Not too long ago, I was extremely excited to get a Nokia N900 in my hands. I had been reading heaps about all the things it could and just how open and versatile of a mobile device this was.

The impression I gathered was that the N900 is a hand-held computer that just happens to make phone calls. In all honesty it was all that —and more. Many people asked me “Why? Don’t you have an iPhone?”

Indeed, I do. Nevertheless, one of the reasons that drew me so much to the N900 was just how open and malleable it was. With Maemo 5 as it’s operating system (which is all Linux based) and Nokia’s reputation as the best mobile device maker in the world, this was something that just felt right.

I didn’t take me long (even before buying it) to realize that the experience of downloading applications for the N900 would be diametrically different than that of the iPhone’s AppStore. We all know that Apple reserves the right to approve or reject any application available for the iPhone (unless you “set it free”). This was also rather appealing and refreshing —especially after being an iPhone user from the day it came out. I never wanted to be one of “those” people who carry two mobile phones by choice.

With the N900, it was different…

This scaled-down computer is so intrinsically different when compared to the iPhone that I never felt like I was “overdoing it” by owning them both. After all, the N900 is sold worldwide as an unlocked device, so I knew I could use my AT&T sim card with it. Don’t get me wrong I was never not going to get another phone/data plan just for the this phone.

I finally got the N900 in my hands and began exploring it, days passed as I got more and more familiar with it. I read countless forums; downloaded repositories to be able to download even more applications being developed by open source enthusiasts; took it to SXSW Interactive; even had the chance to personally thank Cali Lewis for making this informational video which aided my decision of getting the N900 in the first place:

After 6 weeks with the device, I had enough time to come up with a number of well-defined conclusions about what I liked and what I didn’t. This is primarily what I want to share with you here. Needless to say, these conclusions are based solely on my own experience with the device. For a extensive and thorough review, check out what Engadget had to say about the N900. What I Liked:

• With the Nokia N900, there’s certainly “an App for that”. I was often surprised to see what I could find app for in the various repositories available for Maemo-based devices. Among the most interesting applications I downloaded are: Joiku Spot (turns the N900 into a mobile hot spot); One that allowed the N900 to be a bluetooth track pad/keyboard, another one that made it possible to use the N900 as a PS3 or Nintendo Wii controller; WebKit-based browsers; NES and SNES emulators; a Speedometer; DUKE NUKEM; and a Python-based Pandora application that magically did away with the advertisements and the song play restrictions (you know “…in an Absolut open source world….”)
• I didn’t pay for any of the aforementioned apps.
• Firefox. It was great to be able to have a solid browser with tabs, add-ons and even a download manager. It didn’t allow for zooming in and out as smoothly as the browser that comes installed with the N900 (also Mozilla-based) but it was nonetheless good. Did I mention it even had an awesome bar?
• Customizable to the core. I loved being able to apply any themes, colours, even fonts to fit my style/mood —and of course, there’s the multiple desktops feature.
• The FM Transmitter. No need for extra cables if you need your sound amplified through a radio. It worked flawlessly with the stereo in my car. I played music and even watched a few episodes of one of my favourite TV programmes (whilst waiting for Best Buy to open on iPad day).
• Full DivX playback
• The LED flash for the 5.0 Megapixel camera. (If only the iPhone had one of these —the Apple logo in the back would be an awesome location for a small flash!)
• Full Flash capabilities. I was able to use Grooveshark, Hype Machine, YouTube.com and many other Flash-based sites successfully. Sometimes it would be “slow” (some of this sites are clearly very demanding for a device of this calibre), but overall the N900 delivered when it came to allowing the internet to be experienced the way in which it was intended, as opposed to the way Apple forces you with the iPhone.
• It had a cursor! (as in the one the you move using your mouse or track pad). How many mobile devices you know can do that?
• The ability to make contacts into shortcuts on the desktop to quickly call/IM/SMS (similar to Android phones).
• Ovi Maps. Never really got to use it, but the idea of having free, turn-by-turn capabilities for the entire world was nice.
• Sharing. I liked it because it was effective, seamless and different from what I am used to. For example, you take a photo and then you can give it whatever tags you want (so you can find it on your phone later) or quickly send it to one (or many) services at the same time: Flickr, Facebook, Evernote, Pixelpipe or sure, why notÑ Ovi Photos. If the service supports tags, they all get transferred as well.
• Multitasking. Simply put: a luxury I just can’t enjoy now will have with my iPhone this coming summer. I could be surfing the web and get a message from Google Talk, an SMS, or an Email and respond to either one of this whilst listening to music and looking at photos. Brilliant!

