The Reg reviews the N900

[ralphb]

The Register's Andrew Orlowski has been getting hands-on with the N900 and seems to like it. Somewhat.
- http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/09/02/nokia_n900_maemo5

[ColdFusion]

this link is better: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/09/02/nokia_n900_maemo5/print.html
;)

[ysss]

Thanks very much raphb!


Some of the negs:

"although typing on the iPhone is much easier than any of Nokia's Qwerty keyboards."

"It doesn't feel quite as slick at loading pages or scrolling as these rivals - while you really need a heavy site to slow down the 3GS, but my dusty personal archive took about 20 seconds to load on the N900, which felt like ages."

"For example, the purpose of double-tapping in the iPhone's browser is not merely "zoom", but "zoom to fit" a block of text. The former may require you to faff around for ages, the latter lets you get reading much faster. Has Nokia got some cultural prejudice against both reading and writing?"

Luckily, most of the above negative comments can be addressed with software update. But what about the keyboard?

After such negative comparisons, you'd think he's an apple fanboy with nothing but good things to say about the iphones. But...

"The challenge, and it's one for almost everyone, is that punters with disposal income, who are looking for a bling gadget, either want the iPhone and iPod Touch - or already have one. That's despite the fact that Apple's finest don't really excel at any one thing except music sync."

Oh, and he didn't whine about the landscape-only operation :) So that's a great sign!

[GeneralAntilles]

Ah, iPhone people. :rolleyes:

[mjc]

"It doesn't support Java, but it does support full Flash"

Really, no Java?

[livefreeordie]

He makes some strange comparisons:

"I envisage two major obstacles. At €500, the cost is higher than any of its predecessors, comparable to a pay-as-you-go iPhone, and twice that of an Asus Eee PC. Cheaper Android phones will offer the speed and slickness, with mobile operator subsidies. That'll be a tough battle."

Cheaper Android phones may offer the same slickness, but how are they going to offer the same screen and camera for less? It's not just the OS that defines the product category, you know...

S60 is going head to head with the cheaper Android phones. Maemo kicks Android's *** in the high end.

And the eee... isn't a phone. According to the same logic, why would I get an eee when I already have a PC?

[quipper8]

typing easier on iphone than nokia qwerty?????

I don't think so

[zehjotkah]

i think he never had a e71 in his hands... i find it very hard to type on the iphone...

[livefreeordie]

FWIW, I have a 5800 and thought typing on the iPhone was hard. Everyone is probably incredibly biased towards what they're used to. Try getting the capacitive fanatics to admit that, though...

[sarahn]

He forgot the rabid open source community as a market :P With openmoko appearing to be a no-starter, I suspect the n900 may compare quite favorably with many android devices.

[ysss]

@livefreeordie: most likely they'd buy (and keep) it only if it works for them though. so the bias isn't an illogical one.

but.. not all capacitive screens are created equal.

[jandmdickerson]

"It doesn't support Java, but it does support full Flash"

Really, no Java?

I thought microb enables you to turn JavaScript on or off? Did I miss something? :o

[sevla]

I find capacitive touch screen typing in landscape mode with auto correct to be light years better then full qwerty keys.. It's just easier to lightly tap the screen instead of physically pressing buttons.

Maybe it's just me.

[livefreeordie]

@livefreeordie: most likely they'd buy (and keep) it only if it works for them though. so the bias isn't an illogical one.


Not on a personal level, but when recommending devices to others you should really be up front about it.

[GeneralAntilles]

I thought microb enables you to turn JavaScript on or off? Did I miss something? :o

Java not JavaScript.

[ysss]

@livefreeordie: yes, that is very true.

[qole]

It is very weird that they didn't include Java (so far)...

[allnameswereout]

Thanks very much raphb!

Some of the negs:To be fair, the post is much more than some kind of compare with iPhone, and he states in honesty that he is an iPhone user thus allowing the reader to take this into account.

Here is a positive quote:

The N900 excels at task switching, the communication apps are good enough, and music playback and photo browsing are better than on any previous Nokia.

Text input is still hugely neglected by everyone, Nokia included.Strange comment. N810 and N900 have hardware keyboard.

The marketing people at Nokia are obsessed with photo sharing on the web, perhaps because the expensive marketing consultants they hire tell them that. Or focus groups are loaded to "rich media". But the "content" that most of users "generate" is text.We see a shift in trend, pictures saying a thousand words became more popular last years.

Also, users receive more than they sent. The difference between the two differs per individual, but its always true.

