Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I'm surprised nobody has said this yet... You need to educate yourself about the differences between OMAP-3 and Snapdragon.

Just because a number is higher doesn't mean it's better... I hear there's some amps for sale that go "up to 11" that may interest you..

And as has already been pointed out.. 256 RAM + 768 SWAP... and with 32GB onboard storage + SD expansion it holds more data and has more virtual memory than any other phone I believe.

Of course.. it's not perfect.. and yes - from what I've read, quite a few "normal" phone features are missing... but all of these were well known for quite some time now..

ETA: Damnit! mrojas beat me while I was typing!

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Actually as one of those that wanted a phone that works and paid £486 for the privilage of a Beta product. I would like boring, I would like boring very much. I know or hope you were tongue in cheek with your comments but I would like boring, I really would. :)

I left the tried and tested, working safe and reliable world of HTC to embrace linux on a phone because I use Linux on the desktop and laptop. I expected teething issues, but basic common approaches that every other phone in Nokia's catalogue and every other smartphone offers, have been left off this device.

The newest bugbear I have (I read your post and considered the MMS issue, but I am trying to ignore that feature being missed) is the new "feature". I watch a .avi file on my N900. I plug it into computer to sync some files, copy stuff over as a flash drive not the PC suite. I finish. the .AVi file is now an "unsupported format" I therefore need to do a hard reboot to watch the same .avi file. Or indeed play music, look at pictures etc.

If a working decent usable phone, that is value for money is boring. Please, I like boring. I REALLY want boring.

Its more lazy than boring, Nokia took the step to embrace the development community to do their basic work for them. Unlike apple that had a basic phone that worked and expansions were done by the development community. Nokia has rushed out for christmas a laggy, badly thought out expensive techy gadget and then hope the community will fill in the holes to make it compete with Apple.

I like it, I do. But it isn't a phone (Volume of the phone, the contacts ringtones and notifications issue), it isn't a communicating device (rubbish keyboard ergonomics, SMS support, issues with calendars, message and email filing,) It isn't a computer (true syncing and using files on it at the same time, .txt and .rtf file support as standard.) It isn't a media player. (.avi support after being plugged in to a PC, when loading a file it says cannot connect to server) It isn't portable business tool (Battery drain is appalling because of WLAN and wifi shut off being manual and the default dial in every ten minutes means unless you are clued up you don't know it is connected. My system is hitting 100% battery usage every time I plug in Pc and then for 20 minutes afterwards, no idea why, only it slows down and won't respond till I do a hard reboot or wait.)

Anyway I fuly expect those that like it to flame me for this.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Not being "boring" is a feature (with all that it implies).

"Maemo is rough on the edges. It is a bit dangerous. It is open to experiments. It is about community involvement. I want these to stay."

http://jaaksi.blogspot.com/

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

You're not the only one who thinks the 900 could benefit from a decent bump in volume for both the earpiece, and speaker, for calls.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Have you finished your rant already? The N900 is the best so called "phone" out there, period. Some little bugs won't stop it. If you don't like it, then you either don't know what you have bought or you don't understand it. It's not a phone damn it!

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Ok, Taken. I tried, that is why said good things as camera, etc.
Eventhough there are workarounds, I don´t think that is the real solution.
SWAP memory is very slow memory compared to RAM.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Yes and No. Should I go around with my good old N95+N900 then? Maybe I am wrong pretending that the N900 fullfill both needs.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

n900 wasn't for me either. Sold it

I prefered the Touch HD, N95 8GB, E71 etc.

Getting a HTC HD2.

N900 is good for super geeks and developers but not for your average geek. lol

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Actually you are incorrect. As any sympathizer for this device will prove, the second someone brings up a 'phone' shortcoming, the device is "not a phone! it's a tablet that happens to support some phone features!!!"

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

i think 600Mhz is enough, even Vista only needs 800.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

If "not a phone! it's a tablet that happens to support some phone features", then those "phone features" are poorly implemented. Again IMO.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

And I totally agree with you.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Fair enough, but your negative comments were either incorrect, or lacking merrit. To say that the device has "no method" of performing a task, or "is completely missing a given functionality", when there are viable solutions, is misleading.

As far as "SWAP memory being slow", what are the "real world" issues experienced with "slowness"? Compared to what phone is the 900 "slow", in daily use? What other "smartphone" can run upwards of 30 apps at once? How many other phones best the 900 in speed and performance with various tasks?

Again, if you're saying:

...then try not to skew the results when doing so. Try to be more thourough in your analysis.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Well.. to be fair - the only two (three?) complaints I saw of yours that could be considered "poorly implemented" is you don't like the way SMS works (some people do, this is personal preference), You don't find an easy way to navigate contacts (which, with keyboard I think you can just start typing, without I think there is shortcuts... but you obviously don't like these methods which again, is personal preference and you have that right, and you even say "IMO"), and a lagging screen when rotating.

Everything else you mentioned are features that were not added, and are covered under the fact that "some phone features" does not mean all phone features were added. For example:

MMS, USSD, Favorites, APN's, separate ring-tones per contact.. etc.

