Nokia N900: Something better than the N97?

Several years back, Nokia started a line of mobile tablets that runs Linux Maemo that sports keyboards and bigger screens. Today, I’ve just read from MobileCrunch that the successor to the N810 is already in the works. So what’s exciting about this?

Well Nokia is on its way into crossroads of blurring the line between its tablets and mobile phones because the N900 will not only have wifi but this time a GSM radio and HSPA. More about the specs later but what’s pretty cool is if the Nokia OVI store will gain huge acceptance the way the Apple Appstore has and everyone gets their favorite app on the N900 and all the other Nokia phones out there.

Now for the N900. Although it’s a lot bigger than the N97, the specs look promising. The N900 looks similar to the Nokia N97. What’s very interesting is the high resolution (800×480 as opposed to 360×640) display. Something that I’ve been waiting for so long from Nokia.

Other specs include:

• GPS, along with an accelerometer
• Dimensions: 59.7mm x 111mm x 18.2mm
• Weight: 180g
• 800×480 (WVGA) touchscreen
• OMAP3430 500/600 Mhz processor
• Bands: GSM Quad-Band 850, 900, 1800, 1900. WCDMA 900, 1700/2100, 2100
• 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss camera with dual-LED flash, autofocus, and sliding cover
• 1GB total virtual runtime memory (256MB physical RAM, 768MB virtual memory)
• Wi-Fi, HSPA
• 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 48GB via external memory
• Keyboard variants: English, Scandinavian, French, German, South European, Italian, Russia
• In the box: Connectivity cable, headset, charger, battery (1320 mAh), Video-out cable, microUSB adaptor, cleaning cloth

Some of the mentioned software features:

• it appears to be running Maemo 5
• Multitasking: “Run all of your favorite applications simultaneously”
• Live Dashboard allows all open tasks and unread messages to be displayed in one view
• Browser: Firefox 3 with support for Flash 9.4
• Built-in automatic update software
• Contacts has some sort of status sharing built in, allowing you to share your status, location, and mood.
• Support for Contacts on Ovi and Google Talk.
• All SMS and IMs accessible from one view
• Cellular voice or VOIP both supported
• Captures video at 800×480 in AVC/H.264
• Image tagging and geo-tagging support
• Nokia intends to have at least a dozen add-on apps available at launch, including a game called “Bounce”, a Jaiku/Twitter app called “Mauku”, and a few widgets.

According to the MobileCrunch scoop, target launch dates are:

• T-Mobile International: July 2009
• T-Mobile USA: August/September 2009
• Middle East, Asia, South-East Asian Pacific: July 2009
• Europe: October 2009

But may be delayed. While drooling over the date, here’s a rough image render of the device courtesy of MobileCrunch: