Nokia N900 (photos)

CNET takes a hands-on look at Nokia's new Maemo-based smartphone, the Nokia N900. Check out the photo gallery here.

Bonnie Cha

Dec. 11, 2009 3:43 p.m. PT

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Nokia N900

The Nokia N900 is the next evolution of the company's Internet Tablet line. It's available now unlocked for $549.

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Maemo platform

New features of the N900 include phone capabilities, the Linux-based Maemo platform, and a mobile Web browser based on Mozilla technology.

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Smaller but still bulky

The N900 is also smaller than previous models, such as the Nokia N810 Internet Tablet, at 4.37 inches long by 2.35 inches tall by 0.77 inch thick and weighs 6.38 ounces. However, it's still on the bulkier, heavier side so it won't make the most comfortable fit in a pants pocket.

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User interface

One of the N900's cons is that the user interface is very unintuitive. Though you can customize up to four home- screen panes with different shortcuts and widgets, it's not always clear what each icon does or how to open various menus. Also, there are no dedicated navigation controls, such as Talk and End keys or a back button, so simple tasks like making a call requires extra steps.

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Keyboard

You do get a full QWERTY keyboard, which you can access by sliding the screen up. There isn't much spacing between the keys but we found the buttons to be a good size so we didn't have too much trouble using it. Our biggest complaint is that the space bar is located off center, which interrupts the flow of typing.

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Right side

On the right side of the phone, you'll find a lock switch, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and the stylus. There's also a kickstand on back that allows you to prop the N900 on a flat surface and watch movies or view a slideshow hands free.

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Camera

Like many of Nokia N series models, the N900 features a 5-megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, dual-LED flash, auto focus, and video recording capabilities.

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Good picture quality

The N900's camera delivered on photo quality. This shot was taken in a dimly lit room, and we were impressed at the sharpness and colors of the image.

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Plenty of storage

The Nokia N900 offers plenty of memory. Aside from 32GB of internal storage, the smartphone is equipped with a microSD expansion slot that can accept up to 16GB cards.