costs and competition. This is why Windows Mobile Professional is so unoptimized for touch and has an extremely plain and outdated UI design, even in it's latest build, Windows Mobile Professional 6.5.
This is especially evident, since Sony Ericsson, Samsung, HTC and other mobile phone developers have to create third party software such as the X2 Panel, TouchWiz, TouchFlo, etc. to update it's user interface. However, the transitions between the added 3rd party UI and the native WinMO interface isn't always smooth, and is limited by the fact that at the end of the day, it is not a native part of WinMO, but rather just an application that runs on top of WinMO to make it look prettier.
Maemo, however, has been around since 2005; and with each iteration, additional functionality and development is produced. Maemo 5 is not the first build ever to exist, but it is more like Windows 7 is to Vista, and therefore has the support of both the Maemo community, and linux community. Also, Maemo was already capable of running SNES emulators while running on obsolete TI OMAP 400 mhz processor (which is slower per mhz than the ARM Cortex A8), imagine the possibilities with the N900's powerful hardware. As can be seen, there has been alot more development in Maemo than with WinMo, simply because Maemo is open-sourced, and therefore has little to no development costs: that is the advantages of open-sourced OS as opposed to a closed-source OS.
N900
- Faster more reliable ARM Cortex A8 600 mhz processor (which is also more power / mhz than the Qualcomm); PowerVR SGX graphics (enabling full 3D effects).
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2
- 8.1 MP Camera
One would wonder why Sony Ericsson didn't include the same hardware specifications from the Satio for the XPERIA X2.
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Three Contenders: N900, iPhone 3GS, i8910 Omnia HD
This is a breakdown of some of the similarities and differences between the Nokia N900, Apple iPhone 3GS, and Samsung i8910 Omnia HD.
The below two links are comparisons between the N900 vs iPhone 3GS, and N900 vs the i8910 Omnia HD. Based on the hardware specifications from the comparisons from these links, as well as on 3rd party pre-production reviews, 3rd party reviews, and personal experience, I have compiled a review on the similarities and differences between the three phones.
Nokia N900 vs Apple iPhone 3GS
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2917
Nokia N900 vs Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2691&idPhone1=2917
The following are the hardware similarities between the N900, i8910, and iPhone 3GS:CPU: ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics
So regarding processing power, it doesn't really make sense to say one is better than the other; how well it runs will eventually come down to which OS uses the hardware to it's full extent.
Below are the differences between the three contenders, and a quick recap after each comparison:
-----------
Dimensions
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
123 x 59 x 12.9 mm
Nokia N900
110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm
The Nokia N900 is the chubbiest of the three, but only because it sports a full sliding qwerty keyboard. Even under these circumstances, the N900 is virtually smaller in width and height, and only 5.7 mm thicker than the slim iPhone 3GS.
-----------
Screen
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Capacitative TFT
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
360 x 640 pixels, 3.7 inches
Capacitative AMOLED
Nokia N900
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Resistive TFT
The Applie iPhone 3GS in terms of resolution is out-dated in comparison to both the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, and the N900. The 320x480 pixels of the iPhone 3GS barely makes full use of its large 3.5" TFT screen. Although the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD sports a bright and vibrant AMOLED 3.7" screen, it still also lacks in resolution in comparison to the Nokia N900, with it's 800x480 pixel resolution.
-----------
Storage
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
16 GB/ 32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card Slot: No
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 GB/16 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32GB
Nokia N900
32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM up to 1GB of application memory
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB
Although the i8910 Omnia HD has the lowest maximum storage capacity of the three phones, it compensates by sporting an expandable storage capacity up to 32 GB. Nokia N900, with it's 32 GB storage, and expandable memory of up to 16 GB also makes it on par with the i8910 Omnia HD in terms of storage, leaving the iPhone 3GS far behind.
-----------
Camera
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus
Video: VGA@30fps
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Video: HD 720p@24fps, D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps
Nokia N900
5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash, video light
Video: WVGA(848 x 480)@25fps
The i8910 Omnia HD, using Samsung's experience in digital cameras, sports the best camera out of the three, with its 8 MP camera and HD filming capabilities. The Nokia N900's 5 MP camera, although lingers in the shadow of the i8910's, is still a competitive camera phone, with only a few phones out there that go beyond 5 MPs. The iPhone 3GS's camera is outdated, and for it's price range, should be sporting a much more higher end camera than the built-in 3.15 MP camera built in, capable of only VGA video.
