Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Haha thanks for that.
Btw this brings me on to an interesting point, any downsides to the N900 you care to mention?
Also a few more questions (sorry, I'm on a student budget and can't mess this purchase up :o): does the copy-paste functionality work all across the interface? As in, if I copy something from a text file on one application and want to paste this in the browser, will it work? Basically, does it have a single, universal "clipboard" for all the apps?
And second, do you have to squint while browsing? I'm typing this with my E90 (which has a 800x352 res screen measuring 4") at arm's length and I can still clearly see the screen. Will I have trouble with the N900?

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

If you are in the Midwest (USA) no one will have a clue what an N900 is. So if your battery dies in the middle of an OS update, you're probably toast until you get a second battery. (Yes, this happened to me.)

The USB cable isn't standard micro but it's the same as other Nokias if that matters to you.

Oh - the Nokia updater is way worse than Android's ADB, which is saying a lot. Holding down the U and waiting for the USB symbol before plugging in the cable is ridiculous.

Installing apps via repositories is awkward - especially if you can't remember which one a program is in. But then trying to find anything useful in the Android Market is tedious and time consuming, so it kind of balances out.

Themes take up way too much space so I skip them but that's just me - YMMV.

Terry (buy a backup battery - you won't be sorry)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Oh thanks, I guess there's not much wrong with it tbh, I'm not in the US and every drawer in every house here is filled with a Nokia charger so I have no worries. And I don't think the holding down the U key issue is going to be anything major, so that's okay as well. The installing of apps just shows that I'm not lazy and actually make the effort to look for my apps :D
So thanks, I guess this is my next device after all. Mind answering the questions in the post you quoted? (I editied it) :o

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I can copy text in the Notes app and paste into the Google search, so I'm guessing yes, for Maemo-optimized programs at least.

I wear bifocals and am fine with the resolution, although I think the system display is kind of on the dark side so I run it brighter than other phones I've had. Maybe another theme would help there.

I sympathize with needing to get the purchase right. I waffled for months about it but I'm happy I did it. It isn't a fantastic phone physically (like apple or sony might design) but it shouldn't disappoint with functionality.

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Yes, copy and paste basically works throughout the whole system via ctrl + c and ctrl + v. I find the screen to be excellent personally - even web pages zoomed all the way out are readable most of the time. Plus, the swirl to zoom function works very well. Sometimes I do wish the screen was a little bit bigger, but it seems no device can be perfect :)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I think I'm irritated because the 1.2 update changed enough that I had to reinstall many programs. Once the repositories are entered into the phone it isn't that bad but it would be nice to have everything in one place.

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I'm gonna give it to you straight mate. No sugar coating.

If you are not a coder, do not have time to actually learn a great deal or do not have the patience of a camel. Don't get the n900.

If you just want a Nokia. Wait for the N8 or something more polished.

If a jailbreak is released quickly, then get an iPhone 4G hands down.

Otherwise, get an HTC Legend or Desire or Milestone if you want a keyboard.

HTC HD2 is not bad, windows is legacy. but it runs.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Unless you use Androidzoom (http://www.androidzoom.com/) or simply read an article about Android apps. They usually have a scannable QR code. You just browse on your PC, pick up your phone and run a barcode scanner on the screen and BEEP--it brings up the Android Market app with the application. Makes looking for apps and installing them instantly MUCH easier than purely browsing on the phone itself.

Just saying, it doesn't necessarily have to be tedious on the Android. Don't know if the N900 has any similar mechanisms in place.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

If you aren't in the US, then that's another plus since the Android and WinMo markets have more restrictions.

And Nokia phones seem to hold on to their value pretty well if you look at eBay.

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Thank you so much for your useful input, everyone. :) really appreciate it and since this was my first thread I'm impressed as to how nicely everyone acts as a community and this shows of good things to come while I'm here.
Does anyone mind if we pick this up in the morning? It's 2:10am here and I gotta get some shut-eye. :)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Office Suite: There is "Docs on the go" which is very good and fast but it is commercial (cheap) and only supports reading

HW Keyboard: You'll not be able to use a phone without a keyboard after that :) Yeah, it is easy.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I often would browse for programs on my work break and then have to wait until I got home to install them, so the QR codes weren't that useful for me. I would use Cyrket a lot but should have taken pics of the codes or something... Anyway, I mainly installed new programs when I had updates to existing programs, because I browsed the market at the same time. It was just my personal circumstances.

