X
Tech

Hallelujah! Nokia N900 Maemo 5 device supports T-Mobile USA 3G

I have the Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets and while they can be fun to use from time to time, but their performance and speed holds them back. Today Nokia announced the rumored N900 running Maemo 5 and with T-Mobile USA 3G support I am putting my Nokia N97 for sale. The N900 is the latest Linux-powered Internet Tablet with GSM/HSDPA and just about every other wireless technology you could want.
Written by Matthew Miller, Contributing Writer

I have the Nokia N800 and N810 Internet Tablets and while they can be fun to use from time to time, but their performance and speed holds them back. Today Nokia announced the rumored N900 running Maemo 5 and with T-Mobile USA 3G support I am putting my Nokia N97 for sale. The N900 is the latest Linux-powered Internet Tablet with GSM/HSDPA and just about every other wireless technology you could want.

Specs of the new Nokia N900 include:

  • ARM Cortex-A8 600 MHz processor with 256MB of RAM (and 768MB of virtual memory)
  • Maemo 5 user interface
  • Up to 1GB of application memory
  • OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration
  • 32GB of integrated storage
  • Expandable up to 48GB via a microSD card
  • WiFi (b/g) (includes UPnP support)
  • Bluetooth 2.1
  • HSDPA connectivity (triband WCDMA 900/1700/2100 and quadband GSM)
  • 5 megapixel digital camera with Carl Zeiss optics
  • 3.5 inch WVGA (800 x 480) touch screen
  • FM transmitter
  • Integrated A-GPS
  • 3.5 mm AV jack (audio and TV-out)
  • Nokia BL-5J battery with 1320 mAh capacity

With the unsubsidized price of approximately EUR500 (US$712) it is going to be a pricy device so I will have to get rid of something to help pay for it. The N97 was announced last year at Nokia World and released a few months ago to the disappointment of most. I have tried getting by with the N97, but the anemic amount of included RAM frustrates me to no end as the browser cache builds and apps get closed in the background. The N900 has a similar form factor with a 3 row QWERTY keyboard, but with a higher res display and much better internal components.

With Linux software, Mozilla-based browser technology and now also with cellular connectivity, the Nokia N900 delivers a powerful mobile experience," says Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President, Markets, Nokia. "The Nokia N900 shows where we are going with Maemo and we'll continue to work with the community to push the software forward. What we have with Maemo is something that is fusing the power of the computer, the internet and the mobile phone, and it is great to see that it is evolving in exciting ways.

The N97 now appears to be more phone/messaging focused while the N900 is more data/media focused and since I am a data hound and make few calls the N900 is the simple choice.

Are any of you excited about the N97? Will this come to T-Mobile USA to compete with the iPhone, BlackBerry Storm, and Palm Pre? I think it could fit in with the myTouch 3G running Android becuase the N900 has the keyboard while the myTouch 3G is focused on the touch experience and the consumer.

Editorial standards