loool.. just expressing my hatred for nokia.

For example you can change background and theme, overclock it(maybe not a good thing if this is needed), the im integration(I really LOVE the msn/skype/facebook chat). The screen is better in one way but I can go 50/50 here as iphone screen is more responsive. The keyboard is a big plus as it wont block half screen while typing.

And just such a thing that n900 is much better out of the box means a lot. But why do you think iphone is better? Iphone might have much more apps but for me the important thing is not how many apps it have. It's about the regular dayly use such as internet, multitasking, music and IM. And of those its only music that is better at the iphone

But it is true that a lot of people hate the phone because it is a apple on it, if nokia would have done it, it would be loved... Iphone have many good sides but I am not that iphone person

I think the IM, messaging, and phone integration (despite a few shortcomings on email and phone features) is amazing on the N900, and that this advantage is poorly understood. It is far better than anything the iPhone or any other phone has to offer. For some reason, even with the current drive to build facebook apps into every phone, this integration is not touted as a HUGE advantage for this phone.

I am not just talking about the ability to share photos and videos easily (though that is an area where the N900 excels), but also the easy integration of ALL forms of communication with ANY app through the open apis of telepathy.

As an example--I just took the morning off to go on a school field trip with my son's kindergarten class. I turned on the IM clients on my phone to stay in touch. I got a few emails while riding on the bus (ignored some more when we were at the Nature Center, of course), could glance at the home screen to see if someone was online, took a few pictures and emailed them to the teacher, posted another to facebook, fielded a call or two, showed my son's friends the goofy pictures of him we took the other day, etc.

I know you can do alot of this with different apps on the iPhone (or other phones), but I did all of this with the N900's built-in apps and interfaces. I didn't have to quit the IM app to start a different app for sharing or emailing pictures. The text message I got from my wife was on the same interface as any IM I received or sent. Uploading a photo on facebook and sending one on email were through the same sharing interface launched from the photo itself. Just the mere fact that any app or process I run can access data from any other app (for example, any app on the phone can directly access the photo files or something downloaded to my home directory or received from an email) makes this a more flexible platform that what you more commonly see out there on phones.

This integration is actually the thing that attracted me to the phone. And it was everything that was advertised. And the potential for it to expand as the new QMobility classes in Qt come online with PR1.2 and Meego is amazing. I will place no bets on the iPhone going away (lots of people want a dumbed-down system with one button and no ability to screw it up), but the N900 is ALREADY the phone you want if your communication needs are more complicated that occasionally checking your email and firing off a text or two.

I think the device religious wars are a foolish waste of time, and I have no problem crediting ANY company with what they do well-- but sorry, that's a naive statement. The N900 and iPhone have numerous areas where one is better than the other. And technical aspects aside, what makes a device better is highly personal, anyway.

Right. That is the reason MeeGo won't kill the iPhone, people will flock to the apple stores to get #4, and if they release some 4GSXYZ+ model after it before #5... get the point? People who love their iPhones will keep buying them. It's a wonderful business model.

Innovations, but not inventions.

(In a loose way.)

One bitten, twice shy.

with Nokia I have been twice bitten - N810 (Diablo) and N900 (Fremantle) - and both a one device strategy and upgrade path with a dead end.

So with Meego I will go slow. Yes I know its open source - but that means nothing.

Zaurus (Qtopia) was partly open, Open Zaurus was fully open, openMoko was open - that still left me with dead end strategies.

I think I have put my faith too much into shifting experiments (which Meego certainly qualifies as as of now - its not a proven strategy). So I dont see how some people can foretell Meego as the end all be !l soluttion (and iPhone killer). Is it just because its open and not tied to any vendor ?
Sorry but I have seen open fail too. So unless Meego (and Nokia) can show some distinct advantage (and not just some new tricked up GUI), I dont see how a lineup of backing companies proves the first Meego device and strategy a success.
I have seen a lineup of linux based strategies fronting companies fail in getting there first hand.

PS : I hope and have belief that Meego can possibly succeed as it has a wider adoption - multi device strategy, BUT I wont naively accept at this point that its a winner. Such conjecture may be entertaining for some novice first time linux users or fanboys but not for a pragmatic outlook for a hardened linux based mobie user like myself.

There are two words here that fill me with scepticism and cynicism, one is Nokia and the other is Intel.

Is this MeeGo thing actually going to go anywhere or it is yet more of the same i.e. false hopes, unfulfilled promises and ultimately discarded projects, that we have come to expect.