What I Didn’t Like:

• The Ovi Store: There was nothing wrong with it —except it hasn’t got much to offer. I hope it grows in the near future, for Nokia owners’ sake.
• Syncing with a Mac. It was indeed possible, but it required a number of workarounds. This has nothing to do with being a Mac user and being spoiled into Apple product’s “ease of use”. It really should not have been that hard. At least I’m glad it was possible to (eventually) sync all my contacts, iTunes media and calendars.
• (visual) Transitions. Overall, transitions between screens whilst surfing the web or with some of the applications looked a bit “segmented” (I will acknowledge: this *is* indeed a result of being spoiled from just how smooth the experience with the iPhone is).
• Battery life. It simply didn’t seem like it lasted very long at all.
• Installing and uninstalling applications takes ages. Once you do either of these, it appeared as if I had to wait for the entire list of applications to “refresh” for a couple of seconds.
• Two-hands vs. One. The N900 was clearly designed to be used in landscape view, which is not necessarily bad. Nevertheless, one of the things I love about my iPhone is that I can easily interact with it by using only one hand. I find my self constantly using my iPhone whilst eating, typing something on the computer, having coffee or in bed right after I wake up/before I go to sleep. I am rather accustomed to this and sadly, the N900 doesn’t allow for that unless you’re making a phone call.
• The virtual keyboard. Being an iPhone user I’m clearly not against it —but does it really need to occupy the entire screen whilst typing?
• The screen. I didn’t mind that it was resistive touch screen (as opposed to the iPhone’s capacitive screen) but it seems to scratch more easily than that of the iPhone.
• The speakers. They were loud enough, but depending on how you hold the phone, your fingers will most likely cover the sound coming out of them. *FAIL*.
• TWITTER! This was one of the big deal-breakers for me. Just as I have noted an increase in my use of Twitter thanks to the iPhone, I found my interaction with the Twitterverse virtually crippled by the available Twitter channels in the N900. I tried Witter, Mauku, PowerTwitter —all horendously-looking (take a look yourself!) TweeGo was perhaps the most “decent” of them all (even when in sub-alpha stages at the time of this post). As Twitter gains user and uses, someone will have to develop a more compelling way to experience Twitter. If I have time, I’ll be more than glad to share my own ideas with the world (now that I actually have some experience with Maemo)

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These are some of the main and most salient conclusions I was able to come up with, given my short time with the N900. I say “short” because it was only slightly over a month and sadly, it has come to an end. Less than a week after I put the N900 for sale on Craigslist (small scratches and all) it found a new owner. Gladly he was a self-proclaimed Nokia-lover. I have sold it because despite all the good things it offered (and how different it was from the iPhone), I simply could not justify having another “smartphone”. It didn’t fill a big gap in my digital life and it didn’t exactly do anything than the iPhone doesn’t do in such an impressive manner for me to consider making it my main communication device.

In the end, this was an interesting experiment. It was exciting to be excited about a product again (since I haven’t felt the same since the day the first iPhone came out). I wasn’t even near as excited with the iPad that Saturday morning, days ago.Despite the anticipation I had for the N900, it couldn’t find a proper place for it in my media-consuming, productive or social life.

I knew buying this device was a gamble and I don’t seem to have gone all too well in the end. This is one of the risks early adopters like me usually run. Getting on board with a new and unknown gizmo can be expensive, time-consuming and nothing guarantees that you will get back all you have invested in it. Nevertheless, it was great fun and I don’t regret my “investment” in getting to know the N900 the way I did. Take it as a non-for-profit service: “I do it, so you don’t have to.”