Nokia N900 / Maemo 5 preview
Michal Jerz, September 2009

Based on a proto unit - subject to changes and updates when final SW becomes available
(updated information is in green)

Camera software

Quality and performance of still shots and videos has been described in the Hardware part. Now let's take a look at the Camera application and its functions/settings. The Camera can be started either by clicking an icon in the Menu (which will in turn show a request to open the camera cover) or simply by sliding the cover open directly. In such case it only takes about 2 seconds for the Camera app to launch.

What you get is basically a full screen viewfinder with some OSD icons and symbols. In the top right corner there is an "X" icon to close the Camera app. Below it, there's an icon showing the current camera mode (Video or Stills) and letting you switch between them. The next icon opens the Settings menu, then there's one for Flash settings, and the last one is a shortcut to the Photos (image viewer) application in Picture mode or to the Media Player (video player) application in Video mode.

Camera modes are divided into two groups, for still images and videos. The first group lets you choose between the following modes: Automatic, Macro, Landscape, Portrait and Action. The Video group on the tested unit is limited to just the "Automatic" setting, and at this point I have no information whether additional modes will be added.

Capture settings for still shots include the following items: White Balance (Automatic, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten or Fluorescent), Exposure (adjustable using a slider with live preview between -2.0 EV and +2.0 EV with 0.5 EV steps), ISO sensitivity (Automatic, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400) and Resolution (High Resolution - 5 MPix or Widescreen Resolution - 3.5 MPix).

In the Video mode Capture settings are limited to White balance (the same options as for stills) and Exposure (the same adjustment range as for stills).

Flash settings consist of the following options: Automatic, Always On, Always Off, Red Eye Reduction.

A couple of additional options are available via menu reachable by tapping the status bar (which is visible when the Camera app is switched from a full screen to a "windowed" mode by tapping anywhere in the viewfinder). These include: General settings ("Memory in use": Internal storage or Memory card, "Creator name" to be included in the EXIF information embedded in images, and "Show captured video": 2 seconds, 6 seconds, No time-out), Geotagging On/Off (recording GPS co-ordinates to images and video clips), and Restore settings (reverting all Camera settings to factory defaults).

In the lower left corner of the viewfinder there's an on-screen information about the memory in use, available recording time or the number of shots remaining (depending on free memory) and the selected camera resolution.

Well... and that's it for the moment... Hopefully some further options will be added in the final firmware as with such a nice quality of still pictures and videos (as described in the Hardware part earlier) it would be really useful to have some more advanced modes and effects, even just Sepia or Monochrome, some Contrast and Sharpness adjustments, etc. Options like self-timer, ability to show a grid or a burst mode would also be more than welcome. But it's worth to stress once again that the reviewed unit is an early proto, so lack of these advanced options and modes in it does not absolutely mean that they are not going to be there. Like with other applications, I will update the information about Camera once I get a newer firmware.

At the moment, I can't say much about the secondary (front-facing) camera other than it is there and offers VGA (640x480) resolution for both stills and videos (in H.263 format). There was no option on the tested unit to enable it, so expect an update in this department once I get a newer SW build.

For the time being let me just repeat that quality of stills and videos is really a very decent one, which is actually the most important thing as software - unlike hardware - can always be updated and enhanced.

Other applications

Now let's take a look at the remaining pre-installed applications.

The Clock application lets you set new alarms, manage existing ones, and set any number of world clocks. Alarms can be set to be repeated on selected week day or everyday. You can change the Alarm tone and snooze time (5, 10 or 15 minutes). World clocks can be selected using a world map with time zones or from a database of major cities.

Calculator supports both Basic and Scientific mode.

Notes is a text editor supporting Plain text and Formatted text modes. In the Plain text mode there are no options: just type text and save it in a plain text file. In the Formatted text mode, text can be aligned (left/right/center), you can change fonts and their sizes, apply Bold, Italic and Underline, use different text colours and create lists. Undo and Redo functions are available in both modes.