-----------
Browser
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
Safarai WebKit
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
Opera Mobile 9.5
http://www.opera.com/mobile/
Nokia N900
Mozilla Fennec (mobile version of Firefox with full flash support up to Adobe Flash 9.4)
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/009/09/a_sneak_peak_at_mobile_firefox_for_nokia_n900.htm
The Nokia N900 sports the new Mozilla Fennec browser, which is the mobile version of awarded and famed Firefox browser. This new browser is currently being ported to other mobile operating systems, but is currently the top contender for mobile browser, with full functionality and Adobe Flash 9.4 support. The i8910 Omnia HD, instead of sporting it's own native browser, relies on Opera Mobile 9.5 which is quite supportive, but still outdated in comparison to the Fennec. The iPhone 3GS with it's WebKit based Safari browser (which has also been ported to many other phone OSs), is a stronger browser than Opera Mobile 9.5, but slightly outdated as well, with lacking support for full web-page functionality, supporting only up to Flash 9.4.
The below two links are comparisons between the N900 vs iPhone 3GS, and N900 vs the i8910 Omnia HD. Based on the hardware specifications from the comparisons from these links, as well as on 3rd party pre-production reviews, 3rd party reviews, and personal experience, I have compiled a review on the similarities and differences between the three phones.
Nokia N900 vs Apple iPhone 3GS
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2917
Nokia N900 vs Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2691&idPhone1=2917
The following are the hardware similarities between the N900, i8910, and iPhone 3GS:CPU: ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz, PowerVR SGX graphics
So regarding processing power, it doesn't really make sense to say one is better than the other; how well it runs will eventually come down to which OS uses the hardware to it's full extent.
Below are the differences between the three contenders, and a quick recap after each comparison:
-----------
Dimensions
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
123 x 59 x 12.9 mm
Nokia N900
110.9 x 59.8 x 18 mm
The Nokia N900 is the chubbiest of the three, but only because it sports a full sliding qwerty keyboard. Even under these circumstances, the N900 is virtually smaller in width and height, and only 5.7 mm thicker than the slim iPhone 3GS.
-----------
Screen
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
320 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Capacitative TFT
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
360 x 640 pixels, 3.7 inches
Capacitative AMOLED
Nokia N900
800 x 480 pixels, 3.5 inches
Resistive TFT
The Applie iPhone 3GS in terms of resolution is out-dated in comparison to both the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, and the N900. The 320x480 pixels of the iPhone 3GS barely makes full use of its large 3.5" TFT screen. Although the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD sports a bright and vibrant AMOLED 3.7" screen, it still also lacks in resolution in comparison to the Nokia N900, with it's 800x480 pixel resolution.
-----------
Storage
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
16 GB/ 32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card Slot: No
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 GB/16 GB storage, 256 MB RAM
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32GB
Nokia N900
32 GB storage, 256 MB RAM up to 1GB of application memory
Card slot: microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB
Although the i8910 Omnia HD has the lowest maximum storage capacity of the three phones, it compensates by sporting an expandable storage capacity up to 32 GB. Nokia N900, with it's 32 GB storage, and expandable memory of up to 16 GB also makes it on par with the i8910 Omnia HD in terms of storage, leaving the iPhone 3GS far behind.
-----------
Camera
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus
Video: VGA@30fps
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Video: HD 720p@24fps, D1 (720x480 pixels)@30fps
Nokia N900
5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, Dual LED flash, video light
Video: WVGA(848 x 480)@25fps
The i8910 Omnia HD, using Samsung's experience in digital cameras, sports the best camera out of the three, with its 8 MP camera and HD filming capabilities. The Nokia N900's 5 MP camera, although lingers in the shadow of the i8910's, is still a competitive camera phone, with only a few phones out there that go beyond 5 MPs. The iPhone 3GS's camera is outdated, and for it's price range, should be sporting a much more higher end camera than the built-in 3.15 MP camera built in, capable of only VGA video.