Besides, isn’t Google working on Chrome OS for these devices? Now, by contrast, why does that prospect actually cheer me up?

A very smart post. +1

Now for some answers:
Inteldevelops x86 CPU. How does MeeGo cater for it?
Well it will be an OS where Intel has some power over (example Samsung and Bada). And it would cater to low powered Intels such as Atoms and Z-series where it feels "too slow" or half baked when running Windows (XP or 7).
The problem is x86 has a few technical features that make it impossible to compete against ARM on the low-end scale, and thus in the phone/handheld/tablet/netbook field. x86 is either too slow or is too thirsty (get the elephant on a diet analogy?).

Nokia makes phones. Right now they have no smartphones on the market. They do have the most function-packed dumbphones. Symbian has shown its age (and limits) and a smart OS would be money well invested for Nokia if it is going to stay in the market. Yes i'll say it, the end of dumbphones have begun (and MS will burn for the Kin!).
The problem is Nokia is inexperienced in the smartphone business, that is the true reason the N900 was released: an experiment! So in the future N900 owners will feel like they were raped since the goods will be planted on its successor. On top of that, they are either too greedy, too optimistic or too slow. They are the biggest phone provider of the world, and the biggest everywhere when it comes to dumbphones. It's main competitiors have moved on eg Motorola Milestone, SE Xperia, Samsung Wave, LG something. They have moved on and provided smartphone alternatives.

Google now has Android. It was in the same state as MeeGo is: has the potential to be great but is more likely to be false hope.
However, Google is a GIANT and they made a truly great OS for smartphones of today. They were backed by the largest smartphone provider HTC and they succeeded to make it the OS for smartphones by making updates (1.6, 2.1, 2.2) that allowed it to stay ahead of the competition (eg WinMo6 was ugly, iOSX was too exclusive, RIM was corporate only oriented, WebOS had bad luck). It fragmented but it wasn't so bad: ie almost all Apps that work on the Nexus One work flawlessly on the Moto Droid despite many differences.

Google Chrome = failure.
The only thing Chrome would succeed in is the JooJoo (gives me goosebumps).
Why?
It is very light, but is almost "Cloud" exclusive = many disadvantages due to carrier dependencies.
Q:What would it run on?
A: "Smartbooks" and Touchscreen Smartbooks without keyboards (tablets).
So as of recently, Chrome development has changed or siezed or something like that I've heard. They say the next "Chrome" will be a blend of Android and Chromium (browser) ... which brings better promises.

Now for my personal input:

After following MeeGo's development I am disappointed. It has fragmented before release. There are 2 distinct MeeGo versions:
1) Intel MeeGo: Moblin 2.2 with some Maemo
2) Nokia MeeGo: Maemo 5 with some MeeGo
And many alternatives that is a hybrid of the two for other devices like in-car etc etc.

I was expecting a dumbbed down Moblin** (laptops) but smartified Maemo** (handhelds) where the two would be the same to the core. The only difference is that MeeGo comes with an option where you can choose the User Interface. All versions have their own UI according to their needs but they come with a setting where you can revert to the original User Interface (the above ** Astrix). So you can have unique skins/UI on top of the core which can be composed by the OEMs but users that cannot get over the learning curve can select to revert and now have a familiar interactive method. For instance, the difference between a netbook and a smartphone would need (want) different UI due to physical differences (multitasking ability, screen size, touchscreen vs mouse).

I loved the concept of Moblin + Maemo = MeeGo = a unified OS for many lightweight products (and a bridge between fast ARM and slow x86). After seeing all the recent support from other companies it made me think that such a difficult defeat (unified OS) would be more possible.
After observing the MeeGo demo on MSI netbook (Endgadget) I see nothing "WOW!" to make me retract these comments. It basically is still Moblin, great for netbooks but not smartphones.

To be honest, here are my new thoughts on MeeGo:

In its current state, I want it to die!
But what I really want is for it to change (evolve) to what I've described.
Possibility?
Very possible to accomplish this with Linux kernel and Qt, they have advanced far enough.

Other thoughts?
With MS and Android advanced very far in the last 2 years.
Both OS's dominate the opposing fields; Windows 7 with high-performance devices and Android with low-performance devices.
Q: So where does MeeGo fit into the picture?
A: In the niche.

