New Nokia N900: Nokia's Next Internet Tablet wipes the floor with the Nokia N97

Although the above is an artistic render by MobileCrunch (the actual image can’t published for security reasons), what’s more interesting  about Nokia’s next Internet Tablet are the specifications:

• It does Voice GSM – You can finally make phone calls WITHOUT skype to other phones 😀
• 3.5″ screen but it has 800×480 pixels! WVGA (16:10)
• OMAP3430 500/600 Mhz processor! With Open GL ES 2.0 – 3D acceleration!
• 1GB RAM!!! (Although that’s 256 physical RAM, the res- 768MB is Virtual RAM)
• 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss – with Dual LED flash! An old standard from Nseries but on an internet tablet!
• 32GB internal memory – expandable to 48GB! Is this a joke? This was like the last good thing about the Nokia N97 (except S60 5th edition, which is highly subjective)

Four negative points on the hardware side:

• First is the 1320mAh battery which should really be 1500mAh. But if those other specifications are real then I’d be more than prepared to give up some extra call time minutes.
• Only 3 rows of keys on the QWERTY keyboard? Why no dedicated numbers row? Unless that square block of 9 keys on the right of the keyboard are 1-9?
• At 59.7 x 111 x 18.2 mm, it’s quite big, and should have been big enough to fit the 4.1″ screen of previous internet tablets (there’s still be plenty of space either side for a 2ndary camera – although due to width, that would only leave about 1mm either side)
• Why no XENON Flash? The device is fat enough to have xenon! :p

Possibly three more negative points – but since they’re not mentioned they may just have been missed out of the text as oppsed to not actually being on the device.

• where’s GPS?
• Stereo Loudspeakers (on par with N800/5800/N95 at least!)
• 3.5mm jack

Those are basic standards now and are probably there and would be stupid if left out. But then again, that’s Nokia and they like leaving out features you think are standard. *cough – XENON*.

Lastly on the hardware, this just a guess, but on the box contents:

Connectivity cable, headset, charger, battery (1320 mAh), Video-out cable, microUSB adaptor, cleaning cloth

Stylus isn’t mentioned. Maybe it’s there, maybe they don’t supply it or maybe it will not work because this has a capacitive screen? The stylus was essential for browsing certain sites on the N800, but if they optimise finger touch for the “N900” then we really shouldn’t need it.

Now on the software front:

• It runs on Maemo 5. I loved Internet Tablet OS 2008 on the N800 – I often wished that was a phone. Maemo 5 should be even better.
• The Web Browser is FireFox 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they bring it close the the desktop version then I’m in love with the handset just for that. It supports flash 9.4 too
• Homescreen with “live dashboard” -  probably the Widgets version of the N97 – which has been on IT OS for a while, it just wasn’t as customizable.
• Captures video at 800×480 in AVC/H.264 No HD, but slowly getting there. What FPS though?

Sounds like a stellar device!

Taking a more objective look however, Nokia didn’t really bring anything new to the table with the “N900”; they’re just catching up with the standard for 2009 and bringing, via the new internet tablet, what users should have been expecting in the N97! If these features ring true then this is actual internet in your pocket – not the N97.

The only thing going for the N97 right now as opposed to this is that the N97 is real and it’s coming in a couple of weeks (or so).

When is the new tablet going to be launched?

Seems to be July 2009 for the whole world except Europe (the home of Nokia) who must wait till October 2009.

Via MobileCrunch

image above via engadget.

Update: Here’s an image that seems to have been taken from the same presentation above of the Nokia N900 aka Rover. There are less keys portrayed by the MobileCrunch render, so the numbers row is definitely integrated in the top row :(.

I like the look of this device. It may not have the tilt screen of the N97, but maybe it has a kick stand to tilt it whilst on a flat surface? I like what seems to be dedicated music keys on the left side. On the right, we can also see what’s probably the 3.5mm jack, an on/lock switch and possibly one half of the stereo loudspeakers?

I’m not really too fussed about the missing D-Pad – the screen is easily accessible enough to tap where I want to insert text to. If it’s necessary in an application, e.g. a game, I’m sure it’s easy enough to configure WSZ/ASD as a D-pad.

– engadget via cellpassion

Tags: Exclusive, Internet Tablet, Internet Tablet OS, Leaked, Linux, Maemo, Maemo 5, N900, N97, Nokia, Nokia N97, Rover, S60, Symbian

Category: Linux, Maemo, Nokian, Nseries