Anyways, Friend of the Site Micky Aldridge on Nokiausers.net has already tested the extended Battery Options for the N97 and the results were amazing to say the least. I’m also in testing mode, working the 2 Batteries on my HTC Hero and so far i must say, Mugen does not fail to deliver!

“Mugen Power is working on Extended Battery for N900 and will be releasing a 2300-2400mAh battery in February 2010. You can use following rss feed to be updated when the battery is available: N900 RSS.” – as stated on their Website! This is great News for every N900 User and i’m 100% sure you will not be sorry to spend a few Bucks on a great Battery!

• No.9 – Sony Ericsson Satio: a bug-infected SE handset with a great camera that sometimes appeared to have more issues than features.
• No.8 – Nokia 5800XM: i already got a lot of response to this decision, keep in mind that this is based on my personal tastes and experiences, my choices might not go along with your thoughts, and they’re not supposed to do that. anyways, the 5800XM, despite having the best stereo speakers i’ve ever heard gave me a world of troubles, spanning from damaged speakers and display to a totally useless homescreen (unless you get some 3rd party app help).
• No.7 – HTC/T-Mobile G1: The first ever google phone has sparked this Android love in me really well, resulting in eventually abandoning Symbian OS. But unfortunately the G1 was relatively unspectacular. Camera, Speakers, Battery Life .. nothing to really write a book about.
• No.6 – Nokia N97: a feature-packed mobile computer, which some hate to death and some praise as Nokia’s savior. i’m kinda stuck in the middle. while i liked the form factor with its extremely solid slider hinge and the overall features, i found the keyboard to be extremely annoying, resistive touchscreen is a matter of taste (i’m clearly against it) and RAM/phone memory issues that shouldn’t be found on a flagship device, right?

So much for the End of my List, but now let’s find out who’s on top, shall we!?

I’ll open my Top 5 with the Nokia E75, the red business-hotness i was lucky enough to trial in 2009. I reviewed this Handset in german for the first time, over at Sybo’s Symbian Mobile Blog, which was a lot of fun to write down! The positives were taking over on this Device, i absolutely loved the 4-row slide-out keyboard, the actual working Nokia E-mail (or however its called at the moment), the customizable quick-start buttons, the e-series active standby and much more all left a very positive impression of the E75. Scoring some negative Points are the rather bad, more N-Series like Build quality and minor Stuff like still a QVGA screen and only a Mono Speaker. Although i’m hoping the Build Quality was a rare blooper, The experience with the E75 has been overly great.

okay, to be honest, the Sony Ericsson X10 was in my Hands for roughly 10-15 Minutes on this Sony Ericsson Press Event i was invited to, back in November 2009. And i know its not even available yet, so my impressions are entirely based on Prototypes. So what gives the X10 the Rank No. 4? I guess it’s the high Expectations i have in this Device. It’s Sony Ericsson’s possible saving grace in the  smartphone world and although the Software was pretty buggy when i used it, Sony Ericsson is up to something and it could be good. Sony’s impressive X10, running on Android with a major overhaul including the brand new Timescape and Mediascape Applications, 8 Megapixel Camera for decent Snapshots, this HUGE 4 inch capacitive Touchscreen (no multi-touch though) and of course the Power of the 1 Ghz Snapdragon Processor have the Abilities to pull SE out of the Dirt and make this Wheel spinning again. i’m looking forward to get my Hands on this bad boy!

On Position No. 3 – my HTC Hero: No, this is not on Top of my List of Phones 2009. It’s close but it didn’t make it. I bought the Hero in June this Year, marking my Step away from Nokia and all it’s Problems, to something brand new, exciting. I knew Android already from my time with the G1 before and the Sense UI added this extra bit of spice to the overall experience. The Phone feels perfect in the hand, the materials are well-chosen with a bit rubber-like back plate so the phone always feels secure in your Hand. The capacitive, multi-touch Screen responds great and Software Updates made the Phone a lot faster than we experienced it at the Release – by the Way, HTC, you fancy giving us 2.0 or 2.1 goodness soon please? come ooon! But, the Hero is also not untroubled by some Downers, such as a weak Batter, a REALLY bad 5MP Camera and a slow 528 MHz Processor. We’ll see what the Android People has in store for 2010, cause one thing is for sure:  As much as i love my Hero, it will be replaced – but it’s still not decided which future Device will make it!

