Maemo 5 (Fremantle/2009) is Debian (Linux) based OS with Hildon (touch optimized) UI (GNOME Framework/Ubuntu Mobile). As such Linux is well known from plenty of software being free and open sourced, so access to existing projects to port is virtually unlimited. With 800x480 resolution it doesnt even need re-optimization for mobile device, only porting to maemo is needed.
Though it should be worth mentioning that Maemo is still not up-to-the-mark but is sure growing pretty fast.
Some of the -ves of the N900 are as below:
- It doesn't have an onboard FM-radio (3rd party??) even though it offers an FM-transmitter
- lacks support for MMS :-o
- The display needs a protective screen as resistive screen is prone to scratches
- surprisingly it does not have a digital campass...???
- no software for office documents
The N900 positives:
+ quad band GSM/3.5G (10/2 Mbps)/WiFi (54Mbps)/VoIP/IM
+ 3.5"/800x480/TFT 16M screen
+ great sunlight legibility
+ full-blown support for multiple home screens
+ task manager supports live multitasking (vista-like)
+ kinetic scrolling all around, gesture support
+ Maemo5 offers a very feature-rich phonebook
+ phonebook integrates live online services - skype/gTalk/Ovi
+ DivX/XviD support right out of the box
+ charges over USB
+ browser supports Flash/AJAX/JS
+ Maemo supports various languages packages right out of the box
+ user can pick two input languages and switch between them while typing
+ user can make use of two predictive input dictionaries respectively
+ SMS messages are arranged in the form of a chat (gmail-like threads)
+ fully functional email client (HTML/Rich Text) on the go
+ PDF Reader/ RSS Reader on the go
The N900 hardware:
+ TI OMAP3430 Core (ARM Cortex-A8 CPU@600MHz, PowerVR SGX530 GPU@430MHz, TMS320C64x DSP/ISP)
+ 256MB RAM, 768MB NAND VM
+ 256MB (root) + 2GB (/home/opt) storage for apps
+ 32GB (default storage) + 16GB (eMMc)
+ sports DAC33 audio chipset
+ 5MP f/2.8 (Autofocus/Carl Zeiss) Cam, WVGA (848x480, 16:9 @25fps) video
+ Java acceleration and OpenGL ES2.0 Support
+ pixel shader/vertex shader hardware
+ A-GPS (using TI/OMAP Navilink)
+ bluetooth 2.1 (+EDR/A2DP/AVRCP/FTP)
+ has an IR port... hmm... remote control?? eh?
