Out of the box lots of software is pre-installed on the Nokia N9, however if you want to further-enhance your user experience you may find it hard to filter out the good apps from the bad, this recent Nokia Conversations post should assist you.

According to someone who has been using the Nokia N9 for four weeks the following are what he regards as “must-have” apps: 4squick – a Foursquare client, gPodder – a Podcast client with support for YouTube and SoundCloud, Spotify – listen to music on the go, DropN9 – brings DropBox to your N9, NewsFlow – a QT-based Google Reader, TED – an app which full of inspiring and intriguing videos, Parking – an app wich locates where you parked your car and calculates how long you have left on your parking ticket, Sports Tracker – a great companion for every sportsman and finally qgvdial – a Google Voice client for MeeGo. All of the links to download these apps can be found here.

If you still haven’t found enough great apps for N9 you should head over to N9-apps.com, here apps are sorted into three categories “Hot”, “Top” and “Fresh” – the categories are the result of feedback from the community, therefore any of the apps in “Hot” or “Top” are probably worth checking out.

What are your favorite apps for the Nokia N9? Leave us a comment below so other readers can discover great apps!

The company is looking to the MeeGo and Windows Phone 7 operating systems to give its smartphone business the shot in the arm it needs. Now the Finnish company has launched a countdown clock on its Swedish N9 page, which was found by the team over at Electronista. There have already been rumors the device will be available later next month, and now with the new clock it is set for September 23.

At the moment it’s not clear what countries and carriers will be getting the device on that date, but Nokia have hinted before the device won’t be reaching the shores of the US. The handset would support the likes of AT&T and T-Mobile though, and also most carriers in Canada.

The Nokia handset is coming with 3.9-inch curved AMOLED display, 1GHz single core TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 16GB of storage. As with many Nokia handsets the device comes sporting a great camera. The unit has an 8-megapixel shooter with the usual Carl Zeiss lens, and two LED flash units. It is rumored to be a quicker camera to that which is found on the Samsung Galaxy S II enabling shots to be taken in under three seconds.

Pricing is not yet known but it is rumored to be available for around £600 in the UK SIM free. This new handset could yet prove to be hugely successful for the company, but whether it’s enough to get consumers picking one up over an Android or iPhone handset remains to be seen. Some Nokia fans may be waiting to see what the first Windows Phone 7 handsets might bring.

Are you considering the Nokia N9?

Previously we suggested that the Nokia N950 would feature a 12 megapixel camera, today we can confirm this and as you would expect it has Carl Zeiss optics, the Nokia N950 teardown over at MyNokiaBlog also gives us a good look at the N950 from many angles.

Recently Nokia has been busy revealing two other upcoming smartphones, the Nokia N9 impressed us with its MeeGo OS and formidable tech specs, whilst another smartphone codenamed ‘Sea Ray’ is their first Windows Phone 7 effort, both of these devices feature an 8 megapixel camera (with Carl Zeiss optics), therefore the N950 is more impressive in terms of camera resolution, in fact it is only Nokia’s second-ever smartphone to feature such an advanced camera.

Sadly the article over at MyNokiaBlog does not reveal anything else in terms of technical specifications, we do get to see a 1200 mAh Li-ion battery (BL-4D), however we wonder how MeeGo will perform in terms of battery life with what is these days regarded as a mid-low capacity battery. The Nokia N8 featured the same battery capacity and this was criticized by many, however we have to remember that Symbian^3 and MeeGo are extremely different.

Below we have embedded a photo of the N950, as you can see it looks like a cross between the Nokia N8 and the Nokia N97, we like the look of the QWERTY keyboard and the slide-out mechanism, do you?

The name N950 suggests that it is a close relative of the Nokia N900, this was released back in late 2009 and many believe that this smartphone played a big part in Nokia realizing that Symbian OS was not really a competitor in today’s high-end smartphone operating system market. The N900 ran Maemo, which joined forces with Moblin in early 2010 to create MeeGo,it currently looks like the N9 and N950 will be the first-ever MeeGo-based smartphones on the market, however if these devices see success we think lots more will follow.

MeeGo’s success may rely heavily on Nokia’s WP7-running smartphones, we think Nokia devices running WP7 could arrive sometime during fall 2011, so the next six months are of paramount importance for the Linux-based OS, do you think it sill succeed?

Firstly let’s talk about physical design, the N9 measures in at 116.45mm x 61.2mm x 12.1mm and weighs 135 grams, to put this in some context the iPhone 4 measures in at 115.2mm x 58.6mm x 9.3mm and weighs 137 grams, this means the N9 is 2 grams lighter, but noticeably thicker, slightly wider and a bit longer than the iPhone 4.