HA Gotcha! I bet some of you believed the Nokia N900 will lead my Top 5, after the awesome Time i had with it. But no, it’s not. Nokia’s Maemo Monster was a close Contender but was ultimately beaten only to it’s Newness. Yes, that pretty much gets it on Point. While the overall Experience with Maemo has been amazing, i was missing several Apps a lot. Twitter was a pain to use on a Device without Gravity and the bugging Mail Application reminded me a lot why i love Profimail so much. A slight Miss was also the 3-row keyboard, but at least this time the Button Feedback was a lot better than on the N97. Apart from that, the N900 offered sheer Power and huge Amounts of RAM to work with, the great to use Maemo OS with all its Widgets and extremely customizable Homescreen, a good 5MP CZ Cam, a VERY good resistive Touchscreen and so much more! The N900 has been one of the most satisfying, exciting Nokia Experiences i had in quite some Time and i’m really looking forward to try Maemo 6 in 2010! But as much as i loved the N900, it could not be beaten by ..

..my beloved Nokia N82! (The Picture shows the Trial Device i used, i have the black Edition) Yes even in 2009 the Nokia N82 has the Power to lead my Top of the Pops or so List. After trialing it, i decided to buy the black Edition Handset back in June 2008 and the N82 is still up and rocking. No Matter if it’s used as main Handset, or as a reliable backup Device on the road, it’s always there for me. No matter, where i go, what i’m doing, the N82 is always there. I’ve so much great Memories with this Device, i went through all ups and downs for the past 1 1/2 years, but at the end of the day always getting back up. Some messages stored on my N82 bring tears to my eyes, some pictures let me smile and lighten up my day. While some first SW Bugs have been terminated with Firmware Updates and is now running stabile, the Hardware has always been Money. The 5 MP Carl Zeiss Camera with Xenon Flash still produces Pictures that can easily go against all Kinds of Camera Phones and beat them down. Well, not all, but most of them Sure, the N82 may not be on top of the current tech standing anymore, but it’s consistency and reliability has proven time and time again why its not only my, but a lot of people’s favourite device, and that’s almost 2 years after it’s release. The Buttons was a bit of a headscratcher, but after a week i was used to it in such a nice way, typing was going like a breath. The D-Pad didn’t really attract me either, but it’s still solid and easy to use like on day 1. A Spec List that still reads along nicely, all that packed in a very handy Body are clearly making the N82 the Top Phone of my 2009 List. Oh btw, the N82 is the first Device i have ever bought a new Battery for, delivered just today. If that is no Indication how much this Phone still means to me, then i don’t know what is!

So there you have it, my Top Phones of 2009, i hope you enjoyed reading along – but tell us, whats YOUR Phone of 2009!?

oookay!? Fly App? Mohammad is not kidding, look what you get on that twitpic

Well, if you’re willing to throw your N900 – there’s an App for that!! hahaa

There’s a Thing in my Pocket, but it’s not one, it’s many

But, it seems like there is Light on the Horizon, a new Breed that i think brings back a lot of disappointed Users to the Nokia Ship again. What i’m talking about is the Device on the left Side, waiting to unleash Hell – The Nokia N900. Equipped with Maemo, the linux-based Open Source Greatness that i was able to try on the N800 3 years ago. and boy, Maemo has changed – to the better. For the first time its featuring Phone Features, which makes the N900 not only a great Internet/Media Device but a PHONE as well!

Nokia has done a Lot of things right on the N900. My Lists is what i personally thought of the N900, what appealed the most to me, what made me happy about the Device. This may not cover all Features, as i wanna keep it personal. It won’t appeal you as mindblowing Factor, but what i’m about to mention is what i enjoyed the most. Ready? I like the N900 because…

