TWINCITYMASTHI's NOKIA N900 REVIEW

The N900 is the first phone from Nokia based on the Maemo Platform.  Nokia has expressed their intentions to use Maemo in high-end phones.  The Nokia N900 is a Touchscreen, full  QWERTY slider phone and one of most talked about members of the N-Series recently.

Does the first phone built on the top of this relatively new phone platform live up to it’s expectations ? Find out in our N900 review.

N900 Specs

The phone boasts of some pretty impressive specs including powerful ARM Cortex-A8 600MHz Processor with 256 MB of RAM and a 3.5 inch 800x480 pixel resistive touchscreen display.

• Quad-band GSM EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 Mhz), Tri-band WCDMA / 3G support (900/1700/2100 Mhz)
• TI OMAP 3430: ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz CPU , OpenGL ES 2.0 support
• Maemo 5 OS with Multiple Homescreens
• 800x480 pixel touchscreen display supporting upto 16 million colors
• 32GB inbuilt memory plus microSD slot.
• Slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
• 5 MP Camera with Dual LED Flash ,16:9 video recording
• Media player , FM transmitter
• Kickstand
• Wi-Fi ,  Bluetooth v2.1 ,  GPS
• 3.5 mm jack for Audio /TV-Out
• MicroB Browser powered by Mozilla technology with full Flash 9.4 support
• Skype , Google Talk IM Integration
• Internet calling
• Email : Mail for Exchange, IMAP, POP3, SMTP
• OVI Maps with geotagging
• BL-5J 1320mAh with USB Charging

Maemo has been around since 2005

Maemo has been around since 2005 in the name of the Internet Tablet OS. The Nokia 770 pictured below was one of the first internet tablets from Nokia. Sadly, the internet tablets 700, N800,N810 never went mainstream and was sold only in limited countries. It was popular amongst the linux and hacker community but not amongst consumers.Some of the main drawbacks about these devices was that they were generally slow and lacked GSM / phone capabilities.

Linux meets Phone

The N900 is the first linux-based Phone from Nokia. The operating system on the Nokia N900 is Maemo 5 (Fremantle).  Maemo is based on the popular Debian linux distribution.  The N900 can be seen as an internet tablet with phone capabilities.

Package Contents

The phone comes in a black package with an image of the phone embossed on the top. This is pretty similar to the N97/ N97 Mini’s Box

• Nokia N900 with a stylus
• Nokia Battery (BL-5J)
• Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-10)
• Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-205)
• Video out cable (CA-75U)
• Nokia charger adaptor (CA-146C)
• Cleaning cloth
• User Guide

In addition to the above we also got a converter plug for old nokia chargers . There’s no memory card / extra stylus / carry case in the retail package.

Design

This is a touchscreen phone with a slide-out QWERTY keypad and it’s certainly big when you compare the N900 to other devices such as Nokia E72 or the iPhone . But We’ve had no issues holding the phone. It felt comfortable to grip. We have no complaints about the placement of controls on the phone except for the weird placement of the hardware-unlock key on the right. Its not the most pocketable phone out there  but it still fits in your pocket.

In the front the screen is surrounded by a glossy bezel which bears the letters nokia on the left and n900 on the right. There are no physical buttons in the front, not even call and hangup keys.

Although the phone is designed to be used in the landscape mode for the most part , the phone functionality needs to be used in portrait mode as the earpiece , proximity sensor and video calling camera are present on the top when the phone is used in portrait mode.

You will also find a notification light which can toggle between white , blue and yellow.The is a speaker on either side of the phone which justifies the entertainment capability of the device.

On the left you would find the microUSB port which is used for both charging and PC connectivity .

On the right is the hardware unlock key , 3.5 mm audio jack which also serves as a TV-out.

The stylus finds a place at the bottom.

On the top sits the volume rocker keys , power button and the camera key.

On the rear sits the 5 Megapixel Camera surrounded by a kick stand. The camera shutter encloses the lens and the dual LED flash.

The microSD card slot is beneath the real panel which houses the battery and SIM card.

