Comment: Dual Boot, Symbian and Maemo

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:24:03 +0000

Let me tell you something about my Mac, it’s actually a PC. Just like all other Intel based Macs, I can install and boot into Windows.

I would guess that only about 10% of all Intel Mac owners have Windows installed into a partition on their hard drive and of those only a minority actually boot up in Windows regularly.

The point is this: Mac owners can have the best of both worlds, should they wish.

After my recent experiences with the Maemo based Nokia N900 and the Android powered Nexus One, I’ve come to appreciate Symbian a little more. That’s not to say that Android or Maemo aren’t better than Symbian in many ways, rather it’s simply a realisation that the grass over the fence isn’t quite the lush shade of green that I had been led to believe.

This got me thinking about the prospect of a dual boot pocket computer from Nokia.

I don’t pretend to know the ins and outs of todays device hardware architecture, but I do know that the chipset used in the N900 is broadly similar to the chipset used in the Samsung i8910. How hard can it be to allow some future Nokia to boot into both Symbian and Maemo?

Some might argue that this would be of limited benefit and a feature that might only be used by a small fraction. This is true, but that doesn’t stop it from being a unique selling point and a feature that would most certainly get many influential geeks buzzing!

Because of the open source nature of both Symbian and Maemo the cost to Nokia would be minimal, and as they already produce hardware running both operating systems the support infrastructure is already in place.

Despite Nokia’s intention to transform itself into an Internet services company, I still believe that Nokia’s greatest strength is hardware design and manufacturing. Perhaps a kind of OS agnostic hardware platform would play to their strengths and allow them to dabble, even if only very lightly, with another operating system altogether... Android.

Going back the Mac analogy, if you can afford the so called ‘Apple Tax‘, buying a Mac is almost a no-brainer, you get the awesome hardware and a choice of all three operating systems, Mac OS X, Windows and Linux. A new class of device from Nokia that comes with Symbian and Maemo right out of the box with the option of installing Android would be a very difficult offer to turn down.

There is one more interesting lesson to be had from the dual boot Mac. When Apple first introduced the ability to install Windows there was a vocal group of pundits who proclaimed the death of OS X. In their world view most users would boot into Windows and leave it in Windows, hence undermining the strength of the OS X developer community.

This didn’t happen, and there are two reasons why.

One, Apple did not ship hardware with Windows pre-installed. This deterred the average Joe from even bothering to install Windows. They were happy enough just to know that they could install Windows should they need to.

Two, Apple worked hard to ensure that OS X remained better than Windows and started a strikingly successful advertising campaign to demonstrate this to the general public.

Nokia could follow this example by not pre-installing Android, only providing a link to the Android download from their website and literature. Then aggressively and openly comparing the advantages of Symbian/Maemo over Android.

This seems like a smart move for a company that is clearly hedging its bets when it comes to operating systems - a way to expand their reach, yes perhaps even into Android territory, without losing credibility.

What do you think, have I missed anything obvious, would you buy such a device, and if so which OS would you see yourself using the most? Please let me know in a comment below.

N900: Day 6. Photography. Colour Shootout!

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:33:13 +0000

At this point I’d like to introduce another pocket computer. The Google Nexus One is just about the pinnacle of Android technology. With specs that match, and in some cases surpass, both the iPhone 3GS and Nokia N900 could the Nexus One live up to the hype?

As I’ve already established, the N900 is a rather fine stills camera. With its 5MP sensor and Carl Zeiss optics the N900 should be able to see off both the 3GS and Nexus in a photographic shootout, and indeed it does.

Before I go any further I’d like to point out that although these tests may seem detached from the reality of everyday photography, for me at least they do highlight the underlying strengths and weaknesses of the camera unit and hence should be of particular interest to anyone who is looking for a decent alternative to a cheap digital camera.

The test subject is a page from a printed Process Colour Selector. I used this as it contains a nice range of colour and also a way of measuring accuracy, namely, values that indicate the Cyan, Yellow, Magenta mix.