Those features were simply not added.. and thus cannot be said to be "poorly" implemented. That is why people argue that to look at the N900 as a "phone" is prone to failure because it does not come with what has become the "norm" for "smart phones".

The N900 does many things the iPhone and Android do not do... and the iPhone and Android do things the N900 does not. The latter are mostly phone features, and apps. The former are mostly more PC related functionality.

Thus, to look at this as a Linux device that makes phone calls will get you more accurate than looking at this as a Phone that runs Linux. Both are technically accurate, but the latter implies certain things to most people that the former would not - and creates a lot of the complaints we see around here.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Missing USSD support being a HUGE oversight by the largest PHONE manufacturer in the world...

My cell phone from 2001 (yes, 9 years ago) supports USSD "out of the box". It's a 'feature' you EXPECT from any phone in the market these days, and Nokia gave NO indication that support for it was missing in their marketing campaign (again, assuming that the majority of N900 customers do NOT frequent these developer-oriented forums..)

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Something completely lacking still does not mean it was poorly implemented. It simply wasn't implemented.

I have no idea what USSD is and have never used it.. granted I can google and just learned but still - no need for it.

So.. while I can understand people were surprised that something was missing.. doesn't mean it was poorly implemented or even promised anywhere by Nokia that it *was* there. You made an assumption about it.. granted: A rightful assumption, since even Wikipedia seems to think Unstructured Supplementary Service Data is a capability of all GSM phones. .. but the fact remains: No where does it say that the N900 *does* support it.. and it's completely lacking - not "poorly" implemented.

And as far as this being a developer forum... I doubt that. I am pretty sure at this point we have more "users" than "developers" on this forum right now..

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Ok ok, I accept it was a little pushed by emotions.
I know that many of the missing features are covered with apps in extras and devel (which I of course, have instaled, eventhough not all of them are optified)
I have also said that the fact that depend on good coders will is not a real solution. I think that Nokia should and must provide all the apps needed. At the release moment or later at least.
I don´t recall to see other smartphone doing 30 apps at the same time. But we agreed that the N900 is not a smartphone but a portable computer or internet table.
But I have seen a few times an uptime claiming 7 or more load average.

Regardless of my disappoint in many aspects I am truly happy with an open source phone being released.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I'm a little confused by this... "Google" does not 'provide' all of the apps in the Android Market... third party developers and coders do it..

And very few people I would imagine don't install at least something from the App market to increase the functionality of their phone?

So what exactly is the cut and dry line between what Google and Nokia should provide.. and what it's ok for Non-Google or Non-Nokia developers to provide?

I mean.. if the functionality is obtainable from somewhere... then the "phone" can do it...

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Apple: Had an iphone when it first released not much avalible...it wasnt until the second version of the phone until we could add things and major bugs worked out. This is normal.

Android: I dont remember many apps coming out until atleast six months into the platforms launch but still after a couple updates and a little time Android became stable enough to compete with other mobile phone operating systems. Then once the platform started rolling google introduced many first party apps other than the included gmail, maps, and browser.

Maemo: Many like to argue that there are many apps that can be ported over to the n900 which in my opinion still takes time but given the fact that previous operating systems have taken months to introduce apps and Maemo 5 still quite new it wont be long before we start seeing a boost in apps and bug fixes especiallu when some simply require expert optimizations.

Why so greedy? and who said that?: Many people speculate things simply because Nokia doesnt directly tell us thier plans. Not to point out any particulars but how many times have we heard someone say, "well it doesnt support this"...yeah at the moment...is it impossible? Not at all...matter fact this is the last phone I would say an app or well written code couldnt do...just being honest. Anything this phone is incapable of doing quite obvious before purchase(ex. At&t 3g). Other than that if you made it to these forums to complain....you should have made it to these forums before you ordered or bought the phone.

!!!! One first party update last month: This is what gets me the most. This phone has only been updated once...many of us couldnt get our hands on the phone till around December of you had it longer great. If you really want to decide on the n900 i suggest we give the phone atleast 2 updates from Nokia.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Yes, I have assumed that this device will cover my cell phone needs, as the N95 mostly did.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I have had this phone now for almost a month. I couldnt be much happier with it. Its the best phone/computer combo on the market imo!

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Yes, but If coders loose interest, then you have nothing. I find great that people could participate and create super power full apps (or port them, like midnight commader) but a company can not say "Ok, here is my new device, it has no MMS support, but be calm, someone while do it and will put it in extras-devel, you can beta test it any time you want. Have fun".

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

As stated, its usually not the case where the company that produces the phone, produces the majority of the apps it uses. Whether there are missing features "that you would like to see", which should be implemented by Nokia, well, that's between you and Nokia.

As far as running multiple apps, and slowing the n900, there is this video, and several others:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7emvUBpEkbU


Sorry that you're dissapointed. I was hard pressed to find a device, with the 900's form factor, which has as much, or more "functionality", despite its lack of "features".