Nokia is very coy about battery life, but says the N900 should fulfill the goal of getting through a day. Talktime, I was told, should be comparable to other high end devices. I'll be astonished if that's true. Nokia's own E71 sets such a high standard here for the entire mobile industry, I can't imagine how an OpenGL device pushing five times as many pixels around is going to get close.The hardware isn't the same, the target segment isn't the same, heck the software isn't the same either.

The browser is based on Mozilla. It's much improved on earlier versions, and the performance here brings it into the Android and iPhone class. But somewhere near the back of the class, where the slow children sit. It doesn't feel quite as slick at loading pages or scrolling as these rivals - while you really need a heavy site to slow down the 3GS, but my dusty personal archive (http://andreworlowski.com) took about 20 seconds to load on the N900, which felt like ages.This experience comes from using 3G or WLAN? I read elsewhere that WLAN on NokiaWorld was slow. Did he compare the iPhone 3GS on same time? He doesn't say so.

It doesn't support Java, but it does support full Flash, so YouTube works fine. It's stolen some of the iPhone's gestures (double tap to zoom) and a really wacky one where you corkscrew clockwise to (slowly) zoom, or anti-clockwise to zoom out.Double tap or double click (middle mouse button) has been around for ages to perform a different task on the area pointer device points at, as has zooming in. Its only logical to allow focus in this way because the first way of pointer device (dragging around) is already used to scroll around, while the second one (single tap) is used to click a hyperlink. I'm not sure Apple invented this, maybe they innovated it as so many other things (first to bring succesfully on market). Do they have a patent on it? Anyone know this?

The always-on data capability ensures that. A few may opt for the N900 as a primary phone - perhaps people who don't make too many phone calls.Why? Is the device not good for large contact lists or phoning?

[allnameswereout]

He forgot the rabid open source community as a market :P With openmoko appearing to be a no-starter, I suspect the n900 may compare quite favorably with many android devices.Yes, and many other aspects weren't covered. Like GPS, camera, and accelerometer...

I guess videos are way better serving as review than written text. Maemo needs support to upload to Youtube. Hopefully that isn't too kinky for mr. Orlowski :cool:

I find capacitive touch screen typing in landscape mode with auto correct to be light years better then full qwerty keys.. It's just easier to lightly tap the screen instead of physically pressing buttons.

Maybe it's just me.Which capacitive touch screen are you referring to?

Both text input methods take time to get used to; learning curve.

When I write something I sometimes want to read or see what I'm replying to during writing. Full focus allows better focus and less distraction but has also its disadvantages.

Same for virtual keyboard. A virtual keyboard takes away a considerable part of the screen. Especially in landscape mode this is irritating me. while in portrait mode I make too many mistakes on input keys (experience comes from iPod touch).

[zehjotkah]

I find capacitive touch screen typing in landscape mode with auto correct to be light years better then full qwerty keys.. It's just easier to lightly tap the screen instead of physically pressing buttons.

Maybe it's just me.

don't worry, it's not just you... many think so.
i like to feel the buttons. i can type without look to the buttons or screen. thats not possible with the iphone (at least it wasn't for me after trying many many times). also it's waaaaay faster.

[Capt'n Corrupt]

I find capacitive touch screen typing in landscape mode with auto correct to be light years better then full qwerty keys.. It's just easier to lightly tap the screen instead of physically pressing buttons.

Maybe it's just me.

Me too. In fact, I use my N810 this way 95% of the time. Tear crashes for me if I use the full on-screen keypad, so I'm forced to use the physical qwerty -- and I dislike it to a superlative degree: it feels like an annoying full-hand workout which is a rude shift from the easy-breezy on-screen qwerty.

The finger keyboard occludes the entire screen, which isn't that great, but it works really well for quick text entry. It's pretty easy to get used to this via resistive, but I suspect capacitive (with multi-touch) would be easier than needing to ensure key-strokes are atomic (har har?). Of course auto-correct could be added to a resistive onscreen keypad, as well as other general improvements (currently, shifting == bawlz) including taking up less real-estate (so I can use it for terminal, etc).

Had I known I would have such a preference for on-screen, I would have gone with an N800. I rarely (read: never) use the N810 GPS due to lock times and lack of travel (har). Besides, SD storage isn't really a concern, and the N800 was oodles cheaper.

Here's to hoping Nokia releases a keypad-less N900z/N910/N900-slim or some such, although the N900 is still looking mighty good, keypad or not.

YARR!
}:^)~

[daperl]

I find capacitive touch screen typing in landscape mode with auto correct to be light years better then full qwerty keys.. It's just easier to lightly tap the screen instead of physically pressing buttons.

Maybe it's just me.

It's not just you; a physical keyboard is an albatross as far as I'm concerned.

The Maemo 4 word prediction is very good. Give me something like that with auto correct features and secure persistence between reboots and we'd be cookin'.

