Recent Comments:
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 28th 2009 2:46AM @(Unverified)
"If it only takes weeks or days and it's so easy: then where's the MMS-app, where's the PORTRAIT-modesupport,
where's the Ovi Maps 3.0 ? Let me rephrase that: where's the rest of the software? Maemo isn't NEW, this is
already the fifth version - if it's all so easy with Maemo, then why wasn't more software ported to R4/R5?"
MMS is being worked on, and isn't something typically worked on by the community, but it is coming. Portrait mode browsing is coming in December. Ovi Maps for Maemo is in version one. Its a new app, not the same as S60's version, but it is pretty functional, despite what you've heard. It just needs refinement.
Maemo5 is new, since its the first time its been in an always on environment. iPhone I wasn't very refined either. Look at it now. This is starting off farther ahead than the iPhone, and already is way better than anything available.
"Oh and btw: developers on Android are free to offer their software as they like. The are not obligated by Google
to deliver their apps through Android Market. They are allowed to put their .apk-files up on their website or an alternative market. It's even
an option (allow unknown-sources) in Android Phones to download from other sources than the Market."
Who cares? They're heavily latent Java apps. That's too old school for me. But the delivery model is nice. But Google still exercises control over the OS, unlike Maemo, which has no one controlling it. Who controls Linux? Maemo is Linux, not Linux kernel based like Android.
"Oh and you might want to catch up on some reading developing for Android v Maemo. Everybody agrees that UI-programming
for Android is much easier and faster. Oh Android has a SDK for Win, Lin and Mac. Maemo's SDK only supports Linux. Android
is also way more better documented than Maemo at this point. So let me state that Android probably allows faster writing
of software from scratch than Maemo does."
Everyone?? And Java development is supposed to be easy. Is it as robust? Fast? Easy to make doesn't always equal best for the user or the app experience. If a dev isn't skilled enough for advanced development, his apps may not be very compelling anyway.
"Tell me: how is the N900's hardware capabilities any better than Motorola's Droid? Oh wait, in many ways
the hardware lags behind the Droid (smaller battery, lower resolution, smaller screen, thicker, heavier,
lower buildquality i.d. no metal parts etc, it lacks a internal compass - oh wait it does have FM Radio,
but that's oldskool tech)."
Capabilities isn't all about hardware. Look at Linux vs. Windows on similar hardware. Maemo is more efficient, and gets more out of the same hardware because of the maturity and robust nature of the OS. Little Android will never beat the years of optimization and maturity Linux provides.
"Yeah and Adobe is well committed to offer full Flash 10 support in the first half of 2010 for Android. So you
can't say: "N900 has the advantage of Flash; and it will offer lots more in the future". The same goes for Android."
Oh yeah? Flash is only part of it. How about running Greasemonkey scripts in the browser, or using Firefox add-ons? I'm doing it as we speak on my N900, adblock and all. So there is an advantage unless Android gets Firefox/Mozilla/Gecko engine for a browser. The architecture of Android promises to keep them locked out. Too latent and weak of an application framework. Ask Mozilla. http://androidcommunity.com/mozillas-mobile-browser-fennec-wont-be-coming-to-android-any-time-soon-20081110/
"Take a look at Android 2.0 Contacts, or even better check out Sony Ericssons X10 with Time and Mediascape. And even
more social is on the way for Android. Oh and while your at it, go compare the X10 UI with Maemo 5 UI. It's like
comparing Windows 7 with Windows 3.1"
I'm using the N900 right now, and you sound silly saying that. Its all really subjective, but no matter how pretty Android gets, its still Java. You can put lipstick on a pig, but its still a pig.
Nokia N900 now shipping in the land of Ford freedom trucks {Engadget}
Nov 25th 2009 11:20AM @(Unverified) if you ordered when they announced shipping, you're far behind. It was one of the top preselling devices on Earth, and your order is far down the que. Some of us ordered months earlier, and are still waiting.