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I understand what you say, but as a big fun of Nokia (eventhough it may looks like the oposite) I expect no less than what I use to get. This is not the case with Android from a Company with a diferent background from Nokia.
And iPhone have revolutionate the UI of cellphones and with a completly different market target. People that get iPhone is going after a nice UI I guess, I they get it.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

wtf?

apple doesn't provide basic phone features like MMS, but in the apple world, that's an "expansion"??? come on...

yes, the N900 has it's flaws, but the fact that you CAN change that by writing community supported software is now a bad thing??


apple leaves features out, doesn't give you the ability to fix them, so they are expansions.
nokia leaves features out, gives you full access to the device and it's software components, and they're called "lazy"...


i'm wondering how many of these whiners are on the fruit's payroll...

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

What is it with people who buy this device then come here to whine about it instead of just returning it?

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Then why did you buy it? It's clearly your own fault then. Or do you always buy expensive things you don't know anything or very little about? Maybe Nokia should sell the N900 with a huge stamp tagged "NO MMS and Sim Toolkit", so that guys like you won't have to rant all day long and bother others. You clearly don't understand how special the N900 is.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I'm delighted by the N900, but did research beforehand to decide what device I wanted.

I actually don't use my "phone" to make many calls - it's mostly data - web browsing, IM, some VoIP calls, some music/internet radio, photos, gps tracking,and I'm quite experienced on linux. I also expect to be able to identify/debug/report problems but don't like to "follow the crowd". I'm also an opensource fan.

So nothing met that requirement like the n900. Both the iPhone, and IMO Nexus One are really good phones and I did seriously consider the N1, but it's just not in the same league **FOR MY USAGE**

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

That is why I am a Nokia´s fun and not an iPhone´s fun.
I don´t even like iPhones.
The fact that maemo is open source is great news (I work with ubuntu and debian, so I like open source software) and being Nokia the one that it is using it it´s even better.
But the fact that it is open source does not mean that responsability of developing these missing things should be on everybody else.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

of course not.

but leaving features out has nothing to do with nokia or open source. when you build a device and accompanying software, you have to make compromises. everyone does.

what makes me angry are double standards like the one i quoted. i can't for the life of me figure out how nokia are "lazy", but apple are not, when leaving out features.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

A friend of mine bought to me by mistake. Eventhough it is still my problem. I don´t use to buy something expensive without doing proper research.
A few weeks before I received it, I have searched google with things like "N900 gps problem" or "N900 firmware changelog" but nothing serious came out. Of course I never googled for MMS and stuff because I wrongly assumed will be supported.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

wait... so you actually got the N900 for free? ...

Man... I want friends like yours.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I´m just thinking here that why would you guys with problem with this device make list of things that should be included out of box on this device. And it would also be nice if there was link to device that has it out of box so do not put applications that you can buy from store. It would be at least useful. Now all these threads are just useless.

It would also be great for people who are comparing this device to other devices. As chart what happens to be missing and what you think should be standard.

Here is start missing only links to other devices that have these and should be so called de facto:

- MMS
- Provisioning (Exchange 2003,2007)
- Voice control
- More profiles
- Contacts with different ringtones
....etc.

Use for example wiki here.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

jajajaj no! I have asked him to investigate prices and he just bought it, I have paid 653dls for it.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

no i dont think he is experienced, the way he compared cpu cycles and called nexus a double of n900.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I don´t know how experienced I am, but I do know that cpu speed of different architecture should not be compared straight forward. Even compatibles ones as Intel and AMD.
But 1000 to 600 is a big difference any way and I found my self with a high load avg of 7, meaning a lack of proccess power.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

I have red some comments like this:

Speed: Nexus One wins. Both are very fast phones and the Nokia N900's 600MHz Cortex A8 CPU with GPU is no slouch. But run 6 heavy programs at once and the N900 sometimes slows a bit while the Nexus One's 1 GHz Snapdron CPU keeps on truckin'.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Well 2 things:

1) "Heavy CPU" is subjective.. and there's no real way to get exact same "heavy" apps on both phones. So the "heavy" apps on N900 could be more demanding than the Android or vice versa...

2) Android stops letting you multi-task past those 6... whereas the N900 will allow to continue going.. and going.. and going....

And the comment as a whole is entirely subjective - based on POV of that user. I'm quite sure we could dig up comments from other reviewers that the N900 continues running smooth where android trudges because they ran a different set of apps and/or just noticed things differently.

Suffice to say... CPU-wise: Both are perfectly adequate for what they do.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

Ok, thanks for your explanation. I have never used the Nexus so I only have what I get from Internet.

Re: After years of great experiences with Nokia, I got an N97 and a N900. Sadly.
 

The phone sucks seriously.. I had it... defended it... but come guys its a fckng nerd phone let them nerds be happy with this... happy with my iPhone 3gs jailbroken.......!!!! ovi maps ? nahhh thank you free tomtom or navigon download.. resisetive crappy screen ?? nahh multitouch flawlessness.. complicated OS ? fat phone ? nahh sleek sexy simpel iPhone. oh and ZERO exciting apps...