Nokia has launched its first MeeGo based smartphone. The N9 is constructed from a single piece of precision-machined polycarbonate and toughened curved glass, promising superior antenna performance and fewer dropped calls.
Available in a choice of black, cyan or magenta, the phone has a 3.9-inch 480×854 pixel display, an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash and Carl Zeiss optics that includes a large lens aperture to give improved performance in low-light.
The N9 has no home button or other keys to spoil its looks, opting instead to allow a simple swipe from any edge of the phone to move between apps or return to the home screen.
Given that this is the first MeeGo smartphone, a major hurdle for Nokia to overcome will be in the support from developers. However, the company believes it has the solution in the form of its Qt framework.
Qt allows developers to write one set of code for a number of different platforms, including MeeGo, Symbian and – also announced today – Series 40 ‘feature phones’, all while maintaining a consistent user interface design. This should mean there will be a large number of apps available for the N9 in the future, if developers begin to see Qt as being worth developing with.
Windows Phone 7, the OS of choice for future Nokia devices, doesn’t have support for Qt but there are rumours that this may be announced at some stage in the future, allowing an app to be adapted quickly and easily to run on every type of device Nokia produces. Nokia also stated its intent to produce at least ten more Symbian devices in the next 12-months.
Other additions to the N9 include Dolby Digital Plus decoding and Dolby Headphone post-processing technology, offering a surround sound experience with any headphones. The N9 is also NFC enabled, offering compatibility with a new range of accessories such as the NFC-enabled Play 360 wireless music speaker. A simple touch of the speaker is enough to automatically pair and connect to play music out loud.
Key specifications
Hands-on demo (Nokia)
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSZssHGR-Qg
More information about the Nokia N9 can be found at: http://swipe.nokia.com