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 18th 2009 8:26PM Browser speed of Opera Mini is faster than iPhone, too. Is it better? NO. And neither is the iPHone over the N900. The iPhone can't go to every site, watch most videos, or use Flash apps. The N900 is compatible with more of the web than any other device out there. If Flash was disabled, it would be even faster. Of course you'd be fast if you blocked features that would slow you down, like Flash, which is the foundation for a majority of the content online.
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 18th 2009 8:17PM @ Holyshite3,
First off, realize the device hasn't even been released yet. But let's humor each other and see how long it takes for the N900 to get MMS. Nokia announced that it will be added, unlike Apple, that claimed it was an outdated technology, then turns around years later and adds it.
As for portrait support, it, too is planned for some core apps in December. Full ASR may not be added, but Maemo 6 is probably going to run on the N900 too, and it is coming in exactly one year. Ovi Maps 3.0 will ship on the production devices. Maps 1.0 was just for the preproduction models.
Maemo as a PHONE OS is in fact new. So some features are new to it. But what software is missing, as you say? Nokia has been pretty clear as to what is coming later, and they're known for adding features and apps during the life of the device.
Why bring up Android when comparing app development? Maemo allows you to install apps from anywhere, just like Symbian devices. You can also have your own repository, and use APT to deploy them. You know, APT, the part of Linux Google decided to ditch? You can install .debs from anywhere with the command line as well. And UI development for Android apps should be simple. ITS JAVA!! I'll stick to low latency code anyday. From all of the Android and Maemo developers I talk with (I'm a member of both developer communities...), it seems they all see Maemo as a better option, allowing more rich applications, and the only missing link is monetization, which Ovi will bring soon. You don't even need the SDK for app development, since its typical Linux development for the most part. And devs can do app development on Windows...
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32537
...Linux, or Mac using VMWare, or even on the device. Have you ever done any Maemo development? I'm not a dev, but I am learning fast that you aren't totally right. You can develop apps for Maemo on almost any platform.
"Tell me: how is the N900's hardware capabilities any better than Motorola's Droid?"
I didn't say the hardware capabilities, I said device capabilities supercede anything out right now. For a little taste of what I mean, try and see how many apps you can run at once on the Droid, what video and audio codecs you can use, or how easily you can use the Terminal for CLI device manipulaton. Maemo is the first deskop OS optimized for finger control. Android is a smartphone OS, nothing near the power of Linux. Do you disagree?
Let's see. Which has better battery LIFE? Which has better pixel density? Which has the better keypad? Which has the better imaging hardware and optics? Which has a commercial Infrared transmitter for universal remote apps? How can you judge build quality when neither device has been used for any long term testing? Metal isn't the indicator of better build quality, though I do admit Moto makes good solid devices. But hardware is nothing without software.
If you think the Android Contacts app is anything close to the Maemo Contacts app, you need to quit babysitting the blunt and let someone else hit it! Does it show presence for all of your IM networks, social networks, etc.? Does it allow you the choice to make SIP or cellular calls? Do the contact images sync with your Twitter and Facebook profile photos? You seem cool with looking cute, but what can it do that any other phone or portable desktop can't? UI isn't everything, and function is more important. SE's new UI is cool, but so what? Put a wig on a pig, give it lipstick, and its still a pig.
"So anybody can read your GPS-location without your permission? Read and Send all your emails stored on the
phone? Android Market shows you EXACTLY each permission the app needs. And no control, means a lot more junk,
trojans and virusses?"
Has this been happening anywhere? The only time I've heard of mobile apps going rogue like that is the iPhone dev getting phone numbers. You made some point, but let's revisit them once these devices are in the streets. Android has a ~5% market share and many OEM partners after a year. Maemo has 0% right now. Let's see how well the N900 sells.
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 18th 2009 7:31PM putting it that way, tnkgrl, makes more sense. But overall, do you feel those other devices in total are far more functional and better than the N900, or is the N900 so far ahead of the game?
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 18th 2009 7:29PM Please say you meant this Chris, tnkgrl... Don't let CZ get away with his contrived clowning...