Display

The phone is designed to be used mainly in landscape mode and widescreen display is a proof of that. The 800x480 display is crisp and colors are reproduced quite well. Although the phone uses a resistive touchscreen, it’s very responsive and finger friendly.

Keyboard

The keyboard is made up of 3 rows  and  the keys provide good feedback. But since the long press for numbers was not there at the time of this review ,  it’s bit hard to use. But the keyboard is powerful as there are tons of a keyboard shortcuts available out of the box

Build Quality

Although the build quality of the phone is good , the plastic material used makes it feel a tad cheap considering the price of the phone. The phone does not make any noise when gripped and will certainly survive a fall or two.  Wish Nokia uses some metal on Maemo phones in future.  You would notice this especially when you put the N900 next to the N97 Mini which uses a lot of metal on the exterior. Sadly a huge percentage of users give a lot of importance to looks and the N900 might not win the Beauty Pageant for Mobile Phones if at all there was one. The N900 is a beast when it comes to multitasking and web browsing,  but the looks are too soft.

UI  Maemo 5

The Maemo UI is just lovely and there is lot of eye candy out of the box. The notifications system esp for incoming messages is super cool.  The interface certainly has a learning curve but any sensible user will pick it up easily. The multitasking is just fabulous and demonstrates the power of Maemo

This is what you call multitasking

Phone

Call quality was pretty good and the phone functionality is pretty simple and easy to use. One cool feature is the integration of contacts with Google Talk / Skype contacts. One downside of the phone app is a lack of DTMF support out of the box. Signal strength was never an issue on GSM or 3G. And the best part is Skype calling right from your phonebook.

Connectivity

Since this device evolved from an internet tablet , connectivity is flawless.  You can choose to automatically switch to Wi-Fi from 3G / GPRS when you are near a hotspot.  The only issue is many phone networks don’t support automatic configuration of access points on the phone. So you might have to go the manually route.

The GPS receiver gets a fix pretty soon and is pretty accurate.

Messaging

The Maemo 5 OS uses the concept of Conversations to group your SMS and IM such as Google Talk , Skype. This is good if you communicate a lot and don’t want to juggle between apps.

There is no native MMS support from there is a already a app from the community which brings MMS

Email works pretty well and there is support for all a lot of email providers such as gmail,yahoo,hotmail and exchange . There is support for multiple accounts and multiple attachments. it supports full HTML content within the email.

Web Browsing

This device deserves the title of the best internet device. Considering the fact that this device has it’s roots in an Internet tablet it does not disappoint. In fact it amazes.The N900 has one of the best browsers in the market and brings PC-like browsing to the palm of your hand.

The Flash 9.4 support means that you can view full flash content within a webpage. Youtube, Vimeo are work fine.  You can even connect the phone to your TV and watch the action on the big screen.

Watch the speed test of the N900 over 3G and Wi-Fi which uses the Flash capability

The Browser does not support multiple tabs but you have to open multiple windows.  Zooming into a webpage is accomplished by double tapping , circular motion or using volume keys.

There’s a special hover mode which lets you use select text using a cursor and interact with page elements. You can invoke this mode by swiping your finger from the left of the screen. Swiping from the right side shows your browsing history for that window in a visual manner.

You can also install the AdBlock Plus plugin so that you can disable ads and save some bandwidth. You can also save web pages and later view them offline.

Memory

The device comes with 32 GB of inbuilt memory and has a microSD slot which supports upto 16GB cards.

Multimedia

Camera

The Camera does take some great pictures and the fixed focus video recording which enables macro video recording is cool. But sadly the camera application is a bit slow. You might actually miss the moment in the process of capturing.  The sharing plugins like pixelpipe make photo sharing and blogging a piece of cake. You can even email multiple photos and upload them in a jiffy

Nokia N900 Camera Samples

Music & Video Playback

Music playback is decent and the playback via the stock earphones is pretty good.The speakers are quite loud too.

Video playback on such a big screen is good to watch and the kick stand does help. DivX support is worth mentioning.

But given the rise of AMOLED displays this one feel a bit dated although it’s not a deal breaker.