The best pocket computer camera would be the one that captured a broad range of colour that was both nicely balanced and reasonable accurate.

On to the results...

RAW DATA

Over on the right of the chart you can see the actual colour mix with a little bit of compensation for the colour of the paper. The figures are a percentage. To be clear this is not supposed to be a scientifically accurate test, just a way for me to make sense of what I’m seeing.

Looking at the figures and the associated colour tabs, it’s immediately clear that there is something strange with the Nexus One’s shots. The N900 and iPhone 3GS are quite similar with the main difference being the general level of saturation. The iPhone seems to be better at reds and the N900 more accurate in the greens. But the Nexus One image looks dull and contains a blue cast which kills off the yellows and reds.

Though once again the N900 and iPhone are pretty close, I think the N900 just edges out the iPhone mostly because of the range of darker colours it captures.

The winner: The Nokia N900.

Take a look at the photos below, which do you prefer? I’d certainly be interested in your conclusions.

GOOGLE NEXUS ONE

APPLE IPHONE 3GS

NOKIA N900

N900: Day 5. Creative Prowess

Wed, 6 Jan 2010 21:34:58 +0000

Over the last 20 years personal computing has opened the door on creative endeavour. Pocket computing promises to take that liberation and expand it tenfold throughout this new decade.

It’s long been the opinion of those that see the world of mobile technology in absolutes that Nokia make devices for content creation and Apple for content consumption. Since the first day of the App Store the reverse is often true. From novel writing to music creation, from photo manipulation to natural media painting, the App Store provides a broad brush for the creative iPhone user.

The N900 shares much in common with the iPhone 3GS. It has the same CPU, a fast touchscreen and a bright, clear display.

Maemo (the operating system of the N900) is only just starting to pick up a good head of steam, once the N900 (and successor) has a large user base, we should start to see some of the more polished art applications finding their way onto the Ovi Store.

However N900 users can dip their toes in the water even now with the preinstalled Sketch application.

James Whatley, Jay Montano and Ms. Jen have all recently picked up on the joy of Sketch. James started this Flickr group, Jay featured it in an excellent blog post over at My Nokia Blog and Ms. Jen expressioned her appreciation for the N900, ‘the artist phone’.

To see how it compares to the iPhone natural media app called Brushes, I set about to recreate the very first painting that I produced with Brushes back in 2008. Here are the results. First the Brushes painting, followed by the Sketch copy.

May I suggest that you check out Jay’s Sketch feature, he really does highlight rather nicely the pros and cons of this early painting app for the N900.

Personally, I found both applications to be powerful. Brushes because of its layering and blending options and Sketch because of the amazing pixel density of the N900’s screen. In terms of control and accuracy both apps are quite similar. Both images took about 20 minutes to complete.

I’m looking forward to seeing much more of this kind of application on the N900. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping an eye on the Sketch Flickr group for future classics!

If you’ve had a play with Sketch why not add your thoughts and creations in a comment below?

N900: Day 4. Photography. Macro Shootout!

Sun, 3 Jan 2010 12:43:05 +0000

As tempted as I am to compare the N900 to one of the other Nokia flagship devices, that’s something that I’ll leave for another day or perhaps even another site. It’s important to compare Apples to Apples, and so I shall continue my comparison of the Nokia N900 to the current king of pocket computers, the Apple iPhone 3GS.

In this shootout I take a look at the photographic ability of the N900, more specifically I’m focusing on macro photography.

Whether it’s the quick capture of an important business card or the petals of a particularly striking flower, having the ability to take a nicely colour balanced and perfectly focused close up photograph is surely a requirement of a pocket computer in 2010.

Both Nokia and Apple have a long heritage in photography, Nokia through hardware and Apple through mostly software. Let’s take a look at a few examples and see which device is the most accomplished at macro photography.

Example 1: Range of Luminance

The N900 will always be on the right in these examples.

In this shot we see the N900 trumping the iPhone 3GS by capturing a wider range of tone; there is more detail in the shadows and highlights. As an example, look how the iPhone 3GS blows out the light green on the nose and chest of the green Nokia monster. A win for the N900.

