Ideas & Opinions, Products & Services
Nokia N900 – the evolution of the converged device
By JBC on 30 September 2009
GLOBAL – Reading an interview with Nokia CEO OPK in India’s Economic Times, a few lines just struck me. Talking about the evolution of the mobile handset, OPK shines a light on the competition for mobile devices – in essence, saying there isn’t any. Specifically, OPK says “I don’t think that it’s the mobile device versus anything else. It’s a question about the convergence space where a lot of opportunities will arise.” Now, I’m not going to read into what OPK is saying here particularly as he’s talking in a much wider business context, but instead I’d like to use it as a base point to think about what it means from a consumer point of view.
My pocket only ever contains one device. There simply isn’t room for any more. So what OPK says rings true, for me at least. The statement itself is simple, and blindingly obvious. The mobile isn’t going to compete head to head with the camera market, or the satnav market or the notebook market, and neither are manufacturers from any of those places going to compete with mobile devices. It doesn’t mean I’m going to stop buying any of those products individually, simply that I’m not going to choose any of them over my phone (or should I say, mobile device).
The “convergence space” I take OPK to be referring to is that single device we all carry with us wherever we go. That established, it’s good to think about that device’s own evolution. My article yesterday on the 6310 highlighted how far we’ve come in such little time. But it doesn’t stop here, the evolution is continuing apace.
And so the shift in emphasis to software and services is an interesting one to throw into the evolutionary mix. Could it be that soon we’ll reach the plateau of device development? That isn’t to suggest that hardware wouldn’t continue to evolve, simply that we reach a point where the mobile device ticks the majority of boxes that need to be ticked. It contains the required functionality of the “converged device” and no more additional hardware is needed. After all, what else could we get, or would we want to get, into our pockets?
It’s not such an abstract notion to think that soon we’ll reach a point where the hardware is fundamentally perfect (okay, there’ll always be some way to improve) and it’ll simply be down to the software, appearance and how it all works together. Take that and combine it with the ability to customise it to make it our own and we have the perfect device. The device that’s exactly right for me. The device that on the outside, might well look the same as everyone else’s, but on the inside could only ever be mine.
As time moves on it seems we’re moving ever closer to that moment. Recently I spent a little time with an N900. It feels timeless and ready. It has all the tech I want, for now. I can’t think of what else I might like to put in there. Save perhaps for how, once I get my hands on my own one, I might get to work on making it unique, making it the centre of my own converged world.
I’m sure the N900 isn’t going to be perfect when it lands, but there’s a good chance it’ll get pretty close. Now that abstract notion is starting to look more real. But then, that’s evolution. Isn’t it?
Related posts:
- Tell us what to do with the Nokia N900
- Getting started with the N900 (video)
- What extra functionality would you most like to see in the Nokia N900?
Tags | convergence, Economic Times, nokia 6310, Nokia N900, opk
September 30th, 2009 at 8:53 am
I think you’re thinking the wrong way:
Talking about the direct competition a mobiles industry would raise against the cameras industry (for example), i don’t think that even owning a “12Mpx 5x optical zoom and etc’s that i’m not aware”, i’d be willing to buy (if i had the money) a digital camera.
It’s not about how can a mobile phone replace a “decent” digital camera, but more about how can it be compared. The rest, it’s only “gadget love”..
I know it is a “niche” market, but there are several persons that have:
a) Flagship Smartphone
b) DSLR camera
c) Laptop
d) Desktop
e) EEE PC
f) “and the list goes on”, i know one case personaly!
So, resuming, there is no direct competition between mobile phones industry and camera’s manufacturers, or even laptop/eee-pc market. There’s simply a target: Provide the latest technology on a “friendly” packet.
Now, about that “so called” perfect hardware, i think you’re not right (again.. sorry, today i’m just here to opose to you)
In my opinion, the perfect hardware will never exist for too long. The perfect hardware is that hardware we know it’s the latest, but we all are aware that (specially) this industry is on a “non-stop evolution”.
There will allways be another thing to add/improove.
(a little story)
I remember the day when my brother bought his first desktop with the “State of the art PentiumII”! From what i remember, it was suspected on that time that there wasn’t much more to evolve on those processors, and that we could get some more “juice”, but not much.
Nowadays, we’re seeing Dual-core, Quad-core, I7, etc.. And much much more is still to come.
So, as i said, the perfect hardware is the best hardware you can find NOW, but only for little time.
The N900, from what i’ve read untill now, has something close to the perfect hardware. Lets just hope Nokia doesn’t take too long to release it, or its time will finish, and the hardware will be obsolete, when compared to the perfect one.
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September 30th, 2009 at 8:54 am
Just read this [my-symbian.com] fantastic review!
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September 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Well I for one am excited. It’s not for everyone, It’s not a quantum leap. But it looks like a great convergence product.
I’m planning to spend a month attempting to use nothing BUT an n900 and see how i get on at http://www.maemober.com – Bye bye iPhone
Mac
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September 30th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Size is an issue, of course. A converged device can mean carrying around a phone, a computer, a camera, and a GPS device all day, even if you only need the phone. The combined device is smaller than each seperate device would be but is usually (N79 is an obvious exception) much larger than a phone alone.
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September 30th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
I think that phone based devices will never be in the same league of, for example, a digital camera.
It may, however, reach the point of being “good enough”. I don’t think it’s there yet (One reason being performance of phone cameras in low light is still very bad).
But I think in the future the phone camera can become “good enough” to replace compact “holiday snap” cameras.
I also think they are almost there with being good enough to replace SatNav devices.
