Core77

Nokia's Screen-Stretching N9

By Rain Noe - June 21, 2011

in Object Culture

Football is a game of inches, and cell phone design is increasingly turning into a game of millimeters. Different touch-screen cell phones all look the same from ten feet away, but get up close and you see the miniscule but significant differences that distinguish an iPhone from a Galaxy S.

Nokia has gained what looks like at least 10 millimeters over their rivals with their new N9 phone, which does away with the home button and stretches the screen to fill in the gap. The physical button has been replaced with an interface design feature: "Swiping from any edge" brings the user back to the home screen. A slightly curved glass face reportedly helps guide the swipe.

What would really impress us is if they stretched the screen northward as well, getting rid of that black bar that says NOKIA in the center of it.

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Deformat

13 years ago

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People worry too much about the MeeGo OS. Actually, MeeGo and support Android applications with no problems with Alien Davlik IIRC.
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Solomon

13 years ago

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If the N9 tapering top/bottom taken away with a smaller screen,I will think it looks like an earlier ipod nano.

However, the ergonomic of this device is very different. The curved glass, the tapered top/bottom, the buttons, and the metal logo plate will provide a distant feel on your hand. I still wish that they give some more love on the corner, and make it less like and extruded piece.
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Sean

13 years ago

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For a design blog such narrow minded people commenting here.

Visually the N9 looks stunning with its clean, slick, minimalistic design. OS wise the phone runs Meego and from the preview videos looks a very polished piece of kit.

As for the the iphones's comparison comments some people need to open their eyes and get out a bit more. Apple's designs are inspired by Braun designs and Jonathan Ives head designer also states that he is inspired by Dieter Rams who you could say has helped nourish these these devises into what they are today.

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slippyfish

13 years ago

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Nice. Different. Gutsy move in another direction.

Why does it almost look like an Apple product? Or rather, why does it look almost like an Apple product, to a greater degree than the rest of the smartphones on the market?
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Alberto Villarreal

13 years ago

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Looks like an Apple product. Almost.
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Erik

13 years ago

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Kudos to Nokia for launching a touch/smart phone that actually looks different! Too bad they're launching it with an OS they've decided to abandon for W7.. Hardware wise I think they've done well, but to me it seems Nokia has been struggling for too long to adapt to a world where the software is in many ways more important than the hardware.
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Oystein Helle Husby

13 years ago

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So, the highest point of the front face surface area is the screen? #sceptical
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Designobot

13 years ago

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Must say its beautiful, I would consider it over my iphone if it werent for the software.

The glass is molded curved (so its actually thicker in the middle and tapers at the edges and flat on the underside) or is it all the same width? Or is the glass cut or some other process?
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