Tv Out

Although most phones high-end phones have a TV-out this phone is special as it can even drive a 50 inch TV and play a DVD Quality movie

Apps

This is one area where we feel let down. The impressive hardware does not have apps which utilize the hardware like on other platforms.

Apps worth mentioning are Qik (video broadcasting), Angry Birds which is a cool game, Pixel Pipe which makes photo/video sharing a piece of cake. There is also Sketch which lets you draw on a canvas.

There is a Documents-To-Go viewer edition trial which lets you view office docs. The news from the maemo community is that KOffice is available.

Skype works flawlessly including SkypeOut calls.

There are some apps which have been developed by the community and the linux nature of the platform might bring a lot more apps to the platform. Nokia just needs to bring more developers on board the Maemo platform.

Baseball game developed by India Games for Maemo

We hope to see more applications in the coming months / years for the Maemo Platform as Nokia has grand plans for Maemo with a Maemo6 device expected to launch towards end of this year.

Battery Life

The 1320 mAh battery on the device practically lasts for a day and half of light use and just about a day for heavy use.  As with all phones it lasts longer over Wi-Fi compared to 3G / EDGE.  The spec sheets don’t indicate battery life .At Nokia World , we heard that battery life was linked to user behavior and the device was built to last a day for average use.  We don’t complain about the battery life but a 1500 mAh battery would have given that extra run time ! And one tip ,  you don’t have wait for the battery to go empty before charging the device. Charge it when the the battery indicator is at about 50% and its charges faster.

What’s Hot

• Maemo UI and Notifications
• Crisp 800x480 pixel Display
• Mutitasking
• Multiple Homescreens  and Widgets
• Browser
• Skype , IM
• Email client with HTML support
• 5MP Camera with Fixed Focus Recording
• Responsive touchscreen
• Barely need to use stylus
• Divx Movie playback.
• Audio quality though headphones
• USB Charging
• OTA updates
• GPS
• PDF Reader , File Manager

What’s Not

• Slow Camera app
• No Long press for numbers / symbols.
• Weird placement of Hardware unlock key
• Lack of  Portrait mode
• Lack of Apps
• Limited Settings and Configurations when compared to other Nokia phones
• No Multitouch

Conclusion

If you are a person who loves to be online 24/7 , be it browsing the web, chatting with friends or checking email the N900 is a great option.  It’s a must have gadget for Linux enthusiasts or hackers.  This is not for the average consumer but a geeky crowd.  If you are one of those geeks you won’t be disappointed.  And if you are a fan of Open Source the N900 is for you ! Although the N900 lacks in a few areas ,  it’s pretty powerful in some areas.  It’s the first phone based on the Maemo platform and it’s obviously not complete. Maemo is a new ray hope for Nokia and the N900 is a live example of that hope . You may want to experience it or wait for the next device

Screenshots

NOKIA E7-00 SLIDE + TOUCH

Over the years, we've seen a steady stream of business and messaging-centric landscape QWERTY smartphones come and go, with HTC arguably leading the pack via its collection of Windows Mobile, Android, and WP7 devices featuring sliding keyboards and tilt-out displays. But few of HTC's offerings are as iconic or memorable as Nokia's line of Communicator clamshell phones -- starting with the Nokia 9000 in 1996, continuing with Symbian S80 models, and culminating with the Nokia E90 atop S60v3. The Nokia E7 is the latest Communicator in this distinguished series and the manufacturer's current flagship device, dethroning the Nokia N8 which continues on as the company's media mogul. A lot has changed in the six months since the N8 was introduced, including Nokia's recent partnership with Microsoft and the stunning announcement that it will be adopting Windows Phone for future high-end smartphones. So, is the E7 -- which is finally shipping in the US -- the greatest Communicator to date? Can it carry the torch for Symbian in the immediate future? And more importantly, how does it fare in today's shark-infested Android and iOS waters? Jump past the break for our full review.

