Nokia pushes back N900 Net tablet

Nokia has delayed the release of its N900 Internet tablet.

Nokia N900 photos

View the full gallery

The N900 was previously set to arrive in October--and Nokia's preorder site still states that. However, it is now set for release "during November," Peter Schneider, head of Maemo marketing at Nokia, said Thursday in a post. Schneider did not state the reason for the delay, but Reuters reported that the company is waiting for more feedback from developers.

N900, which costs $649, is part cell phone and part computer. It's considered a potential game-changer for Nokia, which is pushing it as "fusing the power of the computer, the Internet and the mobile phone."

The device uses Nokia's Linux-based Maemo 5 operating system to offer multitasking, Web browsing via Mozilla, a touch screen, and slide-out keyboard. It includes an ARM Cortex-A8 processor, 1GB of application memory, and 32GB of storage (expandable to 48GB with a MicroSD card). It measures 4.4 inches by 2.4 inches and features a 3.5-inch widescreen display.The device also sports a 5-megapixel camera.

[codynews]

yawn...

[frozenjello]

Another device Americans won't see because Nokia refuses to play ball with AT&T or T-Mobile.

[sartor1]

That's a tablet? Looks iPhone/iPod touch size..<br />Nokia playing catch up to Apple!

Sorry sartor1 but this isn't Nokia playing catch-up with Apple. This is the 4th iteration of the internet tablet that Nokia has put out. The 1st one, the n770 internet tablet, was first sold back in 2005. The ipod touch and iphone, however, were first launched in 2007. The 2nd internet tablet, the n800, was introduced January 2007 before both the iphone and itouch and the 3rd was sold in October 2007 after the iphone but before the itouch. Now who was copying whom?

[seven7dust]

this is also a phone BTW !

[solitare_pax]

If it's been around so long, why hasn't it been hyped up more?<br /><br />And how can it be a major game-changer when the price tag is twice that of a high-end iPhone? The camera and extra storage specs look nice, but I would want a real digital camera for taking photos.

[foobaz]

@ solitare_pax<br /><br />"If it's been around so long, why hasn't it been hyped up more?<br /><br />And how can it be a major game-changer when the price tag is twice that of a high-end iPhone? The camera and extra storage specs look nice, but I would want a real digital camera for taking photos."<br /><br />Original Nokia 770 was really, really a niche product, and not even intended to be mainstream. It was truly designed to be a developer plaything to figure out what are the benefits and drawbacks of such device and operating system concepts. Your beloved Apple would never release such a device, but Nokia doesn't have need to imitate Apple, at least to change opinions of those that are known to be practically impossible to convert from their own religion.<br /><br />Latter Internet Tablet devices developed the concept further, but still kept the devices without cellular radio and phone functionality. To large extent this made sense, since Bluetooth tethering and WLAN are viable options on markets where operator competition actually works - where manufacturer features are not intentionally crippled by operators. Majority of the world market works this way. Obviously this decision marginalised the device because it wasn't a phone, but a companion - but even so, to my knowledge the tablets have sold millions. It's a pretty large number for a niche product.<br /><br />Anyway, before N900 the tablets weren't really ready for user experience expected from a device also used as a phone, and thus, in my opinion, it made reasonable amount of sense not to include it in them. With N900, it has changed thanks to hardware and software, and market has changed also so much that the device makes much more sense.<br /><br />And one thing about price: I guess you're from the US? Have you compared unsubsidized price of iPhone with price of N900, which is specifically unsubsidized? iPhone is actually more expensive. Reasons for the delusion that iPhone is particularly cheap option for a phone stems from the fact that American cellular market is horribly, horribly broken, and companies that largely rely on their home market like Apple and AT&#38;T really know how to take an advantage of that. Nokia has pretty much lost its faith in US, but you have to remember that non-US markets, particularly the European market, have an environment where products can thrive with other merits than grace of US big business.

[smithjones]

@ sartor1 <br />Yeah I was thinking the same thing.<br /><br />"N900, which costs $649, is part cell phone and part computer. It's considered a potential game-changer for Nokia"<br /><br />Wasn't that the General price of the iphone before the AT&#38;T subsidy, and isn't that what the iPhone is? As far as game changing...., i would think that their law suit against apple would be more game changing..., if it succeeds.

[bearlyandme]

yeah it doesn't really sound like a game changer so much as an ipod touch knock-off that is coming out more than two years after the ipod touch was first introduced

Sorry but that's wrong. See my comment above.

[seven7dust]

Actually this may be the catchup release Nokia needs<br />but there's also the fact that it does a lot more than the iPhone<br />like true multi-tasking,Runs live Widgets, it has flash support in the browser <br />and much more, sure there previous phones have lagged the iPhone in terms of usability<br />but this will probably fix most of the problems that S60 touch phones have

[moebsghost]

This certainly feeds in to the idea that Nokia filed suit against Apple to hedge against getting sued by Apple..

moebsghost, look up the words "Nokia internet tablet" and see who came up with this concept first, Nokia or Apple.

