N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Feature ------------------ N900 ------------ iPhone v3 ------- Palm Pre ------------- N97
1. Processor -------------- OMAP3 * ------- OMAP3 * --------- OMAP3 * -------------- OMAP2
2. RAM memory ----------- 256 MB ------- 256 MB ------------256 MB ----------------- 128 MB
3. 3D & OpenGL ----------- Y --------------- Y -------------------- Y ----------------------- N
4. free Office --OpenOffice, KOfice, Ooo -- N ------------------ N ------------------------ N, (paid: QuickOffice 40$)
5. many free apps --------- Y --------------- Y -------------------- N ------------------------ N
6. good internet brs ----- FireFox ----- Safari -------------- WebOS brs --------- Nokia brs & Opera
7. Full Java ------------------ Y ---------------- N -------------------- N -------------------- JaveME
8. Full Flash ----------------- Y ---------------- ? -------------------- ? -------------------- Flash Mobile
9. Easy to program --------- Y ---------------- Y -------------------- ? ----------------------- N
10. Resolution ------------ 800x480 --------480x320 -----------480x320 ------------- 640x360
11. Command line ----------- Y ---------------- N ------------------- N ----------------------- N
12. Video recording -------- 800x480 -------- ? ------------------- N --------------- 640x480
13. Nice UI --------------------- Y ---------------- Y ------------------- Y ---------------------- Y
14. solid OS --------------- Linux Maemo --- OS X ------- Linux WebOS --------- Psyon Symbian
15. Community --------------- 5* --------------- 5* ------------------ 3* ---------------------- 3*
16. Virtual Machines --------- Y --------------- ? ------------------- N ----------------------- Y
17. Remote connection ------ Y --------------- N ------------------ N ----------------------- Y
18. Drivers ---------------- Y, Linux drivers --- ? ------------------ N ----------------------- N
19. No application signing --- Y --------------- N ------------------ N ----------------------- N
20. Camera -------------------- 5 MP ----------- 3.2 MP ----------- 3.2 MP ------------- 5 MP
21. AppStore ----------------- ? Ovi ------------ AppStore --------- Y ------------------ Store.OVI.com
22. Dev Kits ---- C QT Java WebKit Flash -- Objective C ------ WebKit ------- C QT Java WebKit Flash
23. Display --------------------- 3.5" ------------- 3.6" -------------- 3.1" ------------------ 3.5"
24. Multi-touch ----------------- N? -------------- Y ------------------ Y -------------------- N
25. Capacitive display -------- N? -------------- Y ------------------ Y --------------------- N
26. VoIP/Skype ---------------- Y ---------------- N ------------------ N? -------------------- Y
27. Video call / Front Cam -- Y ---------------- N? ----------------- N? -------------------- Y

I thought a comparision of N900 not only with N97, but with iPhone v3 and Palm Pre based on the initial comparison here would be interesting.

What can be added to the list?
What device do you like?

Comparison N900 and N97
Edit: corrected resolution, thanks
Edit 2: corrected dev lang for iPhone Objective C and not Native C, and PalmPre multi-touch, thanks

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

N97 is ARM11, but not an OMAP2 (probably a Samsung of some sort).

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

poll missing option "none of the above" which I would have voted.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

right. the correct answer is "none of the above". they're all far too big and too heavy to be considered phones. (also, i don't like phones with touch screens.)

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

I'm with Benny, there should have been an option for "None of the Above"

In terms of that comparison chart.. eh, too bad tables don't look nice in forums like this.

N900 has a similar open-ended OS to the Palm Pre, which is good for development - however the Pre wins here because knowing HTML/CSS/JS is much lower a barrier to developer entry than the many supported schemes within Maemo 5 (WRT, Flash, Qt, C++, etc.);
"" would have most likely have a similar hardware feel to the N97;
"" would lack the platform and mainsteam candy-feeling of the iPhone yet will have the same amount of religious fervor (let's call this one even)

The N900 still is only assumed to be a phone; which technically places it in a different class as these other devices until told otherwise.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

display resolution of iphone and palm pre is 480x320 not 480x360.
do you really call a capacitive display as a good thing???

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

If the Pre's screen had a higher resolution, I would be watching its evolution more closely. Does anyone think that Maemo 5 is going to be as slick as WebOS?

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

it´s going to be even more slick... trust me ;-)

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

about webos: i dont even feel comfortable with web applications that go beyond sending a form from a static web page... i'd never use a whole device based on web technology.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

If so, coupled with an 800x480 display, we're gonna be in for a real treat. Apple's response will be interesting. I think I'll go make some popcorn and pull up a chair.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Thanks, daperl.
Corrected the resolution:
10. Resolution ------------ 800x480 --------480x320 -----------480x320 ------------- 640x360
Feature ------------------ N900 ------------ iPhone v3 ------- Palm Pre ------------- N97

Do you prefer a bigger resolution (in this case the writing will be visible small), or do you prefer the iPhone and Palm Pre resolution of 480x320?

