Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I didn't see this posted yet, but thought it was actually a pretty fair and even review (not something frequently associated with Engadget reviews):

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/nokia-n900-review/

For the long and short of it, they like the potential of the N900, think Maemo is very promising, but don't recommend the phone to "joe average" users (not a surprise, really).

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

They also mention the potential of Maemo. I think this paragraph sums it up:

"After having dug in, we're seeing glimmers of brilliance here that give us hope. Maemo 5 isn't the polished, consumer-friendly, all-encompassing solution that Palm, Google, and Apple are all selling today, but it's fairly evident that Nokia has built itself a stable, extensible platform that can reach those levels with a little tender loving care. The company's commitment to open source and the Maemo development community is commendable -- it's something that should absolutely continue -- but going forward, we'd love to see what kinds of magical things could happen if it took development to 100 percent feature completion internally with a full round of usability testing before handing it off to the eager geeks in the field. The mere thought sends shivers down our spine."

It basically says the same things this community has said - Maemo 5 is not finished and Nokia left functionality out but it is a good base for future development.

They also question, as we have, why Maemo could not serve as the OS for all Nokia's high end phones. And they conclude with what is often heard here: "it's a computer with a phone, not a phone that can compute."

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

The reason it can't be on every high end Nokia phone is because it's not ready and Symbian got better support for example in the Email service side. It will be the thing in high ends with Maemo 6 time like already said by Nokia.

Not bad review coming from Engadget. Some odd bits like on the main menu you can only get back by pushing power button.... didn't know that ;)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Chris Ziegler is the Head Editor of Engadget Mobile and has always delivered very balanced and thoughtful device reviews.

This is cited as the major reasons why both his N900 and N97 reviews took so long to publish. The man does solid work.


His blatant refusal to join in on the Nokia bashing party that the editors at Engadget enjoy and instead write factual reviews is also a reason why he is openly mocked by the *****s on the Engadget podcast.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Indeed.. could you imagine if Joshua Topolsky or god forbid Paul Miller (hes the person that single-handedly brings Engadget down to douche bag Gizmodo levels).

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I don't think he did his homework:


I remember of a chinese device that runs Maemo 5 as well, that's for sale in China. An N900 copy, if you will.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Indeed. Other than the video part he makes a solid review. I guess you could say he is reviewing it as a bit of a outsider, but that's how reviews should be done.
I have seen 3-4 of non Nokiafan.org(no the site dosen't exist. Don't click it :)) type of sites giving the N900 over positive review even for maemo fan like me. Talking about everything being perfect and next update having full portrait and stuff like that. That's more dangerous.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Yeah . . . no. The only devices running Maemo are made by Nokia. Anything else claiming to run "Maemo" isn't.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

There two things that I noticed in the video review that were inaccurate.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/nokia-n900-review/
1. Minute 9:15. He's in second apps screen and he says that you can't navigate out easily. He then presses the power button and then hit the out of focus area to get to the home screen. Contrary to what he says you can hit the top or side of the screen in the second apps menu and it will navigate out to the first apps menu then you can hit the outer area again to get to the home screen.

2. Minute 18:08. He presses the power button to get to the phone and then says that it’s not supported in landscape mode. He must have the Display Orientation set to ‘Portrait’ instead of ‘Automatic’ in the Turning Control menu.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

The Chinese devices you're referring to actually runs Diablo (Maemo 4.x). If it's the one that I'm thinking of, it's basically an N800 clone and TOTALLY looks like an illegal KIRF-like device.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

N900 is AwEsOmE!! (FACT)

You don't need other people to tell you so...

Be proud of your device

PeAcE

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

yep its an honest review

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

yep, one of the best reviews so far.

I only had a couple of things I was not 100% agreeing with;
- problems using the end of fingers to activate things
Personally i have not encountered *any* problems selecting things with the end of my finger (NOT nail), but on lists i find I have learnt to scroll using a nail, as using a finger tends to select for me.
- what is the benefit of multi touch in maps?
In all the reviews, it mentions "multi touch" like it solves all problems ever, but then does not say *HOW* it does this.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Yeahhh baby! Maemo and N900 to take over the WORLD!!!

What are we gonna do tonight brain?

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Why are so many reviews comparing the dashboard to Palm's cards? Based on the screenshots I've seen, they're not alike at all, except that both have live previews.

And saying that they were "popularized by webOS" is a bit disingenuous since it launched less than half a year before the N900. Both are devices of the same generation, and I'm sure Nokia knew what they were going to do before the Pre launched. (Plus, the N900 is going to sell better, if we go by the strict meaning of "popularize".)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Nice review. Its always really weird to see how other people use different devices. After sitting besides user and not saying any comments or interrupting he/her while watching his/hers way of using device/program you really start to understand how differently we see things. Like in this review he has not noticed how to go back from applications icon view. Some people would say that how this is even possible, but as you see it is. THIS is really interesting. I have been many times just sitting by people using Windows and trying not to say how to do stuff, but see how they do stuff and its always rewarding and really opens your mind. That´s probably reason why comments like "its obvious/easy" makes me sometimes lose my mind. I recommend this kind of experiments to all of you (if your nerves can take it):)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

"It's a computer with a phone, not a phone that can compute."

