Nokia N9 review: Once in a lifetime
- D
- AnonD-4697
- Pr@
- 01 Nov 2011
"Without users, developers won’t be too interested in MeeGo either. And the limited number of apps is the platform's biggest weakness."
Very true indeed....
- t
- textstring
- eeu
- 31 Oct 2011
I'm one of the few lucky enough to own this phone. It is an absolutely pleasure to use and the feature and service integration is top notch. It is truly a horrible tragedy that more people won't get to experience this operating system. The phone truly is as close to perfect as it appears.
- A
- ACI
- Ya9
- 31 Oct 2011
Hi all! I have 2 quick, but important questions, at least to me: Does this phone have multi-language support out of the box(need Russian) and if this phone not only has Portrait QWERTY, but also Alphanumeric T9 as most Nokia phones have?
- ?
- Anonymous
- 2Ga
- 31 Oct 2011
MJ, 30 Oct 2011To many smartphone nowadays uses Windows for their Phone OS... moreJust using swyping motions may seem innovative but it will get annoying when you're flicking through songs and keep closing the app. Metro UI is very nice. Windows Phone is smooth and simple. Not enough developer support for the N9 either. It was dommed even before its release.
- M
- MJ
- vjt
- 30 Oct 2011
To many smartphone nowadays uses Windows for their Phone OS. NO more individual identity.
The N9 is very unique, it is a limited edition of elegance, simplicity, identity and one heck of an OS. And if you own one, you'll be the same.
I'd rather have this phone than those incoming Nokia Windows based OS phones (Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710).
- ?
- Anonymous
- vCZ
- 28 Oct 2011
hi, may i please know whether is it possible for the Nokia N9 to connect to a wifi network in a school or uni where you'll need a username and password?
if i'm not mistaken it's PEAP+MSCHAPv2..
- ?
- Anonymous
- Rxn
- 28 Oct 2011
this is a great phone.. THIS IS MY DREAM PHONE.
i live here in the Philiippines.
my brother is working in Saudi Arabia and N9 is cheaper there.
so he would buy me one for my Birthday! :)
- J
- Jeff
- i2f
- 27 Oct 2011
AnonD-26449, 24 Oct 2011I really think it's an absurd thing to buy this phone, it w... moreYou really need to get a clue...
[it will NOT have any support from nokia,]
Nokia has said officially several times now, from various levels of management, that there'll be support for "years".
They were even more explicit recently by saying: there'll be at least 2 major updates, & several minor updates/bug-fixes till 2015.
This is in stark contrast to the absence of similar such statements they made for the N900, which was always "step 5 of 6".
Where does all this misinformation come from, people are constantly repeating it.
Is it just assumptions people are making because Nokia's abandoned MeeGo?
[it will NOT sell million of units because less than 10000 will be produced in entire world.]
Reports about 1wk ago from 'main' factory cited 9000/day.
So much for Eldar's FUD about only 92k N9's being made.
He originally linked that figure to the N950, & then conveniently shifted it to the N9.
He then even tried to raise the no's a little.
The guy's a walking/talking FUD machine, no credibility whatsoever.
[Please, FEW, really FEW apps are in nokia store.]
See my earlier post on the previous page about apps.
- A
- Andrian Aliazas
- Rxn
- 27 Oct 2011
i can't understand why people keep on comparing phones.
phones are just like human because they are made by human.
JUST LIKE ME AND YOU.
we are IMPERFECT! because nobody is perfect. right?
N9 (BLACK/MAGENTA) would be my dream phone always and forever.
so please just STOP comparing.
if you dont like it. FINE.
if you like it! FINE.
as simple as that!
~ Andrian
- B
- Binmath
- 3Jx
- 26 Oct 2011
This is truly an inspirational mobile, the under-dog. I've been so looking forward to the replacement of N900, as I'm a complete fan of the same (though I've to admit, its got troubles, but nothing that I can't live with).
I'd been an avid user of N82 (for its xenon flash) though the replacement with similar flash came very late (N8).
N9 now looks like its come at the worst possible time...and for what reason would Nokia do such a thing? (i guess S. Elop came in too late to stop N9).
Anyhow, having a good appstore helps, but for me, its not a deal killer (N900 is good evidence, with a mediocre app store).
I'd probably be digging into the N9 soon and am looking forward to it.
All I can hope for, is that S. Elop gets fired very quickly, as WP7 is most likely the most expensive flop that Microsoft is about to spend its money into (and thereby getting Nokia's *** kicked and S. Elop also).
Atleast then I hope Nokia will re-visit their treasures (which I hope wouldn't be too late).
