Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Friends, comrades, fellow N900 users and owners!

This has turned into an iPhone vs N900 debate, that was not my intention never was.


I am very critical of my iPhone; the lack of an LED light is most likely my largest complaint, I miss the vibration from the N900 when a call was connected, actual multitasking, the amount of customization, I could go on for a while... but those are the major ones.

With my iPhone I can walk down the street and pay rent in under 1 min (while walking), that's just not something you could do with the N900. I have never had the need to

On the go, not once, and if I did have that need it wouldn't be done from a 600MHz single core device with a 3.5" display.

I am big into mobile computing... real big

History:

- Philips VELO 500 (Google it if you don't know what it is)
- Handful of Palm devices
- Samsung Q1U UMPC
- Nokia N900
- iPhone 4S

I am not going to include other "smart phones" that I have owned because they were simply not able to get the job done.

One thing you guys like to talk about is "I can do this" - in theory yes, it is possible. You can accomplish those tasks while on the go. I can read an eBook on my iPhone 4S, but let's be honest - no one who valued their eyesight would dare such an endeavor.

I have not had one crash on my [jailbroken] iPhone 4S, not one reboot, not one SQL malfunction with SMS messages (you Maemo 5 guys know what I'm talking about!), I never had to reboot it.

To make the argument "The iPhone is best for 99% of the population but not us" is kind of silly, if you do online banking, PayPal, have a GoogleVoice account, eBay, etc. the iPhone 4S would be more practical for you. But we (I am including myself in this) like the openness of Maemo, the fact that we are running Linux gives us a big fat chubby. We can "play" (if you wish to call it that) OpenArena (Quake) - but lets be realistic, those games aren't really playable - and even if they were, they drain the battery in under an hour.

So the list of things that the iPhone can't do (I am taking your word on it, I am not going to check for myself) vs the things the N900 can [theoretically] do from this thread are the following:

- Edit files in vim running in a shell
- Control a TV using IR (but not a Google TV, which I happen to own and have posted here about, a while back - which the iPhone can)
- LED Notification (I actually think that is one of the largest drawbacks of the iPhone from personal use)
- Running chrooted Linux (like Easy Debian)
- Compiling with gcc/g++
- FMTransmitter, which I know from personal experience doesn't work all that great.


As far as N9 (no experience with the N9):
- It runs firefox. The only browser that allows JavaScript menus and flash. Considering that nearly every single webpage is now optimized for iOS, that point is pretty mute.
- Automatically connects me to my cars bluetooth with the scan of a tag - I don't understand the tag part, but my iPhone does the same
- Lets me Shake my phone to answer calls - What that a serious comment?

One cannot take those arguments seriously. They can't. The ability to proficiently do social networking, play media, online banking, the list can really go on and on for a long time can't possibly be compared to the practicality of the above argument for N900.

The reason I created this thread is to look back, Maemo 5 kicks butt IMO, iOS 5.1.1 (I haven't tried 6, but I hear it is not much different, besides the obvious mapping problem) - I think it is drastically outdated and should take a hint from Maemo 5.

I owned the first iPhone and got kicked out of the store when I tired to return it 4 days later. I highly suggest to be educated on the subject of mobile technology and where it is heading - pick up an iPhone 4S, use iOS 5.1.1, jail break it, use it at your primary device for 30 days, if you feel like the pros of the iPhone 4S don't replace the N900, return it. That's what I was planning on doing it... I didn't return it. I am actually eligible for an upgrade for an iPhone 5 but I like my 4S on 5.1.1 jailbroken.

And for anyone who says, "I messed around with NITDroid on my N900 - I know what it's like" - give me a break, that's like going into a wind tunnel and saying, "I've been in a wind tunnel, I know what sky diving is like"

I don't wish to have a pissing contents about what is better, I just want to discuss mobile technology and the future of it from different points of view that aren't biased. You're mobile device does not define you as a person, it is not your religion, it is something we should scrutinize.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Any app you love/run i can do so on nitdroid.

However, today i got a link to a youtube video of a live performance of a certain artist. I ripped the audio from the video and stuck it into my music collection. Because i wanted to.

And that's the point: My phone does what I want. You have to do what your phone wants.

If I want to run any iphone type apps I can via nitdroid.

If I want to do Xyz i can.