Example 2: Colour Accuracy

This shot seems to bare out what I’ve found to be quite common with both devices. The iPhone is generally more colour accurate, though is does tend to oversaturate the image. The N900 is a bit hit and miss, sometimes it’s bang on and other times way off. The shoe pictured here is closer in colour to the iPhone photo. A draw!

Example 3: Detail

The N900 is a 5 mega pixel device whereas the iPhone 3GS is 3. In terms of hardware alone the N900 should be able to wipe the floor with the iPhone. The reality is not quite so clearcut.

Earlier I mentioned that Apple’s photographic heritage was mostly in software. The iPhone 3GS shots give the impression that Apple have taken a somewhat hands-off approach when it comes to processing the signal coming from the tiny camera unit. In many ways it reminds me of the kind of shots that the Nokia N93 was capable of before Nokia ‘fixed’ the firmware. It looks raw and malleable.

The N900 shots in contrast look over processed. The way it tries to deal with noise is a tad heavy handed and the algorithm for sharpening the details (especially the edges) is clumsy at times. Check out the image below. Notice how the shadow area on the white UPVC surface contains a random array of colours? That’s not natural, that’s a sign of an image that’s been over processed.

Is this real problem N900? No. All Nseries devices from the N95 through to the N86 seems to show similar characteristics and it certainly hasn’t done them any harm. It seems that the processing applied here enables the Nseries photos to look their best when viewed at about 50% of actual size, just as they would be when viewed on your laptop screen. A win for the N900, but only just!

Conclusion

Just like the N86, N82 and N95 before it the N900 takes very pleasing close up photos. The depth of field is shorter than the iPhone 3GS and hence produces more ascetically pleasing photos. It was able to focus on the subject slightly closer to the lens than the 3GS. The extra display pixels on hand mean that it is easier to review the results without exporting them to a desktop or laptop computer.

The winner: The Nokia N900.

My only gripes are the inconsistent colour accuracy and the heavy handed photo processing. Though the N900 wins this test, it’s certainly not by a country mile as so many might believe.

Please be sure to check out the comparison shots at 100% crop over at this Flickr set.

Question: Your best Nokia moment?

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 11:19:03 +0000

At the end 2009 both Steve Litchfield and James Whatley published their thoughts on the best Symbian device of the last decade and the best phone of 2009 respectively. Both posts have caused quite a stir, evoking much conversation.

This got me thinking. What was my favourite Nokia moment of the last decade?

Honestly, I could list about 20 moments of pure future shock, where my smartphone seemed almost impossibly capable. Using the Nokia Maps application on my N95 to navigate my way across New Zealand’s south island and video streaming a very brief interview with Steve Garfield live from a mansion in LA are certainly right up there.

But the my favourite Nokia moment is the one shown in the video above.

Standing at a Foo Fighters concert in the O2 Arena when a circular stage descends from the ceiling and Dave Grohl and friends perform some of their best songs just metres from me. Realising that in my pocket was a perfectly capable camcorder in the shape on the Nokia N82 and then successfully capturing 2 or 3 songs with great video and audio quality was my best Nokia moment.

What’s yours? Please let me know in a comment below.

N900: Day 3. Video Shootout!

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:12:07 +0000

In the last post, ‘Day 2. Video Capture’, I presented a typical five minute movie, the kind that I would make with a pocket computer. Now let’s examine in more detail some of the highs and lows of video capture with the N900.

It’s been 3 years and 4 months since Nokia introduced camcorder class video capture to the smartphone market. Since then Nokia have been treading water. Only the N86 with its proper zoom capability has indicated any signs of life from within the Nokia R&D labs that are responsible for Nseries video capture.

I’ll be clear right from the outset. When it comes to video capture the N900 takes one step forward but two steps back.

I appreciated the higher resolution - having a frame that measures 848 x 480 pixels is an improvement over the usual 640 x 480. I’m certainly thankful for the 16:9 aspect ratio - making N900 video a more natural fit for modern displays. I would never grumble about the frankly stunning pixel density of the N900 screen.