-----------
Browser
-----------
Apple iPhone 3GS
Safarai WebKit
Samsung i8910 Omnia HD
Opera Mobile 9.5
http://www.opera.com/mobile/
Nokia N900
Mozilla Fennec (mobile version of Firefox with full flash support up to Adobe Flash 9.4)
http://www.symbian-freak.com/news/009/09/a_sneak_peak_at_mobile_firefox_for_nokia_n900.htm
The Nokia N900 sports the new Mozilla Fennec browser, which is the mobile version of awarded and famed Firefox browser. This new browser is currently being ported to other mobile operating systems, but is currently the top contender for mobile browser, with full functionality and Adobe Flash 9.4 support. The i8910 Omnia HD, instead of sporting it's own native browser, relies on Opera Mobile 9.5 which is quite supportive, but still outdated in comparison to the Fennec. The iPhone 3GS with it's WebKit based Safari browser (which has also been ported to many other phone OSs), is a stronger browser than Opera Mobile 9.5, but slightly outdated as well, with lacking support for full web-page functionality, supporting only up to Flash 9.4.
My near-Religious Battle for the Nokia N900
The Nokia N900 just recently came into the scene with alot of skepticism. Despite the specifications that are thrown out, and the colorful history of Linux operating systems, both the hardware and MAEMO OS are being constantly criticized. I find myself on the other end of the battlefield constantly defending the Nokia N900, not because of blind faith, but simply because of the reviews, testing, and hardware specifications of the N900 are not only competitive to current mobile phones out there, but it's combination of software and hardware is unrivaled.
There are alot of Apple followers claiming that the almighty iPhone is superior to the Nokia N900 out there; I find this argument redundant and lacking in proof.
Here is a side by side comparison of hardware between the iPhone and Nokia N900:
Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2917
As can be seen, the iPhone and Nokia N900 are almost exactly identical in hardware, except the following differences:
- hardware sliding qwerty keyboard (N900)
- resistive (N900) vs. capacitative (iPhone) touch screen
- 5 MP Carl Zeiss optics Camera (N900) vs. 3.15 MP Camera (iPhone)
- Video recording: WVGA(848 x 480) @25fps (N900) vs. VGA @30fps (iPhone)
- Mozilla Fennec web-browser (N900) vs WebKit based Safari web-browser (iPhone)
- support up to Adobe Flash 9.4 (N900) vs Adobe Flash 4 (iPhone)
- BSD(UNIX) based closed-source iPhone MacOS vs GNOME(Linux) based open-source Nokia MAEMO OS
Hrmm... What do these religious Apple zealots see in the iPhone 3GS that isn't in the Nokia N900? If anything, the N900 has better hardware specifications than the 3GS, apart from the capacitative touch-screen, which allows multi-touch.
However, with the advantages of the capacitative touch-screen, you forgo the freedom of a resistive touch-screens response to any type of input. Capacitative touch-screen senses input from direct contact with skin, which makes it near impossible to use a stylus pen, finger nail, or even gloved hands for input.
Imagine you have to take off your gloves in winter, just to answer the phone?
Or imagine, as a girl with her beautiful gel nails, trying to type a text-message into the phone with the palm of her fingers?
I rather have the convenience of an easier input method, than for something gimicky as multi-touch.
Here are some of the comments that criticize the Nokia N900, and my reply to them:
Comment
N900 active panel is a rip off sony ericsson x2!?
Comment
For the disappointment of all Nokia n900 lovers.It is confirmed now now nokia N900 is all landscape mode, only basic phone functions are potrait, what a pity, it means desktop, dashboard, browser, email, messaging, photo gallery will only work landscape mode.Below is official words from nokia about it.
Maemo has a very active community. Just like downloading a song for iPhone, you can also download a modification for the N900 to make it auto-rotate. I mean, it's true that the N900 doesn't come with auto-rotate built in, but the iPhone doesn't come with tons of applications, mp3's and games; you still need to download it and install it yourself. :)
The difference is with Maemo's active community and linux operating system, you aren't restricted to just mp3's, games, and applications from Apple. That's the difference between open-sourced and close-sourced.
