A punters view of the smartphone options - Is the N900 going to challenge the iPhone?

I've been waiting to invest in a smartphone for too long now.

Considering the use I'd get out of the technology with its mobile access to my online requirements such as my blog, social media profiles, work etc . . . it's been bemusing watching the popularity grow for the devices in the general consumer market without owning one myself.

Everyone from your 65 year old grandma through to your 12 year old school kid can be seen sliding their fingers across their touch sensitive screens updating their Facebook profiles or just simply still texting or calling family and friends.

What's held me back from investing?

Well I had hoped that there would be a competitor to enter the market that was going to truly challenge the iPhone. While it would make sense for me to buy an iPhone, what with me using an Apple at home to manage contacts, music, calendar etc, there's an inverse snob in me that favours the Open Source and slight underdog position of Android and I had hoped to see a piece of hardware appear that could support my desires.

I'm still waiting . . .

The recent arrival of the Nokia N900 running Maemo 5 seemed like it may be the perfect answer. Hardware from Nokia, who have long been my favoured mobile hardware provider of choice. Running an Open Source OS with Maemo to keep my community driven roots happy.

But, like the iPhone for many months it sounds like the N900 is going to be network tied initially. Also, I'm still not sold on the need for a sliding keyboard. The iPhone on-screen keyboard seems to work so well; why can't others replicate this functionality?

Additionally, Nokia have once again gone with a resistive screen interface for the N900 rather than the seemingly more popular and successful capacitive screen that the iPhone uses. But from responses on Twitter the screen is far better than the N900 predecessor the N97:

"@DigitalSignals On the N97 you *really* notice the resistive screen. The N900? Not so much... i.e. Hardly at all. It's awesome."

The other question is why have Nokia opted for the Maemo OS over the more popular Android? Is it sheer stubbornness on their behalf or was there a technical or business reason for this decision?

Surely opting for Android would have opened the way to a more mature application source for users, which in my opinion would have made the phone more attractive.

All this considered I'm still not quite sold on the Nokia N900. I'm just not able to be flexible with my technology choice for a smartphone as some others may be, and therefore I'd like the phone I choose to be the best on offer for the 18 months I'm likely to have the phone for.

There's talk of a Android HTC Dragon coming on to the market, but I feel I am continually waiting to see what the next Android phone brings in case it can compete, in my eyes, with the iPhone, none so far have managed to do this.

So could this be decision time? Could I be about to commit myself to an Apple iPhone with Orange?

Well, while I'm on the subject, after signing up to Orange's "Register your interest in the iPhone" I still haven't received an e-mail from them telling me it has launched.

Has this inspired confidence in Orange for me? Hmm well . . .

Who really is going to challenge iPhone for the consumer smartphone market?

What smartphone are you using?


Further reading:

Mobile Mentalism - Hands on Nokia N900 review
http://mobilementalism.com/2009/09/14/hands-on-nokia-n900-review-the-best-nokia-smartphone-yet/

TechRadar - Nokia N900 hands on review http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/hands-on-nokia-n900-review-631040


Related reading:

iPhone set to rule the smartphone world - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/06/iphone-set-to-rule-smartphone-world.html

Apple i-Phone in Walmart - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2008/12/apple-i-phone-in-walmart.html

Hunt for a smartphone hots up - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2008/12/hunt-for-smart-phone-hots-up.html

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