I am a huge fan of Nokia phones. But, even I must admit that Nokia – the largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world – has become a bit of the old aunt in today’s mobile phone market. While it’s low-end and middle-road mobiles are still doing quite well, when it comes to cutting-edge Smartphone offerings, Nokia just doesn’t stack up against the likes of Google and Apple. But, Nokia seems comfortable with that. Perhaps their vision is elsewhere?

For a few years now, deep inside the recesses of Nokia labs, an OS has been slowly growing; the Linux-based Maemo. The platform made its first appearance in the Nokia 770 tablet and now it’s being used in the Nokia N900. Not the platform of Nokia’s Smartphone vision– S60 remains their focus for that – Maemo and the N900 offer something a bit different. Instead of a mobile phone with computing capabilities, in the N900 you have a handheld computer with mobile phone capabilities –and if you’re considering buying one, you need to remember that.

As far as Smartphones go, the Nokia N900 and its Maemo OS is a disappointment. The functionality we see in other offerings simply isn’t there. However, as a dedicated browsing device, it’s spot on –the perfect passing-time hobby for the inspiring geek. And, while the Nokia N900 will soon be last-week’s news, the Maemo OS has serious potential. It will be interesting to see what Nokia does with it.