Android or Maemo – the quest for a new phone continues…

A few months ago I wrote a post here about my quest for finding a appropriate replacement for my trusty Nokia N95 8GB. Back then I was pretty much focussed on Android phones. Well, the release of the Samsung Galaxy has been delayed here in Norway by more than a month, so I am still on the lookout.

However, recently another player has entered the market of phone OS’es: Maemo OS. This was originally developed by Nokia for their Internet tablets.

Why does Maemo appeal so much to me? Well, it’s as close as you can get to a fully functional Linux OS-based phone as you can for now. Want root access? No problem! Simply install something like ‘rootsh’ and then all you need to do is type ‘sudo gainroot’ and you’re in! Finally full access to your phone! Try doing that on an Android phone…
Porting software from Linux to Maemo should also be a breeze, lots easier than porting to Android. Therefore I expect

Why I haven’t rushed to the store yet? Well… For starters the one and only Maemo 5 based device, the Nokia N900, is not available yet over here. 😉
Furthermore there are a few minor details I’m not too fond of. The N900 weighs 60 grams more than my current N95. I don’t really see why my next phone should weigh 50% more than my existing phone…
Other issues that make me hesitate:

  • the keyboard looks ok, but could have been better, and perhaps slightly larger
  • the display seems to be easily scratchable
  • some sort of hardware “Home” button quickly switching to the Desktop would be really useful
  • no Java support, even just Java MIDP
  • very limited support for Profiles, only “General” and “Silent”, no possibility to create own profiles, no timed Profiles, etc.
  • no MMS support.

So the Samsung I7500 is not quite off my short-list yet, but it has gotten some serious competition from the Nokia N900!

6 thoughts on “Android or Maemo – the quest for a new phone continues…”

  1. I’ve tried a range of different phones, and have yet to find anything that comes close to intuitive interface of the iphone. Even tried the new chocolate, which is slowly getting there, but there’s something very elusive and ‘ease of use’ about the iphone that’s going to keep it at the top for a while yet.

    John

  2. I have been using the N900 for a few weeks now, and I love it! Display is very clear, and once you get used to the keyboard (and I’m a clumsy person), you’re faster than ever. I highly recommend getting the N900.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

reduction