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Nokia N900

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Nokia N900
File:Nokia N900 48 lowres.jpg
ManufacturerNokia
TypeMobile Internet device and phone
MediamicroSD/microSDHC card[1]
Operating systemMaemo 5 Linux[2]
CPUTI OMAP 3430 SoC
600 MHz ARM Cortex-A8 CPU
430MHz C64x+ DSP[2]
Memory256 MB SDRAM
768 MB virtual memory[2]
Storage256 MB NAND flash
32 GB eMMC flash[2]
DisplayTFT 800 × 480 resolution
89 mm (3.5 in) diagonally
105 pixels/cm, 267 ppi[2]
GraphicsPowerVR SGX 530 GPU supporting OpenGL ES 2.0 and OpenVG[2]
InputResistive touchscreen
Localized backlit keyboard with variations for English, Italian, French, German, Russian, and Scandinavian
Camera5.0MP (2584x1938), f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Tessar lens (rear camera)
0.3MP (640x480) f/2.8 (front camera)[2][3]
ConnectivityGSM 850/900/1800/1900
GPRS 107/64 kbps UL/DL
EDGE 296/178 kbps UL/DL
UMTS 900/1700/2100
WCDMA 384/384 kbps DL/UL
HSPA 10/2 Mbps DL/UL
WLAN IEEE 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1
Integrated GPS with A-GPS[1]
FM receiver
FM transmitter
Infrared port
PowerBL-5J 1320 mAh battery[2]
USB Battery Charger
Dimensions110.9mm × 59.8mm × 18mm
19.55 mm at thickest part[2]
MassApprox. 181 g (0.4 lb)[2]
PredecessorNokia N810

The Nokia N900 is Nokia's new Maemo based Mobile Internet device and phone, superseding the N810. It was launched at Nokia World on 2 September 2009 and was expected to be released on 27 September 2009 in the United States and on 19 October 2009 in 9 European countries. It runs Maemo 5 Linux as its operating system and is the first Nokia device based upon the TI OMAP3 microprocessor with ARM Cortex-A8 core. Unlike the Internet Tablets preceding it, the Nokia N900 will be the first Maemo device to include phone functionality (quad-band GSM and 3G UMTS). It functions as a 5 mega pixel camera, a portable media player, and an Internet client with email and web browsing.

The N900 is being launched alongside Maemo 5, giving the device an overall more touch-friendly interface and a customizable home screen which mixes application icons with shortcuts and widgets. Maemo 5 supports Adobe Flash 9.4, and includes many applications designed specifically for the mobile platform such as a new touch-friendly media player.[4]

History and availability

The next generation Maemo device was announced on 17 September 2008 during a keynote presentation by Dr. Ari Jaaksi of Nokia. New supported features were announced for Maemo 5 such as cellular connectivity over 3G/HSPA, TI OMAP3 processor and high definition camera support. No news on backward compatibility for older Internet Tablets and no time frame was established.[5] The release of the pre-alpha Maemo 5 software development kit, in December 2008[6] targeted exclusively the OMAP3 architecture, revamped the user interface, included support for hardware graphics acceleration and other functionalities not found in Internet Tablets at the time such as cellular data connectivity and high definition camera support.

The first specifications and photo of the next generation Maemo device, codenamed Rover, came in May 2009 .[7][8] The release of FCC approval documents in August 2009 confirmed the device and provided the second codename RX-51.[9][10][11] The Nokia N900 was officially announced on 2 September 2009 at Nokia World 2009 in Germany. Nokia says it is step 4 of 5 in the line of Maemo devices which started in 2005 with the Nokia 770.[12]

The device will be available in selected markets starting October 2009 with a retail price of €599 in Finland[3], Germany[4], Italy[5], Netherlands[6] and Spain[7], €649 in France[8], 2499 zł in Poland[9], kr5995 in Sweden[10] and £499[13] in the United Kingdom, all prices including VAT but excluding subsidies. The retail price is US$649 in the United States excluding sales taxes and subsidies.[1][14] It will be available in Canada through independent retailers for around C$730.[15] Black will be the only color available at launch.