Hardware

Let's make one thing abundantly clear: black or silver, the Nokia E7 is one gorgeous piece of hardware. It might not have the proportions of the Dieter Rams-inspired iPhone 4, but it's a handsome and refined phone that can definitely compete in terms of materials and build quality. The E7 design language mimics its N8 sibling, and consists of a flattened aluminum cylinder that features a 4-inch glass-capacitive touchscreen on one side, a glass window protecting the 8 megapixel camera and dual-LED flash on the other side, and tapered plastic covers hiding antennas and connectors at each end. From the front the E7 looks like a larger N8, but in order to accommodate the physical keyboard, the body is sliced longitudinally into two sections. The thinner "half" houses the tilt-out display and the menu key (centered below the touchscreen), the other "half" contains the keyboard, the camera, and most of the electronics. Without a camera pod sticking out the back, the E7 ends up being thinner than the N8 overall, and one of the slimmest landscape QWERTY devices we've come across.

The E7 feels hefty in a reassuring, confidence-inspiring way -- as a point of reference, it's almost the same weight and size as the HTC Thunderbolt, but about 6 mm (1/4-inch) narrower. Fit and finish are impeccable, and so is the attention to detail: there's a machined and polished bevel surrounding the camera window in the back of the E7 and lining the edge of every control on the aluminum body. The top cap contains a 3.5 mm headphone jack, the power / profile key, a mini-HDMI port (behind a plastic door), and a micro-USB connector with a charge indicator. At the opposite end, the bottom cap hosts a microphone and a single speaker. We found a few niggles here. While the headphone jack supports stereo accessories (3-pin) without any problems, it's electrically incompatible with most non-Nokia headsets (4-pin). The speaker is very loud and clear but is positioned such that it becomes muffled slightly as soon as the phone is placed face-up on any flat surface. On the right edge of the E7 you'll find a SIM tray (that's easily removed with a fingernail), a volume slider (which feels downright awkward), and the camera shutter button. The screen-locking slider benefits from the same excellent spring action as on the N8 but lives by itself on the left edge, where it's easier to access when using the keyboard.

The tilt-out display and physical keyboard are the stars of the show. Nokia chose a hinge mechanism similar to the one it implemented on the N97 and N97 mini. Unfortunately, on the E7 this mechanism is universally difficult to open -- almost everyone fails the first time, and risks slipping and dropping the phone in the process. We eventually figured out a sure way to operate the hinge, but it's not intuitive, and requires the (preferably symmetric) application of the right amount of force in the right spot and at the right angle. Assuming you overcome this initial hurdle, the mechanism is spring-loaded in both directions and opens / closes with a satisfying "clunk". Once open, the touchscreen rests at a 30-degree angle from the keyboard, which is equally suited for typing as it is for watching videos. The hinge, back of the display, and base of the keyboard are all cast from a suitably light, strong alloy. We didn't detect any play in the mechanism even after using the E7 for a month, but we did notice that our older review unit was easier to open than the newer one. It's worth noting that the silver model features black accents, including the touchscreen, back of the display, hinge mechanism, keyboard, camera window and flat edges of the end covers.

We're really impressed with the keyboard on the E7. It's one of the best we've used in recent memory -- on par with the keyboard on the HTC Arrive, but with an aligned 4-row layout instead of a staggered 5-row design. Tactile feedback is fantastic despite the short key travel and, unlike the N97 and N97 mini, the space bar is centered properly.

The 4-inch ClearBlack AMOLED touchscreen is bright and beautiful, even in direct sunlight. Colors are vivid, and contrast and viewing angles are excellent, as you'd expect from this type of display. Interestingly, the US version exhibits a slightly warmer color temperature. Resolution is a different story, and pixel-density enthusiasts will be disappointed. With a mere 640 x 360 pixels (what Nokia calls nHD), the E7 makes even a 4.3-inch WVGA display look high definition. Of course, we realize this is a limitation imposed by software, but in this day and age of qHD devices, it misses the mark. We also observed some strange color banding on our European review unit (see here), which might be a manufacturing defect since the problem is absent from the other one. A sheet of Gorilla Glass protects the touchscreen and houses the proximity and light sensors, the earpiece, and a front-facing camera (VGA). Strangely our US model acquired a few small scratches on the display within hours of being unboxed, despite being treated gently, while the other one survived an entire rough and tumble week at CTIA unscathed.