But there are 3 things that I find unforgivable.

1. Dropped frames.
I have no idea why the N900 drops frames, all I know is that it does. It’s even more clumsy than the Samsung i8910, which is astonishing as the i8910 captures 720p HD frames that are orders of magnitude bigger than the N900’s 480p SD frames.

1. Note to Nokia: I have two ears.
Why do your flagship devices capture sound using just one microphone?

1. Poor video compression.
I don’t claim to be a video CODEC guru, but I do know that the N900 is using a video CODEC that is designed for a less powerful CPU. Why is the N900 with its legendary Arm Cortex A8 CPU not using H.264 like the iPhone 3GS? The difference in quality is like night and day.

These issues are important to me, and I believe that they are important to everyone even if they don’t yet realise it. There is so much more to video capture than capturing a video that might look okay in a small playback window on YouTube. When a video scales up to fullscreen on your large TV it needs to look solid, it needs to look at least as good as your old VHS video camera, sadly N900 video does not. It looks fragile and nervous, like it’s about to come to a grinding halt, keel over and die.

I find it so very frustrating the video capture is treated with such contempt by Nokia. I remember the days when every new Nseries device carried with it a tangible improvement in quality. But recently it’s as if no one cares, it seems like nobody at Nokia says, “hold on a minute, this is our flagship device, it should represent the very best that we can muster!”. Imagine the poor soul that upgrades from an N82 to an N900 only to find that the video capture is inferior.

I promised that I would be comparing the N900 to the 3GS, and so I shall. The iPhone went from no video capture to 30 FPS VGA capture within 2 years. In that same time period Nokia did nothing with video capture.

What worries me is this. Three years from now and Apple will be offering a pocket computer with 1080p video capture at a rock solid 30 FPS and with stereo sound. What will Nokia be offering? Based on what we’ve seen of late, I’d say that they’ll be offering 720p capture with dropped frames.

As you may have guessed by now, I’m not overly impressed with the video capture on the N900. In my opinion all the advances made with the N86 should have been included here. And if not here then certainly in the N97 Mini, their flagship smartphone.

In the next article I shall be comparing the photo capture ability of the N900 with the iPhone 3GS. And this time it’s mostly good news!

N900: Day 2. Video Capture

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:41:12 +0000

Decent video capture has been a requirement of high spec smartphones since the introduction of the Nokia N93 way back in 2006. The iPhone 3GS brought quality video capture to the pocket computer market for the first time. Does the N900 follow suit?

Check out the video above and see for yourself. I’ll go into some technical details in the next article, but for now here are few salient points to consider as you watch the video.

Auto-focus works for video as well as still photography, meaning that it is at last possible to film proper macro videos!

The frame is much bigger then VGA, it’s 848 x 480 pixels at a 16:9 ratio. Each frame contains about 100,000 more pixels than previous Nseries and iPhone 3GS video frames.

The CODEC used is still H.263, it’s certainly not the superior H.264 as used in the iPhone 3GS

The frame rate is around 20-22 FPS. This is below 24 which general considered to be the threshold for smooth motion.

What do you think of the N900 video capture? Good enough for YouTube, or were you expecting something more? Let me know in a comment below.

N900: Day 1. A New Hope?

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:43:29 +0000

As I mentioned back in August, I’m of the opinion that the N900 is the most important Nokia device since the 7650. The smartphone was a pleasant way of getting a limited computing experience in the palm of my hand, but I wanted more and so I chose the iPhone as my main device.

Does the N900 have what it takes to win me back over to the Nokia fold full time? Over the next couple of weeks I intend to ‘experience’ every aspect of the N900.

This review is going to be a little different from the others I’ve posted here over the years. This is a pocket computer not a smartphone, hence I shall be reviewing it as pocket computer. I will also be comparing it directly to the iPhone 3GS, something which I’ve never done with previous Nokia smartphone reviews.

Obviously this site is about creative uses for Nokia devices, so don’t expect me to go into great detail about some of the more mundane aspects of the N900.