Nitdroid , btw, is the stake in the heart of your apps argument. sorry.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Why don't you upgrade?
The 0.5in size makes a big difference, the materials are much nicer and its more futureproof. Especially the new port.

Sure, there may not be a jailbreak for iPhone 5 now (maybe there is, haven't checked) but in the near future it's likely to get one. Apple seems to pity the "hackers" and actually leave some obvious vulnerabilities because it doesn't affect their market share/ecosystem. So they don't get busy making a few fans frustrated... which can't be said for Motorola etc etc.

And for anyone who says, "I messed around with NITDroid on my N900 - I know what it's like" - give me a break, that's like going into a wind tunnel and saying, "I've been in a wind tunnel, I know what sky diving is like"

I don't wish to have a pissing contents about what is better, I just want to discuss mobile technology and the future of it from different points of view that aren't biased. You're mobile device does not define you as a person, it is not your religion, it is something we should scrutinize.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I'm not interested in this debate but if web pages are optimized for iOS hence making it so useful then well my n9 runs the iOS UA and i get the same experience as you would so no big thing there...


In short, different phones are for different people...Use what is suitable for you...Its fair enough to have a discussion of you know I use this phone and these are its merits...Even to say my phone is better than yours for me is okay but to say my phone is better than what you are using for YOU is not worth it...Everyone has different use case scenarios so just use what suits you...

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

first off i had 5 things, you only listed 3.
and regarding your rebuttal,
1. mobile pages aside (n9 displays them equal or better mynokiablog.com/2011/06/29/nokia-n9-browser-html5-tests-score-outperforming-ipad-2-sgsii-and-some-desktop-browsers/ ) Safari on IOS just doesn't do what firefox can as normal web 2.0 pages are concerned.
2. i forgot to mention turn your bluetooth off and have it connect to your car automatically. oh also do it without ever pairing it before.
3. not a joke, i wear gloves and just becuase iphone cant do it unless you jailbreak it.
4. while n9 helps me get rid of ads, and prevent inter process data stealing, iphone likes to make it more accessible for ads by targeting them just for you by helping track your intimate details about how you bank with Bofa and like to pay your rent on the train and how much time you spend on facebook etc etc.
5. i dont need Lord itunes for doing smallest things. can you download a mixtape , unrar or unzip it and listen to it, delete the songs you dont like without getting close to a computer? can you get OTA update?

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

OK, I honestly did not know you can have a shell account on the iphone and access it remontely. That is really huge benefit, so I am surprised nobody ever mentioned it to me...:confused:

So, what shell does it run? Do you get all the usual bsd utilities and command line tools with it? What scripting tools are available, and can you access normal phone functions from command line? Can you run chroot on it? Is it possible to compile binaries on scratchbox or similar cross-compiling environment for it on an external computer? (I guess it propably needs MAC developers toolchains to compile and link programs..?)

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

One thing I forgot to mention, using online banking on iphone... What's the big deal with online banking? I have accounts on 2 different banks and I regularily use those with N9, no problem?

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

lol, it's now apparent that it's pointless. I'm out of this thread, peace out!

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Ok, I'll make one more comment:

I do take those arguments seriously. The N900 plays all the media I want -- every bit of music, every podcast, every video. (If you must complain that it doesn't run HD video, let me ask why would you want to force the poor thing to run video at resolutions beyond what it can display? I personally re-encode videos to the native size of the devices I use to display them. I did that for my 1st gen iPhone, and I still do for my N900...) And yes, there are endless endless apps of every stripe and color for the iPhone; but can I ask, can you do your social networking or banking tasks from a regular desktop browser? Because the N900 can handle regular desktop webpages.

But in any case, yeah, I guess I don't do much appy stuff on my N900. I like to place phone calls, listen to podcasts, and edit files. These tasks don't require the latest hardware. And so, for someone like me, the N900 still beats the iPhone.

EDIT: BTW, the Google TV remote control is RF-based, but some of the devices can also accept IR input. In particular, many of the Google TVs manufactured by Sony will also support the use of a Sony remote control. For these, the "Sony TV Keyset 1" setting in Pierogi should work for you.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

OP, don't forget that the N900 is still progressing and getting better and better with every CSS update : )

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I will try to answer numerous questions in this one thread:

Let me start off I am not an ambassador from Apple, I don't even like Apple, but right now I find the iPhone 4S running iOS5.1.1 to be the best phone on the market.