• …of the Formfactor: Full Touchscreen with slide-out QWERTY keyboard. My next phone needs to have this form factor, period. Having a huge, brilliant Screen like the N900′s 3,5″ resistive Touchscreen with WVGA Resolution (800 x 480 pixels) plays along nicely with the Keyboard, whenever you need it. Resistive Screen? Yes it is, and let me say this: The N900 has the absolute BEST resistive Touchscreen i’ve ever tried. It’s extremely responsive, reacts quickly and what matters the Most, i never had to use my Fingernails. This is a Way i HATE to use my Phones and i’m glad it stopped here. Another nice little Gimmick that my Hero misses: The Screen automatically turns off if i make a Call and the Phone is on my Cheek.The whole Device is well built, the Slider to open the QWERTY Keyboard is rock solid and does not feel like it’s turning wobbly anytime soon, opens and closes with a noticable Snap, that further enhances the solid Feel. The Buttons provide a good Feedback, a lot better than on the N97 i have recently trialed. I still dislike the N900′s Keyboard Design, i want to see more than just 3 rows, which should give more Space to have Special Keys on both Sides. (Ever tried to type ”123″ on your Phone? Horror!). Apart from that Stereo Speakers, a better Cam Shutter than on the N97 (scratch is the word) with a Kickstand, a 3,5mm Audio Jack and a whooping 32 GB on-board storage are definitely accelerating the Heartbeat.

• …it can connect with TVersity: This was definitely one of the biggest WOW-Moments i had with this Handset. In Case you don’t know, Tversity is a PC Application that allows you to stream Movies or Music to your Playstation 3 via WLAN. Now it was one of those Days when i was playing around and suddenly found a small Link for TVerstiy like you can see in the screenshots below. Let me tell you this: Watching Episodes of my favourite Series on the N900 via WLAN rocks, especially while sitting in the next Room having Dinner  

• ….because Maemo is awesome: Yes, awesome may not be the most professional Word to describe Maemo, but it describes my Feelings for the N900 the Best. I won’t go completely in-depth because almost everything about Maemo can be found around the Net, so i’m just picking a few Things i love.First off, the new Standby Screen. While the N97 had only one Screen and just a few Slots, the N900 gives you almost complete Freedom. It feels great to customize not only one, but four Home Screens, without any Restrctions. There are Lots of Widgets available already, and the growing Maemo Developers Community is helping to make it even better. Weather Widets, Dataplan Monitor, Application/Bookmark/Contact Shortcuts – it’s like Nokia is saying: Do whatever the Hell you want! Everything is redesigned, polished and looks just great. A Status Bar on Top of each Screen gives you a quick Look at the most important Settings like Clock, Battery, Data Connection, Profiles or Bluetooth. The Menu Button on the left upper Corner is multifunctional, not only launching the Menu, but also gives you an Overview of the Tasks you are currently running on your N900. This happens not via the old Icons like on S60, but in small Preview Windows, which looks great. Also in the Task Menu are the Notifications: Whenever something happens, it shows up in your Task Menu, after disappearing in a small Popup. It doesn’t stay as a “1 New Message”-Tag anymore on the Home Screen, which i definitely like.The Menu itself appears S60 like with Icons like in the old Menus, which is okay, since every former S60 User can feel right at Home. Going back to the previous Screen happens via a simple Click in an empty Area of the Screen. This works in almost every Application and is a very easy Way to get back.The Contacts are redesigned and have a separated Link to Call/SMS. With a 3rd Party Application called Hermes, you can even pull in Birthdays and more Informations from Twitter/Facebook like in the HTC Hero. Unfortunately this is the only Glimpse of Social network integration we have so far in the contacts app.

  The Messaging Application is also heavily redesigned and is now called Conversations. All your Messages are threaded now into contact-based Thread, with an own thread for every Contact you texted with. Cool Thing here is, that here’s not only your SMS Messages, but also your Nokia Messaging Chats. A much better way to handle your messaging Way of Life in my opinion, and i just hope there will be more Options integrated soon!

  The Photos App got a really nice Overhaul as well, with its probably best Feature – Tags! You can now edit your Tags right on the Phone, which get stored in a Tag cloud, so you can use them quickly over and over again. Great Feature, which hopefully comes to ALL future Devices. Pixelpipe is already available for the N900, so sharing is quick fun. The Browser handles almost every Site without any Problems, even flash-heavy Sites went very well. However, i thought the Browser is too desktop orientated, not being recognized as Mobile Phone Browser anymore. More on that in the 2nd Part.

  To give you a little Example how well Maemo works as an eye-catching, new OS is the Story when i met my best Friend a Week ago. We usually meet every Week or so and discuss the latest Happenings, tech talk included. I remember he was quite excited to lay his Hands on a N900 (although he’s not as far as tech-fanatic than i am) and after playing a bit with it, i noticed him really enjoying this Handset. He actually noted that “even i can use this”, which i found really impressive, since he’s the typical Guy for basic Phone Usage.