As always, if there is anything specific that you would like to know about the device then please do let me know if a comment below.

N86: Day 9. Retinal burnout!

Tue, 8 Dec 2009 20:17:52 +0000

Back on Day 2 of my Nokia N86 review I showed how well the LED video light performed in a controlled environment, but how would it perform in the field?

Yes, an actual field... at night!

I recently got to roast meat of all shapes and sizes (so much for my vegetarian aspirations) on an open camp fire. Friends were present who I may not see again for many years, so obviously I wanted something to remember the occasion by.

I had with me the following kit:

1 x Nokia N86 8MP
1 x Apple iPhone 3GS
1 x Samsung HMX-R10 - A compact full HD video camera

I tried capturing video on all three devices. As you might imagine, the iPhone was pretty useless in these conditions. The Samsung put in a valiant effort, but was ultimately let down by the lack of an artificial light source. However, the Nokia N86 went supernova!

Here’s the N86 video in full.

After my previous tests, I was sure that the N86 would easily outperform the other two devices, but honestly, I didn’t expect it to provide quite so much light. As you can see from the reactions of some of my friends, perhaps there were times when the N86’s LED video lights were just too bright.

As the debate about LED versus Xenon continues, one thing is certain, LED is an elegant solution for illuminating scenes for video capture.

I’m interested to know your thoughts on this debate. For stills capture do you feel that LED can catch up with and perhaps surpass Xenon in the near future? Do you see a dual setup as the perfect solution? Let me know is a comment below.

Nokia Music streams Rihanna gig

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:13:55 +0000

This should be interesting. At 8:00pm GMT Nokia will be streaming a live performance from Rihanna.

Check it out here.

Introduction to the Carl Zeiss App for S60

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:56:01 +0000

Let's be honest, professional photographers probably visit blogs like this and laugh heartily as they read geeks like me pontificate about the differences between two similar tiny lensed smartphones. In their minds smartphone photography is currently as the same embryonic stage as digital photography at the turn of the millennium, an interesting distraction from the true art form.

We all know how that played out, digital cameras advanced rapidly. Now, even midrange digital cameras outperform the pro-amateur analogue cameras of yesteryear in many ways. How long before midrange smartphones outperform the digicam classics of today? Eight, perhaps ten years?

However, before I fall into my usual trap of putting the technological horse before the creativity cart, let me back up a bit and explain something that's been frustrating me for the last three years.

If bloggers, forum admins, pundits, commentators and readers put as much thought and research into the art of photography as they do into the feature list of Nokia's newest phones then we could all take wonderful photos right now without pinning our hopes of the next thing.

With this in mind let me tell you about a new S60 app I've been alpha testing for Carl Zeiss. In essence, it's a 'How To' guide to photography, not just smartphone photography but all photography. It includes technical information such as, 'What are the numbers on my lens?', and follows with something a little more human like, 'How can I make people look more relaxed when taking portraits or group photos?'.

One interesting section is entitled 'Top Tips'. I've been informed that there is a good possibility that this section will be populated with tips from the likes of you and I, complete with links to your online presence. Neat!

The interface is extremely basic, not much more then a hyperlinked list. But to be fair this is a product in its early stages. Though I'm not expecting it to work in some radical new fashion, I'm sure each new build will add layers of polish.

I've included a video (in HD no less!) so that you can get a feel for the style of the Carl Zeiss application and a taste of the information it offers. I'm showing it to the Nokia Creative community at this early stage to obtain advice to pass onto the developers.

Please leave your thoughts, observations and questions below. Would you welcome this application? Would you expect to see hints and tips offered for your specific model of smartphone or are you happy with the more generic focus that this app currently has? Let me know in a comment below, and stay tuned for updates with each new build.

N86: Day 8. Wide Angle Photos

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:31:12 +0000

One of the big selling features of the Nokia N86 8MP is the wide angle lens (28mm equivalent). What difference does this make in practice?

When I first heard of the specifications of the N86 I was convinced that the wide angle lens and 8MP combo would put the N86 streets ahead of previous Nseries devices. The capacious nature of this lens/chip setup makes the N86 the most flexible camera phone I’ve ever used.