The E7 features almost the exact same internals as the N8: a somewhat lackluster 680MHz ARM 11 CPU, a Broadcom BCM2727 GPU, 256MB of RAM, about 350MB of phone storage, and 16GB of internal mass storage. You'll also find a complete set of radios with support for UMTS / HSPA (pentaband, including AWS), GSM / EDGE (quadband), WiFi b / g / n, Bluetooth 3.0, and AGPS -- there's even an FM receiver. Unlike the N8, there's no MicroSD card slot for additional mass storage, no Nokia 2mm charging port for legacy power sources, and no FM transmitter to annoy your friends with on roadtrips. The E7 also shares USB On-The-Go with its sibling, which allows it to host a number of common USB devices such as flash drives, self-powered hard drives, keyboards, and even optional accessories such as Nokia's ownDigital Radio Headset. Both the European and US variants ship with a USB On-The-Go adapter, HDMI adapter, stereo headset, micro-USB cable, and micro-USB charger.

The E7 and N8 come with the same 1200mAh BL-4D battery which is not user-replaceable, and without any visible Torx screws we're not even sure how to access the battery in a pinch. In our tests, call and reception quality lived up to Nokia's usual high standards and battery life was excellent for a fully specced smartphone. The E7 handily beat our Android handsets with almost three days of light duty -- usually about 30 minutes worth of calls, a dozen text messages, three email accounts and one Twitter account being monitored and tended to (that's hundreds of messages), plus the occasional photography (with upload) and music playback each day. Note that during our battery tests we enabled WiFi, turned off Bluetooth, and powered our devices down at night. Needless to say, this is exactly the kind of endurance you'd expect from a business-centric phone like the E7. 

Camera

The E7 is equipped with an 8 megapixel EDoF (Extended Depth of Field) camera and dual-LED flash. In typical Nokia fashion the optics and sensor are top notch. This, together with superior image processing results in beautiful shots. As you can see in our sample pictures, color balance and exposure are excellent, and noise is kept under control without obliterating detail. While it's no match for the phenomenal N8, the E7 camera stands out amongst today's smartphones. There's however one massive, glaring problem -- the elephant in the room, if you will -- and that's the EDoF lens. Depth of field becomes meaningless with this camera. Sure, everything from 60cm (two feet) to infinity is perfectly in focus, but just like with a fixed-focus lens it's impossible to take closeup shots. Nokia waxes poetic about how EDoF means no moving parts, allows for a thinner device, improves shooting speed, and makes it easier for the average person to use the camera. We're reminded how the 8 megapixel sensor captures enough information that images can be enlarged and cropped without a huge impact on quality. This is all true, but we feel EDoF is too much of a compromise especially when it's combined with a decent sensor and optics. It just takes away an entire layer of creativity from the picture taking experience when compared to an autofocus lens.

Nokia E7 sample shots

When it comes to video recording, the E7 captures smooth 720p HD content at 25fps with great results. EDoF actually helps here since most phones don't support continuous autofocus during video recording, and instead rely on a sub-optimal preset focus, user-controlled initial focus, or touch-to-focus during capture (like on the iPhone 4). While EDoF precludes closeups, a digital zoom is available with little (if any) effect on video quality. As a bonus, audio is recorded in stereo and sounds very clear. Our sample video was recorded on the E7 and then edited with the bundled video editor. Sadly, this caused the audio to get out of sync, which is a known bug. The camera interface on the E7 is pretty much identical to the one on the N8 and is reasonably easy to use. Most controls are easily accessible, and additional settings are nestled within menus. There's no built-in panorama mode, but a separate app with that functionality is available to download for free from the Ovi Store (see sample here). We only have a couple minor usability complaints: the shutter key is hard to find by feel, and the camera window is flush with the body of the E7 making the glass prone to scratches when the device is resting face up on a flat surface. Overall, the E7 camera delivers strong performance, but we really hope Nokia ditches EDoF and reverts to using autofocus on future flagship products.