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

If Maemo supports WebRunTime (WRT), Flash, Java, Qt, C++, Python, I think it is an advantage than just supporting on SDK based on Web like Palm WebOS.
Basically N900 WRT is based on JS/HTML/CSS, isn't it? So I think N900 has more development frameworks for different developers. Not all the developers know all the languages, so they can choose one language that fits them best, isn't it?

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

"Full Java" on N900 seems to be somewhat pulled out of the air. Jalimo isn't there yet, and "full Java" nowadays is including things like JavaFX.

I'd love Java to be a tier-1 language on Maemo, but - unless I missed something - Maemo 5/N900 aren't going to change this.

(Said from a SunRay 270 "hacker station" on the last day of JavaOne in San Francisco ;-))

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

iPhone v3 isn't out yet. I think there is some Apple conference coming which releases more information about it.

Nokia N900 isn't out either. Only speculation. Some speculation is about resolution which conflicts with what you assert.

iPhone also has QuickOffice. I told you before: you cannot compare software which is not optimized for UI such as OO.o or KOffice with a product like QuickOffice.

Instead of that (IMO ridiculous) compare its better to state 'fully compatible UNIX environment'. Maemo is as close as it gets for that of all smartphones, while for example iPhoneOS can get pretty near, especially after jailbreak.

N97, or at least S60, also has a lot of free applications. I think how you differentiate is if it has an App Store where you can easily download (gratis or for fee) software. iPhone has very active community for jailbreaking, much more applications easily available that Maemo. For Symbian (and Windows Mobile) there is a similar huge amount available, but this is more difficult accessible because lack of mature App Store. Maemo is a bit different; it already has APT, but the repositories are relatively empty compared to other platforms (don't know about WebOS though, and Ovi's status is at the very least 'new product' for now).

For browsers... MobileSafari has multi touch, accelerometer support, and after jailbreak can be extended with e.g. Flash or AdBlock. It is unclear what browser or rendering engine a N900 would have, or what features. But Fennec and MicroB have extensions out of the box.

iPhone has remote shell and remote desktop clients (yes, even without jailbreak) and after jailbreak even more.

Application signing you mean DRM. You can disable that in Symbian, or use self-signing. You can enable it in APT too, its generally recommended. Or maybe specify about jailbreaking.

Palm Pre has multi-touch.

G1 doesn't. I think you should add a state of the art (upcoming) Android device to the compare.

There is no Windows Mobile state of the art (upcoming) device mentioned although I personally don't give a rat about anything running Windows Mobile.

Video conferencing (webcam) on Maemo would need work because it works in Farsight but not Pidgin so it depends on the client used.

Some features you missed, like Calendar/PIM, Sync support (iCalendar, Exchange, iTunes, Browser (LDAP, Mozilla Weave)), VPN (IPsec, OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP).

You didn't mention GPS or navigation software. Symbian has tons of those.

Question is IMO how good BlueTooth support will be on iPhoneOS 3.

Hmm and widgets/applets are something touted by Palm and Nokia. It should be platform independent, and is something iPhoneOS seriously lacks as is the ability to (aesthetically/informatively) customize the home screen etc.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

I have an n800, an n810 and an iPod touch. The iPod touch screen is 3.5". Put the 800x480 3.5" n900 screen in an iPod touch form factor and we would be moving in the right direction.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

While that sounds good in theory, having one language to devolpe for focuses developers on solving problems, not spouting acronyms. It also makes suppirt a lot easier; and forces the hand of innovation to those developers who don't like being told that developing an app in another language is impossible.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Well just want to make some edit, there is plenty of free apps for symbian. Or does free apps mean open-source nowadays ?

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

You've missed something. In fact few people noticed the thread :)
http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/embedded.jsp

This headless one works like a charm on my N800, of course takes 100% CPU most of the time, but works nevertheless and is full :) Probably JavaFX doesn't work but runs web start apps.
EABI, glibc 2.5, Hard Float (VFP), Little Endian

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Just some corrections for the front article.

22. Dev Kits ---- C QT Java WebKit Flash -- C Native ------- WebKit ------- C QT Java WebKit Flash
OS X uses Objective C which is far from C, more like better C++
26. VoIP/Skype ---------------- Y ---------------- N ------------------ N? -------------------- Y
http://www.skype.com/download/skype/iphone/

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

n900 is too n900 to be a phone already.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

I hate to keep sounding like I'm actually against Maemo, I'm not - but having all of those (past/present/future) does not guarantee software will come out for it no matter how much I'd truly love to see it.

More adopters, more apps.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

The flip side is that you are limiting the number of developers who can code for your platform from day 1 and linking your device to the popularity, branding and abilities of that particular platform, which is a pretty double edged sword.