Yes, I was expecting the N86 to be more than capable in many situations, but I had assumed that there would be considerable lens aberration at the edges of the frame. Thankfully, I need not have worried, it’s surprisingly solid, even in the corners.

I can assure you that going back to a more narrowly framed camera is quite a shock after being blessed by the wide angle of the N86. I could rant on for quite some time about the benefits, but perhaps it would be easier to show you rather than keep typing.

This Flickr set contains the full resolution versions of the each photo, but for a quick overview please check out the wide angle shots below.

Please let me know what you think of these photos in a comment below, do you think the wider angle makes a difference?

Next up, colour accuracy. It’s all rosy, kind of...

SPECIAL REPORT: Nokia & The Road to HD Video Capture. Chapter 10

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:12:37 +0100

It’s finally here, the very first phone to capture HD video. You thought the i8910 HD was nice, well this is the real deal.

The video above -- courtesy of GSM Arena -- shows what Samsung's limited release W880 HD is capable of. Like the Nokia N93 before it, this is more camera than phone. From the front it looks like a camera, from the back it looks like… well, it looks like a camera.

Ironic that this limited feature phone would be the first to feature HD video capture. The i8910 HD was supposed to be the first, but as sharp eyes will confirm, the frame rate is choppy and the audio is only average.

All things considered it's not that the W880 HD itself that is so exciting, but rather, it's what it alludes to. Samsung are on a self-imposed crusade, a drive into the very heartland of imaging. Devices like the W880 point to a future where Samsung tower over the camera phone market in way that Nokia did from 2002 to 2008. Where does this leave loyal Nokia fans?

We can't really complain too much, it's not like we weren't told that we would have to wait until 2010 for HD. To be honest, at the time I assumed that Nokia executives were simply being too cautious and that HD was right around the corner… Of course, much of the reason for the HD video capture no-show was technical. Chipsets that can give this kind of power to smartphone sized devices have only been available for a few months. However, another reason is that in the winter of 2007 Nokia set sail for a completely different destination, the land of the pocket computers.

Since that time, much of what Nokia has spoken about, acted upon and vigorously promoted has been about computing. Sure we had the strangeness that was 2008 -- who can forget the woeful N96? -- but once the 5800 horse had bolted there was no going back.

Now we find Nokia playing a interesting game, spinning the smartphone shaped plates that feed their current success, whilst building the foundations of their pocket computer future.

The 5800, N900 and X6 provide for the mainstream, the geek and the chic, but what about the creative? The N86 is the closest we have to a device to call our own, but a creative device without a touch screen is like a party with no music, it's just not fun.

Give us the optics of the N86 in the body of the N97 Mini, but loose the slide out keyboard, this is 2009 not 1999.

On the bright side it's only another 94 days until 2010, and a Nokia device with HD video capture is most definitely coming in 2010. Isn’t it?

Previous chapters in this series...

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9

N86: Day 7. 20/20 Vision?

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:40:02 +0100

Nokia’s very first 8 mega pixel shooter. We’ve been waiting for a move up from 5 MP since the original N95, was it worth the wait?

Every now and again the perfect storm of device loans starts to form. In the last couple of months, thanks to Matt from All About iPhone and Steve from All About Symbian I have been able to trial the Samsung i8910 HD and the Nokia N86. Couple these devices with my own Apple iPhone 3GS and a friends N97 and I had the makings of an epic shoot out!

I’ll start with a test of photographic detail in normally lit conditions. Because of the subject matter, this test is all about the angle and clarity of the the lens unit and the amount of pixels that each device is able to capture. Things like compression and image processing will be covered in a later post, but for now let’s talk about resolution.

Okay let’s take it in turn and then we’ll summarise the results at the end...

First the Samsung i8910 HD (8 MP)

Now the Nokia N97 (5 MP)

And the Apple iPhone 3GS (3 MP)

Finally the Nokia N86 (8 MP)

Check out this Flickr set for a more detailed look at the competing photographs. Don’t just take my word for it, examine the full resolution versions of each photo for yourself and post your conclusions in a comment below.