Hardware

Processors

The Nokia N900 is powered by a the OMAP 3430 ARM Cortex A8 which is a System-on-a-chip made by Texas Instruments designed in a 65-nanometer CMOS process. The OMAP 3430 is constituted of three microprocessors; the Cortex A8 running at 600 MHz used to run the OS and applications, the PowerVR SGX 530 GPU made by Imagination Technologies which supports OpenGL ES 2.0 and is capable of up to 14 MPolys/s and a TMS320C64x, the digital signal processors, running at 430 Mhz used to run the image processing (camera), audio processing (telephony) and data transmission. The TMS320 C64x main purpose is to offload the Cortex A8 from having to process audio and video signal.[11] The system has 256 MB of dedicated RAM (Mobile DDR) along with 768 MB of swap on the 32 GB NAND flash.

Screen and input

File:Nokia N900 05 lowres.jpg
The phone application in portrait mode.

The Nokia N900 has a 3.5 inch resistive touchscreen with a resolution of 800 × 480 pixel (WVGA, 267 ppi) capable of displaying up to 16 million colors.[16] The LCD is transreflective to permit usability over a wide range of luminosity (from daylight to dark). Haptic feedback is provided to touchscreen input by applying a small vibration or a sound ("clic"); this feature can be turned on/off at user discretion.[17] A stylus is provided to allow more precise touch input and access to smaller user interface elements. A 3-axis accelerometer allows the orientation of the screen to change between portrait and landscape mode. So far, only the phone functionality has been shown to work in portrait mode. While the dashboard or desktop is active, rotating the device from landscape to portrait mode activates the phone application.[18][19] Developers may add support for portrait mode in their applications.[18][20] The accelerometer can also be used in games and third-party applications such as Bounce Evolution.[21] There is a proximity sensor which deactivates the display and touchscreen when the device is brought near the face during a call.[22]

The slide-out 4-row keyboard and D-pad of the Nokia N810 have been replaced on the Nokia N900 with a slide-out 3-row backlit keyboard and on-screen keyboard. In addition to the English QWERTY layout, the slide out keyboard will be available in variants for Italian,[23] French,[24] German,[25] Russian,[26] and Nordic (Finnish, Swedish).[27][28] The Nokia N900 has an ambient light sensor that adjusts the display brightness and activates the backlit keyboard.[29] The OS comes with a word prediction software that can be configured to the user preferences (auto capitalization, word completion, auto spacing between words).[30]

The device has an autonomous GPS with optional A-GPS functionality and comes pre-loaded with the Ovi Maps application. Ovi Maps provides typical mapping features such as alternate views (3D landmarks, satellite, and hybrid maps), address/places of interest searching, and route planning.[31][32]

File:Nokia N900 camera.jpg
The 5 megapixel camera on the back of the Nokia N900. The hatch is open. The tilt stand is seen surrounding the camera.

The 5 megapixel back camera has an autofocus feature, dual LED flash, 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratio options, and 3X digital zoom. The focal length of this camera is 5.2mm, the aperture is f/2.8, and the focus range is 10 cm to infinity.[3] It is capable of video recording at up to 848 × 480 pixels at 25 fps. The lens, while not in use, is protected by a sliding hatch. Opening the hatch launches the camera application. The 0.3 megapixel front camera is capable of video recording at up to 640 x 480 pixels[3] and can be used for video calls over IP using Google Talk.[33]

Buttons

When holding the device facing the screen; on the top, from left to right, +/- button (volume up/down and zoom in/out), power on/off and camera shutter button. The power button also allows the display of a menu to change profile, activate/deactivate the GSM radio, activate offline mode (no Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) and lock the Nokia N900, with or without password and also with or without the “Swipe to Unlock” option.[12], lock the screen or keyboard and end or kill the currently running application.[13] The screen lock/unlock button is located on the right side.[14]

As the Nokia N900 has fewer hardware buttons, it makes use of the touchscreen to display on-screen buttons, for example, to accept, reject and end a call.

Audio and output

The N900 has a stereo microphone and stereo speakers located on each side of the device. There is a 3.5mm four-pole TRS connector which simultaneously provides stereo audio output and either microphone input or video output.[34] PAL and NTSC TV out is possible on all versions of the device using a Nokia Video Connectivity Cable.