As long as you support Adobe Flash you support closed source, you have to wait for Adobe to make it for your OS, web developers have to buy Adobe software to use it, everyone HAS to download the software from Adobe to use it.
I think you are a bit mixed up on Apples position on open source,
The N900 MAEMO comes with Fennec (Mozilla built browser; the makers of Firefox), which also uses Adobe Flash plug-in; difference is it has support up to Adobe Flash 9.4, while webkit based browsers tend to only have support up to Adobe Flash 4.
I'm not saying everything should be open-source -- 3rd party applications, games, and misc. software have to be closed source, or else they won't make money. The difference is what it's running on -- MAEMO is open-source, iPhone isn't.
Comparing Adobe Flash on iPhone to MAEMO is the same as comparing a flash light in a boy's hand to a flash light light in a man's hand; a flash light is still a flash light. The flash light has nothing to do with the person. In addition, based on this direct comparison, the man has a real flashlight, while the boy is still playing with a toy flashlight.
After jailbreak, it's true that iPhone can be used for alot of applications; after all, iPhone is based on MacOS, which is based on BSD, which is very similar to Linux. The difference is Maemo is open-sourced -- it's easy to modify the Maemo OS, but not so easy to modify the iPhone. Jailbreaking an iPhone is like stealing a car, but just because it's stolen, doesn't mean you can open the hood; with Maemo, the hood is open for you to see how everything works, which makes it alot more easy to modify. :)
Some differences I like to point out between iPhone and N900 in hardware for those who prefer the capacitative touch screen:personally, I prefer the ability to use a stylus pen, the qwerty keyboard, and a 5 mp camera. I like to wear gloves when it's cold, I don't want to take it off just so I can answer the iPhone when someone is calling me. It's also easier for girls with long finger nails too. :P
Comment
I read that on one review. Needs to take consideration.So what do you think guys?
This isn't a laptop pc -- this is a mobile phone with laptop pc capabilities.
Why is the reviewer putting down specs for a laptop? :S
I have yet to see an UMPC that has the same size/form factor as the N900, 32gb SSD, quad-Band GSM, tri-band hdspa, 5 mp camera, and a dedicated graphic card. :P
kohiiou, discussions from: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n900-reviews-2917.php
There are alot of Apple followers claiming that the almighty iPhone is superior to the Nokia N900 out there; I find this argument redundant and lacking in proof.
Here is a side by side comparison of hardware between the iPhone and Nokia N900:
Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone2=2826&idPhone1=2917
As can be seen, the iPhone and Nokia N900 are almost exactly identical in hardware, except the following differences:
- hardware sliding qwerty keyboard (N900)
- resistive (N900) vs. capacitative (iPhone) touch screen
- 5 MP Carl Zeiss optics Camera (N900) vs. 3.15 MP Camera (iPhone)
- Video recording: WVGA(848 x 480) @25fps (N900) vs. VGA @30fps (iPhone)
- Mozilla Fennec web-browser (N900) vs WebKit based Safari web-browser (iPhone)
- support up to Adobe Flash 9.4 (N900) vs Adobe Flash 4 (iPhone)
- BSD(UNIX) based closed-source iPhone MacOS vs GNOME(Linux) based open-source Nokia MAEMO OS
Hrmm... What do these religious Apple zealots see in the iPhone 3GS that isn't in the Nokia N900? If anything, the N900 has better hardware specifications than the 3GS, apart from the capacitative touch-screen, which allows multi-touch.
However, with the advantages of the capacitative touch-screen, you forgo the freedom of a resistive touch-screens response to any type of input. Capacitative touch-screen senses input from direct contact with skin, which makes it near impossible to use a stylus pen, finger nail, or even gloved hands for input.
Imagine you have to take off your gloves in winter, just to answer the phone?
Or imagine, as a girl with her beautiful gel nails, trying to type a text-message into the phone with the palm of her fingers?
I rather have the convenience of an easier input method, than for something gimicky as multi-touch.
Here are some of the comments that criticize the Nokia N900, and my reply to them:
Comment
N900 active panel is a rip off sony ericsson x2!?