And so to the results

Only the Samsung i8910 HD gives you a fighting chance of reading the eighth line of letters, all the other devices bottom out at the seventh line. This surprised me somewhat, especially given that the N86 is also an 8 mega pixel device. However, it should be noted that the Nokia N86 has a much wider angle than the Samsung and Apple and even makes the N97 shot seem constrained.

If I had to pick a winner--the device that captured that most raw detail--I’d go for the N86. Personally, I have a leaning towards wider angle photography so the more capacious frame of the N86 is more suited to my tastes. If though you tend towards photographs of a single subject, or perhaps macro photography, then the Samsung is going to provide more pure detail in the centre of the image.

Next up, image processing. This is going to be really interesting.

N900: POCKET COMPUTER

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:48:29 +0100

In my opinion the N900 is the most important Nokia device since the 7650. The Nokia 7650 was the first legitimate smartphone. With its robust operating system, brand new UI and colour camera, it really was quite a departure from all that had gone before it. The N900 is to 2009 what the 7650 was to 2002, a fresh start.

Some may argue that the Maemo based 770 was the start of this next chapter of Nokia's story, but the limited CPU performance, tiny memory, non pocket size and lack of connectivity rules out the 770 as a true pocket computer.

Make no mistake the N900 is a pocket computer. Given the right kind of developer momentum the N900 should be capable of performing 95% of all the tasks of a regular desktop computer. It has the horsepower in the shape of the mighty ARM Cortex A8. It has the graphical grunt provided by the Power VR SGX GPU, it has a relatively large high resolution display and most importantly it has a modern open OS developed specifically for the pocket computer market.

I appreciate that the vast majority of Nokia's fortunes are collected from the mid-tear smartphone market, but honestly this is of little interest to me. The smartphone (regardless of manufacturer) was only ever a stepping stone, a place to rest up while I waited for a powerful computer that would fit in my pocket.

This is one of reasons why I've champion the iPhone over the last couple of years. The iPhone, even the original version, was always more about pocket computing than smart phoning.

I'll hold final judgement until I get to play with the N900 for myself. But just from the specifications and introduction videos alone I would say that the N900 is *the* Nokia device that I've been waiting for.

Booklet 3G: Nokia’s Netbook

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:35:40 +0100

Even as computing companies scramble to build smartphones or pocket computers, Nokia enter the mainstream computing marketplace with their first netbook.

I’ll be honest, I was expecting this device to be announced over 8 months ago. Here’s a snippet from my blog post entitled ‘Nokia Netbook Inbound?’ from December 2008:

“My best guess is that this will be a completely new class of Nokia device. At a very basic level the new device could be classed as a sequel to the N810 internet tablet, but with an added SIM slot.

The key features will be:

1. Large HD screen possibly even 16:9 720p.
2. TV out via mini HDMI at 720p HD resolution.
3. Near perfect virtual keyboard text entry (no slide-out keyboard this time).
4. Amazingly long battery life. 8-12 hours of continuous use.
5. Deep integration with Ovi, Music Store, Movie Store and other popular net service.
6. Powerful CPU and 3D processor making it ideal for flash apps and gaming.
7. Will include multi-touch and accelerometer support.

In short, think of highly spec’d netbook with no keyboard and a much smaller form factor. A Nokia netbook built for home use, a perfect complement to your Nseries and Ovi. A Nokia computer designed from the ground up to as a home entertainment device, social networking tool and home control hub.”

This morning Nokia announced a device that is not too dissimilar to what I predicted. The HMDI out, the deep integration with Ovi and the Nokia Music Store (I wonder if it will feature “Comes With Music”?) the ‘full day’ battery life, it’s all there. Missing however is the powerful CPU, multi-touch display and virtual keyboard. In short, all the bits and pieces that would have made even the most cynical computer geek sit up and take notice.

As it is, the Nokia Booklet 3G is a best of class Windows based netbook. If you were in the market for a mini laptop computer surely you’d consider the Nokia Booklet 3G?