[ayeng98]

YAWN...true, nokia playing catch up with apple...if you cannot beat apple then sue them and get rewarded for the market share which apple stole from you....<br /><br />Phatetic!

No, Nokia came up with the concept before Apple. Look up "internet tablet" and you will see that Nokia has been selling internet tablets since 2005. That's 2 years before Apple started selling the iphone/itouch.

[jezzali]

What's pathetic is your spelling...

[trentreviso]

""...and comes with a built-in music player that supports MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, and M4A files.""<br /><br />It's Linux? And it does NOT support ogg vorbis files?!?

[smithjones]

that is a bit strange Huh?

[foobaz]

Nokia is wary of potential submarine patents. For other codecs, it has paid to secure its position, but for Ogg, there's no such body, and supposedly Nokia has fears that there should be one.<br /><br />If you want, it's trivial to install the Ogg codec on the device.

[smithjones]

@ Mr. " No name "<br /><br />You seem to be a bit touchy about these statements.<br />What do you have "Invested" in the commentary here?<br />While I have no personal preference and a casual observer, I tend to lean apples way by observation of what I see above.<br />You seem to be well versed in Nokia's line up.<br />So one would assume by your statements that if apple did come out with a tablet, they would be copying Nokia?

[deniceels]

Nokia's <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_7700-570.php <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_7710-921.php <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_6708-1518.php <br /> <br />SonyE <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_p800-326.php <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_p900-544.php <br />http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_p910-846.php <br /> <br />Oh yea, all the original PDA's came out before iPod Touch, that's includin Sony clie.

[giodelgado]

catching up? you must be a typical American Consumer thinking the only way to get a cell phone is through a carrier, lol.<br /><br />cell makers pay Nokia royalties for patents, why not Apple?<br /><br />Now go and play with your Fart App.

[CyR00k]

Okay first all just because the device has a 3G TX board does not make it a cel-phone. The upside to this is that consumers will only have to $20/month rather than $100/month for service, which is completely optional. <br /><br />Secondly, Portal Internet Devices have been hugely popular in foreign markets for close to a decade and Nokia isn't the only company that has been making and selling them. They just haven't had a real market in the US because having wifi access was until recently very rare. <br /><br />Third, Apple was the last one to the table in terms of portable internet devices and cel-phones and they are currently being sued for patent infringement because of that fact. Apple is simply really talented at propaganda, evidenced by the fact that so many commentators here had no idea that Apple was the last company and not the first company to make a PID. <br /><br />Fourth, kind of an aside, Sony had announced earlier that the next generation PSP (the one after the Go) will have the same 3G TX board. The "game changing" aspect will depend entirely upon the American telecoms and whether they start jacking up the rates of data only plans to the same price as cell-phone rates. Because I personally can't see paying any of the telecoms $100/month for data only service especially not when they are making a profit at the current rate of $20/month.

[seven7dust]

I'm all for the N9000 and it's abilities<br />but saying Apple is all about propaganda is a fanboy thing to say<br />here's the thing everyone had portable internet deices before<br />but it was the iPhone that actually made mobile internet mainstream .<br />the iPhone also forced other companies to come out of their shell and compete<br />the pre iPhone days I still remember how every phone manufacturer <br />would come out with a new phone every month <br />the only difference would be higher megapixel counts and large memory ,but that was about it !!!<br />there wasn't any real innovation like we are seeing now !

[celticbrewer]

"but it was the iPhone that actually made mobile internet mainstream ." <br /> <br />Opinion. I'm pretty sure RIM made it mainstream. I remember a lot of surfing going on long before the iPhone.

[moebsghost]

tablets smablets.. it's not about that it's about multi touch swipes

[AppleSuxLeo]

Looks nice. How long till Apple uses it`s patents without paying ? Bwahahahaha !

[adilsadik10]

I want multi-touch and capacitive touchscreen on that phone :)

I don't have an Iphone so I don't understand what is so grand about multi-touch?

[ayeng98]

simply cheap imitation of an iphone bwahahahaha

[celticbrewer]

simply a much improved device over an iphone. Only an apple toadie would compare specs &#38; features and determine otherwise.

[AppleSuxLeo]

ATT is reportedly getting a high-end Nokia phone. Could it be this beauty ?

[Nokia_Retail]

THE FACTS! - Nokia N900 UK delivery date and network availability.<br /><br />As the independent operator of Nokia Retail stores in the UK, I can advise that we are expecting our N900 stock mid November - No exact date has officially been announced for UK release by Nokia. At launch the N900 will exclusively be available only from Nokia Stores and Nokia online and connection is to the Vodafone network ONLY. A full list of Nokia stores in the UK can be found at www.nokiaretail.co.uk<br /><br />Importantly, I was interested this week to see at least two UK companies offering deals of the N900 connected to O2 and Orange. This is news to us and my recommendation is don't buy, especially if you want a proper UK supplied N900 anytime soon.<br /><br />As soon as Nokia announce the exact launch date for the shops, it will be shown at www.nokiaretail.co.uk