Nokia N900 Review Part 1: Intro and Design

December 16, 2009

With the explosion of the touchscreen turning the mobile phone market on its head, the former king of all things mobile phone related, Nokia, found themselves under considerable pressure from young upstarts such as Apple and seasoned pros such as LG and Samsung. It wasn’t good enough to simply launch a touchscreen phone, said phone should include smartphone functionality but above all else it should be user friendly and easily accessible for newcomers and the most ardent of mobile phone enthusiasts alike. This is a challenge that, despite several attempts, Nokia has yet to fully overcome but one with which it hopes to do so with the eagerly anticipated Nokia N900.

First announced at Nokia World back in August, the N900’s roots stretch much further back to the Nokia Internet Table range, a series of devices optimised for web browsing but lacking a sim card slot and the ability to make calls. The N900 rectifies these two omissions whilst sticking to the core values of the internet tablet range. What this in turn means is that rather than sticking to the tried and tested Symbian operating system as seen in numerous Nokia smartphone offerings (and some non-Nokia hardware too), the N900 runs on the relatively unknown Maemo OS as seen in its tablet ancestors. The Linux based operating system is definitely the feature of the N900 that grabs the headlines as we’re all eager to see what made Nokia eschew Symbian; a platform the manufacturer has poured money and resources into, in favour of Maemo.

Symbian is not without its critics and when comparing Nokia’s current flagship devices with the likes of the Apple iPhone 3GS and phones running Google’s Android operating system such as the HTC Hero and upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Symbian does start to look its age. Not in the functionality stakes where the OS can hold its own against most if not all of the new comers but in areas such as user interface, ease of use and available software, it is in these increasingly important areas that Symbian fails to compete. Maemo has a considerable advantage in this area as it has always been designed with a touchscreen interface in mind and supports customisation in numerous ways letting users create an experience that is right for them. Maemo promises to give the N900 firm foundations but as any mobile enthusiast will tell you, the operating system is of course only half the battle and Nokia will need to focus just as much on the hardware and additional features.

The N900 sports a candy bar form factor with a slide out QWERTY keyboard that slides out when the phone is held on its side in landscape orientation. When closed, the N900 sports a minimalist design with the front lacking physical buttons of any kind. What we do find is a Nokia logo in the top right corner and N900 in the bottom right, a light sensor and video call camera in the top corners and the earpiece in the middle. On the right side the volume/ camera zoom rocker sits next to the power and camera key whilst on the opposite side we find nothing but the stylus. On top of the device we find the Micro USB Port (which doubles as the charger connection) and the first of two stereo speakers and at the bottom we get the second speaker, a sliding screen lock mechanism and a 3.5mm audio jack. Flip the phone over and we find the camera which is protected by a sliding lens cover, a kick stand which flicks out to prop the phone up and a Nokia Nseries logo.

Hold the phone in landscape and push up to reveal the full QWERTY keyboard. The slide mechanism on the N900 locks into place with a reassuring click and closes similarly. The keys themselves are nicely sized and spaced with a good level of feedback and a quality feel. The slide mechanism on the N900 is flat (rather than the arced style as seen in the N97 and N97 Mini) and this helps to give the N900 a more solid feel. At no point do you feel uncomfortable sliding out the keyboard and nor should you. This reassuring feel is echoed throughout the design of the N900. At 181 g with the battery inserted, the phone could definitely not be classed as light but due to the premium materials used in its construction, the overall look and feel of the phone is one of prestige rather than that of a bulky, cumbersome device. The top half of the phone (the part that slides out) is surrounded by a strip of black metal which not only looks great but feels great in hand too. The border that surrounds the display is made up of a glossy black plastic that sits behind one seamless glass display. The bottom half is made of a matte plastic that does an excellent job of avoiding fingerprints and general grubbiness. The same can’t be said for the front but then this is a touchscreen phone so we come to expect this. Overall the design of the phone works well. The solid construction and premium materials help to deliver a device that feels just that; premium. At 18 mm thick (the rest of the dimensions are 110.9 x 59.8 mm) those expecting a slim 5530 style phone should look elsewhere but most will appreciate the quality and overlook the slight chunkiness.

Be sure to check back on the blog tomorrow for the second installment of our Nokia N900 review as we check out the Touchscreen and Maemo operating system.

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Nokia N900 Review Part 1: Intro and Design