Nokia N900 tablet previewed before official launch
By Damian Koh on 21 August 2009
We're not sure what's going on here since Nokia has traditionally been tight-lipped about showing prototype devices and even placing a global embargo on all unreleased devices. But the ridiculously well-connected Eldar Murtazin has just given the rumoured N900 tablet an exhaustive preview with tons of screenshots over at Mobile-review.
The upcoming N900 running the Linux-based Maemo 5 OS. (Credit: Mobile-review)
Here's what Murtazin has to say. The N900 has a side-sliding QWERTY keyboard and an 800x480-pixel resistive touchscreen, though he does comment that it is extremely responsive, like the iPhone. According to the man who let the cat out of the bag, the build quality is similar to the E75. It'll also have a 5-megapixel camera with F2.8 lens (very similar to the N97), 32GB of on-board memory with a microSD card slot for up to 32GB, a micro-USB port, 1320mAh battery, GPS and TV-out. But these details are not as interesting as the Maemo 5 software that the device is running on.
From the screenshots, Maemo looks like it carries over a lot of what we love about the S60, some of the icons are the same, but the overall presentation looks cleaner, more attractive and more customisable as well. Murtazin reports that the N900 will be released before the end of 2009 for a price of €550.
Topics: linux, mobile phone, nokia, tablet, n900
Related Articles
Comments (11)
-
-
Greg commented on 22/01/2010 18:57
johny commented on 21/08/2009 21:32
why is this called a tablet? -
Disappointed commented on 02/12/2009 23:41
Pity that Nokia confirmed to me that they will not release the device in AU.
-
Terry1738 commented on 02/12/2009 11:48
For non linux users here is some info.
I have been using linux (Linus Torvalds developed linux from the unix kernel) since 1996 and have so much faith in it I am buying an N900 to replace my N97 which is only 3 months old.
Maemo is based on the debian one of the most secure derivatives of linux.
Ubuntu, which is probally the easiest to use of the PC based linux derivatives is also based on debian
So if you want to get some idea of what is possible with linux I suggest you put ubuntu on your computer it runs fine as a dual boot with windows.
Non linux users have no idea how powerful open source software is.
For instance put Open Office on your windows platform it works looks and feels like MS Office then try firefox and thunderbird all these programs where developed by the open source community for linux and ported to windows. They are better and more secure then the MS offerings and are free of charge.
I am a system administrator for an internet company which runs entirely on open source software.
We are talking about servers that run radius, web, database, CRM, accounting, email, spam filtering, virus filtering everything you can possibly think of is available in open source software.
Linux apps in many cases are far more powerful then commercially based systems this allows developers like us to contribute to the open source community so the end user has the most up to date secure software available.
Almost everything on the internet is run under linux because its ultra reliable and ultra secure.
Apple software is a derivative of unix but is not open source.
Open source apps are usually free of charge to the end user so there is no store like apple and ovi however developers can charge for apps if they want so you may get unusual apps being charged for.
I understand that most apps will run nativly on maemo so current debian apps of which there are literally millions should run OK on meamo bearing in mind hardware and memory constraints.
This is a bold move by Nokia and they should be congratulated and I predict the open source community will embrace them with open arms and produce application software you can only dream about at the moment.
Good luck Nokia -
halifax commented on 30/10/2009 09:57
Crippled OS? Not much crippled about a debian system with full root access and GTK+/Qt compatibility out of the box...
-
firas commented on 08/09/2009 23:51
guys you forgot to talk about the operating system the linux based one...
i am using E90 since two years, it is really reliable, i was about to get N97, but i though to wait until any new relaease comes out for E90++; now nokia is coming with this n900; we dont know yet whether we need a linux based operating system..and how much would it cost to use most applications which need to be signed by nokia developers..i guess this is 1000$ + device.. lets see -
Mardheeyya commented on 02/09/2009 00:18
this tablet is super, i like big phones..am going to buy this when its out
-
billy commented on 27/08/2009 22:15
i think it's too big
I'm gonna buy n 97 -
Bestoghale commented on 23/08/2009 03:45
Kinda cool but i think it;s too big people prefer portable smart devices.
-
johny commented on 21/08/2009 21:32
why is this called a tablet?
if this is a tablet it means the iphone is like a tablet x2
Post your own comment
Enter your personal information to the left, or sign in with your Facebook account by clicking the button below.
ConnectThe Explain Series
-
Microsoft Windows® 7. Your PC, simplified.
Windows® 7 has been designed to be more reliable, more responsive, and to make the things you do every day easier.
Must read
-
Top 5 PDA-phones
These hybrid devices combine the organisational features of a traditional...
-
Nokia N900
What's Maemo? Never mind. The N900 ditches the "internet tablet" moniker...
-
Nokia E72
Nokia E72 is a smartphone with loads of attitude and great features,...
-
HTC HD2
There's no doubt in our minds that the combination of power, features and...
-
Nokia N97
The N97 features class-leading specs matched with outstanding design and...
| Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB | 30 plans |  1% |
| Nokia N97 | 43 plans | 5% |
| HTC Magic | 16 plans |  1% |
| Nokia E71 | 49 plans | 1% |
| Apple iPhone 8GB | 42 plans | 1% |
| Apple mobile phones | 1% |
| Nokia mobile phones | 3% |
| HTC mobile phones | 3% |
| Blackberry mobile phones | 2% |
| Sony Ericsson mobile phones | 1% |
More comments...