Binoy
- D
- AnonD-27589
- Re2
- 25 Oct 2011
reading this review really makes me sad, I just have a gut feeling that this would have been it for nokia....so why windows7? i mean nokia wont be able to play with wp7 anyway since microsoft wont allow it. so wont it be the same old wp7 on a nokia phone? how is that good for nokia? wp7 isnt doing too good so tell me this...does nokia really believe that jumping ship to wp7 will be their salvation? the n9 is one of their most popular and amazing devices ever. and its not good enough for them?? well i have one thing to say to Nokia... PRAY THAT THIER WP7 DEVICES DONT FLOP. especially with killer phones like iphone 4s, galaxy nexus , galaxy s 2, droid razr etc etc. we all will be watching.. but as for me, i love nokia but dont like wp7... and i wont buy any of them simply because noki branding is on them. oh sweet time will tell. and i will get a n9.. its worth it..apps dont make a phone.. they just make it more attractive..
- D
- AnonD-26449
- 8UW
- 24 Oct 2011
I really think it's an absurd thing to buy this phone, it will NOT have any support from nokia, it will NOT sell million of units because less than 10000 will be produced in entire world. Please, FEW, really FEW apps are in nokia store.
This phone will FALL IN OBLIVION and all owners will be like n900 owners. It's not a masterpiece, it was only made to shut up ALL people who talk about the HUGE mistake called WP7, Sorry about this phone, Nokia will bo bankrupt soon for the grace of Mr Elop Flop and M$
- D
- AnonD-11886
- j01
- 24 Oct 2011
let me qoute JK
What is "dead"? Will I one day turn on the N9 and find that it says "Sorry, your phone's ecosystem has died, your phone will now cease to function"? You do know that the N9 has access to the Nokia store, don't you? And because of its very nature, is easy to run linux apps and homebrew etc. on it, sans app store? Will I suddenly not be able to take great movies with my N9 because it's "dead"? Will txting stop working? Will my facebook app for it just give up on me? Will my youtube client uninstall itself?
You cannot reduce something like the N9 - or any other great smartphone - to a list of 'apps'. That's an insult to technology.
This "dead" talk is ridiculous. People, feel free to buy the N9 without fear of "death". You're going to own it for years and it'll stay in great shape and probably be the longest lasting smartphone you ever owned. In that regard, it's the most "alive" smartphone you will probably have the pleasure of owning.you know its the good stuff if you CANT GET OVER IT.
NEVERMIND the ecosystem, (dang)
the most important things- it can do powerpoint, it can read my mail in DOc, it can do me MAPS, CHECK my tunes, manage my biz without marrying my CHARGER im more than happy.. :))
a SUPERPHONE AWAY from stereotypic crowd..
- S
- Savor
- Y7T
- 24 Oct 2011
"The Trojan One", Stephen Elop, broke millions of Nokians' hearts and ruined Nokia's essence for an American company. I was wrong about seeing Nokia going to bed with Microsoft. While HP killed off Palm and ditched hardware for webOS, Nokia aborted MeeGo when it was stillborn. Whatever Samsung does with MeeGo and reboot it to Tizen, remember this was originally Nokia and Intel's idea. There is ONLY ONE MeeGo phone made by Nokia. You can dual boot it and transfer it to another phone or whatever, but remember there is only one Nokia that was originally engineered towards it.
Thom Holwerda quoted -
"The N9 is the ultimate culmination of Nokia's 140+ year history, starting with a pulp mill in Tampere, and ending with one of the most successful and most influential technology companies in the world. You think Android or iOS made an impact on this world? Don't make me laugh - those guys are barely fit to bring in Nokia's slippers in the morning. Nokia not only invented the mobile phone (together with Motorola), they pretty much invented the entire back-end which supports it to this very day. Nokia made the mobile phone available to everyone - not just rich kids in the west - and thereby changed the entire world for the better."
This is Nokia's real swan song before becoming just another Windows Phone OEM. The Nokia we know today will never be the same again after getting in bed with Microsoft. The greatest phone Nokia ever made with the best OS they ever made that they decided to abandon right away.
As GSMArena once stated in their review - ONCE IN A LIFETIME
- S
- Stalker
- 0Ud
- 22 Oct 2011
I wonder why gsmarena didn`t said anything about the battery life of the Nokia N9 in the review!!??
- J
- Jeff
- i2f
- 22 Oct 2011
AnonD-252, 17 Oct 2011MeeGo will be replaced by Samsung-Intel backed "Tizen&... more["MeeGo will be replaced by Samsung-Intel backed "Tizen"!"]
Correct, kinda...
But MeeGo-Core will also live on as MER.
The MER team is seeking permission from LF to keep the name MeeGo.
So if the community doesn't like the direction Intel/Samsung are going.
Or if they pull the rug from underneath us again, we'll have viable options:
MER/MeeGo-Core + Cordia or
MER/MeeGo-Core + Plasma
MER/MEEGo-Core + other UX's etc.
["No hdmi-out"]
802.11an + DLNA = 1080p win
Not a perfect substitution for MHL or HDMI.
Especially when one is traveling.
But for home set-ups it'll be great.
["No usb-on-the-go"]
This is coming...
It's not 100% certain yet though.
Some things need to be cleared-up 1st.
["720p video-recording is bad"]
720p is a format, do you not understand this?