As for laptops… that’s a different ballgame because size becomes a massive issue. To small to use or too big to carry. Maybe one day there will be a usable projected keyboard and holographic display but not till I’m in the ground.
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September 30th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
The primary job of a PHONE is to make calls, sms, have a super battery life and stay in your pocket without without creasing it too much by weighing it down. Now when one says SMART-PHONE ala N900 it should have all possible hardware and software bells n whistles that one can possibly have accomodating the above four basic requirements for a device thats meant to be a phone. I think N900 probably is the closest thing to perfection w.r.t current and scalable technology and am suspecting heavy sales for this BUT as Nuno said earlier, Nokia shouldn’t take solace in this fact and doze off or be too careful .. N900 should start evolving immediately. Samsung does this very well – they just bombard you with latest best ‘possible’ and give you something you can’t refuse. Nokia needs to be become more aggressive from the point of view of introducing newer super models and I am so damn happy that they have come out with the N900 .. I was a bit surprised when they were tauting the N97 as their best smartphone .. cuz its just a very mediocre phone considering HTC’s Hero introduced recently. Thank god they came out with the N900 … can’t say this enough … sorry about that cuz I am a very happy Nokia phone user perhaps for life and I want to buy more for years to come. The recession will fade off by 2010-2011 .. perhaps this is the time to chalk out a viable plan to revamp their marketing abilities to match up to the South Korean players. Nokia is making all the right moves and the right noises and I for one am sure as hell cool about this !!
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September 30th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Palm started us on the right track and then dropped the ball. First the idiots firmwared their O/S so you had to replace the device to upgrade, and now they’ve gone to a “web O/S” so that when your data gets stolen by some low-life ‘cracker’ all the vendors can occupy themselves by pointing their fingers at each other to cast blame whilst your address list gets sold to the highest bidder. “Gee! I didn’t know you really wanted it to actually work”! By now I should have a full blown computer the size of my old Tungsten T3, that is a phone, talks wirelessly to a monitor in my office and at home, as well as to a normal sized computer keyboard and if they want to stick a 12 MP camera in it? so be it. An that should be my information appliance. I’ve been involved with the computer and telecom industries since the 70’s. My first computer was a Cromemco, the first hard disk unit that was not sold as a ‘kit’. It cost 30K and sounded like a hovercraft taking off. (I still actually have it). My Tungsten has more brains than it did.
I also wrote all of the low level code for control of all of Sony’s broadcast and Pro gear some years ago. None of these vendors historically do well outside of their own ‘niche’ and that has been to all of our detriments practically and economically. Let’s hope Nokia will do better and put out a device that is NOT based upon their whims but some meaningful attempt to make a product based upon ‘need’. Getting it off of Windoze Mobile is certainly a good start.
jccampb
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October 1st, 2009 at 8:21 am
Nokia has the worst customer service ever. You should all do yourselfs a favour and never buy a Nokia Phones especially N97
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October 1st, 2009 at 8:45 pm
I feel that one-handed usability is of utmost importance in a converged device, and N900 falls short under this aspect, at least from what I have seen so far. N97 and N97 mini seem “more converged” than N900.
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October 2nd, 2009 at 4:13 am
I party disagree with the OP.
I think phones will and should replace atleast Sat. Nav systems. I think people want that and even Sat. Nav manufacturer like Garmin knows it and hence they have introduced the Garmin ASUS Nav. phone.
Its quite simple, i can carry only one small device instead of 2. That reduces my out of pocket cost, also portability, less tension of losing it in robbery, less hassle of learning how to use one more device.
Now i know that Nokia’s OPK said in Nokia World 2009, that they do not believe in “All-in-one” device. I agree with that but that will be the future. Today majority of the world can’t afford smartphone, hence we have these different markets. But eventually, time will come, when majority would be able to afford smartphone, when the demand for “All-in-One” mobile device will be very high.
I think, a mobile phone/device can/should easily replace Sat.Nav and basic cameras. Notebook are necessary and phone cannot/should not replace them.
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October 2nd, 2009 at 11:33 am
Мне нужен журнал винкс
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October 5th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Talking about convergence, and support most of the network as you can. I think samsung has done great with Samsung W880 (http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_sch_w880_amoled_12m-review-398.php). It support GSM/CDMA/WCDMA/EvDO and 1 card solution. Unfortunately, it’s not smartphone. It’s not symbian/maemo.
I was hopping that nokia will bring us a cross network (GSM/CDMA) device too
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October 9th, 2009 at 4:19 am
Great. Now how about an Australian release date?
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October 12th, 2009 at 2:50 am
What Adam said – how about an Australian release date?
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October 16th, 2009 at 4:26 am
The N800 met all my business needs (email, web, ssh, VPN)
except for one – it wasn’t a phone.
I see that the N900 will provide that missing link.
When will it be released in Australia please?
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October 31st, 2009 at 8:42 am
When then N900 comes to Singapore?!
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November 10th, 2009 at 12:44 am
What Adam said – how about an Australian release date?
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November 11th, 2009 at 1:38 am
i just received this from nokia
Dear Lucas, I appreciate your interest and commitment to the Nokia N900 however I am sorry to say that the Nokia N900 will not be released in Australia. Thank you for emailing Nokia Careline ! Do you know you can now update your phone software at your own convenience? Visit http://www.nokia.com.au/support to check if your phone model is supported and download the “Nokia Software Updater”. Kind regards, CenturionNokia CarelinePlease contact us at 1300 366 733 http://www.nokia.com.au/support
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November 19th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hi,
Can you please hurry up and release this phone in Australia? The iphone is killing us (with it’s bullshit).
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