maemo.org - Talk - The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

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Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Most of the users angry with the N900 because it doesn't work perfectly out of the box, or that Nokia support sucks: Serves you right!

Do some freakin research before buying a product. I spent a month researching the N900 before deciding to get it. And I knew that I'd have to get my hands dirty sometimes and that it will not get much support. And I love it.

This is from an article about Nokia World 2009. The N900 was never internded as a flagship and never intended for mainstream users. Nokia were surprised by the number of sales. Next time do some research. Meego devices are the ones intended for mainstream users. Nokia never pushed the N900 much, especially at first. The internet hyped it a lot because it was the first Nokia phone without mediocare CPU and RAM like the N97...

How many so ads of the N900. And how many heard about it on the internet? Esp pre Feb2010.

The article:

Quote:

September 5th, 2009 by Staska

Nokia N900 Maemo 5 handset was by far the most impressive device launched at Nokia World 09.

It has blown away anyone who was lucky enough to lay hands on it. I am not talking only about Nokia fanboys who are ready to praise anything the company makes. I include skeptics, who are ready to point out every single flaw they find.

Seriously. With about a hundred devices around, and available to every tech writer in place, try finding anyone bashing Nokia N900. And then compare that to the coverage Nokia N97 and N97 Mini got. See what I mean?

[Nokia N900 hands alt=]

This reception of Nokia N900, contrasts very sharply with the attitude displayed toward the device by every Nokia exec who was talking about it.

You would think that, having made such a superb device, they would be preaching from every corner and pulpit to make sure we notice.

Instead, Anssi Vanjoki has spent a whopping 3 minutes at the end of 62 minute opening keynote (including OPK presentation), talking about N900. Half of that time was spent talking about the beginnings of Maemo platform, Nokia 770 internet tablet, and how this is just step 4 in five step program (read: somewhat unfinished product)!

And it went downhill from there.

In the follow up interviews we heard how this is just a niche product, how they see an open channel (non-subsidized, non-operator) as the main for N900 sales, that Nokia won’t really push N900 to operators, how it is important to sell N900 to the right people (read: limited sales and promotion), etc; etc;

The impression I get from all of this is of, if not an outright dismissal of N900 as a flagship for Nokia, then extreme cautiousness, expectations management and downplaying the potential attractiveness of the device.

And I wonder why that is.

One of the reasons might be that they do not want to jeopardize the sales of Nokia N97/97 mini. And looking at the price and specs of N97/N900, the profit that Nokia makes on N900 might be lower.

But, c’mon, Nokia,is that a good enough reason to limit a great device, such as N900, to a niche tech geek toy category? Have those years in the trenches of uber niche Maemo development community, blinded you to what you accomplished with N900?

The level of interest and praising attention that Nokia N900 got, is almost impossible to replicate with a follow-up product. No matter how much better Maemo 6 device will be, when Nokia completes it’s five step program, it will be very hard for them to repeat the “WOW!” moment of N900′s arrival.

Could it be that Nokia was taken completely by surprise by the reception N900 got? And now, like that dear caught in the headlights. watches the oncoming demand freight train, unsure which way to move?

Source: http://www.unwiredview.com/2009/09/0...900-really-is/

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

I've bothered to read it, but it's a rant. Not constructive criticism. I have the phone since Launch. I know. You don't. This wasn't a phone for you I guess. Just because you have problems doesn't mean everyone has them too.

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonin60seconds (Post 815794)

Nokia needs to build a new Android device if they want to compete in the smart phone market.

this needs few arguments more. It is now bit like I'd say to you:"stop blogging"

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonin60seconds (Post 815794)

Commercially (Nokia is in the business of seller lots of phones) it doesn't make sense to create a top spec smart phone for a niche audience.

so you didn't do your homework properly, you just have described very well the nature of every NIT including N900...

E:have you lived in a barrell for 3 months and just started reading tech news from april 2010? Ever heard about N8?