I don't think anyone needs to be a coder to use the N900 but if you are, you'll probably be happier than with some other phones who try to hide the inner workings from the user.

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Why is that?

It's not the OS, it's the implementation of it into the hardware. Most importantly, you need to install a dozen fixes just for it to be stable. There's also (as far as I'm aware) no Flash in the browsers. The most important dealbreaker for me, however, is the audio/video sync issue. I definitely can not get over that one. HTC nor XDA-dev have found a fix for it.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I'm boggled. Why couldn't you install apps immediately? I browse at work or out and about sometimes too and zap the QR codes and install from the Android app store immediately over the air. Doesn't sound like a problem of how easy it is with Android's app store or browsing apps.. maybe you have no data plan or something, but you'd run into the same problem with the N900 if that's the case.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Again, these sort of comments without specific examples are not helpful. I find the n900 to be great for me personally and I am not a coder and knew absolutely nothing about Linux prior to owning it. As long as you like messing around with computers and are not scared to learn a new thing or two (and get your hands dirty on occasion :eek:) then owning an n900 can be a great experience.

This community can be very helpful, but beware of the trolls!

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Well, I'm not a 'coder' I'm in business and chose N900 over N72 - and that's a big ask...

Once you've set the N900 up to your liking it works very well. I have dabbled with software from 'the top shelf' repositories and bricked mine a couple of times, but otherwise it's perfectly stable and reliable..

N900 is not for everyone, but for those who like to get involved with their devices it is very rewarding.

I think this post has answered most of the OP's questions and will now become Troll Fodder, so I'm outa here...;)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

This one is tough to put in words. That's why i simply stated the conditions so that you can tell if they apply to you. You'll have to start using it in your hands to understand what I mean. It's those little day to day things that'll tick you off. Reviews, Videos, comments won't help. For an average user, the n900 is not worth it. To feel its "differentiating" "potential", you really have to work at it. The question is, are you buying to work? or to enjoy?

That's in the old days mate. HTC did a great job with the HD2. But then again. I did put that as the LAST option.

I'll give you Flash. Sure it might be missed. But it shouldn't be a deal breaker. I so hate myself for agreeing with Hitler Steve Jobs on this.

Flash is 3 folds. Games, Videos and Pure Flash websites (I don't think you care about banner ads?).

Games will just eat battery. And if games are what you're looking for. Jailbroken iPhone is the gold mine. Video? there will always be a youtube app for whatever mobile you get. The one video you want from an obscure website can wait till you get to a computer.

As for pure flash websites, if they're so important that you need them on the go. Then sure, consider the n900, but note that Flash on n900 is not perfect either. There are websites that still don't work.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Yo mates. Don't dismiss so quickly. I put 3 conditions here. not just being a coder. There are 2 more. time and patience. Which is what you mentioned in your posts ;)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Uh? I use standard Micro USB cables with it all the time, and it works fine. What are you talking about?

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I have a local wireless carrier with 2G service and little or no coverage inside the building where I work. Data access really drains my battery so I usually reserve it for wifi or something text based like rss feeds update. AT&T is eliminating their unlimited data plans, I'm sure that more people will need to plan their data use around wifi.

With the G1, I could use ADB to install programs if they were downloadable with an .apk file but it wasn't something I did a lot. I have downloaded .deb files for my N900 and done OTA program installs with the N900 but you're right, with my local carrier, it's the same for either system.

If there is a perfect phone apps market system, I haven't experienced it. But I can still wish there was a more central system for Maemo.org than having to add 3 or more repositories. :-)

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

do you want to buy my n900!

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Thanks for the qualification, Corso85

I've never had a phone/device without shortfalls or frustrations or that did not require time to learn and adapt to, so I guess that covers your other two conditions in my case, at least.

I think we can agree that whilst N900 does require more 'involvement' and a deeper level of understanding than other devices, it's not exactly rocket surgery, either...:D

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Sorry, I was thinking of mini usb - the interchangeable ones like my external hard drives and many other devices use. The Nokia phone is the only micro usb device I have. Perhaps that's not the case in other areas.

