Nokia N900 at Tesco: Maemo at the mall
The geek-tastic Nokia N900 smart phone is coming to Tesco phone stores this weekend, so you can bag your Linux-based mobile fix along with your shopping
The Nokia N900 is one of the geekiest phones out there, targeted at modders and high-end users. But that's not stopping it from dropping on the shelves of of Tesco Phone shops, where you can pick up some Linux-based Maemo goodness along with your weekly shop.
Tescos will start selling the N900 in its phone stores this weekend, along with a £30-a-month contract with Vodafone.
The N900 won't be available on Tesco's own Tesco Mobile network, where it offers the iPhone at knock-down prices compared to the major operators.
We liked the fast and powerful N900 when it came out last winter, although it's not easy to use with one hand and it's more of a tablet than a phone. Since its release, the N900 has been updated with video calling over Skype and Facebook IM chat, two features you won't find on any other smart phone we can think of.
Maemo has been absorbed into the MeeGo operating system, however, which has led some to worry that the N900 will go from the first of its kind to a dead branch on the evolutionary tree -- although it still appears to have a thriving developer community.