After spending some time with the Touch Pro 2, I simply couldn't ignore the emptiness I felt from the absence of certain N900 features. Yes, I did enjoy being reunited with Mobile Word and its spell check tool. Yes, I certainly felt whole again when Missing Sync came to life on my Mac via a bluetooth connection with my HTC. Yes, having my thumbs working over those amazing qwerty keys did conjure feelings of satisfaction. When I powered on the TP2, I felt as if a new found urge to write had suddenly possessed me and my thumbs went typing away! However, there was no denying the upgrade in functionality I had gained in unboxing my own N900. By the end of that same day, I promptly returned my SIM back to its rightful place in the Nokia.
I was under the impression that having the HTC's advanced qwerty motivated me to write a blogpost, but this was not the case. Switching my SIM card to a different device motivated the writing urge, not the qwerty keys. Upon thinking back to every blogpost that had been written on a non-TP2 gadget, it was senseless for me to come to such a conclusion. Simply put, I had another reason to write again and took advantage of it right away when I happened to have the HTC.
I guess I needed to have a period of time with the Touch Pro 2 to realize just how useful the N900 has been for my daily usage. This is definitely the most advanced execution of touch interfacing so far from Nokia, and I am glad its performance cannot be classified in the same field as Symbian 5th edition. Maemo5 is truly not on par with the iPhone, but it is definitely an improveent over that previous OS on the N97. Adequate speed in interface navigating for screen transitions and web browsing almost take on a similar aura as the iPhone...ALMOST, but not quite. There are still some responsiveness issues plaguing Maemo5, but nothing that cannot be tolerated any more than Symbian 5th edition. Every time I pick up this gadget, its solid construction and hefty size give me reassurance of a high-quality build. It doesn't have the slimming of the E71/E72 or the easy pocketability of the E51/E52, but it's not a huge behemoth like the E90 either. For overall sizing, it is closest to the HTC Touch Pro 2 with a bit more heft thrown in for good measure. I personally like the solid weight and prefer it over the lightness of plasticky and lackluster gloss from certain competitors (AHEM*Samsung*AHEM). As a brief side note, I had thought that the most unimpressive build quality came from Sony Ericsson with its P900, but the Samsung Omnia Pro took the so-called honors. This model had a low-grade cheapness factor that felt more appropriate at a dollar store, and I hardly felt Samsung was justified in its retail pricing of such poor craftsmanship. From flimsy port covers to overly-glossy surfaces that attracted countless fingerprints and smudges, there was no shortage of disgust for me from the i780 to the Omnia Pro. Even with the battery installed, the Omnia Pro felt hollow and lifeless in my hands...and this feeling continued when I powered it on!! The Samsung TouchWiz interface is absolutely HORRIFIC and appears to be nothing more than a needless clusterf*** onscreen...and I will even go on record to say that I would rather go back to using Symbian 3rd or 5th edition before EVER considering another Samsung device again!! WHEW!! Anyway, as I was saying before, the N900 truly exhibits a secure and well-rounded form factor in its physical composition.