In terms of design the Nokia N9′s claim to fame is that it there is no front-facing buttons, this makes it the world’s first pure touch screen phone, however there are volume rockers and a camera button on the side. In terms of materials used and build the N9 features a unibody design made from the “best in polycarbonate material engineering today”, this is said to maximize antenna performance.

As we mentioned yesterday, the N9 will be available in three colors: magenta, cyan and black, also one other thing to tell you about is the fact that it uses a laminated display technology, this means that there is no air gap between the display and the Gorilla glass, so that icons appear to be jumping out at you.

So what’s missing?

We think that as long as MeeGo delivers a rich user experience the Nokia N9 is a huge step in the right direction, that said if it is going to sold as a high-end smartphone to compete with offerings from Apple, Motorola, HTC and Sony Ericsson etc there are a few things missing, let’s start with the lack of a dual-core processor.

The N9′s 1GHz OMAP3630 processor paired with the PowerVR SGX530 GPU should deliver fast performance, however we do not know how fast MeeGo will run on this and when compared to dual-core 1.2GHz offerings currently available we have to say that Nokia may have missed the mark.

When you buy the Nokia N9 there will be both 16GB and 64GB models to choose from, like Apple, Nokia has snubbed a memory card slot, which is quite surprising, however if MeeGo offers cloud storage it is not such an issue. The only time we can see it causing an annoyance is when people want to print the stills they have taken with the phone’s 8 megapixel camera, while we are talking about the camera we have to mention that the N9 would have been even more attractive if it allowed 1080p video capture.

If you were planning on outputting your captured media to a HDTV you will be annoyed to hear that there is no form of HDMI-out, there is a 3.5mm AV connector, which for today’s standard seems a bit lackluster.

Less important things which Nokia has either not given the N9 include the lack of built-in stereo loudspeakers, Bluetooth 3.0 and Adobe Flash support, we are also unsure whether the battery will be removable.

For us the lack of Adobe Flash support and its single-core processor concern us the most, how about you?

Recently Nokia officially unveiled information regarding the N9, to be honest with you most of the interest is surrounding the software, however today we are going to look at the smartphone’s technical specifications. The N9 features a 3.9-inch AMOLED display which offers a resolution of 854×480 (WVGA), this display is slightly curved and protected by Gorilla glass. In terms of performance hardware there are both good and bad points, it features the ARM Cortex-A8 SoC which consists of a single-core 1GHz OMAP3630 processor and the PowerVR SGX530 GPU, this is backed up by 1024MB of RAM, which sounds great, however we have to remember that this smartphone runs MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan, which is somewhat of an unknown entity at present.

Other specs worth mentioning include the fact that there will be 16GB and 64GB variants on offer, there is an 8 megapixel camera on the rear which features a wide-angle Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flashes, this is capable of 720p video recording (at 30fps), also there is front-facing camera, however we do not know what resolution this will be.

In terms of ports and connectivity the N9 will connect to the following cellular networks: Pentaband WCDMA 850, 900, 1900, 1700, 2100, Quad band SM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900, also you will be able to connect to HSDPA Cat10 (14.4Mbps) and HSUPA: Cat6 (5.76Mbps) networks. As you would expect you get WiFi b/g/n, a 3.5mm AV connector, GPS, A-GPS, a micro USB connector and Bluetooth 2.1, Nokia has also thrown in NFC.

There are also two things which aren’t worth going into a huge amount details about but still worth mentioning, these are its anti-glare coating on the display and the fact that when using headphones stereo sound will be turned into Dolby Digital Plus audio. Finally it is worth knowing that there will be three color options available to you, these are cyan, magenta or black, you can see full tech specs here (PDF File).

Do you think the Nokia N9 will be a success? We think it could well be a step in the right direction.

Let’s start with a breakdown of technical specifications, we do not have a full list but we can confirm that the X101 features an Intel Atom N435 (1.33GHz) processor, WiFi b/g/n, a 10.1-inch display which supports a resolution of 1024 x 600 and a 2600mAh battery. Engadget‘s video (embedded at the end of this post) also shows that there are 2 x USB ports and a microSD memory card slot, we also get to look at the well-spaced QWERTY keyboard and large trackpad.

In terms of software there are two versions to choose from, you can either choose MeeGo or Windows 7, however as Microsoft’s OS requires a license it will be more expensive than the $200 MeeGo variant. The Windows 7 option has a slightly different model number (X101H) and comes with a hybrid hard drive.