I'm not a zealot about touch screen technologies, but one nice don't-think item about capacitive screens is that you can wipe them off or put them in your pocket without having to lock them first. Over time, this starts to become a big deal.

[sevla]

Which capacitive touch screen are you referring to?

Both text input methods take time to get used to; learning curve.

When I write something I sometimes want to read or see what I'm replying to during writing. Full focus allows better focus and less distraction but has also its disadvantages.

Same for virtual keyboard. A virtual keyboard takes away a considerable part of the screen. Especially in landscape mode this is irritating me. while in portrait mode I make too many mistakes on input keys (experience comes from iPod touch).

I was referring to the Iphone. Typing on the n97 is a chore. This is one of the main reasons I want to write a virtual keyboard for the n900. That and the virtual keyboard layout is just bonkers imo. If the n900 keyboard is better then I may not have a problem with it but virtual typing is still better for me personally. Yes there is a learning curve but once you get over that hump you'll be amazed at how fast you'll be able to type.

The n900 has a considerably higher resolution then the iPhone so a properly designed vkey board should only take up about 40% of the screen. Considering that you really only need to see the text field you are typing into then it's really not that big of a deal.

[Capt'n Corrupt]

@selva

Lets hope that much thought has gone into the N900 on-screen keypad, or at the very least that its easily-replacable!

YARR!
}:^)~

[ysss]

@sevla: considerably higher resolution, but still the exact same screen estate\size. I don't think it's a good idea to reduce the keyboard size further, especially on a non capacitive screen. Else you'd be forced to use the stylus or grow one from your nail :D

PS: from the n900 demo videos, I saw all the testers were typing very quickly, effortlessly and comfortably. All good signs of a good keyboard. I also had my reservations about the keyboard (3 rows, non centered spacebar, no d-pad... and 3 rows.), but seeing the demo videos relieved me a bit.

[kanishou]

"although typing on the iPhone is much easier than any of Nokia's Qwerty keyboards."

I honestly wish that would be true, as I expect many devices to drop the keypad in the future. Typing on the N900 keypad is pure joy (I can't stand the N810 keypad either by the way), and it gives much more control while viewing (and interacting with!) the entire screen, including games. It will take a lot to make me replace the N900 with a keypad-less device in the future.


"It doesn't feel quite as slick at loading pages or scrolling as these rivals - while you really need a heavy site to slow down the 3GS, but my dusty personal archive took about 20 seconds to load on the N900, which felt like ages."

I would be surprised if this wouldn't have been the result of a network slowdown.

"For example, the purpose of double-tapping in the iPhone's browser is not merely "zoom", but "zoom to fit" a block of text. The former may require you to faff around for ages, the latter lets you get reading much faster. Has Nokia got some cultural prejudice against both reading and writing?"

I don't know what this is about, double-tapping homes in on the paragraph of text just like it should do on the iPhone. Perhaps he missed this or it malfunctioned when he tried it.

Oh, and he didn't whine about the landscape-only operation :) So that's a great sign!

I think what some people are missing is, that few devices are completely landscape and portrait. But most devices are meant to be used in portrait mode, and have more or less complete coverage of landscape orientation. The N900 is meant to be used in landscape orientation, and I believe that is the right decision.

So instead of comparing the N900's support of portrait orientation to other devices' support of portrait orientation, I believe it is fairer to compare the N900's support of portrait orientation to other devices' support of landscape orientation (e.g. the Palm Pre).

Much more complete coverage of portrait usage would have required a large amount of resources, and then it becomes a question of priorities. Doing a half-assed job on this would have lead to more confusion than it's worth, if users have to keep switching back to landscape all the time anyway.

I don't think it's a big deal, considering that you can still hold the device in one hand quite comfortably, and one hand is usually sufficient to scroll and read content at least.

[allnameswereout]

The n900 has a considerably higher resolution then the iPhone so a properly designed vkey board should only take up about 40% of the screen. Considering that you really only need to see the text field you are typing into then it's really not that big of a deal.Yes, maybe it'd function OK with 40% of screen used, but at least for me there are still issues:

1) I already find reading text easier in portrait mode while I find viewing a video easier in landscape mode. Even with higher resolution I still find the resolution of 800x288 too wide in proportion; albeit less of a nuisance than on iPhone. (Where IMO either the keyboard is usable but the view of rest is not good enough or your view is good but the keyboard is not good enough.)

2) I don't like different size of windows (content) all the time. Suddenly I have to scroll to see the text I reply to. Suddenly my gestures have less space than I'm used to. Something like a Fennec sidebar with swipe to left or right would suddenly overlap. Please keep my windows (content view) in fixed shapes as much as possible, and keep this hegemonic in the various applications.

