Five Features We Want in the Nokia N900

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By Phil Barker on February 24,

2010 at 00:00,

The Nokia N900 is one of our favourite smartphones, offering exceptional power and features to go with its innovative Maemo 5 operating system. It can’t stand still, however, with a range of excellent Android-based handsets and the Apple iPhone 4G on their way, so what next for the Nokia N900? We take a look at the features the Nokia N900’s successor will need if it’s to prove successful…

We’re big fans of the Nokia N900, but there are lots of areas where changes could be made if it’s to fall in line with rivals. It’s arguable whether some of these features will actually make its successor a better smartphone, however, so we’ve taken a look at what could be included in the next Nokia N900, and whether the changes will make it a better device.

Capacitive or resistive touchscreen technology?

If the Nokia N900 has come in for criticism, one of the recurring themes centres on the resistive display. With resistive panels, extra pressure has to be added in order to get a reaction to your inputs and, with multi-touch technology, capacitive panels are currently in vogue. This doesn’t mean they’re better, however.

With so many ‘experts’ calling for capacitive technology in the next Nokia N900, it’s worth thinking about what you’ll lose if Nokia does make the switch. For a start, capacitive panels aren’t as accurate, and you’ll need to use the largest part of your finger to get a response. They may not currently be as popular, but there’s also no denying the appeal of being able to use your touchscreen device while wearing gloves, or with a stylus.

Nokia has also shown with the current Nokia N900, and with devices such as the Nokia N97 Mini, that resistive technology can be brilliantly responsive. For us, the only downside is the lack of multi-touch support, but if this could somehow be implemented it could be a perfect solution. We’d like to know what you think, however, so leave a comment below and let us know: Capacitive or resistive?

Touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard?

One of the factors stopping the Nokia N900 from achieving the same sort of success as some of its rivals is the bulky form factor, in part necessitated by the inclusion of a full QWERTY keyboard.

So, is it worth dropping the QWERTY keyboard? This would allow the Nokia N900’s successor to be at least half the thickness, certainly allowing it to slip into pockets a lot easier than the current model. This would naturally impact on usability, although with one of the larger touchscreen panels on the market, the Nokia N900 also offers a better platform on which to base an onscreen keyboard.

As it stands, we’d prefer to put up with the extra bulk, as the keyboard is truly excellent and it makes a great device for writing emails. Again, we’d like to know what you think, however: Is it worth dropping the keyboard altogether in favour of a much smaller form factor, or do you think this is one of the factors that makes the current Nokia N900 so good to use.

Maemo 5, Maemo 6 or MeeGo?

The announcement of MeeGo – a combination of Maemo and Moblin – at Mobile World Congress took us by surprise, especially considering how good an operating system Maemo 5 on the Nokia N900 is. There’s always room for improvement, however, and with Intel also on board MeeGo definitely has a lot of potential. Whether the Nokia N900’s successor will be the first device to switch to MeeGo remains to be seen, however, as it could also use an updated version of the current Maemo 5 operating system.

It wouldn’t be a disaster either way, as the current OS has proved itself time and time again as a wonderfully fluid and versatile choice, and one of the reasons the Nokia N900 has gained so much support. What would you prefer to see though? An evolution of the current software, or a switch to MeeGo?

AMOLED technology

Nearly all of the rival products we’ve seen launched this year have featured AMOLED technology for the screen, and it seems almost inevitable that Nokia will follow suit with the next Nokia N900.

Providing better, brighter and more vivid colours, an AMOLED screen could transform the Nokia N900. It’s also a more power efficient technology, and on a device with a big screen like the Nokia N900, this could make a big difference to battery life.

Ovi Maps with turn-by-turn navigation

One of the biggest disappointments so far this year is the fact that the Nokia N900 currently lacks support for Ovi Maps 3.03, with its free turn-by-turn navigation. Ovi Maps 3.03 has proved incredibly successful, and judging by the amount of feedback we’ve received the successor to the Nokia N900 must include support for the latest versions of Ovi Maps.

With its big screen and landscape orientation, the Nokia N900 is the perfect smartphone to double as a sat-nav device, so it really is a shame that we haven’t seen support for Ovi Maps 3.03 as yet. Offering support for the Nokia N900’s successor will definitely prove popular, however, and help to beat off rivals.

Is there anything else you’d like to see in the Nokia N900’s successor? We’d like to hear your ideas, so leave a comment and let us know.