There is a High-Speed USB 2.0 USB Micro-B connector provided for data synchronization, mass storage mode (client) and battery charging. Contrary to the previous Internet Tablet, the Nokia N900 will not support USB On-The-Go at a hardware level.[15]

The built-in Bluetooth v2.1 supports wireless earpieces and headphones through the HSP profile. The Nokia N900 support hardware capable of stereo audio output with the A2DP profile. Built-in car hands-free kits are also support with the HFP profile. File transfer is supported (FTP) along with the OPP profile for sending/receiving objects. It is possible to remote control the device with the AVRCP profile.[3] The DUN profile which permit access to the Internet from a laptop by dialing up on a mobile phone wirelessly (tethering), the HID profile which provides support for devices such as Bluetooth keyboards and PAN profile for networking using Bluetooth are unsupported but can be enabled.[35]

It is also possible to listen to music directly through any FM radio with the built-in 88.1 - 107.9 MHz FM transmitter. The device is also capable of receiving an FM-radio signal but will not ship with a built-in FM-radio application.[36] The Nokia N900 has Wi-Fi b/g connectivity with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 (AES/TKIP) security protocols.[37]

The Nokia N900 can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook through ActiveSync and various e-mail and calender client through SyncML over bluetooth or the micro-USB.[3]

There is also a infrared port that can be used, as an example, to turn the Nokia N900 into a remote controller.[16]

Battery and SIM

The Nokia N900 is still undergoing power management improvements that may affect the battery performance as it is the case with any pre-release device. In a press release[38] Nokia stated they are aiming at "one day of full usage"[39] or "Always online : Up to 2-4 days (TCP/IP connected)" and "Active online usage : Up to 1+ day". Early report from users range from 12 to 13 hours (Wi-Fi on, web browsing, video and some GPS).[40][41] Nokia reported talk times are around 9 hours with GSM and 5 hours with 3G.[17]

Typical battery time for the Nokia N810 is around 4 hours of continuous usage (display and Wi-Fi on).[42] While previous Internet Tablets used larger batteries (1500 mAh), they are based on a different microprocessor. The OMAP3 of the Nokia N900 is more efficient at reducing its power consumption giving a longer usage time despite a smaller battery (1320 mAh).[43][44]

The SIM card is located under the battery which can be accessed by removing the back panel of the Nokia N900. The back panel must also be removed to access the microSDHC card socket. No tool is necessary to remove the back panel.

Storage

The Nokia N900 has 32 GB eMMC and 256 MB NAND non-removable storage.[2] Additional storage is available via a hot swappable microSDHC card socket, which is certified to support up to 16 GB of additional storage.[45] The microSDHC card can be formated with a supported file system such as ext2, ext3, FAT16 and FAT32.[citation needed]

The 32 GB eMMC is split into 3 partitions:[citation needed]

The 256 MB NAND is formatted as UBIFS[46] and contains the bootloader, kernel and root directory "/"[citation needed] with about 100MB of free space.[47]

Programs larger than 500KB including dependencies should be stored in /opt  which is symlinked to /home/opt and therefore located on the 1GB ext3 partition. The VFAT partition is also available for storage but needs to be used carefully as it is unmounted and exported if a usb cable is connected to the device.[47][48]

Included items

The Nokia N900 comes with documentation, the Nokia Battery (BL-5J 1320 mAh), the Nokia High Efficiency Charger (AC-10), the Nokia Stereo Headset (WH-205), a Video out cable (CA-75U), the Nokia charger adaptor (CA-146C) and a Cleaning cloth.

There is an ongoing promotion at the USA Nokia Shop and Spain Nokia Shop giving those who preorder the device a free bluetooth mobile phone headset. There is no word on when this promotion will end.

Software

Main article: Maemo § Maemo_5
File:Nokia N900 Dashboard.jpg
Maemo 5 dashboard showing 3 running applications.

