Michal Jerz is clearly happy with the Nokia N900 he’s testing and yet I still remain somewhat unconvinced as I read through this detailed article. Maybe the N900 really is this good with web page zooming – “No reloading, refreshing, waiting for the new part to render” and a “BEAUTIFUL user interface.” but maybe, coming from the Smartphone world, Michal hasn’t got the benefit of experience on a 4.8” screen running a fast SSD, Atom 1.3ghz and Firefox.

Clearly the N900 is going to be a fast and smooth web-focused device and I dare say it will blow away my own Omnia Pro smartphone which is quite limited in the ARM11-powered, Opera 9.5  browsing department but there are still questions. Despite what Michal says, its a fat  smartphone and, exactly like my Omnia Pro, is neither the perfect size for 24/7 pocket use or the perfect size for mobile web activity. Just like the N810, you’ll find yourself having to zoom in on full page web just to read the text. Michal doesn’t mention battery life either.

At 600 Euros for a new platform it seems a little expensive and a slightly risky investment for the average user, especially with the 32GB Archos Android Internet Tablet out there on the same Ti OMAP 3 platform (wifi only) for half the price, but for mobile web-focused and convergence fans it remains a top choice.

My-Symbian. Full N900 Preview. (Via Maemo Talk)

Nokia N900 information and links.

UMPCPortal will be at the Maemo summit on the 9th-11th of October.

Mobilecrunch have an ‘exclusive’ (tip from an unknown source) this morning that lists the specifications of the next Nokia tablet that they are calling the N900. The specs match what most people have already worked-out apart from two imporant things. A 3.5” screen and GSM voice.

Why produce a device that competes with Nokia’s mainstream handsets and moves away from the MID category by aiming to be the all-in-one? The N810 was good as a dedicated device at 4.1” and if anything could be better at 4.8” which would improve web-page readability, e-reader capability, video playback experience and navigation; new markets that Nokia could be addressing with the Maemo platform.

As someone has already said in the Internet Tablet Talk forums [Good discussion here], this could be a Maemo phone or one of a range of devices. I truly hope so.

Oh, one last thing, Mobilecrunch expect a July launch for the device through T-Mobile. Maemo has just gone into Beta so I expect that to slip a little.

Overall, we’re not getting the right vibes on this one. Shenanigans?

The API is ‘frozen’ and the feature set shouldn’t change now that the Maemo 5 Beta is out so it means developers can start to work on applications and widgets without having the rug pulled from underneath them.

It also means we are getting closer to the next Nokia Tablet which is something I’m personally very excited about. Nokia teased me about it earlier this month at the Mobile Dev Camp in Amsterdam but gave nothing away in terms of timescales, prices or even feature set. My feeling is that it will be the first consumer quality, developer-friendly operating system for MIDs. Moblin V1 seems to have stalled and Moblin V2 for MIDs won’t happen until 2010. Android is a possibility too of course. (See this related story that I’ve bookmarked for later.)

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