Or would you, isn’t the N97 a mini laptop? What does this say about Nokia’s commitment to small pocket computers like the N97? Pretty much everything that the N97 does is duplicated by the Booklet 3G.

I’m sure that there will be a great deal of chatter about the Booklet over the next few weeks. Indeed even as I write this Rafe has indicated that All About Symbian is receiving 5 times its normal server load. How the Booklet is perceived by both geeks and mainstream media will surely make for some interesting reading.

For the record, the first question that popped into my mind upon reading the announcement was, ‘If the Booklet 3G is a big success will Nokia slowly back away from software and focus on hardware?’ Surely if the Booklet 3G is a success it won’t be because of Ovi, it will be the high end hardware and Nokia’s distribution channels that move it forward. Have Nokia found the perfect partner in Microsoft? How long before Nokia consider moving their smartphones to a Microsoft OS? Questions, questions...

Anyway, I think that’s enough for now. Clearly we need more details. On the face of it the Booklet 3G appears to be a very accomplished netbook from a highly regarded manufacturer with a heritage in communication.

What do you think of the Booklet 3G? Is it something that you would be interested in if it was priced appropriately, or would you prefer Nokia got their own house in order before moving into someone else’s?

N86: Day 6. Appearance

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:03:29 +0100

Is the N86 8MP the ultimate design expression of the N95’s dual-slider form factor?

There’s something extremely appealing about the look and feel of the N86. I’m not sure if it’s the colour of the plastics or the radius of the rounded corners, but something about this 8 mega pixel shooter is bang on. It’s usually relatively easy to spot design mistakes, or more accurately, small areas of compromise. That is simply not the case with the N86.

Sure the N82 was a Nokia high end photographic (catwalk) model, but is was no looker! The keyboard and the waste (the bit between the screen and the keyboard) of the N82 was shockingly bad. So much so that it’s still hard to believe that someone at Nokia once said, ‘yes, that’s it, that is exactly the look I’m after’.

I’m thrilled to be able to report that the N86 does not suffer from similar disfigurements. In fact it’s a beauty.

I think this is the design to end all physical alphanumeric designs. It looks purposeful, powerful and well protected. What more can you ask for?

N86: Day 5. Zoom Zoom Pow!

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:51:28 +0100

Wide angle lens? Yeah, lovely. Advanced LED flash? Brilliant! Mechanical shutter? Nice. But it’s the digital zoom for video that really impresses.

Steve Litchfield has kindly published my Nokia N86 8MP observations. Hop over to the masterful All About Symbian to see if you agree. Here’s a brief snippet.

“... Proper digital zoom. This in my mind is the killer feature. I still cannot understand why this isn't featured heavily in Nokia's advertising. I found this feature to be every bit as useful as I'd hoped.”

One the main reasons why people (myself included) still rave about the Nokia N93 is because its unique lens set up which--amongst other things--blessed Nokia’s 2006 (yes, 2006!) powerhouse smartphone with optical zoom.

I’ll be honest, I had given up hope of ever seeing a decent zoom system on a Nokia device and had pinned my hopes on HD video capture to fill the gap. Then along comes the N86 8MP with its swanky newfangled digital zoom. Not some bodge job this, no rather a proper zoom that provides many of the benefits of an optical zoom lens.

I could talk all evening about the benefits of a decent zoom capability, but surely the best thing to do is to show you. Check out the video above. In my estimation the N86 manages the equivalent of about a 5X optical zoom. Try a 5X digital zoom on your current smartphone, Nokia or otherwise, and see what you get... Rubbish isn’t it.

This is what I would have seen from my 8 metre vantage point had I been using an N95 or N97.

Thanks to the N86 I got this altogether more impressive capture!

Innovations like this are encouraging. It proves that Nokia is still able to pull a rabbit out of its dusty old hat from time to time.

What innovations might Nokia have saved for their first HD video capture device. Let me know in a comment below.

Comment: Dual Boot, Symbian *and* Maemo