Maemo 5, also known as Fremantle, will be the default operating system on the Nokia N900. With Maemo 5, Nokia is taking the Linux desktop environment and making it work on a pocket-sized device.[49] The UI is fully customizable; the user is able to move widgets around, add/remove widgets, change the background and add shortcut to application.[50] This operation system comes preloaded with a variety of applications such as:

  • Web: Mozilla-based web browser with Adobe Flash 9.4 and RSS reader.[51]
  • Phone application
  • VoIP: Skype[18]
  • Conversations (IM chat and SMS, no MMS[52])
  • Media: Camera, Photos, Media player
  • Production: Email, Calendar, PDF reader, Contacts
  • Ovi Maps (Find position on a map using the GPS, Search an address or location, Plan routes)
  • Utilities: Clock, Notes, Calculator, Sketch
  • System Tools: File manager, Application manager for downloads, Widgets
  • Games: Bounce, Chess and Mahjong

The OS will make use of upstart to reduce the boot time.[53]

Carriers

See also: List of EDGE networks
See also: List of UMTS networks
See also: List of HSDPA networks

United Kingdom

See also: List of mobile network operators of Europe § United Kingdom

GSM/GPRS/EDGE

The Nokia N900 will operate with nearly all GSM network providers in the United Kingdom on GSM, GPRS 2G, and EDGE 3G networks which use the GSM-900 and GSM-1800 frequency bands. These include Orange UK, T-Mobile UK, 3, Telefónica O2, Vodafone, all of their MVNOs, and most small and/or regional non-MVNO providers.[54] [55]

WCDMA/HSPA

The N900 will operate with nearly all network providers in the United Kingdom on UMTS 3G networks which use the 2100 MHz UMTS frequency band.

United States

See also: List of United States wireless communications service providers

GSM/GPRS/EDGE

The Nokia N900 will operate with nearly all GSM network providers in the United States on GSM, GPRS 2G, and EDGE 3G networks which use the GSM-850 and GSM-1900 frequency bands. These include T-Mobile USA, AT&T Mobility, all of their MVNOs, and most small and/or regional non-MVNO providers.

WCDMA/HSPA

Of the two major GSM carriers, the device will only operate on the T-Mobile USA WCDMA and HSPA 3G networks which use the 1700 and 2100 MHz UMTS frequency bands. It will not function on the AT&T Mobility UMTS 3G networks which use the incompatible 850 and 1900 MHz UMTS frequency bands.

T-Mobile has also started to roll out 21 Mbit/s HSPA+ in the United States, although the N900 will be limited to 10.1 Mbit/s with these cell sites.[56]

Canada

See also: List of Canadian mobile phone companies

GSM/GPRS/EDGE

The Nokia N900 will operate with nearly all GSM network providers in Canada on GSM, GPRS 2G, and EDGE 3G networks which use the GSM-850 and GSM-1900 frequency bands. These include Rogers Wireless, Fido Solutions, all of their MVNOs, and most small and/or regional non-MVNO providers.

WCDMA/HSPA

It will not function on any of the current Rogers Wireless and Fido Solutions or the planned Telus and Bell Mobility UMTS 3G networks which use the incompatible 850 and 1900 MHz UMTS frequency bands.

GSM carriers such as Rogers Wireless, DAVE Wireless,[57] WindMobile and Videotron are planning to build UMTS networks in the N900-compatible AWS spectrum so this situation may change in the future.

See also

References

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  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Maemo software - Nokia > Nokia N900 mobile computer > Technical specifications". Nokia Corporation. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Device Details -- Nokia N900". Nokia Corporation. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Nokia N900 official, uses Linux to 'kill' iPhone". MNM Media, LLC. 27 August 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
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  28. ^ Så fungerar Nokias Linux-mobil N900 (flash video). Mediaprovider Scandinavia AB. 4 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
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  30. ^ [1]
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  45. ^ This number is based on what was available for certification and may not reflect future capacity support of the device
  46. ^ timeless (2 April 2009). "maemo-community - Get the FAT Out". maemo-community (Mailing list). Nokia Corporation. Retrieved 17 September 2009. {{cite mailing list}}: Unknown parameter |mailinglist= ignored (|mailing-list= suggested) (help)
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  51. ^ Maemo Browser features
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  53. ^ Ubuntu Alpha 6 boot optimizations
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  55. ^ "PrePaidGSM: United Kingdom". PrePaidGSM.net. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  56. ^ [2]
  57. ^ http://www.davewireless.com/
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