Reply
The MAEMO multiple desktop panel of the N900 is not a rip-off of XPERIA's Panels. MAEMO is a full Linux operating system, similar to all the other linux distrubutions available such as PCLinuxOS or UBuntu. MAEMO is based on GNOME interface (there is GNOME and KDE), and both GNOME and KDE had multiple desktop interfaces for ages. Some of the multiple desktop effects of GNOME rival even those of MacOS and Vista, if not better. Also, XPERIA's panels are add-on UIs used to improve the usage of WinMO's native UI, while the multiple desktops of MAEMO are native to it's UI. This means the MAEMO desktop is completely integrated into the OS while XPERIA's UI isn't (more like running a program, such as Windows Blinds, to make it's UI prettier.
The MAEMO multiple desktop panel of the N900 is not a rip-off of XPERIA's Panels. MAEMO is a full Linux operating system, similar to all the other linux distrubutions available such as PCLinuxOS or UBuntu. MAEMO is based on GNOME interface (there is GNOME and KDE), and both GNOME and KDE had multiple desktop interfaces for ages. Some of the multiple desktop effects of GNOME rival even those of MacOS and Vista, if not better. Also, XPERIA's panels are add-on UIs used to improve the usage of WinMO's native UI, while the multiple desktops of MAEMO are native to it's UI. This means the MAEMO desktop is completely integrated into the OS while XPERIA's UI isn't (more like running a program, such as Windows Blinds, to make it's UI prettier.
---
Comment
For the disappointment of all Nokia n900 lovers.It is confirmed now now nokia N900 is all landscape mode, only basic phone functions are potrait, what a pity, it means desktop, dashboard, browser, email, messaging, photo gallery will only work landscape mode.Below is official words from nokia about it.
Peter@MaemoMarketing Reply:
August 28th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Maemo 5 UI for the N900 has been designed to converge computers with mobile phone. While most of the use cases are designed to make maximum use of the WVGA display in landscape mode (desktop, dashboard, browser, email, messaging, photo gallery), the basic phone functionality has been designed in portrait mode for single thumb usage. The dial-pad and contacts book work in portrait mode. The rest in landscape.
Reply
http://maemo.org/
http://maemo.org/
Modifications to the MAEMO operating system has been done for ages. Since MAEMO is open-sourced, it is easily modifiable to be landscape only to portrait/landscape function.
The MAEMO was originally based on GNOME UI, so it's most likely a Linux build that is easily modifiable to be able to auto-rotate (since there is also an hardware accelerometer in the N900), similar to how desktop linux distributions are capable of rotating to Portrait mode.
MAEMO 5 is the newest build, but MAEMO has been around since 2005 (Nokia N770, N800, and N810). The N900 is just the first to go beyond an Internet Tablet and gain the ability to work as a mobile phone, but as you can see from the website maemo.org, there is a huge community in modifying and building 3rd party functionality and applications into the operating system.
Some people in the community has even ported other distributions of linux, including those built on KDE UI, onto N810s in the past; not only does the N900 have the horsepower, it also has the diversity to grow as both a mobile device and a "mobile computer".
Discussions regarding Portrait mode in N900 MAEMO 5/Freemantle:
and
Here we have instructions on how to enable portrait mode on the N900:
http://wiki.maemo.org/Using_Fremantle_Widgets#Automatic_Screen_Rotation
http://wiki.maemo.org/Using_Fremantle_Widgets#Automatic_Screen_Rotation
---
Comment
if it auto rotate as flawlessly as symbian or winmo, then its good, without much mess, your links are mess, lay man like me cant understand that. an update of firmware should come, to make it automatic it self, i guaranty in current scene, without ability to go into portrait phone will be big failure and by default it lacks ability of portrait that's official nokia words.
Reply
Reply
http://maemo.org/
Sorry -- maemo.org is the official development community for MAEMO OS for the N900. The people in this community also contributed to the development of the N900. Laymans term: the Nokia N900 doesn't come with auto-rotate 'activated', but it's native possible to make the applications auto-rotate.