I have an N900 sitting right next to me, with NITDroid on it, you can't use the device as a phone when you're running NITDroid, you still cannot make voice calls. I am sorry, that's like saying, "This phones battery life is much better than yours when I put it on airplane mode"

I can unzip files, download YouTube videos, etc. all the same things you can. I don't know why you think I can't. Your argument is not only made out of ignorance but your saying "Well I can boot into a "work in progress" OS that is buggy/laggy at best and is designed for a captive touch screen. I have a fresh install of it on my N900 now, over clocked, running off my SD card. It is a joke.

Few reasons:

1) Pretty much anywhere you go you will be able to find a microUSB charger or an iPhone/iPad/iPod charger. If you stick with those two connection methods you can always find a charger if needed. Not with the new connector (yet).
2) The device is 100x better jailbroken.
3) I like Google Maps and having 3 YouTube applications (iPhone YouTube, Google YouTube, and ProTube (jailbreak YouTube))

1) Try Chrome for iOS.
2) Yeah, I have to turn my Bluetooth on.
3) I live in California, I cannot comment on gloves.
4) Cydia has many adblockers.
5) Yes and Yes.

I don't know, I haven't really messed around with it much simply because I haven't had the need to. I doubt you can do that much though.

That's funny. I am an N900 fan boy. Maemo 5 development stopped when it was released. Bugs were fixed with PR 1.2, hacks and tweaks started with CSSU.


Because with HD video I can plug in an HDMI cable (not VGA like n900) and watch at much better quality on a larger screen, and it looks better.

I get the impression that not many of you have used Safari or Chrome for iOS... when you say "handle a regular page" give me an example and I will take a screen shot with my N900 and a screen shot with my iPhone and you can be the judge of what is better. It sounds like many of you haven't used the application that you are bashing.

I will post screen shots of the same sight from N900, iOS Safari, and iOS Chrome - no mobile optimized versions.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

You are one brave man...

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/23623813.jpg


Bingo! You win 100 internets!

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

For this test I tried to act as naturally as possible, I choose a pretty graphics intensive website with transparency, CSS drop down menus, and JavaScript slide show. As you can see I selected a portion of the drop down menu, and then I zoomed it. The only Safari jailbreak tweak I have is "FullScreen Safari."

There are also pics from my N900 - notice how the N900 failed to handle the transparency of the drop down menu properly. The slide show was very choppy and I am over clocked to 1.15GHz. Try it for yourself. Post screen shots here. I wasn't able to take a screen shot in portrait mode on the N900.

Note: Pixelation in images is caused by imgur upload compression.

Please tell me more about how the iPhone can't view "real webpages"

I am not trying to compete, there really isn't any competition in my point of view - I am just trying to educate people.

I will remain by my statements:

The iPhone is has no soul, lacking LED, not an open OS, no removable battery.

(Seriously though, the LED is the biggest PITA - you get out of the shower to see if anyone called you and you have to click your phone like a lonely ******.)

iPhone 4S iOS 5.1.1 jailbroken Safari and iOS 5.1.1 Google Chrome:

Website: http://www.bmc-racing.com/us-en/home.html

Safari - landscape:
http://i.imgur.com/5Nuaz.png
http://i.imgur.com/KKyHk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/oL8wI.jpg

Safari - portrait:
http://i.imgur.com/gbUD8.png
http://i.imgur.com/CE4EC.png

Google Chrome - landscape
http://i.imgur.com/qLxWp.png

Google Chrome - portrait
http://i.imgur.com/DijRa.png

N900:
http://i.imgur.com/2vxPk.png
http://i.imgur.com/CM5Oa.png

UPDATE, HTML 5 SCORES:

Safari:
http://i.imgur.com/vL1le.png

Google Chrome:
http://i.imgur.com/ewpov.png

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I'm sorry but I don't get what's the point in the browser images?

My N9 stock browser (for some reason it was loading the int'l version instead of us-en version):

http://db.tt/rn6LyyOi

http://db.tt/nSrbEwQQ

http://db.tt/QxeZqoy7


Would the N9's browser be beaten by Android and iOS offerrings? Well I do expect it to be beaten...After all we are a "dead" platform, aren't we? Add a closed stock browser and how is going to be improved that rapidly? However, saying that, till date it is able to pretty much match Android and iOS but down the road it should be beaten due to the others rapid pace of developement...