PDF reader is very fast. Rendering and displaying even advanced, multimegabyte PDF documents with embedded fonts, images, etc. is instantenous. On the other hand, the PDF reader is the only application that does not support kinetic scrolling. After you get used to all other applications scrolling kinetically (which is supported system-wide), this feels a little bit cumbersome. Another disappointing thing is that it does not work in the portrait mode; many ebooks, guides, etc. would look much better and would be much more convenient to read in portrait than in landscape. Finally, you can only scroll within the current page; you cannot scroll to the next or previous page, this can be done using the Previous/Next buttons only. The same applies to zoom, which can be changed with on-screen +/- buttons or using the hardware (Volume) +/- button, but not with a simple finger swipe. And there is no Search funtion. So although very fast, the PDF reader is overly simplish when it comes to available funtions and control. Hopefully it is subject to an update...

File Manager, as its name says, it a simple file management tool letting you browse contents of the main memory and the memory card, create or delete folders, copy/move/delete/rename files and see their details, and check storage memory usage. There's nothing special to describe here, it just does what it's supposed to. In case of the buit-in memory, it only "sees" what the user is supposed to see, i.e. just the /home/user/MyDocs folder contents. Advanced users who would like to have free access to the entire file system will need to use the X-Terminal or one of available 3rd party file managers, like e.g. GPE File Manager or Midnight Commander.

RSS reader supports any number of feeds. Its auto-update function lets you stay up-to-date with latest news and new publications on your favourite blogs as they come. It can be set to autoupdate every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1, 2, 4 or 8 hours, via WLAN only or with any connection. It is integrated with the RSS Desktop Widget you can place on your home screen, which will display the latest entries and can be set to automatically scroll them and open them either in the RSS viewer or in the WWW browser. Other options of the viewer include single- or dual-pane view (full screen text or with a list of available feeds visible so that you can quickly switch between them), search function, manual refresh of the current feed, managing feeds (subscribing and unsubscribing), configuring the size of image cache and viewing detailed information about a feed.

Sketch is a simple drawing application. Tools include freehand, line, rectangle, circle, eraser, brush size (four levels), colour palette and Undo. Canvas size (by default set to the display size) can be extended via menu by selecting "Add to top/bottom/left/right" options, or cropped. Images can be saved in PNG format.

Using the Backup application you can create (and restore) backups of the internal memory and store them on the memory card. Backup contents may include the following data: Communication (i.e. Contacts, Call logs, Messages and Conversations), browser bookmarks, all system settings (including configured accounts), and Application list. Backups can be protected with a password and encrypted. One important thing worth mentioning is that the Backup application, even though it has an option to backup "Application list", does NOT backup the actual installed software. It only stores information about installed applications (name, repository which it was installed from, version, etc) and then based on this information it tries to re-install it from the repositories. This solution has both advantages and disadvantages. Reinstalling software from its Internet repository ensures that you always get the newest version, which is a good thing. On the other hard, if the repository is down or, even worse, gone for good, you simply won't get that application back. In my opinion, there should be an option letting the user choose if he/she prefers to backup just the software list and then try to reinstall it from repositories, or to backup the actual applications, just to be sure that they can be restored no matter if their repositories are available or not...

X Terminal is something that does not need explanation to any user familiar with Linux/Unix systems. Basically, it is a command shell. The good thing about it on the N900 is that it provides full access to the entire operating (file) system, normally hidden from the user under the UI layer. Moreover, you can easily enable root access in it (e.g. by simply downloading and installing one of available packages like e.g. "rootsh" and then typing "sudo gainroot" in the Terminal) which gives you full read/write access to all system folders and files. Install Midnight Commander for even more convenient access and file management and have fun with modding your pocket Linux machine!

The N900 comes with four games preinstalled. These four games haven't changed since the N800 Internet Tablet (or maybe even the 770) and include: Blocks, Marbles, Mahjong and Chess. There quite nice to start with, but many more games are already available in the repositories so don't worry, there's more than just that. It is also worth mentioning Bounce Evolution (available for free download from the pre-configured Maemo Extras repository), which is fully sensor-controlled and offers superb graphics and gaming experience.