Sorry -- maemo.org is the official development community for MAEMO OS for the N900. The people in this community also contributed to the development of the N900. Laymans term: the Nokia N900 doesn't come with auto-rotate 'activated', but it's native possible to make the applications auto-rotate.
Maemo has a very active community. Just like downloading a song for iPhone, you can also download a modification for the N900 to make it auto-rotate. I mean, it's true that the N900 doesn't come with auto-rotate built in, but the iPhone doesn't come with tons of applications, mp3's and games; you still need to download it and install it yourself. :)
The difference is with Maemo's active community and linux operating system, you aren't restricted to just mp3's, games, and applications from Apple. That's the difference between open-sourced and close-sourced.
---
Comment
Like Adobe Flash is close sourced so Apple doesn't use it but they developed WebKit which is open source so Nokia and Maemo are free to use it, which they do for their web browsers.
As long as you support Adobe Flash you support closed source, you have to wait for Adobe to make it for your OS, web developers have to buy Adobe software to use it, everyone HAS to download the software from Adobe to use it.
I think you are a bit mixed up on Apples position on open source,
You can put MP3's from any source onto an iPhone. Jailbreak and you can do the same with applications.
Reply
Reply
:S
WebKit still uses Adobe Flash plug-in for flash. It doesn't support Adobe Flash natively. Also, WebKit isn't just used by iPhone (Safari browser built on WebKit), but also by almost every mobile phone out there including Nokia Symbian OS based operating systems.
WebKit still uses Adobe Flash plug-in for flash. It doesn't support Adobe Flash natively. Also, WebKit isn't just used by iPhone (Safari browser built on WebKit), but also by almost every mobile phone out there including Nokia Symbian OS based operating systems.
The N900 MAEMO comes with Fennec (Mozilla built browser; the makers of Firefox), which also uses Adobe Flash plug-in; difference is it has support up to Adobe Flash 9.4, while webkit based browsers tend to only have support up to Adobe Flash 4.
I'm not saying everything should be open-source -- 3rd party applications, games, and misc. software have to be closed source, or else they won't make money. The difference is what it's running on -- MAEMO is open-source, iPhone isn't.
Comparing Adobe Flash on iPhone to MAEMO is the same as comparing a flash light in a boy's hand to a flash light light in a man's hand; a flash light is still a flash light. The flash light has nothing to do with the person. In addition, based on this direct comparison, the man has a real flashlight, while the boy is still playing with a toy flashlight.
After jailbreak, it's true that iPhone can be used for alot of applications; after all, iPhone is based on MacOS, which is based on BSD, which is very similar to Linux. The difference is Maemo is open-sourced -- it's easy to modify the Maemo OS, but not so easy to modify the iPhone. Jailbreaking an iPhone is like stealing a car, but just because it's stolen, doesn't mean you can open the hood; with Maemo, the hood is open for you to see how everything works, which makes it alot more easy to modify. :)
Some differences I like to point out between iPhone and N900 in hardware for those who prefer the capacitative touch screen:personally, I prefer the ability to use a stylus pen, the qwerty keyboard, and a 5 mp camera. I like to wear gloves when it's cold, I don't want to take it off just so I can answer the iPhone when someone is calling me. It's also easier for girls with long finger nails too. :P
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This has terrible specs with tiny screen,just about you can see the icons on the screen.It has linux os which is a bad thing, specs are to low to play any game, you won't able to play any pc games and pc programs, the specs are way to low compare to wibrain B1L which is windows xp device can do much more than this device can do, i really wouldn't bother with this portable pc device,it's not very good, we need devices capable of 1.2ghz processor+,60gbhdd,1gb+ ram, why do company's make poor devices like Nokia N900.
I read that on one review. Needs to take consideration.So what do you think guys?
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Comments? Buy a laptop.
This isn't a laptop pc -- this is a mobile phone with laptop pc capabilities.
Why is the reviewer putting down specs for a laptop? :S
I have yet to see an UMPC that has the same size/form factor as the N900, 32gb SSD, quad-Band GSM, tri-band hdspa, 5 mp camera, and a dedicated graphic card. :P
kohiiou, discussions from: http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_n900-reviews-2917.php
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