But what else occupies (thrives) in the niche?
Ubuntu, and its done so successfully for quite some time.
So in a sense, MeeGo is competing with Ubuntu. Enough competition already!!
To top it off, Ubuntu is much more mature, has many advantages and supports a range of architectures/devices (from your PS3 to your Touch Pro2).

So I think Meego should join with Ubuntu.
If they did Ubuntu could finally rise up from the niche and into consumer's hands.
And I think if Ubuntu actually joined the MeeGo bandwagon (Meetu?) they could have a really impressive OS.
Since Ubuntu has a great existing technology, many hard-working developers, a large user base and alot of experience in the OS trade.
MeeGo has the economical power to do the research, get company's to sign on and a few big names (Intel, Nokia etc) to attract other big companies (eg Dell, Lenovo, Motorola, SE, LG).

So something like this would really attract many developers (especially from the Ubuntu user base). And this could be the best quality and the largest consumer Linux OS.

And today consumers now understand that software plays a vital role in the experience of the device, hence why OEMs now apply their own skins like MotoBlur. Consumers also know that the experience is better with more available programs (ie App Store) and that's only possible with more developers and developer's with reputations (ie EA Games).

When the supply is high, and you've got a brilliant invention, you can dominate the field like a tsunami ... ... you know the rest!




Here is what I mean by Windows 7 and Android being the dominant OSs:
For All-in-one-desktop-PC's = Windows 7 is great
For gaming-desktops= Windows 7 is great
For home entertainment devices= Windows 7 is great
For gaming-laptops= Windows 7 is great
For cheap laptops= Windows 7 is great
For CULV-laptops= Windows 7 is great
For high-performance-netbooks~= Windows 7 is okayish
~= 1.7GHz+ Pineview and/or dual core Atom

For cheap-slow smartphones= Android is great
For fast smartphones= Android is great
For handhelds/PMP= Android is great
For tablets= Android is great
For smartbooks= Android is great
For low-powered-netbooks^= Android is okayish
^= Intel Z-series or Atoms with <1.3GHz

The niche exists where For is bolded, and as you can see these spaces can be occupied by Windows or Android so the window of time when (MeeGo can establish itself) these OS will dominate these areas is nearing.

@Kangal: Great post, one of the best. I have read it several times over – still am.

That was also the true reason for the release of the N770, N800 and N810.
So far as I am concerned a company should either believe in what it is doing and commit to it or not bother in the first place. In other words keep its experiments internal until it has worked out what it wants to do.

How many customers did Apple inflict its Smartphone experiments on and rook out of sizeable amounts of cash for the privilege of being guinea pigs? Exactly. Even early adopter 2G owners will still be reasonable happy with the latest v3 software.

As an N800 owner I consider myself duly violated. I checked out the N900 when it appeared in the Nokia store and could see the same writing on the wall. How often does Nokia think it can keep getting away with this. But then we shouldn’t underestimate the self immolation needs of the fanboys, Nokia, like many abusers probably believes that ‘they like it really’ and the evidence from much of this forum over the past three years is that Yes, they probably do.

The trouble for Nokia is that there aren’t really enough of them, however disproportionally vocal they might be, to sustain a viable business model on. Hence sales of only 100,000 - or whatever the figure actually is, either way not enough.

Now that is interesting I have never seen it mentioned in that light before. I have a Smart Q7 which runs Ubuntu and all it needs is a little help from somewhere to make it perfectly acceptable. Within the expectation one would have from a $189 7” device, that is, and which fits the niche of cheap 800Mhz handhelds.
And of which there are going to be many, here is info on the Ramos 4.8” for $146, for example
http://www.pocketables.net/2010/05/r...about-150.html

Have you seen this article on Tegra and Android tablets?
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/...prime-time.ars
His comment on Anroid is “So many of the Android UI elements just don't look so great when they're stretched all the way across a wide tablet screen. This is because most of the UI elements that work on smartphone screens don't make the jump to the tablet very elegantly.”

His conclusion “In the long run, Chrome OS is a much more likely candidate for an official Google-branded tablet than is Android. Web-based interfaces are made with larger screen sizes in mind. More importantly, though, Chrome OS isn't a smartphone OS—it's designed for thin-client desktops, and it doesn't have to make tradeoffs to fit into smartphone hardware.”

I had almost forgotten about JooJoo, if the iPad at 10” is too much for single hand hold then why be restricted when a 12” wide screen is available.

Engadget is raving over MeeGo v1.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/27/m...stupendous-vi/
Either they are touting for advertising revenue or I am getting jaded.