The video below shows us a good-look at its physical design, you immediately see just how thin it is for a netbook, also we are informed that it is available in different colors. It is not as thin as the 11-inch MacBook Air but weighs less (950g) and costs significantly less, that said you cannot really compare the devices in terms of performance.

Sadly the video did not show us too much about the MeeGo operating system, usually the software determines whether a device will be a success or not, therefore we will have to keep you posted when we get to see a more in-depth look at the OS.

Will you buy the ASUS Eee PC X101?

The video shows a few glimpses of the user interface, this clearly shows that it does not use Symbian^3 or Windows Phone 7, instead Nokia has chosen MeeGo. People have been slating Symbian^3 and there are plenty of WP7 on the market, therefore it will be interesting to see what this news OS brings to the table.

We have embedded the video teaser below, it also shows us a glimpse of 12 megapixel rear sensor which uses Carl Zeiss optics and a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Engadget has studied the video more carefully and say that the camera will also feature autofocus.

The general opinion seems to be that the MeeGo OS will be the biggest factor in the handset’s success or failure, we saw Symbian^3 pretty much flop last year with the Nokia N8 and we also know that Nokia will be adopting WP7 in the future, so we don’t quite know what Nokia’s long-term plan is for MeeGo just yet. Our best guess is that perhaps they are looking to develop a single platform for both smartphones and tablets, we just wonder if their platform can compete with the likes of iOS and Android.

Check out the video for yourself below, do you think the Nokia N9 will be another flop?

We do not have any details about what hardware the N950 will be packing, but most suggestions believe that it will come with a 1.2GHz processor (not sure if single or dual-core) as well as a massive 768MB. Nokia loves to show Apple up, and continues to do so with rumors that a 12-megapixel camera will be included in the new handset.

Rethink Wireless reports that the N950 will be the successor to the N900, which was said to offer much more than Nokia’s flagship N8 smartphone. We have to wonder if the new Meego handset will be able to prove itself as its predecessor has? Nokia has been trying for years to become the handset giant it once was, but things just seem to go from bad to worse.

However, hopefully they will now be able to turn a corner, as Nokia and Microsoft are to join forces to combat the battle that has been waged on them by Google and Apple. Nokia will now make use of Windows Phone 7, while WP7 users will be able to have access to key Nokia features.

It is still hard to say how well both companies will come out of this deal, but looking at some of Nokia’s recent handsets; its not hard to understand that it has been more about the mobile OS than the device itself, maybe things will change later this year once the first Nokia WP7 handset gets released?

What expectations do you have for the new Nokia N950?

Brian Proffitt of IT World is reporting in an article, that Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has said in an internal memo “’Nokia, our platform is burning”. The memo revealed by The Wall Street Journal goes on to say that it will be a tough task to turn around the company. As reported before Nokia are planning to announce their strategy to investors on Friday in London.

Cnet’s Stephen Shankland is also reporting on the memo where Elop says the company is “years behind” its rivals. He blames Nokia itself as well as competitors for the company’s misfortunes, and states that Nokia has failed to respond not only to Apple and Android, but to cheap phones from China.

Even bigger news if true is that Nokia has dropped its first device which was going to run the new MeeGo OS. According to an article on IBN Live Nokia has ended development of the handset, according to sources close to the company. Nokia have so far declined to comment on the speculation, but some are saying that a MeeGo handset could still be revealed on Friday even if it is unfinished.

Until we hear what Nokia itself is planning for the future, we can only speculate what’s in store. Nokia are at least not burying their head in the sand, and are surely going to meet their problems head on.

As Stuart Dredge over at crave.cnet.co.uk recently reported, it’s been known for quite some time now that the Nokia N9 will be one of the very first handsets to run Nokia and Intel’s MeeGo software. There have also been reports suggesting that the N9 will be powered by a 1.2GHz Intel Atom processor.

A recent article on Finnish technology website Prosessori also claimed that Nokia’s upcoming device will feature a 12-megapixel camera, just as the Nokia N8 has. Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is scheduled to give a keynote speech on Wednesday 16th February, which could be used to launch the N9.

However, the Nokia N9 may not be the only device that gets unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress event, with recent reports suggesting that MeeGo tablets could also be unmasked during the show. This brings me to an interesting article by Vlad Savov over at engadget.com.

An image of a device that appears to be running the MeeGo software has made its way online, and the people over on the mobile-review forums have been checking it out. As they noted, the landscape centering of the Nokia logo is atypical, suggesting it could well be the Nokia MeeGo tablet.

We can expect to hear more details about the Nokia N9 and MeeGo tablet at the 2011 MWC, which you can read more information about via the mobileworldcongress.com website. Which device are you looking forward to hearing more about?