Nokia N900 Hands On Video, Pictures

Select markets have enjoyed access to the Nokia N900 for quite some time now, which was why I was happy to finally try out the Maemo-powered phone. “Phone” though is such a mild name for the N900. While it continues the Linux-based legacy of Nokia’s previous Internet tablets, a key difference is the inclusion of a SIM slot and thus telephony and wireless broadband functionality. Here’s a 3-minute video of me fumbling with the N900, as featured on Technograph.

As you can see, the N900 benefits from its powerful ARM processor, handling multiple apps with ease. I just wonder though what took Nokia so long to integrate threaded SMS functionality into one of its phones. At least they went all they way with implementation, using a slick and smoothly animated interface to help users navigate between various message threads, and other active applications.

My only concern, after around half an hour of use, is that the N900 is simply too big as a phone. I encountered a little difficulty typing, worried that the relatively lumpy unit would slip from my hand and crash to the ground. In any case, the N900 designed to be used exclusively in landscape mode, and definitely isn’t made for the phone-only market. Pictures of the gadget from various angles follow:

Are you planning to get an N900? Personally I find it a bit too big for my taste, but based on my sneak peek, this is a very powerful gadget with immense potential.