Terry

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Totally agree. I never said it was bad. After all, I did BUY the darn thing. :D

I'm just saying, back in December or Jan or even early Feb. I would've driven the OP to the nokia store myself to buy it :p. It was THE most powerful device. (I say device and NOT phone, so that the Nokia/Maemo assassination squad doesn't come and get me :D)

But now things have changed. The lad has to know there are more options available. Specially, now with the all the platform overhaulness going on with Mameo/Meego and god knows what.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

my 2 cents are these:
first penny:
If you live in a sprint 4g zone buy an evo (it kicks ***)
second penny:
if not get a nexus one it appears to have amazing community and Google support... Nokia support is lacking at the best.

dont buy the n900
unless you want to develop on it

it has fairly bad battery life
poor support
average camera

If i could go back and repurchase a phone (I got it maybe 3 months ago)
I would have gone with the nexus one
however I have come to deal with the n900s faults and I don't regret it even if I am envious of the nexus' new camera support

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Battery life is a downside for sure, for me this is mitigated dramatically by the open nature of the device. I carry around a dc-11 charger 'just in case'. This is annoying, but a better option than ending up with a less capable phone thats content has to be approved by a manufacturer.

The open nature of the phone also leads to the dramatically different accounts people have of the very same features. Many people in this thread have said the phone aspect is rock solid. Personally, I miss 1 in five calls because the screen does not react when the call comes in. I generally put this down to having too many apps consuming memory and so something has to be swapped out of ram before the phone app can get enough resources to put up the UI.

Which leads to another point - the phone app is just an app. It isn't any more integral to the platform than any other application, like the browser or media player. In the main, this doesn't have much impact except in these types of instance where it competes for resources from other apps.

Ovi maps is disappointing. Flash video playback can be stuttery, depending what else is going on, but still far better than anything else out there (other than that one android phone referred to earlier).

I would say that this 'phone' requires a lot more management than you are used to. You need to keep an eye on cpu usage, memory usage. If you venture into development apps, you need to keep an eye on disk space usage (this is less of an issue than it used to be).

This is what I think frustrates so many people - they are used to using phones, and a phone is a phone. They look at other phones and compare them to the n900 and wonder at the differences. They wonder why a niche device like the n900 doesn't have the same hoards of businesses and developers churning out "cool apps". The less intellectually challenged can work through these conundrums and either realise they have purchased the wrong device and move on, or they work within the 'limitations' and take advantage of all the benefits. The rest become trolls and litter this forum with incomprehensible complaints about the ovi store, as if that mattered even slightly.

The n900 isn't a phone. It is a linux computer with a phone app.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

that really is the best summary

If you need a phone don't get this
If you need a computer which can sometimes make a call

then this is it

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Was going to start a similar thread as I'm also thinking of buying the N900, so I'll just tack on to this one.

1. How soon Documents to Go will have edit capabilities ? Some google searches say soon after PR1.2.
2. How does eCoach compare to Sports Tracker ?
3. Even though Ovi Maps doesn't have voice guidance [yet], does it at least show you arrowed directions on the screen and will it auto re-route if you are forced off the current due to road blocks, missed a turn, etc ?

Currently use a Nokia 5800 with all the above but prefer something speedier and with physical keyboard. Used to have an E71 but the video playback on that was not that good.

I actually do like Ovi maps since well, its free and all maps can be pre-downloaded. Google maps doesn't do this and there doesn't seem to be anything else that can on Android or IPhone.

Thanks in advance.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

only buy the n900 if you are OK with the fact that there is no OFFICIAL support for this device going forward. i.e. you are OK with the phone as it IS or dont need official support as you have the tech smarts to deal with any issues YOURSELF.

Yes there IS community support but that support can vanish overnight or dry up as lets say, developers move to new Meego platform as it is released. So it is NOT dependable - but this should NOT be an issue if you are happy with the n900 AS IT IS NOW.

if you want something that just works or is recognised and support by commercial software houses, do NOT get the n900. Get a proper brand that is widely recognised and supported like android or iphone.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

The trolls are here Maruzko, try to ignore them.

Dataviz produce Docs to Go, and their website indicates they are producing a edit version - they would be better placed to answer this, and they have a feedback form so you can indicate interest (which may result in an earlier release)

http://www.dataviz.com/eforms/feedba...lfeedback.html

No, it does't auto reroute. It shows your position related to the route, but you'd have to re-calculate manually.

