Nokia N9

We’ve had our own look at this device in the full Nokia N9 review but WOW, did we miss out on how amazing the device could really be. OR it is possible that whoever is in charge of setting up ad spots in China has such a visionary eye that we can only dream of such glory here in the states. The commercial features Bingbing speaking some rather powerful convictions on how she is an individual and has the uniqueness to bust apart her peers. Some of the situation might be lost in translation here, but there are subtitles for you non-believers.

Notice also that there’s a pack of fighting folks outside this woman’s door, they who we can only assume are each Agent Smith from the Matrix wearing the masks of the Gladiator otherwise known as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius. Then again the exact specifications of the masks do seem to match the mask of rapper MF Doom as well. Some sort of conspiracy we must assume. All this said, feel free to appreciate the commercial for what it is in this holiday week where anything goes.

PLUS: this campaign continues in print ads throughout China this month, speaking to a generation of smartphone consumers not unlike what we’ve been seeing in the DROID line here in the states for Verizon.

I personally wasn't 'floored' by this advert. Lots of hype and borrowed style. I had hopes in the very beginning, but then it just became another 'think different' ad.

My first reaction was WTF? But really it's just a celeb promoting individuality with a phone that runs on a dead (ergo "individual") platform.

Qt is a cross-platform development tool, not an OS platform. The N9 runs on MeeGo, which is, for all intents and purposes dead. I have an N9, and I like it. But how many OS updates will the N9 get? How many new apps will be available for it? Nokia is investing in WP7, not MeeGo.

N9 runs Harmattan, not Meego, although admittedly the distinction is minor. Harmattan can be seen to be a UX as much as an OS, in its current form on the N9, Nokia will support it with updates for at least 3years, weve already had an update, PR1.2 is being finalised and PR1.3 is in the works.

Beyond that you have a huge community push bringing apps and bug fixes. Nokia is working on the new S40 which will run Qt layers and apps like the N9, reportedly with the same swipe UI.

Nokia may be investing WP7 but they need Qt too, its the basis for future platforms, so your app invest is safe for now and it wont suddenly stop working just because Elop says the N9 isnt the chosen one. Enjoy it now and in 12-18 months see what Meltemi brings.

Yup, thats a pretty good summary. Its sad that Android and Apple dominate the OS market. MeeGo had some great capabilities. Sadly I don't see the point in buying a handset that will be the first and last one of its kind, I somehow feel this will just limit its ability to interact with other systems, not to mention app development and other things. Ofcourse, I don't know how I feel about Windows Phone either.

One thing I do have to say is that I love Nokia's design. It is very clean cut and honestly both powerful and beautiful at the same time. The same could be said for their advertising, which is very cinematic and unique. Very different from iPhones, here is stuff you can ask your phone/user manual, and Motorola's, bad-asses of the future UNITE!. Samsungs new iPhone poke is pretty funny though. Design-wise, Nokias phones are also very different from Android and Apple phones. If I could throw Android on one of these I would probably buy one...

I really think people gave the N9 much better reviews than they would have if Nokia hadn't already killed it to go with WP7. The UI is nice, but performance is balky (fixed somewhat with the latest update), and Nokia couldn't compete with Apple, Google, or even Microsoft on apps and cloud services. But everyone swooned over the N9 almost nostalgically as "what might have been."

Nokia N9