We rather liked the look of the Nokia N9 -- even with its undeniably garish colours -- but we weren't too sure about Nokia's choice to load it with its already extinct MeeGo software. We get a closer look at what this handset offers in this hands-on video.
The N9 is a phone that definitely looks good in the hand. It's machined out of a single piece of polycarbonate that curves seductively at the edges, joining seamlessly to a curved 3.9-inch screen. There are no buttons on the front of the N9 -- the screen takes up its entire face.
We are actually quite taken with MeeGo. It looks and runs smoothly on the handset. MeeGo makes use of three separate home screens -- one showing all installed apps, one showing notifications, and one showing currently open apps.
Sadly, the N9 is likely to be the only phone to ship with MeeGo software. If this is the case, then don't expect developers to spend any time in creating apps for the platform -- they'll be spending their time with Android and Windows Phone.
Make sure you check out our full preview and let us know what you think of it in the comments or over on our official Facebook page. It's got a kitten on it now. We're so happy.
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Comments 11
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Anonymous 1 July, 2011 13:06
I believe that developers will be spending time creating Meego apps. I thought the same thing when Maemo was knocked on the head but most of the useful apps were still developed anyway (FTP server, VNC viewer, WIFI Tethering, BitTorrent Clients, etc, etc,etc). Furthermore, Maemo required less apps than Android at the time of release due to it's built in capabilities such as media streaming, better video file support, Skype video calling etc, etc, etc.
I don't know about Meego yet but if it's capabilities are good enough and you can perform all common tasks like Maemo could then the lack of apps is not worrying at all, especially when you can run Android apps on the device anyway.
Anonymous 1 July, 2011 13:19
I don't know why CNET and it's reviewers are so obsessed with proclaiming that MeeGo is extinct and people won't develop for it. This is ridiculous and wrong simply because it's sole software platform is something called Qt.
Qt is already on 100 million handsets in the market (that's the same number as Android handsets sold), is due to be on the next 150 million Symbian phones sold over the next few years (a number which independent analysts support, thus proclaiming Symbian is definitely not dead) and just to put a massive layer of icing on the cake, Qt is core to the "next billion" low end S40 handsets that Nokia will produce.
So the N9 will run the same software as 1.25 billion phones. To put that in perspective, Android has 100 million phones in use, as does iPhone. They will never match the numbers that Qt will reach. And as for Windows Phone it has been rejected by consumers, selling only 2 million despite a multi hundred million dollar marketing campaign.
CNET's obsession with declaring MeeGo extinct ignores these facts about the software platform, Qt. So the N9 is likely to be far more supported software-wise than iPhone or Android, and thus even though MeeGo IS almost guaranteed to be in future phones, it is the presence of Qt that is the only important fact here.
I suspect CNET's writers have got more than a touch of iPhone and Android fanboyism about them, and are actually feeling threatened by the N9 and the rapturous welcome it's received across the industry, with even traditional Nokia-haters Engadget declaring it better than the iPhone!
Anonymous 2 July, 2011 02:46
I agree with the last two comments. Spot on...
Anonymous 2 July, 2011 06:25
Ok nokia wont support MeeGo...but what is Intel...is it dead...has't it takenup MeeGo developmnt...wont we be able to put new MeeGo releases ROMs in N9...whatever you say I strongly belive we can...
Anonymous 3 July, 2011 01:37
Nokia should really reconsider their strategy with WP7. MeeGo IS the innovation they needed.
olivierm 3 July, 2011 21:32
I can only imagine that corporate politics and old school views kept meego in the "prototype" drawer whilst S60 was frustrating everyone. Android was not full featured when it came out, neither was iOS. Meego could have been launched big time at least a year ago. But nokia kept kidding themselves that people wanted to buy cameras with a phone in it rather than an easy to use smartphone when Apple was proving the contrary. Ironic for the company that brought the 'communicator' to the world.
olivierm 3 July, 2011 21:34
Forgot to ask, how does the app store look like ?
Flora Graham 4 July, 2011 16:06
Are you really claiming that the N9 will get apps because Symbian is also based on the QT framework? The BlackBerry Playbook uses QT too, so by your logic, the N9 will get BlackBerry apps. The same framework does not mean the same apps.
If you're saying that QT makes the N9 easy to to develop for, I agree. But that doesn't mean anyone will be bothered to do it, if it's not on any phones.
As for Intel, it will push MeeGo, but not on phones. What you see on the N9 is Nokia's own version, and Intel's looks a lot different. Search for the hands-on photos on our site. Intel may be able to strong-arm tablet makers into building MeeGo gadgets, but no phone maker is bothered. MeeGo will end up on cars, planes, and other places who bought into it in the heyday two years ago and are now too locked in to escape.
As for Maemo, people thought that OS would go far, thus the apps that did make it on. We know now that it won't. We already know that about MeeGo.
Sorry to burst your bubble! If I wrote that people should buy a MeeGo phone because it will have a big app selection, I would be lying. That's not iPhone/Android fangirlism. Read the hands-on story and watch the video -- we like this phone. But it's ourjob to keep it real.
Anonymous 6 July, 2011 16:57
The more I see and read about Nokia N9 and meeGo the more I like both. And from what I have read there will be a lot of apps for N9 and MeeGo. As others said, there are more MeeGo devices already and there are also other Qt-powered devices and i see plenty of Qt apps around the internet free to download. Also I've read that MeeGo can run Android apps so it will get all that Android gets and even more. And as far as I have undertood MeeGo is a true Linux OS so if nothing else it should be quite easy to hack on these apps and run them on any MeeGo device like Nokia N9 smartphone. Anyways I love what I see and this will definitely be my next smartphone. Compared to MeeGo Windows Phone more and more looks like an ancient OS that is more like Symbian. Nokia should really dump this stupid idea of Windows Phone smartphones and fully embrace and work on MeeGo. That's the only way they will be able to save themselves from irrelevance.
Anonymous 7 July, 2011 11:57
@Flora Graham, you guys have been wrong about every phone platform so far. Everyone thought Microsoft was going to dominate cell phones. None of the media thought Apple could break into the cell phone business and then when Android came along on the G1 everyone proclaimed it a dud. Now it's MeeGo's turn. Having Nokia drop it is the only way it had a chance. No other cell phone manufacturer is going to want to compete the company building the OS and the hardware. Having MeeGo out of Nokia's hands will mean that other cell phone manufacturers have a level playing field.
"Are you really claiming that the N9 will get apps because Symbian is also based on the QT framework?"
Yes, actually. Same CPU, same video chips, same screen resolution. Can you explain why that doesn't make sense? The Blackberry Playbook is a tablet so no, the N9 won't be running apps for a much larger screen.
How about you guys spend more time talking about technology and less time looking into your very fuzzy crystal ball.
Anonymous 8 July, 2011 21:01
@flora
Actually there are plans to ports a raft of symbian/qt apps to meego.
Along w/plans for stuff exclusively for meego (not much).
Still wont be anything like the portfolio of android/iOS.
But then again anyone that knows anything knows that apps are grossly overrated.
Excellent built-in functionality goes a "looooong" way.
I suggest you try to get your hand on the newest builds of harmatten.
The amount of functionality built-in exceeds anything ive personally seen.
of course that could change with coming major android/iod revisions etc.
Cheers,
Jed