Mobile phones were once just devices we used to call other people and maybe send the odd text message, but they didn’t have that almost-magical aura that made people feel attached to them, as if they were electronic extensions of their owners. Nowadays, smartphones have become very personal devices. People spend a long time choosing the one that will be the best for them and it is quite possible, whichever model they pick, that device will be loved.
For me, no mobile phone has ever instilled any feeling of love. Why should it? It’s just a lump of plastic and circuit boards, right? Well yes, they essentially all are, but then I bought the cyan Nokia N9. Oh boy.
From what felt like online dating, (reading glowing review after glowing review and watching every available YouTube video) to the first meeting when I carefully lifted it out of the neat blue box, I can honestly say that I have started to fall for this little gem.
Nokia have always knocked us over with superb hardware. I clearly remember my Nokia 3210 from 1999 – I bought it because it was one of the first mobiles to not have an external antenna and it looked ice cool back then. Actually it still looks pretty cool! But fast-forward to the present, and just look at the N9’s design. No wonder Nokia released their first Windows Phone with this design because they would have been foolish not to! It’s absolutely gorgeous, and everyone who sees mine as I flash it around New York loves it, no matter what mobile they are rocking themselves. My N9 consistently turns heads and rouses curiosity.
As for the software, well MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan is like a dream come true. The menus swiftly and smoothly melt away to the next screen, and the three home views are both useful and intuitive, as well as looking sleek and engaging. MeeGo responds so well and so fluidly, I really could not imagine using any other platform now. It’s been said many times already, but it feels so natural to swipe through screens to close apps, or push them to the multi-tasking view, or to view other screens, and it’s much more of a natural impulse than pressing a clunky home-button. It is such a joy to use, demonstrating my N9’s software to my friends has become a favorite hobby of mine!
The Nokia team of designers who worked on this device inside and out should be applauded for creating such a beautiful mobile phone that has a truly wonderful user experience. Mobile phones come and go, but in today’s ever-changing mobile industry landscape, it’s good to know that people can always turn to Nokia for the best of the best. For me, that’s my Nokia N9.
Yep. It’s love.
Thanks for your thoughts Andy! What do you guys think of Andy’s take on the N9 here, do you agree or have anything to add? Let us know in the comments and reach out to @Nokia_Connects.