Edit: Understood you were showing that iOS is able to display full webpages instead of web optimized ones :)...

Anyway since I've posted screens might as well complete it with the following not-too-shabby html5 test:

http://db.tt/D9TQquxZ


Edit 2: Fennec 17 on the n9:

http://db.tt/EkmSPUpm

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I am a former N900 user, still an N900 lover, for the foreseeable future a N900 owner, but most importantly I am objective and I am a realist.

My mobile device does not define who I am or how I think.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I'm not the one who made the ridiculous assertion hat the N900 or N9 cannot view "real webpages" - I know they can, I have an N900 next to me, it might be slower, with less quality, and more choppy with the slide show, but it does it.

I have never plaid around with the N9, so I cannot comment on it. However it was released within a month of the iPhone 4S.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I like your posts xxxxts.
It is refreshing to read your n900 / iphone
comparisons without the apple/maemo fanboyism.



What can the n900 do that an IPhone can't do?
I don't know.

What would I miss if I would switch to an IPhone (/or Android device)?
TMO

What is your favorite iphone community site? Is there something
comparable to maemo.org and talk.maemo.org?

nicolai

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Yes, I got that, I am all that as well. I meant the other n900 owners/users/fanboys who will respond to your posts claiming the n900 owns the iphone in all aspects.
They are the very, very far from realism.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Hmm. I'm not apparently having the same problem on my N900; and this is from running the stock Microb browser.

It's good to see that the iPhone has finally advanced, though. Back when I was using mine, it would balk at anything like that web page...

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

1) There is no decent iPhone community, for jailbreaking it's best to listen to Jeff at iDownloadBlog.
2) Things the N900 can do that the iPhone can't;

a) Dual boot into different OSes
b)IR (unless you have a 3rd party IR adapter attached to your iPhone)
c) FM Transmitter (same as above)
d) Really awesome root terminal access
e) Removable battery
f) LED light (biggest thing for me)
g) Resistive touch screen
h) Write software for the device on the device
i) Real multitasking (that's a huge one)
j) Open OS with lots of customization
h) Give you headaches

A lot of Androids have the LED so that's very helpful, I much more perfer iOS to Android, the iCloud system for Windows (I am a Windows user) is service that sits in your notifications task bar on Windows 7. If you leave your computer on 25/7/365 like I do as soon as you connect to WiFi (or if you have 3G Unrestrictor Jailbreak) every photo on your phone will be uploaded to a folder of your choosing on your computer. There is no need to use iTunes software at all.

It does feel very Orwellian at times, it has no sense of personalization. Sure you can jailbreak tweak it out, but I am betting it will start getting buggy and loose that "it just works" thing that's so great.

In a post apocalyptic era I would choose an N900 over an iPhone (assuming there is no internet or cell towers - just private wifi networks).

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

To summarize: After reading though this thread numerous times, most of you seem very uninformed about the product you're so content on bashing. To the best of my knowledge they do not have a restocking fee.

If you are wanting to explore mobile technology further I suggest you buy an iPhone 4S, keep it at 5.1.1, jailbreak it - configure it how you want, and use it for 30 days. If you don't think it is worth the few hundred, return it and get your money back.

I have been messing around with mobile technology since the Philips VELO 500, which I bought new in the 1990's, with a 75MHz MIPS processor and a full 16 shades of grey for $800 or something along those lines. I like to experience new things, if I was going to get a tablet - it would most likely be an Android instead of an iPad - due to the fact that I need my phone to be reliable, I don't require that level of reliability out of a tablet.

I was one of the first people to get the N900, from the NYC Flagship store and you all knew when I replaced it with an iPhone. I have 437 posts on talk.maemo.org and have been thanked 262 times. I am not bashing the N900, from an objective standpoint - there is no competition it's like a HAM radio vs the internet. The argument for the ham radio would be: "When the internet goes down I will still be able to communicate!" - While that is true, it doesn't make the ham radio a better communications tool. That analogy might have been poor, I am tired.

It's 4 year old technology, reference Moore's Law, it will say this, hands down, it was the best smart phone of it's time. That is without debate in my opinion.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

To summarize even more:

That's really all you have to say. Your argument is that device X has more recent hardware than device Y, therefore X > Y.

