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Nokia N900 is a smartphone that runs Maemo 5 Linux as its default operating system. It is the first Nokia device based on the TI OMAP3 microprocessor with the ARM Cortex-A8 core as well as the first Maemo device to include phone functionality. Nexus One, on the other hand, is a smartphone that runs Android open source mobile operating system. It is manufactured by HTC, but designed and branded by Google.

In terms of looks, both devices are attractive. If you want something thin and light, though, the Nexus One’s for you. It only weighs 130 grams and is only 11.5-mm thick. The Nokia N900 weighs 181 grams and is 18-mm thick or 19.55 mm in its thickest part. There are no significant differences in width and length.

With the Nokia N900’s 600MHz Cortex A8 CPU and the Nexus One’s 1 GHz Snapdron CPU, both devices can run at impressive speeds. However, the Nokia N900 lags a little when you start running several heavy programs all at once.

Fond of taking photos with your phone? The Nokia N900 comes with a 5-MP (Carl Zeiss Tessar lens) autofocus rear camera and a 0.3-MP front camera while the Nexus One features a 5-MP auto-focus camera. Both devices’ main cameras come with LED flash and digital zoom.

Nexus One has a multi-touch capacitive touchscreen display while Nokia N900 provides a slide-out 3-row backlit keyboard as well as an on-screen keyboard. Since the Nexus One has a slightly larger display (3.7 inches compared to Nokia N900’s 3.50 inches), working on the on-screen keyboard may be a bit easier on it.

It seems that everyone has been looking for the iPhone killer. Many would like to know how almost every other smart phone available compares to the iPhone. Let us again put the iPhone beside another current market favorite — the Google Nexus One.

Both phones can brag about huge touchscreen displays. The iPhone has a 3.5-inch screen with 480 x 360 pixels while the Nexus One has a 3.7-inch screen with 800 x 480 pixels. Most would not mind the extra 0.2 inch, but for those who are after Web browsing and watching videos, this is significant difference. Also, Nexus One has an OLED screen, allowing it to have more saturated colors — again, a plus for those who like to watch images and videos on their phones.

Both phones come with a camera and video recorder. The iPhone has a 3.2 MP camera while the Nexus One has a 5 MP snapper. This difference also becomes more significant for people always out to take photos. Also, both phones have WiFi, GPS and voice command features, but Nexus One edges iPhone out with its multitasking capability.

The Nexus One can last up to 7 hours of 3G talk time while the iPhone can last 5 hours. Standby time for Nexus One is 250 hours while the iPhone can last 300 hours.

The iPhone 3GS comes with an ARM Cortex A8 600 MHz processor while the Nexus One has a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1GHz processor. In terms of applications, you can’t really go against Apple’s App Store, which is more comprehensive and more diverse than any other at this time.

The Google Nexus One will soon be available on the network of one more mobile carrier: Sprint. The announcement was made by Sprint on Wednesday, although the actual date of availability is yet to be revealed, according to a feature on Information Week.

Sprint is joining the ranks of AT&T and Rogers Wireless, which Google announced last Tuesday will also carry the device. The vice president of product development of Sprint, Fared Adib, gave the following statement: “Nexus One is a powerful device that belongs on a powerful network. This is another step in our continued partnership of innovation with Google.”

What this seems to indicate is that Sprint is throwing its support behind Google and the Android platform. With Apple’s action of filing a case against HTC for patent infringement, it certainly seemed that the future of Android is unclear.

Despite sharing a common device offering as other carriers, however, Sprint is not forgetting that it is still in competition with other carriers. They were quick to point out that they have a 3G network that has two times more coverage when compared to AT&T and ten times more coverage in square miles than T-Mobile. Both carriers also offer the Nexus One.

The Nexus One will be offered by Sprint through the Google Online Store. Pricing has not yet been disclosed, although Adib reportedly mentioned that the pricing “will be consistent with Sprint’s commitment to deliver more value than our competitors.” There was also no mention made yet as to whether Sprint will offer a contract-based discount.

We live in the age of the smart phone, and there are now countless models out there elbowing each other for that special place in consumer’s preferences. Here are some of the smart phones that have taken people’s fancies… at least among those who patronize and read CNET, as shared in a slideshow.

First on the CNET list is the Palm Pre Plus, which CNET reader jamesdgodfrey swears by for its sturdy built and wonderful performance. jamesdgodfrey even sums it up in a word: “Awesome!” CNET also places it at the at the top among WebOS devices. The Nexus One, on the other hand, is regarded as a device that “enhances the Google Android family.” Among its pluses are having a fast processor, good call quality and improved voice control features.

The RIM Blackberry Bold was described by CNET reader gary-tx as “an awesome phone,” specifically mentioning the device’s battery life: “during typical daily usage with both the 3G and Wi-Fi radios on, I’m getting two to three days of use,” gary-tx shares.

CNET called the HTC HD2 as “the best Windows Mobile phone out there”. Reader Bnadaone shares that “even if you cannot stand touch screens, you will appreciate the technology that went it the HD2.”

The Nokia N900 is described as “a powerful mobile device with excellent browsing capabilities and vast customization options.” Reader rndn replaced an N810, a navigator and a mobile phone with the N900, calling it “the best mobile device I have ever seen or heard about”. He ordered one for his wife and she loved it too!

There will be two new joiners to the smart phone craze, at least according sources who would rather not be named. And Verizon will be the one that will offer them.

According to an article on Business Week, Verizon Wireless will be offering to phones from Microsoft. The phones will reportedly be available by May or June, and is targeted towards teenagers.

Its presumed target audience belies the features that the phones are expected to have. Among the features that can be expected from the phones is easy access to social networking sites and keyboards for text messaging, things that teenagers will most definitely want in a phone. The phones will reportedly be manufactured by Sharp Corp. and will feature both the Microsoft and Verizon Wireless brands.

Thus far, Microsoft has been content with being a software provider, having its mobile Windows software on phones offered by other manufacturers. This time around, Microsoft will be doing a Google; the latter is now selling its own phone, the Nexus One. What such a move will do to Microsoft’s relationship with other manufacturers and service providers remains to be seen. The source of Business Week, however, mentioned that “Microsoft will continue to work closely with handset companies that make Windows phones and the mobile carriers that sell them.”

One of the sources also revealed that the phones are “intended to address a similar audience as Motorola Inc.’s Cliq or T-Mobile USA Inc.’s Sidekick.” Microsoft had acquired Danger Inc., maker of the software for Sidekick, in 2008. The Cliq, on the other hand, is known for a software called Motoblur, “which serves up Twitter messages, pictures and contacts to the phone’s home screen.”