Sygic has a non-free alternative to ovi maps that has proper routing and voice.

The physical keyboard is three row, which some people don't like. There are also complaints about the distance of the top row to the bottom of the screen. Neither of these bother me, so I imagine it is subjective. You should give it a try.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

[QUOTE=Frappacino;708164]only buy the n900 if you are OK with the fact that there is no OFFICIAL support for this device going forward.

You're saying what I was thinking but didn't want to think to be true.
:(
Officially the N900 has only been available in Australia since May.
So I would hope there is still support for at least a year from then from Nokia.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I am sure I said "Don't listen to the trolls".

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Let me know if you wnat to buy mine, $500!

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

hehe :)

Cool, will do.

Thanks for confirming. I couldn't find a definitive answer on this elsewhere.

Yep, heard of it, but I'll hold out for an ovi map update, if it ever comes.

Yep, went into a store and tried it. Seems fine to me, even the low clearance on the top row.

Thanx.

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Haha, OK. :o

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

No, don't tempt me yet. ;)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

Ovi Maps

How easy to re-calculate manually ? Especially while driving :eek:
A couple of button presses ?

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I suggest you to use Mappero , that does it for you. It also should support voice navigation in english(doesn't wotk for me tho)

You need a good iphonish data plan for the n900 to use it well, because ovi maps and mappero need internet to get routing (afaik)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

While I concur that the N900 is definitely not the right thing to get if you're just looking for a phone, I don't think you'd have to fulfill any of the conditions given above in order to use it.

I might be a bit biased since I'm a software developer, but I never had the impression that one HAD to spend a lot of time or HAD to be a Linux buff in order to enjoy the N900.

Actually, if it wasn't for the price I would feel comfortable giving one to my mother - and I normally start sweating the second she's even in vague proximity to a computer... :P

Does it need effort and at least a basic understanding of Linux to turn the N900 into a printing server? Definitely! Will it take lots of time, patience and knowledge to start your favourite Java AWT application on the N900? Sure as hell! Will the device put up a fight while you're trying to convince it to play videos dependent on some obscure codecs? You bet!

But you're either already a bit of a tech geek if you want those functionalities, or you're an average smartphone user and would most probably not even THINK about whether those work on your device.

What's installed out-of-the-box (and what can easily be downloaded thanks to the quite fool-proof installer) should be more than sufficient, since it basically covers everything standard smartphones can do - and in my opinion a lot of those applications are actually more comfortable to use than some of those horrid iPhone apps.

(Again, the only reason I would not recommend the N900 to the average PHONE user is the fact that it would be casting pearls before swine - but so is spending a fortune on an iPhone just so you can play Sudoku on a touch screen. :P)

And if out-of-the-box and maemo.org-repository isn't sufficient for you, you sure as hell already ARE someone who loves to pimp his device, and then I'd say the N900 is the perfect choice. Enjoy your new videoplayer-tvremote-musicplayer-calculator-flashlight-bubblelevel-webbrowser-skypephone-gamingplattform-stellarmap-printerserver-navi-email-computer that coincidentially also happens to include a phone app. ;)

Re: Some questions before I buy the N900
 

I've heard horror stories about support for the nexus one, which if I were to buy a phone today, I'd seriously consider even though the Google big brother thing was creepy in the G1. Even unlocked and rooted, you still had to activate by logging in with your gmail account. Well, you could use some functionality but to buy an app there wasn't any way around it - other than non-market sources.

I bought my first N900 from Dell, which I had to return due to bad touch screen performance. (I'm sure it was a return.) So, other than that I haven't had any issues. Nexus One is an online only purchase, so you'd still be living without real support there, too.

I recently was at Best Buy and browsed the phones to compare them to the N900. The Evo is huge. Massively huge. Bigger than the Droid. Even if it is thin, it's too big for jeans pockets. Well, maybe Shaquille O'Neal's jeans would work... :-) But after looking at 40 or 50 phones, I think I'm okay with the size of the N900. If someone wanted to give me an iPhone free I'd be okay with using it but if it's my cash, I like my freedom thank you very much. (And after having Sprint for 2 long years of indentured servitude, the Evo would have to be free or I'd pass.)

Now that 1.2 has solved the QT4.6 issues, I'm finding more apps than I can keep up with.

Terry