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 18th 2009 7:05PM @ surge,
I'm not surprised you found my post TLDR, nor with your dishonest appraisal of it as a "nice" novel. You obviously didn't like or agree with it, but saw fit to give an insincere and dishonest appraisal of the N900. You don't seem to be one to go in depth or be very thorough, and even though I've been a Chris Z fan for years, I'm so past questioning your lack of integrity and objectivity.
What'd you do, give my post the cursory lookover without getting to the information that would mostly help you and others? So this is your modus operandi, huh? That's pretty telling, although I don't believe you didn't read every word as you dishonestly claim. Just like this review, your reply set out with a purpose, an agenda, even, which was to accentuate the seemingly negative while keeping the US market in the dark on the advancements and positives, which far outnumber the other points, which mainly were to compare the simplistic and narrowly targeted iPhone with the N900, which isn't just a smartphone, but a portable desktop device.
Being this is the first portable desktop designed for use with finger touch, I don't see how a cursory once over of only a few minutes could ever give you or those interested in the device much insight. You observed the device from the perspective of an iPhone user looking only for the features commonly shared with the N900, since you think these devices are of the same class, when you should've been mentioning touch enabled netbooks and other multitasking, portable desktop choices as well. I think the iPhone should've been the last device chosen as a reference point. Where were the comparisons to multitasking QWERTY packing devices with high end imaging hardware and free access to all hardware for developers?
If you want to know why a resistive screen was used, do some research like me and all of the real tech reviewers out there. You'd know that a resistive screen is more versatile, allowing use with any solid device as well as fingers, fingernails, and even a toothpick. A resistive screen allows for more precise selection of small objects, instead of capacitive, which needs screen elements to be larger. Which do you think is more precise, the pad of your finger or thumb, easily a square inch, or a fingernail, fingertip, or other solid object used as a stylus/plectrum? It really comes in handy when using handwriting recognition or applications made for the desktop environment that aren't optimized for touch. Is this the first you've heard of this? I'm happy to school you.
Now here's a lesson for you. Think of resistive as using a pencil on paper and capacitive as a Bingo marker. You may have to press a little with the pencil, but its more precise. The Bingo marker is easier to write with, but not very precise at all. Choose your poison. Both are good at certain things. I know you used resistive screened WinMo devices a few years back, and the debit card slot at your local 7-Eleven. Did you suddenly get brainwashed on how they work? Don't make yourself look like a bigger idiot. It was funny during the first Engadget show, but now it is sad and contrived.
Now I get the responsiveness qualm, but some find capacitive TOO sensitive, which is why you had to learn to use such a light touch to avoid accidental presses. Multitouch is a plus, but was there any function that wasn't available on the N900? You COULD zoom using gestures as well as the dedicated zoom buttons on the side of the device. I'm not a big fan of multitouch because it throws all of the one handed usage research out of the window, and requires two hands, a big knock on the iPhone an other "pinch to zoom" devices. Once Stantum gets resistive multitouch out there, we can kill this silly debate.
I'm glad you're aware of Nokia's winning formula. Nokia is the global leader, and most people prefer them to your iPhones and other capacitive models. And Nokia devices have more features than any other, so how are they expecting you to settle for less? Isn't it Apple, that has the OS with the least features (ok, maybe not less than WebOS yet), the least access to hardware, and the least willingness to listen to the users (How long have they begged for multitasking, a keypad, a higher resolution screen, VOIP, tethering, video calling, alternatives to default software, etc.?)
Now where are these better specced devices out there with less bugs? (let me guess...The Moto Sholes and its clock busted camera focus issue?) If you know anything, hardware isn't the only part of specs. Software is what makes the hardware work, and if a device has 4GB or RAM and a 2Ghz processor, but runs Palm OS, and another runs Maemo or Ubuntu, whatever, on a lessor platform, only a fool would say the Palm device was better specced, because you judge the performance of the device in action, not just read spec sheets. Otherwise, cars with high horsepower would outsell cars with better handling everytime. It doesn't work that way, bro...
STMicroelectronics' 3-axis MEMS gyroscope gives a new level of control to your mobile {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 16th 2009 1:44PM how exactly does this pertain to Ngage??