3) I make less errors on a keyboard; this is important when doing command line work.

4) If you say its only needed when you are typing that is true however the exact same applies to a hardware keyboard use case.

We've seen some virtual keyboards here and there for Maemo 4, using QEdje and such. I think that'd be a good starting reference to see how those could be improved. Mer also has a virtual keyboard.

Maybe you can get a better answer from someone who worked on this at Nokia, like ragnar.

PS: Throughout the ages I've laughed at console games with controllers which did not have many hardware buttons, as well as iPhone. This is because users hail the gaming experience, while merely a few more good buttons would make the game performance so much more better. I seen a video of racing game on iPhone the other day. He appeared to accelerate on the touchscreen while using the accelerator to maneuver. So you have to move your hands/arms, and your fingers on touchscreen (covering it limited feedback from screen). 2 hardware buttons could have solved this. I don't think that is a good use case at all.

[iskarion]

but my dusty personal archive (http://andreworlowski.com) took about 20 seconds to load on the N900, which felt like ages.

This seems to be a bit strange. Even on a N800 with Tear this page is loading completely in around 7 seconds.
I just can't imagine, that the browser of the N900 is really that bad.

[kanishou]

PS: from the n900 demo videos, I saw all the testers were typing very quickly, effortlessly and comfortably. All good signs of a good keyboard. I also had my reservations about the keyboard (3 rows, non centered spacebar, no d-pad... and 3 rows.), but seeing the demo videos relieved me a bit.

I often actually appreciate when all necessary keys are closer to my fingers. Of course there is no denying that a separate row for numbers has a lot going for it, but otherwise I really enjoy the compact layout of the N900 keypad, which doesn't require much shifting of the fingers or the grip.

Incidentally, the most expensive desktop keyboard I ever owned, was one whose only merit was that it did exactly this to keep wrists always in their home position. :)

[allnameswereout]

I think what some people are missing is, that few devices are completely landscape and portrait. But most devices are meant to be used in portrait mode, and have more or less complete coverage of landscape orientation. The N900 is meant to be used in landscape orientation, and I believe that is the right decision.Don't know about most devices or not. Or which devices? I don't use my laptop in portrait mode. Nokia has released phones using both modes such as Nokia Communicator, Nokia N95.

Most applications and websites are optimized for landscape mode. This has traditionally been an issue for mobile phones, and part of reason WAP browser was very different from desktop browser. However, now the two are growing more towards each other (because mobile phones support HTML, JS, Flash, have more raw power, colour, etc etc).

On portrait devices you'll still need 1) to grab the metadata and present it in their own way 2) seperate layout. This even more different than from desktop applications. So while Linux desktop applications won't run perfect on Nokia N900 they'll run better on this mobile phone than any other. Still, given the different hardware compared to desktop, a different UI and interaction with UI is necessary.

[ysss]

@kanishou: and what keyboard would that be? :D

[kanishou]

@kanishou: and what keyboard would that be? :D

http://comedialabs.com/images-matti/hhkb.jpg

The one at the bottom. :)

[ysss]

oh, an HHK :D congrats

[gerbick]

Some of the negs:

"although typing on the iPhone is much easier than any of Nokia's Qwerty keyboards."

What!? I'll take a physical keyboard over the iPhone's virtual keyboard anyway of the week.

I misspell don't "font" so many damn times daily...

[qgil]

This seems to be a bit strange. Even on a N800 with Tear this page is loading completely in around 7 seconds.
I just can't imagine, that the browser of the N900 is really that bad.

Improvised test with 3G: about 5 secs to have top content and start reading and about 7 to have the full page loaded.

[qole]

The N900 keyboard really is nice (see my full article (http://maemo.org/community/council/the_n900_from_a_community_perspective/)), but it is quite different typing on an iPhone and typing on an N900. If you've been typing on an iPhone for a year or more, then it is going to be difficult to switch to the N900, because your fingers and brain have adapted to the limitations and idiosyncrasies of the iPhone's suggestions and typing pace. But, for me, having typed on neither a Nokia keyboard nor an iPhone virtual keyboard, it seemed very nice indeed.

[Jaffa]

It is very weird that they didn't include Java (so far)...

Peter explains it quite well (no matter how much I disagree that sandboxed Java applets are the issue, and it's Java applications, platform and IDEs which make it powerful):

Most platforms have a single development environment: Android, iPhone and webOS all have pretty much a single way of developing apps. Nokia have two (and that's already more complicated than is ideal from selling the device to new developers): Web Runtime and Qt.

Options increase the barrier to entry - but (and this is a point I made very strongly) so do crap development tools :-/