Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

Maybe the "Internet Tablet" is no longer the correct term to describe this device... I'd say it is "Pocket Computer", as that's what it really is. (With emphasis on internet connectivity and applications.)

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

Heh. You remember my Nokia blog on that subject, Mara? I continue to get pushback on that notion... but I'm with you.

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

I love the N810. But:

Wrong.

From the perspective of 48 years of programming, and as a personal computer software publisher starting in 1980, I think you're mixing up examples at all stages of consumer polish. DOS and core linux were products for experimenters and hobbyists, not consumers.

What we're discussing here is whether the N8x0, in its current state, is a DOS or a Windows 95. Is it a product for hobbyists and software professionals, or is it ready for savvy consumers who don't do command line?

The issue isn't just bugs, it's the overall user experience. IMO the more serious problem is the level of polish on the software.

I see all those killer apps now.

I didn't see them when I opened the box and fired up my N810 two long weeks ago. I had to discover this online community, use the search function, learn about the alternate repository workaround, and install a bunch of apps, some of which (like claws-mail) replace placeholder apps that don't give the user much functionality.

I had to figure out how to tweak some features in the Nokia-supplied software that had inconsistent UIs, limited functionality, and no documentation other than help windows that could only be popped up once the menu item was discovered.

And because I'm not comfortable hacking at the linux command level, I am handcuffed in realizing more of the capabilities of the unit.

So - does this sound like a product ready for the consumer market?

It is a product for the hobbyist, the early adopter, and the linux hacker.

What excites and frustrates a lot of us is that with a good level of attention paid to polishing little details in the user interface, and filling out some of the features that are available but over-limited, it could be a killer consumer product.

That IMO is the most important point of this thread.

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

Nokia readily acknowledges this.

And the next device out of the gate (Wimax tablet) probably won't excite too many people... but brace yourselves for iteration number 5. :D

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

48 years of programming, but uncomfortable at a command line prompt. How sad.

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

One of the things that bother me the most is the new OS2008. It represents a step ahead, mainly in terms of speed and UI, no doubt about, but IMO it is unacceptable they can release a "final" OS version with majors, evidents signs of a beta distribution: the bouncing keyboard issue, the finger keyboard issue, the context menu issue, the lack of lock function for home screen applets, etc. How are we to interpret this? Lack of professionalism? I love my N800, and I'm enjoying it, but that doesn't mean I cannot point some negatives aspects. As a "normal" user (not a Linux expert user), I care about this because I want to see the users community growing more and more, that's the best way to see more and better apps, as a "drone" I am :) regarding apps development.

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

I keep seeing complaints about this, but I've never had a desktop applet move when I didn't want it to in OS2008. I've read that the method of scrolling in GPE Summary conflicts with moving applets. Is that the problem everyone who complains about this is having? If so, is redesigning GPE Summary a possible solution?

Please understand this isn't an attempt to shift blame from Nokia to the GPE developers. Enough people here seem ready to break out the torches and pitchforks that I believe there is some sort of problem. I've simply never seen it, possibly because I don't use GPE Summary.

If GPE Summary isn't the only source of the problem, then what in tarnation are folks doing with their desktops to make their applets skitter all over the place?

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

The previous OS locked the applets by default. People complained. Maemo changed it.

next?

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

My complaint is not that the applets move when I don't want them to, this has never happened, but rather to size and postion them to where I want them to be.

The old Os2007 way made it easy to arrange them, the new Os2008 makes it a nightmare.

Re: Big-time Rant of the N800
 

Maybe because GPE Summary is the only applet that has a scrolling bar on it..I guess :confused: