Thread: New review on Engadget
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cb474 is offline cb474
2009-11-17 , 02:47
Posts: 203 | Thanked: 68 times | Joined on Oct 2009
#26
Originally Posted by Rushmore View Post
Seems a fair statement considering Nokia and some on this board have gone out of their way to point out the N900 is a computer that also has phone function. A person wanting a smartphone expects a phone-centric device. N900 is not that, so they would likely not be happy with the "out of the box" phone features.

Been burned out already, but too many phone features missing for the average smartphone user- that is expecting a smartphone.
Thanks for the comment. Can you be more specific about what phone features are missing in the N900?

Originally Posted by christexaport
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 completely agree with you that the potential of the N900 is huge and it's a very forward looking device. That said, Engadget is basically a blog for consumers. Most of it's readers are just looking for a phone that will serve their current purposes, not betoken a wonderful world of possibilities that isn't quite here yet. So I think from the perspective of the average smartphone consumer the review was perfectly fair. The review was full of admiration for the N900, but also suggested that it's probably a better device right now for developers and people who like to be early adopters. That seems perfectly fair, to me, and not a criticism at all.

Yes, MMS and Portrait mode will probably come later to the N900, but who wants to buy a phone based on features it might get in the future? No one spared the iPhone from criticism for lacking cut and paste, MMS, 3G, etc., when it first came out. It's fair to base a phone review on the features that it will have when it comes to market, not at some future time after that. Like you, I too have read pretty much all the reviews out there. They all say the pre-production N900 units are pretty much supposed to represent the feature set the final N900 will have. So I think it's fair to come to some conclusions based on a late pre-production N900, viewed as the final unit is actually in the process of shipping to retail outfits. What exactly is Nokia going to change on the devices while they're in a shipping container in the middle of the ocean?

Also, it's really tiring how everyone is so happy to jump down Engadget's throat for allegedly being unfair to Nokia. Engadget is snarky about everybody. They do not single out Nokia. DaveP1 has a great post here (http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p...9&postcount=23) where he lists the leads from recent Engadget posts about the iPhone. They are just as snarky and critical as anything they ever say about anyone else. It's like, if someone says something critical of a product you don't like, then it's justified, but if someone dares say one non-positive thing about Nokia or the N900, then it's sacriledge. I'm excited about the N900, I don't like the iPhone, but I hardly think the N900 or Nokia are above reproach.