The term 'devkit' is problematic anyway. The OP has listed languages, application and UI frameworks and whatnot in a single category, that's pretty much apples and oranges there. Especially as Maemo is a full-fledged linux, so listing languages and frameworks is a bit of a hmm.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Awesome compare, thank you very much Architengi, add Google G1/G2 columns will be perfect.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

I could have guessed the results of the poll from the start, really. I think this forum is a bit biased... :p

Perhaps the poll should be about which device will be the greatest threat to the N900's impending popularity. That would be a bit more interesting.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Is the skype in iPhone v3 only after Jailbreak? - software available only after jailbreak or Symbian break/hack etc is not considered because needs the hack - many users cannot afford because of the operator specific software and because many users don't have time or are not power-users to hack the device after every firmware update.

About Objective C - is this the same as OpnStep C or NextStep C?
If yes, this is an advanced OOP but it is different than C++.

So iPhone cannot run C++ programs or Java programs.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Yes, Apple have a habit to offer in AppStore jailbroken applications.

Dunno about those languages, but I didn't say Objective C is C++, I just said it is not C.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Objective C is a superset of C++ and thus is generally a superset of C. You can add .cpp files directly to your Xcode projects, and I'm guessing the same goes for .c files.

What version it's a superset of is left to the reader.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Skype works on iPhone. It only does not work with 3G by default. It is illegal, by some contracts, to use VoIP or SIP over 3G. That is an entirely different matter than being allowed to install or use software.

If you call 'jailbreaking' equal to 'power user' then I think 'normal users' aren't able to do much on any device, including using Maemo's Application Manager. Jailbreaking is easy as pie, and the instructions are quite clear.

Legal matter, sure, that might be a valid argument. But most users don't care for that and frankly, I believe I am fully in my right according to law here to jailbreak.

I don't know about C++ applications, but if you have a look in Cydia there are tons of useful applications available on these repositories. To install them is about as easy as using Synaptic or Application Manager.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Not really. Both languages were independent attempts to add object oriented features to C, and they are very different. Language purists seem to thing Objective C, being smaltalk-like in its OO, is much better at it, though in real life it's almost never used outside of NeXTSTEP and derivatives so it's a bit of a moot point.

Historically the C++ ABI has been a mess and it was very difficult to link C++ code with anything. Things are better now, and there's even an "Objective C++" but don't try mixing C++ and Objective C classes, namespaces etc unless you like living in interesting times. Mixing either language with C is much more straightforward of course.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

The documentation and code examples seem to say otherwise. A typical Objective C code file has a .m extension. It seems that Objective C that instantiates C++ classes get a .mm file extension. Maybe that's the trigger for fixing namespaces. I have these examples running on my touch and the .h/.cpp files do contain actual C++ classes. A language isn't a compiler or a linker. I wonder if I'm breaking my iPhone Developer License just talking about this. :) I hope not 'cause I just became comfortable with Objective-C memory management.

EDIT:

Yes, not to contradict myself too much further, you are right, C++ is not a subset of Objective-C.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Yes, Objective-C is OpenStep C and is different than C/C++. It has pools of objects and does auto release of objects and the syntax is dofferent than C/C++. That's why on Maemo having C++, Java, Flash ActiveScript, Python, etc , programmers have more choices and can create easier applications.
Why the iPhone is more popular than other smartphones in USA is because CNN doesn't write about Nokia products, and others USA papers do the same. They created a myth around iPhone mainly because is an american product and they buy american.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

To me, that's like asking "do you prefer a monitor that can display text, or one that can display graphics?" Because the writing doesn't have to be small, it gives you an additional option of having smaller readable text.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Yeah, I saw a demo of Java SE Embedded in the Pavilion at JavaOne on one of the recently announced touchscreen swivel-tablet/netbook form factor devices (running a SnapDragon IIRC).

Unfortunately, Java SE Embedded is primarily aimed at OEMs, it'd be interesting to see if we can repackage it for Extras ;-)

100% CPU doesn't count as "tier-1", purely for what it'll do to your battery life :-(. However, it'd be interesting to take their VM & class library and run it with Jalimo's auto-Hildonising SWT library.

Tried the headful?

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

I refuse to pay money to a company only to have them restrict what I do with a device, so the N900 is the only choice for me.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Me too. The unlocked price for a smartphone is > 400$ so it is more expensive than a netbook (the small laptops, with either Linux or WinXP). Having said that, I don't see any reason to pay money for an unlocked device and to be locked by the OS / DRM etc. And don't want iTunes to convert my MP3 collection to a encrypted and locked music file that I cannot play on another device.
N900 is a device with alternatives, even at the OS level with easy Mer, Ubuntu, easy Debian and lots of open source applications. It gives more power to a user (to a power user) and it is also very user friendly for any user.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Good thing iTunes hasn't even an option to do such a thing then, eh? I mean, I greatly dislike iTunes, but wow.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

No .

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Apple releases iPhone 3GS, a faster iPhone

NYTimes. Quite impressive, even if Steve wasn't presenting.

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Very. I liked the find phone feature with the way to play a sound even on silent. And remote wipes (though dangerous if your account is compromised)

Re: N900 compared to iPhone v3, Palm Pre, N97
 

Interesting why Apple are releasing it so soon after the announcement...