By default, there are no Office applications installed (at least in the tested proto unit). However, DataViz' Documents-To-Go suite (compatible with Microsoft Office) is already available for download via one of the pre-configured repositories. The downloadable version is only a trial of the Viewer Edition (which means that it only allows viewing existing documents), so getting a fully functional version allowing to create new documents and edit existing ones will most probably be a paid upgrade. The Documents To Go suite consists of three separate applications: Word To Go (MS Word compatible), Sheet To Go (Excel compatible) and Slideshow To Go (Powerpoint compatible). I tested them with Office documents and they worked just fine and had no compatibility issues, but I could only test them as viewers so until the full version becomes available I cannot comment on their document edition/creation capabilities...

Application Manager

The last thing left to describe, but quite an important one, is the Application manager. Unlike on Symbian OS phones, where the App Manager is mainly used to uninstall installed 3rd party software, on Maemo its role and functionality is much more important, fully justifying its name of the Application Manager.

Even though the N900 supports installing software directly from a file (downloaded with the WWW browser, received via Bluetooth, copied from the PC, etc.), you will quickly realize that getting and installing software via the Application Manager is a much better and more convenient way, not just to install the software but also to be automatically notified about any updated versions, additional files or plug-ins for it, etc. Update: I was told that on the N900 support for installing local .deb files had been removed from the Application Manager (for security reasons and to ensure that users will be installing only compatible and complete (i.e. without missing dependencies, etc.) software via the repositories), making repositories the only way to install applications. More advanced users, however, will still be able to install .deb packages manually, e.g. using the good old dpkg command in the X-Terminal.

The Application Manager works with the so called "repositories", which are - in huge simplification - folders/catalogues on Internet servers containing one or more downloadable and installable 3rd party applications. All you need to do is to add details of a repository to the Application Manager and it will check the repository and list all applications contained in it. You can add as many repositories as you can only find and the App Manager will monitor all of them and list all software they contain. Just press the "Browse installable applications" button in App Manager's main view and you'll be presented with a list of available software categories (e.g. Games, Education, Multimedia, Office, Navigation, Desktop, etc. or simply All). Select the category of your interest and you'll see a list of installable software belonging to that category, along with an icon, description, version number and file size. Tap the selected title, confirm the disclaimer that appears and have fun with your newly installed app!

But that's not all. As mentioned, the App Manager not only lists new software but also keeps monitoring all configured repositories for any changes and updates. As soon as there's a new version of any application you have installed, you will be instantly notified about it. And no, it does not take launching the App Manager from time to time just to check if there's an update; you will be notified about all updates automatically, with a special icon shown in the status bar, visible on the home screen and actually almost any other screen or application of the device. Just tap it and you'll be taken to the App Manager where you can download the available update with just one click. Of course, you can also manually check for updates anytime, just by tapping the "Check for updates" button in App Manager's main view. It will take you to a list of all available updates.

The same procedure will be used by Nokia for system updates. You'll no longer have to check manually if there's an update for your device, you will be notified about it instantly by the App Manager, the same way as in case of 3rd party software. Firmware updates will be available Over-The-Air.

Like on S60, the App Manager can obviously also be used to uninstall software. Tap the "Show installed applications" button, select the program you want to unistall from the list of all installed applications and few seconds later... enjoy having more free storage space on your phone :-)

Finally, using the App Manager to install software has one more important advantage. In case an installed application gets damaged or deleted, instead of searching the Web to re-download and re-install it, you can just go to the App Manager and just select it from a list and it'll be downloaded and installed in no time and no additional effort. And, as already mentioned, when you're restoring a backup, the App Manager will re-download your software from the repositories to make sure that you'll get the most recent versions...

Oh, and as I already wrote a couple of times, there are no Symbian Signed type annoyances, nothing has to be signed, certified, unlocked, etc. It's a FREE world!