I'd rather have excellent IQ 720p, than mediocre IQ 1080p.
Plus 1080p isn't an impossibility...
It's unlikely given the hw limitations.
But that's been said before on the N900 ;)
["No text-reflow in the browser"]
Check-out konttori's recent blog post.
He's answered hundreds of questions about PR1.1
IIRC that's one of the fixes/additions.
["No Flash 11 in the browser"]
Check-out TMO, renewed rumors it's coming.
Still not definite, but you can't claim "no flash" yet either.
["No software for the FM-radio-hardware"]
Coming already, working w/a rough framework.
A "pretty GUI" is now being worked on.
["No document-editing app"]
N900 had arguably the best app/s in this area.
It'll take some porting work because of the difference in screen tech, but I don't expect the N9 to be different.
The only difference nowadays, is that MS's getting into it's stride.
So it'll probably offer better apps in this area.
But thanks to the F/OSS community N9 will be in 2nd, alongside iOS/Android.
["There are very few apps"]
Umm, try genuinely having a "hard" look around...
You might realise there's more than enough to last you the next 6mth or so.
Upon which time, surprise, surprise, there'll be more!
The built-in functionality is such that, you won't be rushing out for "apps" right-away.
There's some useful apps which improve the OOTB experience, but very few "critical" things missing.
["only those Android apps that have been "repacked" can be used on N9-MeeGo!"]
That is a minor factor...
There's other 'bigger' reasons why it probably won't be coming.
There is also ACL, which does not need to be "repacked".
It's a compatibility layer, not an emulator like AD.
But for similar 'bigger' reasons it too probably won't come to the N9.
["I will wait for the first "Tizen" from Samsung, because Nokia MeeGo have no future!"]
Nokia MeeGo never did have a future...
Nokia's focus was on Maemo6 + a compatibility layer for Vanilla MeeGo (nothing really).
When the platform was abandoned in February...
Nokia had not yet reached the point whereby the focus could shift to Vanilla MeeGo.
If the strategy change didn't happen, that shift would've been roughly 4mth ago.
- J
- Jeff
- i2f
- 22 Oct 2011
AnonD-252, 17 Oct 2011N9 have better camera lens, but S2 do not have a "bad&... more[S2/Android also have good photo editor and video editor and free life time gps turn by turn navigation!]
But it's nowhere near as good as the N9's.
Ask jakiman (whirpool.net.au) who owns both phones.
And he is a Samsung lover, as he's Korean.
He also has many criticisms of the N9, so he's no blind fanboy.
[N9 display is PenTile!]
So what...
You do realise that pentile isn't the dirty word that popular opinion dictates right?
Sure it has 50% less sub-pixel density & slightly narrower colour gamut at the sub-pixel level.
But it also has superior brightness/contrast, both indoors & outdoors.
And at a pixel level it's density is about 15% higher.
Plus there's the curved nature of the glass, & the way the panel's so close to it.
That also has a positive visual impact...
Again, refer too jakiman if you want proof.
[Samsung call quality today is excellent!]
Not a patch on the N9's cellular reception.
Thanks mostly to it polycarbonate uni-body.
It's already become the standard test ph with many telcos for boundary testing.
N9's WiFi performance is also 2nd-to-none.
It's sensitivity however is poor...
Therefore signal reception to AP's is more likely to be poor, & thus result in drop-outs.
Apparently this is being corrected with PR1.1.
[S2 have native apps for social integration, and calls!]
Again, nowhere near as good as Harmattan, ask jakiman.
[Flash 11 in stock N9 browser is still only rumors]
It's not coming to the stock browser.
If it comes it'll come to Fennec (Firefox Mobile).
A way better approach IMO...
[S2 is a lot less expensive than N9]
Well, that's not true for every country.
Plus SGSII has been out for 6mth+ in many places.
The N9's been out for 1-3wks, of course it's going to be more expensive.
Once we hit Xmas it'll definitely be cheaper in many countries.
- S
- Shamus
- i2f
- 22 Oct 2011
AnonD-26678, 17 Oct 2011I was really excited about getting this phone... The Fact t... moreWow, so you're judging it's entire msging abilities/integration on that alone?
Do you honestly think that's reasonable?
- J
- Jeff
- i2f
- 22 Oct 2011
anonymouse, 17 Oct 2011no FM radio is ok; but battery non replaceable?? what is No... moreCamera is not poor...
One thing that's been found though, is that the motion compensation algorithm (AMBR) is too aggressive.
This adds too much "noise" to many types of pictures.
Once this is rectified w/PR1.1 or 1.2 it should be the best amongst 8mp top-ends as far as IQ goes, except the N8 of course.
Base hw specs of the actual camera module dictate that it should be the best 8mp IQ-wise, the sw just needs some fine-tuning ;)
- J
- Jeff
- i2f
- 22 Oct 2011
AnonD-9052, 14 Oct 2011have n9 the same power output at headphones like iphone4?comparo done here, subsequent posts are interesting too
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=78499