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

While I certainly wouldn't call the Pre a smashing success (being tied to Sprint for the launch pretty much guaranteed that wasn't going to be the case), I don't think for an instant that the N900 will sell more units.

Nokia doesn't release sales info for the N900 (except to say that it's "met expectations"), and Palm doesn't break sales figures out by device, but just the fact that the Pre is sold subsidized I'd argue pretty much means it'll sell more (and as it's Palm's hail mary pass to stay relevant, it had better).

As to the webos cards comparison, I think it makes sense. A smarphone user who sees both an N900 in use and a Palm Pre can see that both systems have a view where all the open applications are shrunk and let you move from one to another.

Just be happy they didn't compare it to expose on a Mac ;)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

When an iPhone user friend of mine asked me if I could just run our Killing Floor server off my N900, it kind of summed everything up. :D He meant it jokingly, but he fully understands the capabilities of the N900.

That's it in a nutshell. The "fluff" on how to navigate around the phone is just that; fluff. When the rubber meets the road, the N900 is unbeatable.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I'd be happy with that comparison, because that's exactly what it is. (As long as they didn't try to suggest that Nokia should have implemented it on 2002 hardware in order to not be a copycat.)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Sorry for going off topic. How do you get to change the Display Orientation and turning control??

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Great comment from @goff that made me laugh

"I am totally buying this, if only for the noticeable bulge." :D

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

See, for years I've tried to force myself to use expose on my Mac, but I always give up after a few days. I think the appeal for expose is for people who have lots of windows open and want to find something specific.

I see the interface on the N900 as less about fixing messiness, as an actual navigation scheme to switch from one application to another (more akin to alt-tab).

But then again, I'm also someone who refuses to run more than one application at a time, even on a ludicrously overpowered core i7 box (I get a little OCD about my desktop)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

OMG that dude has to STOP talking with his hands right in front of the camera. I totally want to reach into my screen and smack him with something to stop his crazy hands.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I was totally screaming "EPIC FAIL!!!" to him when he said that. Do your home work Chris!

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I believe most countries got at least one carrier in Europe that got N900. I wouldn't be surprised to see 1 million sales from N900 at the end. Not from Q4 that's for sure with the limited supply and many Asian countries are getting the N900 in Q1.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I agree a million is totally a doable number worldwide. I don't see a sustaining push though, as we're about six months away from the Maemo 6 device being released (according to Nokia at least).

As Nokia are betting that Maemo 6 will be more consumer-oriented, I'd expect to see a much bigger marketing push and subsequently, much higher sales (sales that are more "nokia-ish" considering the staggering amount of handhelds they sell).

As of September, Palm had sold about 1.3 million Pre's (at least according to this article: http://www.wirelessweek.com/News/200...nMO-Sales-Pre/ )

As it launches on Verizon in a week and a half, and the price has dropped considerably since release, I think it'll probably end up around 3 million units.

I think it's amusing that anything can sell 3 million units and be considered a "failure", but I guess I'm glad I'm not a mobile phone manufacturer ;)

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

Are you speaking of just within the U.S. or world wide? I haven't really followed Pre news, but didn't it only become available in markets outside the U.S. at roughly the same time as the N900 was released? Also, isn't the Pre only sold "SIM free" in some countries? I know the N900 can be had for "free" with a contract in, again, some countries. Unless I'm mistaken, comparing the sales of the two devices seems to be more complicated than Pre-subsidized vs. N900-unsubsidized.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I agree, it's not really an apples-to-apples comparison. The Pre was intially only for sale in the U.S. on Sprint, then in Canada (I think on Rogers), and has since rolled out to a couple European carriers.

I was taking umbrage with the statement that the N900 was going to sell more units than the Pre, which while not outside of the realm of possibility, I don't see happening (the Pre being subsidized in the U.S. is just one of those reasons, being available on both Sprint and Verizon is another).

I think the Pre is in the unenviable position of being unnecessary, therefore making it's success less predetermined. Maemo, from Nokia's point of view, is necessary for them to establish in-roads into people's current impression of "smart phones." While I don't hate on Symbian as much as the U.S.-centered media, I think it's obvious that Nokia has had to react to people's impressions of it, and Maemo is a good answer to that issue.

RIM is arguably doing better than anyone else right now (their marketshare has been increasing the most of any platform, although you wouldn't know that from reading new sites), and I don't see them disappearing anytime soon.

Android represents the best way for handset manufacturers to sell hardware that is feature-rich and therefore desirable, with little overhead and investment, and it's coming on like gangbusters (something I don't expect to change).

And the iPhone is selling well and seems to be setting the tone for mindshare (although not necessarily in actual sales).

This leaves Palm out in the cold, which makes their continued viability in question.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

If that is the case, then I stand corrected.

~goes back to eating his crayons~

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

He fixed it?

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

I've found that people new to OS X and people who weren't particularly savvy before the upgrade tended to integrate Exposé well into their workflows. I still barely use it after trying to force myself for years.

Re: Engadget N900 Review just posted (surprisingly even-handed)
 

While being pretty fair with the review i think its pretty obvious by some of the statements that they didnt have the device very long before they posted the review. No mention of the app manager, saying fennec is next version of microb,not knowing how to fully navigate the menus, etc... But for the most part i was happy with it considering it did come from a buch of mac fanboys :)