The Nokia N900 is an entirely new creature – a truly mobile mini computer that takes multi-tasking off the desktop and puts it right in your hands. Powered by the Linux-based Maemo 5 operating system, the N900 starts with the sharpest, smoothest web browsingavailable anywhere. The Mozilla browser breezes through websites (even those peppered with rich Adobe Flash flourishes), letting you enjoy multimedia experiences on the move, while the combo of a pixel-plenty 800 x 480 touchscreen and slide-out Qwerty keyboard give you maximum control.

Maemo Select will let you download the latest apps, themes and wallpapers – including social networking apps and Skype – to its substantial 32GB stomach, with more apps arriving every week. Being an Nseries device, it’s no surprise to find an autofocus 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, A-GPS (with Ovi Maps and geo-tagging), Wi-Fi and HSDPA access, and even an FM transmitter. Road warriors are welcome, too, thanks to on-board file readers, intelligent shortcuts, plus comprehensive contact and messaging options that include support for Exchange mail.

The N900 deftly straddles that otherwise uncharted territory between laptop and smartphone, in this case between the Booklet 3G and the N97. A first of its kind for Nokia, the open source N900 is a virtually a blank canvas, which is perhaps most exciting as we’re only just glimpsing its potential, and the best is yet to come for this debut Maemo device.

What they say

 

“It’s a true mobile powerhouse in every sense of this word, wrapped in a very eye-candy and functional UI at that.”

Eldar Murtazin, Mobile Review

If you only do one thing

Unleash the raw power of a 600MHz ARM processor, 1GB of application memory and 3D graphics to multi-task apps, browse the web and enjoy rich media without suffering the dreaded mobile slow-down.

Miscellany

Lesser-known Linux facts:
How well do you know Linux, the open source operating system behind the Nokia N900? Here are some little-known facts about it:

• The Linux logo is a penguin called Tux that, appropriately enough, was designed on the open source arts package GIMP. Linux creator Linus Torvalds was bitten by a penguin in Australia in 1993.

 

• In the Indian state of Kerala, all secondary schools must run Linux on their computers.

 

• Almost 90 per cent of the world’s top 500 supercomputers run on Linux.

 

• Titanic was the first major Hollywood production to use Linux computers for its CGI imagery.

 

• Linux powers many consumer electronic devices, including the TiVo personal video recorder, routers and music workstations.