Here is Nokia’s offering to the current market of smartphones – the highly anticipated Nokia N9, launched just yesterday here in Malaysia but scheduled to hit the markets only at the beginning of October 2011.
We wanted to like the Nokia N9 badly. We wanted to see Nokia giving the other smartphone players a ride for their money. After being bombarded senselessly with the plethora of smartphones from HTC, LG & Motorola; just to name a few, it would be great to see Nokia making a comeback & claiming a larger slice of the market share for smartphones.
Nokia was after all, the main player in handphone arena when mobile phones first started.
And the Nokia N9 might just grant us our wish.
A sleek monster, the Nokia N9 is built for people who appreciate a stunning blend of design and the latest smartphone technology. The emphasis is on the ‘swipe’, where the home key is replaced by a simple gesture: which is, well, a swipe. Whenever you are in an application, swiping from the edge of the display takes you home.
The three home views of the user interface are designed to give fast access to the most important things people do with a phone: using apps, staying up to date with notifications and social networks, and switching between activities.
“With the Nokia N9, we wanted users to experience perfect fluidity, right from the design of the hardware to the software. The all-screen smartphone is easy to use, and focuses on the most important things that people do,” said Vlasta Berka, General Manager for Nokia Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. “Users now have endless possibilities in their hands with the Nokia N9, and all it takes is a swipe.”
Vlasta Berka, General Manager.
Glen Cha, Head of Product Management – Markets, Singapore/Malaysia & Brunei.
With no need for a home key, the all-screen Nokia N9 makes more room for apps to shine. The 3.9-inch AMOLED screen is made from scratch–resistant curved glass. The polycarbonate body enables superior antenna performance. This means better reception, better voice quality and fewer dropped calls.
Fitted with the latest in wireless technology, Near Field Communication (NFC), the Nokia N9 allows you to easily share images and videos between devices by touching them together. Pair it with Bluetooth accessories like the new NFC-enabled Nokia Play 360° wireless music speaker, and you get a great surround sound music experience with just a tap
After the launch gambit, media & bloggers were ushered into a “Nokia Experience Lounge” where the Nokia N9 awaits us. Here we were given the free hand to video, take pictures & test out the abilities of the Nokia N9.
Nokia is also packaging the N9 as “The ultimate travel companion”. With new easy-to-use location assistance and free turn-by-turn drive and walk navigation, getting to where you need to be on time has never been easier.
You can download and store any map directly using a Wi-Fi connection without paying roaming charges. Landmarks are also visible in 3D mode, which I thought was really cool.
The image rendered were very real & sharp when I tested it on the Nokia N9, so you will be definitely have better visualisation of where you need to go. Handy travel applications like the Mr and Mrs Smith app featured on the new Nokia N9 are able to give you access to a hip, handpicked collection of boutique hotels for you to further enjoy your trip.
These preloaded street maps and free navigation are available for over 90 countries worldwide.
We know how amazing the Nokia N8’s camera capabilities were, but is the Nokia N9 just as powerful or better? Well, for one the Nokia N9 comes with a 8MP autofocus camera while the N8 was a 12MP camera. Both are fitted with high quality Carl Zeiss optics, but while some test pictures looked great on the N9, we would need to view the same pictures on a desktop/laptop to be certain.
The Nokia N9 is available in three colors – black, cyan and magenta, with storage options of 16GB and 64GB to accommodate plenty of content. The Nokia N9 16GB will be retailing at a MYR1799 (RRP) and 64GB at MYR2088(RRP). Two of Malaysia’s leading operators DiGi and Celcom – will offer the Nokia N9 with attractive data plans.
For further details on the Nokia N9, visit: http://swipe.nokia.com.my.