Well, for now that's it! We're at about 110th kilobyte of this preview and in order not to bore you death it's time for a...

... short summary

I tried to describe the N900 in every possible detail to give you an impression about how it looks and feels, how powerful it is, how does it compare to other mobile devices and what are its biggest advantages and drawbacks. As stressed several times, the tested unit had both hardware and software in a "prototype" stage, so some features weren't present or working yet (and thus couldn't have been described) and many things were subject to further optimizations, improvements and enhancements. This preview will be updated (to eventually become a "full review") as soon as I am able to test the final hardware and "production" software.

Even now, at the previewed unit's early development stage, the N900 truly impressed me with its FANTASTIC PERFORMANCE, STABILITY (it was really ROCK STABLE, take my word), BEAUTIFUL and ADVANCED user interface, very high quality and full integration of TELEPHONY and INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, fast and powerful web browser, great support for VoIP (especially Skype), high quality camera and video recording and, actually, ALMOST EVERYTHING ELSE. I don't remember being that excited with any mobile device since the first Nokia Communicators and UIQ 2 phones. Really! Multiple questions posted on the forums about how the N900 compares to existing Symbian OS phones can only get one answer: they just DON'T compare, the N900 is a wholy different league. If any of the existing mobile devices can be (honestly) called a mobile computer then the N900 deserves such a name in the first place.

What's hot:

• VERY high performance: powerful OMAP3430 processor, hardware gfx and video acceleration, lots of operating memory
• rock stable
• great, high quality WVGA screen (I wouldn't mind it being capacitive, but it's responsive enough for it not to be an issue)
• fully functional as a mobile phone, well integrated with the rest of the system
• all connectivity options one could think of
• fast and stable 3G/HSDPA connectivity
• great, fully integrated support for VoIP, e.g. Skype
• BEAUTIFUL user interface, powerful, intuitive, easy to use
• advanced home screen: four separate desktops, support for widgets, fully customizable
• both stylus and finger friendly control
• Calendar, Contacts, Office suite finally present on Maemo (compared to previous Tablets) and more advanced than on S60 phones
• GPS receiver is very fast and sensitive, much faster than on S60 phones (except for the Omnia HD)
• high quality camera and video recording
• hardware keyboard
• good and fast web browser, compatible with virtually all websites I tested it with, fully supporting Flash (and all kinds of Flash videos), Ajax, Javascript, etc.
• fantastic video playback, crisp and smooth.

What's not: (maybe just on the tested prototype?)

• no handwriting recognition
• storage memory for installable applications limited to ridiculous 256 MB, all the remaining gigabytes available for documents and data files only (final units will ship with additional 2 GB storage space for 3rd party software installation; it is just being worked on)
• lack of d-pad (it's an Nseries device, so some people would like to play games on it!)
• the keyboard is nice, but could be even better (to attract Communicator users)
• the display seems to be easily scratchable; screen protector or carrying case are recommended to protect it
• lens cover does not scratch the lens (like on the N97) but it does scratch the part of the casing it slides over
• since the memory card is hot swappable, why there's no access to it from the outside?
• some sort of hardware "Home" button quickly switching to the Desktop would be really useful
• no audio equalizer
• Nokia, PLEASE, add voice dialling!
• no Java support, even just Java MIDP
• very limited support for Profiles, only "General" and "Silent", no possibility to create own profiles, no timed Profiles, etc.
• the touch display "de-calibrating" from time to time on the tested unit, probably due to early, pre-release firmware.
• no MMS support.

What hasn't been tested on the current proto and will be updated when I get hold of a newer firmware:

• synchronization
• voice navigation
• Bluetooth
• FM transmitter
• power consumption / battery life
• FM radio (if it's there, which is unclear). (it has been confirmed to me that the N900 DOES HAVE FM radio; it will ship without built-in FM radio software, but it will be created and made available for download via the Extras repository by Maemo community).

Stay tuned for the full review based on final firmware! And in the meantime, if you have any further questions, or just to share your impressions about the N900 with us, visit our Maemo Discussion Forum.

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