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 16th 2009 1:09PM I've got to call out Chris Ziegler on this review just a little. I'm so happy you decided to not compare this device to other lesser devices or OSes out there. But I still have some niggles and points I need to make.
There are various video reviews, previews, demos, and hands-on interactions of the N900 online. I'm sure I've watched them all, or at least the major ones. I must say, almost every demo talks about how responsive the screen is, and some have even called it "capacitive-like" or "nearly as responsive as a capacitive display". About the ONLY ones with "negatively tinged" reviews are CZ and Om Malik. They seem unable to get a resistive screen to work, despite having reviewed at least dozens, if not hundreds, of resistive screened devices over the years. Perhaps your nerd muscles need a workout. I suggest the workout DVD "Carpals of Steel" to get that swiping motion up to par. And using the stylus won't require less pressure. Resistive screens are like paper, and the finger is a pencil. You have to press ever so slightly for it to register, and if a kid can do it, you have to question how much skill Chris really has. Notice he has no problem swiping the display early in the video, but as soon as he gets to the display subject, he can't get it to scroll. Give him an Oscar, this master thespian is on a roll!
Chris, like Om, is too fixated on the simple feature sets of the iPhones and G1s of the world, and their reviews fail to look at the N900's precedent setting capabilities that supercede anything available in the market today. Missing was any mention of the open source ecosystem and community behind the Maemo OS to allow the fast implementation of features and apps in days or weeks instead of months and years. Missing was mention of the availability of high quality free software via the APT powered Application Manager, a veritable App Store on steroids without any approval board to control what users want on their devices. No mention of the customizability of the OS, or how all of the hardware was openly accessible to developers without limitations.
I don't think it was very responsible to make such a snap judgement based on a preproduction unit. At least you did make sure and say that it wasn't a final unit, but did you ask if certain features would be added in the final build or ever? Of course prerelease firmware would lack features. I've never heard either Chris or Om call the iPhone or Android devices feature incomplete, when we know they still lack features out of the box to this day. But the N900 is "raw"?? And how is the current status of the Maemo OS called a "hack"? Besides lacking MMS and Screen Rotation for most apps, what makes it so raw? And lacking MMS and portrait mode for most apps means it isn't really "a true smartphone"?? Are you kidding me?! So the non multitasking iPhone isn't a smartphone, but the multitasking, phone calling, 24 live apps at a time, Flash toting, plugin supporting media player packing N900 made by the inventors of the smartphone as we know it today isn't!?! I smell FUD, sprinkled with just a dash of "out yo' bleepin' mind", and its coming from Engadget.
Did you bother telling the public that Nokia has committed to adding MMS, portrait mode for web browsing and other applications in Maemo 5, well before Maemo 6? I did like the comparisons to the N8xx and N97, which set out to pack as many features into the package, are its closest comparable devices, and NOT the iPhone and "Droid", which look to streamline and control the feature set of the device. I am waiting for either Chris or Om to say how the stylus is unecessary unless using software not intended for the N900, that any solid device can work as a stylus alternative, from a finger or toothpick to a car key or corner of the handle of your eyeglasses, and is an advantage over all capacitive devices since they can never use a stylus.
You found many quirks of the N900 far different than most of the common devices out there. Did you ask the reasoning behind these differences? Like why the space bar is on the right instead of the center? I'll bet using it for a few weeks would make it pretty evident. It allows for less thumb travel and finger fatigue when typing for extended periods by placing the space bar at a position where the thumb rests, just like the space bars on desktop PCs. Another actual value adding, accessibility feature you failed to expose, even after all of the information available about these design choices and how they'll benefit the end user.
Now come on and show us the main features users will use on any smartphone, like the available apps or methods to use Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, RSS readers, email, media sharing, messaging, phone calls, and audio/video features. And maybe start mentioning that all of the high end camera phones have thicker sensors and equipment, and will usually be thicker than a typical smartphone with a middling camera.
Nokia N900 quick hands-on {Engadget Mobile}
Nov 16th 2009 12:04PM This isn't Tear, but a Mozilla based browser using the Gecko rendering engine. And the processor has helped make it alot smoother and faster than your average device.