Software

We're going to be frank here: Symbian breaks what is otherwise great hardware. Most of what we mentioned about the software in our N8 review applies to the E7 -- it's the same tired routine, a frustrating user experience that quickly becomes a burden day-to-day. Now, before you get up in arms, you have to remember that we've been Symbian users for a very long time, so we're well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of this once-glorious OS. The sad reality is that when measured against the other major platforms Symbian is no longer competitive, especially at the high-end of the market, and that's even more true today than it was six months ago after the launch of the N8. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's look at some specifics. Our European review unit was running what was formerly known as) Symbian^3 PR1.1 while our US model was one release behind at PR1.0, and both devices were using browser version 7.2. Other than the firmware, the most obvious difference between the two appears to be the bundled apps. Beyond the standard set of Nokia apps, which includes the Ovi Store, our US phone came preloaded with Quickoffice, F-Secure, National Geographic, Paramount Movie Teasers, OviMapsChallenge, Climate Mission, Psiloc World Traveler, Vlingo, and topApps. The European variant also included CNN Video and E!, but lost topApps.

Under the hood Symbian is pretty efficient which helps with battery life and multitasking, and provides adequate performance even on run-of-the-mill processors. Unfortunately the E7 often still feels sluggish, despite being faster than most past Symbian devices. The Webkit-based browser -- which used the be one of Symbian's gems -- has stagnated into oblivion over the years, and is now a complete mess. You're simply just better off installing Opera and calling it a day. Email configuration is extremely unintuitive: by default, accounts are proxied on Nokia's servers unless you decline the terms of service during setup. Only then does the email client give you direct access to your account. But it's not all doom and gloom. To this day, Symbian still provides the most comprehensive Bluetooth functionality of any mobile platform. A few apps stand out as examples of what Symbian is capable of. Ovi Maps is an excellent alternative to the ubiquitous Google Maps that supports offline navigation and provides better mapping in most parts of the world. Gravity is a fantastic Twitter client that pushes the envelope of what can be done with Symbian in terms of UI design. It takes full advantage of push notifications and even includes its own on-screen QWERTY keyboard with a portrait mode, something that's still missing from the base OS. The photo and video editors are also quite noteworthy for being powerful and easy to use. But ultimately, these are just a few shining stars in a dead constellation.

Wrap-up

After spending several weeks with the Nokia E7, there's absolutely no doubt that the it's one of the sexiest pieces of hardware we've played with in recent months. Perhaps it's not the greatest Communicator Espoo has ever bestowed upon us, but it comes close and offers the most balanced set of features of any Symbian device to date. This makes it Nokia's de facto flagship smartphone and Symbian's ambassador for the foreseeable future. Devoted Symbian fans will likely be unfazed by the official $679 asking price for the E7 (unlocked and unsubsidized) and will seriously consider picking one up (or its N8 sibling), but for the rest of us the E7 misses the mark. While providing excellent battery life, proper multitasking, and some unique functionality that will please power users, Symbian remains an unmitigated disaster, with a sluggish, frustrating, and cosmetically antiquated user experience. We just can't recommend the E7, especially in light of what the Google and Apple ecosystems have to offer. Dear Nokia, please give us an E7 with a higher pixel-density display, an autofocus camera, a current-generation processor, and a tasty serving of Windows Phone. Oh, and do it soon -- the sharks are starting to smell blood.

2011 Yamaha YZF-R1 and V-Max Bikes coming to India in April 2012 New YZF-R1 Yamaha Red Motorcycle

YZF-R1 Red

Yamaha Motors have announced their 2011 line-up of super-sports bikes that will be coming to India. The proposed bikes that will become a part of the Indian line-up for year 2011 are the latest 1000cc Yamaha R1 and the maddest and meanest V-Max.

Yamaha has released images of the bikes more for the customers to review. The bikes haven’t undergone any major changes as far as looks are concerned. The R1 gets new body graphics, red wine paint and new headlamp cluster. The V-Max comes in a raven black paint job and some chrome bits.

Yamaha V-Max 2011

There is no official information available about the power plants yet. One things for sure though, these are surely going to be extremely powerful and lightning quick. Both bikes will be launched by April next year.