/ View all comments

lucas

I would agree with you on these points however i think you have left out a more important feature. The Next Nokia Mameo 5, 6 or Meego phone that comes out needs more applications. There are so many applications that are missing on the Ovi platform. It is interesting to read how Apple have just blocked a load of applications on their apps store however they simply never made an apearance on the Ovi platform.
We all love Nokia phones yet the hardware is nolonger the reason why we buy phones, It is what software we can run on them.
An example of this is the iphone. Crap hardware eg the camera yet had all the apps. Nokia is coming on leaps and bounds but still has a long way to go.
ramone

isn’t nokia working on making the current ovi maps compatible??
mjoa

I really love the hardware keyboard but I must be in the minority. So maybe two Meego models, one with and one without (a sleek sexy device for those who put looks ahead of functionality). One of them needs to have a capacitive screen to please the greater public.

lucas: I know iBoys like to tout about \\\’billion app downloads a second in appstore\\\’ but to be honest, that\\\’s the only thing they _can_ do to modify their phone (I don\\\’t count jailbraking). For most things I think instead of \\\’there\\\’s an app for that\\\’, \\\’there\\\’s a browser for that\\\’ in the N900 as with the N900 you get the \\\’internet internet\\\’ and not any \\\’watered down iPhone-internet\\\’. The only thing I really need besides the browser in the N900 are the widgets that are mostly already there – can\\\’t think of anything I\\\’d need from an appstore, besides maybe Crazy Birds. But I must be in the minority once again.

My 2 cents.
lucas

mjoa i would agree with you that this is not a phone but a mini computer so yes in theory does not need any apps however as i love (to the point of almost obsessed with) nokia phones yet I feel left out that I cant use the mobile app for my bank, I cant use the Waitrose app, I cant use lots of other apps that have been demonstrated to me by my friends who have apple phones. Don’t get me wrong I’m not going to trade in my N900 for an iphone just yet but I do feel left out that I am excluded from taking part in showing off my new cool app.

I fall into the category of someone with a higher disposable income but without the ability to make my phone a Wii Remote or able to install Starcraft etc. I am not a geek but an end user. Out of the box I find that there is not a lot of cool things I can do with my phone with out spending hours reading blogs and forums to get the things that are cool on my phone. Unfortunately I need Ovi to seriously increase in the amount of cool apps otherwise I will be sidelined. I will buy the next N900 (or what ever it is called) I may even pre order but there needs to be more apps. Like 99% of all end users we don’t care how the thing works, We don’t care about all the supped up Processers etc. We just want the thing to look cool, easy to use and have the WOW factor. In today’s day and age the WOW factor does not come as much from the hardware but the software.
mjoa

lucas: I totally agree that N900 is half baked with a confusing line up of downloading apps: ovi store with little selection, maemo select and the application installer app itself. Having to add software repositories is not a nice thing either. These things must be better handled by the next N900 (which I as a Nok fan will definitely buy and pass the N900 to the wife who loves it as a tetris console:).

P.S. I have had no problems using my RBS account in the browser but I understand if people want a separate app for that. I have yet to decide whether this whole separate-app-for-every-task is good thing or just apple\\\’s very succesful closed ecosystem world domination plot (in which they failed in the 80s but now seem to succeed in and scarily they seem to be moving all their platforms towards closedness).
Phil B

Mjoa – I too love the hardware keypad, I find it very difficult to get by without one. That’s why sliding keyboards are so nice – best of both world, even if it does make the phone bulkier.

I agree with you Mjoa – I tend to use websites to carry out most things.

Lucas – how many different apps do you think you’d actually use? A lot of them that appear do indeed have a ‘wow’ factor, but the novelty seems to wear off quite quickly on the more gimmicky ones. What sort of thing would you be looking for? Would you genuinely want to use it as a Wii remote for instance – granted it’s a cool idea, but it means charging your phone a lot more often!!
Tracey E

It seems like my suggestion will be beating a dead horse. I understand that you can send a picture thru email. But i miss the simplest of features and that is to be sitting at the lake and take a picture, look up a phone numer and sending it thru mms. And vice versa I would like my friends and family that dont have data plans to be able to take a picture and send it to me and be able to send it mms. Sometimes its kinda embarrasing to show the wonderful features of the n900 to my friends and family but to get asked did u get my picture I sent u and to tell them no that my phone cant recieve a picture that way.
Thanks

Tracey E
mohammad

1. capacitative touch screen with multi touch
2. i personall want 2 VERSIONS:
– touch screen
– QWERTY keyboard.

With 2 versions Nokia can capture the entire market. Both with the same looks, same features, only difference:size and keyboard.

3. meego
4. amoled
5. turn by turn

LASTLY – - – Nokia has to set a standard! Meaning they should not release a million phones like the n900…….whenever one thinks of touch screen the first thing that comes to mind is iphone.
the first time we see an e72/73…we think blackberry…………..both blackberry and iphone have set a standard or a brand. I’m not saying that nokia’s standard is low or it is not a brand. for god sake it has the greatest market share.

My point is when you think of nokia………….nothing specific comes to the mind. its just a company which manufacturees a millions phones everyday.

n900 should get a name to make it feel special, like bold, curve, iphone…….a number is like……it feels like its one of the million things out there. no special feeling…n900, n800, n70, n60

Looks should be changed slightly……i think a bit if metal or chrome should be added to the looks. bec that is attractive.

1 . name should be given —> differentiate itself from the million other phones it manufactures
2. add a touch of chrome or metal…make it look sexier. it already has a sleek look but not sexy
3. 2 different versions: keyboard and touch………….keyboard being the one which is slightly more expensive
4. multi touch