As much as I do praise my N900, I am not blind to its opportunities for improvement. Software features can be bland and uninspiring since they tend to offer only basic functions, and the camera and media player are prime examples of this. Even the E72 camera with its video light and panorama feature offers more variety than the N900, and the lack of EQ for music playback is a disappointment. Watching video files is a two-step process: you pick the video and watch it. There is no changing of aspect ratio to stretch or fill the whole screen, and from what I have seen there is no video editing capability either. It is not that I have intentions of turning my N900 into an mobile iMovie media machine, but it would be nice to have something to compete with current and even past handsets. For crying out loud, I remember being able to edit video on my Nokia N95 years ago!!! Being lost and not able to carry on without a mobile office suite or Mac syncing is not in the cards for me, for I have learned to carry on in spite of. Word document editors on other devices were primarily used to create blogposts, and I have found an alternative in the MaStory application. Lack of spell check can be an inconvenience, but I am an adult who doesn't mind trying to be careful with what I type on the qwerty keys. Missing Sync has yet to make a version that works with Maemo5, but a friend of mine has opened me up to the notion of Google Calendar. I already imported my iCal to this but have not yet been comfortable with syncing my N900 to it. Considering my dependency on Missing Sync throughout the years, I will most likely update my Mac and N900 separately until a compatible version is introduced...if at all. As I mentioned previously, the Maemo5 interface does get issues with response to touch commands sometimes. While I am sure this is standard fare with any touchscreen device, it can certainly get annoying. There is also a glitch on my N900 where music from the media player will start playing either by itself or when I try to decline an incoming call...very strange. The fact that music can still be heard when the device is in Silent mode still bothers me. Figuring out appropriate settings to convert videos to the right resolution for playback on the N900 is an ongoing adventure. I simply throw my hands up in the air and choose the iPhone/iPod Touch setting on Handbrake, and this has worked for one movie conversion so far while many others have failed. After banging my head against my desk, I have resigned myself to no more attempts at converting movies for N900 to keep what I have left of my own sanity. Using the device in landscape mode ALL the time is getting old, but this tends to be a love/hate relationship. There are times when I like the fact my N900 cannot be categorized as a typical smartphone made for one-handed use in portrait mode. I can instantly slide open the qwerty and begin swiping through desktop homescreens with my fingers and feel as if I am a staffer on the Starship Enterprise (yes, I have actually imagined this in my own head while using the N900). However, the lack of portrait orientation can be a major pain as well...especially for running around during the day running errands. Quick responses to incoming messages/calls isn't really possible since one must take the handset and use both hands to do anything with it. Yes, I was fully aware of sacrificing one-handed operations when I first purchased this, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss it. GPS may as well be absent from my N900 since I can only use it for geo-tagging on taking pictures with the camera at this point! Google Maps is still not compatible with Maemo5, and Nokia Maps is absolutely UNRELIABLE!! Sluggish performance in getting a secure signal lock and constant loss of tracking placement while on the road equates Nokia Maps to the Bubonic Plague, and I avoid it as such! On a recent 14-hour drive to Fort Lauderdale, Florida from SE Virginia, the iPhone 3GS of a family member was used to keep us on track with Google Maps navigation. The iPhone had worked FLAWLESSLY with NO issues at all, and my N900 had been shoved into the storage compartment of the Toyota Camry rental car for the remainder of the trip. I normally ridicule competing devices whenever I can, but my mouth was instantly shut in that moment and there was nothing I could do about it...nothing. It was a sad say for my N900...and my pride.
Overall, the N900 is a diamond in the rough for me at this point and I am glad to have pre-ordered it from Amazon in November of 2009. Something about it just intrigued me as I read more preview articles and watched promo ads. I recall one ad set in an interrogation room where a questioned suspect suddenly breaks into a seizure-like state and transforms into a N900...freaky deaky stuff!! While a part of me saw this and thought "What the hell has Nokia been smoking?!!", another part of me was drawn into the ad for its uniqueness. Any manufacturer could have taken a device in an ad and hovered it in midair to make it magically transform on its own to showcase features (this did happen with N900), but Nokia tried something different. As freaked out as I was by that N900 promotional ad, I was also interested in having that new device in my hands ASAP. What can I say, the marketing certainly worked on its charm on me! Despite seldom issues, I still remain with my N900 because it is the best alternative going for me at the moment. In my circle of friends and acquaintances, I see my fair share of iPhones, BlackBerry handsets, Windows Mobile gadgets, Droids, and cheap throw-away dumb phones. My N900 allows me to be in a class of my own as a mobile geek, being able to amaze anyone who dare to confuse it with any other typical smartphone. Accompanied by 32GB of internal storage, stereo speakers, a suitable camera, a control key, an amazing web browser, and hardware qwerty, Maemo5 is a Nokia triumph for me after the Symbian 5th edition OS tragedy with N97. Yes, I do have curiosity for the Android OS, but no hardware has inspired me to make a jump as of yet. Another factor is fear of possibly downgrading from Maemo5 to another typical smartphone OS in Google Android. There seems to be so much potential in the future of Maemo5 with a growing community of developers, and it feels good to be a part of that. Honestly, I know nothing about coding or programming...I am simply and end user of this N900 who has learned to appreciate its benefits in spite of its flaws. When my friend, Jon of Tehkseven, mentioned that I had written a lot on my previous blogpost, I thought it was due in part to the TP2 inspiring me. But after writing this blogpost on MaStory via my N900, I am finding myself just as inspired this time around as well.
TRENT
Sent from my N900 via MaStory
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