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

I think the poster is sort of impatient and donot know anthing of owning a phone. especially n900. This smartphone is not lost to any others phones..it is just old in design and it is its weak to others. Android..iphone..have many ..say millions apps ..however. how many apps you use as a usefull aaps for you when you own one of the two. i have many friend using iphone ..they actually installed only a few apps and some game. i owned a motorola droid and sold it at 180. yes, it has many apps but i just install a few. and many others are just stupid.
Nokia N900, yes cannot campare to these two about amount of apps, but all apps are made to feel people needs. it does have some crazy app..but i dont care..i dont use it anyway.

phones are only valuable and useful for someone as they know how to use to fulfill their needs. i used iphone, android ..but still loved Nokia 900..cause's it is the right phone for me.

some people feel frustrated with the phone because they trying to do something on the phone like hacking, install some unfully developed under tests. and when they failed ...stucked in the problems with the phone and hey ..lets say i cannot continue going with it anymore. ..then yell out load that N900 is suck and loser.

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Momma always said, "If you don't have somethin' nice to say, then don't say nothin' at all."

I love my momma, but she can be naive sometimes, and she probably hasn't read this blog entry.

For me, blogging was suppose to be a little bit more than a personal diary. Either you have the gift or ability of insight or you don't. Coming on here and promoting such drivel is just more bottom feeding that we can do without.

To the author: I'm not sure blogging is for you. Maybe you should stick to just being one of the masses like the rest of us. Or try harder. Or something. Good luck!

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Well said, I'm glad to have been able to get out of my Vodafone contract 12 months early so I can jump back to an iPhone

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Quote:

Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 815801)

Yes I agree with this for anyone getting an n900 now, but back in Dec, how excited were we all? Google wouldn't have helped then..

Since Meego, there has been a lot of people put off developing for the n900 as it is even more of a niche device.
I like my n900 and the community has written some great apps for it, but I can't deny that I am looking at the selection and ease of synchronisation my missus gets with her HTC desire, plus some of the apps with envy...
The whole maps issue is a nightmare, I wouldn't mind if I could use google maps, but seeing turn by turn on cheap nokia's that cost a fraction of what I paid for my n900 does make me angry. mass market or not, it is their flagship device..

Edgedemon, I fully agree what you say.

When N900 was available to buy (just before Xmas 2009 here), it had functionality (on paper) that I was looking for:
- keyboard
- decent size display
- open, SSH applications for mobile, secure connections to office servers etc
- email with sync capabilities (not exchange in this case)
- Maps, I've used Maps on other Nokia phones (no voice guidance, for me not a big deal)
- good web browser
- web radio
- phone (not the best UI and contacts, but good enough)
- more 3. party apps in the future

so basically..dream machine.

All previews/reviews were praising Maemo OS and NONE of the marketing/ad was saying that N900 is not for ordinary user and will be shortly discontiued (one must be quite genious to figure that out from sentence "step 4 of 5", evolution doen not mean abandoning..).

So, roughly 6+ months later, who's gonna fix issues that you cannot "research" w/o having the gears first:

-most of settings in media viewer cannot be saved (re-select "show camera folder only" every time), cannot save defaults
- MicroB settings same thing, eg. reflow page as default, press Ctrl-Shift-I every time after launching it. No way to save this.
- Modest email is quite "modest", but a upgrade would be welcome
- web radio, no station list..
- Maemo Maps, king of crappy apps, Nokia should rename it so people wouldn't confuse it to Maps on other Nokia devices (no automatic re-route if you miss the route, no own POI's, search requires web connection, UI is horrifying etc...)

All this could be bearable if one would know that those issues (among others) would get fixed. But they won't. And community cannot do it either because those apps are Nokia's closed stuff.

In spite of all above, I'll continue using N900. But Nokia let us down with this..badly. What they did once now, they can do it again and guess who pays the show, we do.

Hopefully the community carries N900 on, I've a bunch of nice apps. Thanks to all developers.

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneFinn (Post 816059)

All previews/reviews were praising Maemo OS and NONE of the marketing/ad was saying that N900 is not for ordinary user and will be shortly discontiued (one must be quite genious to figure that out from sentence "step 4 of 5", evolution doen not mean abandoning..).

that is why one should never do what previews/reviews/marketing/ads suggests....

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

Nokia.....making members of the community argue.

Nokia: Disconnecting People

Re: The end of the Nokia Smart phone dream

im very happy with mine. the phone works, sms works, internet works, ui is lightning fast and can even be made even faster.

as for apps and games, what maemo has not, nitdroid has.

so what more can anyone ask for?

it is very true though that it is not intended for mainstream users. but i just love the endless tweaking. lol