• …you don’t need a Stylus anymore: I know this would be suited in the Maemo Part as well, but i just wanna point it out separately! Whatever i did on the N900 (3rd party Apps excluded), i never needed a Stylus. The only Time i “needed” it was, when i pulled something out of my Teeth had a Look at how the Stylus looked like. Seriously, Maemo is what Symbian S60 5th Edition should’ve been from the beginning.

• …the Camera doesn’t disappoint either: Dual LED Flash asides, the N900 Camera delivers. We’re talking about Nokia’s well known 5 MP Carl Zeiss Snapper with the questionable DUAL Led Flash and, here comes the news, 16:9 Ratio Pictures. Shot at 3,5MP resolution you’re now able to insert your Pictures in your Youtube Videos without those stupid black Fields on each Side. Combined with the 32 GB built-in Storage and microSD Slot, your Holidays can’t be long enough to run out of Storage!

• …i don’t need to convert Movies anymore: Yes that’s right and i couldn’t be more happy about. Sure, the Nokia Internet Tablet Video Converter was pretty handy on S60 5th Ed, but isn’t it much better to just send the raw avi file to the phone and thats it? Exactly what the N900 does, i did a short Video about it (still hate to see/hear myself on Video) to show you that it works!

• …Maemo and Nokia could soon be what i want: Maemo is completely open-source. Basically everyone can go on and develope an Application for the N900, publish it on the Repositories and us Users are good to go. I’ve seen the Hermes Application, which takes User Informations from your Facebook Contacts and adds them to your Contacts. A good Mail Application like Profimail, Gravity (are you reading jan ole? ), social networking Integration and i’m good to go. The N900 may be bulky, but i could live with that. I still dislike the keyboard design but i could live with that. Given that Maemo 5 is just the beginning (Maemo 6 will be live in 2010) and i’m still hoping that Nokia decides to bring out more Powerhouses like the N900, i may sell my Soul again to Nokia. If Maemo 6 gets more social networking integration and better mail handling plus a high-end N900-like Handset, Android will have a hard Time in keep me staying.

So do i enjoy the N900? Yes i do! I’ve had an awesome Time with this Handset and enjoyed exploring the shiny Maemo OS. It was almost every Day something new, which was super exciting. I think Nokia is on a very good Way with Maemo, and if they listen to us Powerusers (the targeted Audience of the N900), they could really score big Time. Is the N900 made for Joe Average? No, i don’t think so. I believe for a not-so-techy User it might be very complicated to work with the Phone, maybe even too feature-rich. Again, i believe the N900 is made for Powerusers, who prefer high-end, open sourced Greatness and here’s where Nokia showed us a Glimpe of Things to come, and i’m excited to see more of it!

Of Course the N900 has some Downers as well, which i will list as well, so keep your eyes around for more soon

Check out my N900 Picture Gallery which will get an Update soon with some Camera Shots!

This is only one of their Video Series, which i, again, highly recommend, if you really wanna see what the Nokia N900 is all about! Head over to www.tehkseven.net, watch the Videos and let the Guys know what you think!

Unfortunately, the Feed does not bring in older Tweets, so i had to add the old ones manually. Start reading from the Bottom of this Page .

 xMichaelSFx: planning to do a nice Video of the N900, browsing through all the menus #N900fromhell

 xMichaelSFx: i believe my N900 Pic Gallery is the most beautiful one i ever made. so proud of it #N900fromHell

 xMichaelSFx: a little teaser for my #N900fromHell Gallery?! http://twitpic.com/ratgk

 xMichaelSFx: getting ready to shoot the N900 Picture Gallery #N900fromHell

 xMichaelSFx: the buddy i had meal with checked out the N900 for 10 Minutes.. his comment was “fast, snappy, awesome – totally not nokia” #N900fromhell

 xMichaelSFx: Amazing how the N900 brings back disappointed Symbian Users on the Nokia Ship – myself included! #N900fromHell

 xMichaelSFx: One Thing is for sure, i have a LOT to catch up with on Maemo. and every second i explore something is FUN #N900fromhell

 xMichaelSFx: #N900fromhell screenshot http://pi.pe/hx3z7o

 xMichaelSFx: @MickyFin thank u very much. its so nice to fully explore a new Device. i feel like a newb discovering something brand new! #N900fromHell

You can find those and much more on my N900 Flickr Set, hit the Picture and enjoy them!

Just teasing a Bit.. It’s in the House and it rocks!