No problem. I'm not in your situation, as the tasks I'm interested in don't need the most recent hardware. And, therefore, since that is your whole argument, I'm not likely to ever see eye to eye with you... :)

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Are you fing delusional? Have you not read anything I wrote? Your assumption about the competition is you owned an iPhone for four years prior to you getting an N900. You're account was made here in 2010, are you basing what you know of iOS and iPhones off a device you owned in 2006?

I am not asking anyone to see eye to eye with me, I would just like people to be informed. This thread has proven that the majority of people speaking are NOT informed.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

relax guys; not seeing eye to eye :eek:

its a piece of hw+sw only nothing to get so serious about :D

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

This applies to most of the people, most of the time, sadly, not just on the internet, but in general.

You're fighting an uphill battle here, and I applaud you... I wonder when will you give up.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Yes, I am fing delusional. :) I don't use social media on my phone, therefore I am fing delusional. I don't do my banking on my phone, therefore I am fing delusional. And yeah, I don't really care about HDMI out (especially since most modern TVs now have USB ports, which work even better than HDMI), I'm not interested in Siri, I don't use much mapping (I only rarely find myself needing a map in the first place, and the N900 has been fine for those times I've needed it), and I pretty much never use the billions and billions of other apps you can get on an iPhone.

YES, the iPhone has better games!!! YES, the iPhone has more fluid graphics!!! YES, the iPhone has wonderful apps!!! I completely agree with you there.

I'm just saying, that's not what I'm looking for in a mobile device. The N900 is almost exactly what I want in a mobile device. When you jailbreak an iPhone, when you add an external keyboard, when you tack on the IR dongle and the FM transmitter dongle and all the other dongles, when you add in command line utilities and make the file system accessible -- all those things simply make the iPhone more like the N900. And I've already got one of those.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Different people have different mobile phone usage and needs. It's nonsense to say "buy an iPhone 4S" to everybody, as well as "buy a Nokia N9" to everybody.

About this topic : I can enumerate some features that a Nokia Series 40 Asha 303 has that an iPhone (4S/5) doesn't. Useful features, used everyday by some users.

So, depending on the user needs and preferences, maybe a Nokia Asha 303, iPhone 5, Nokia N9, Nokia N900, etc, is better.

My case : I really use Easy Debian, gcc/g++, "ssh -X" on my N900 & N9. I can develop, compile, package and send a software to a repository (extras-devel) just using a N900. For my needs, any iPhone is not a viable solution, with or without jailbreak. For some users, iPhone is better. Simple as that.

Let us live in peace and not judge others and mandate what others to do.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Are you kidding? If I had a tuppence for every time I fished I had such a feature in my digital camera...! Nothing fancy - after all, I am not going to author DVDs on my phone. No, that would be silly.

But consider just a couiple common use cases:

• You've made a longer clip so as not to miss some action and want to cut a lead/tail/middle off;
• You've made two short clips and want to stitch them together...

I understand that such a feature does not exist on a camcorder that records on a tape, but there is no excuse for it missing on anything that records to a memory card. Yet I am not aware of any device that is capable of such a small but useful feature.

Of course I have no idea how well iPhone is capable of doing that. I don't have an iPhone. I've never had an iPhone and will most likely never have one. (Although, who knows? That's what I used to think about Nokia until they became an underdog :)) I just bring it forward because "nobody needs that" is the most criticized Apple paradigm. Using it to slag off a feature that iPhone actually does provide sounds rather ironic.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Many people ask me for phone advice.
I tell them the N900 is the best smartphone for geeks who are smart and know software etc etc.

I tell them the flagship Android phone with community support (usually a Galaxy) is the best smartphone, but it has so many extras that require you to learn them.

For those who cannot code, cannot root, cannot change a Launcher... I tell them to get an iPhone.

This really is the best approach.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

which iphone have blutooth to send or receive files from non iphone users ?
Which iphone have capabilities to trnasmit FM to my car player and my room's FM player ?
Which Iphone supports USB OTG ?
how to receive files in your iphone from my laptop if i don't have itunes in my laptop ?
All this feature N900 users using since 2009 even ios6 released in 2012 doesn't have this features.....

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Bluetooth file sharing has been possible on the iPhone for a long time now... just need to jailbreak it.
FM Transmitter is also possible, through the 30-pin, Lightning port or the headset jack... what's your point?

There is a Cydia App that gives you crude File Explorer feature, so it is possible to share files from your PC to your iPhone via non-approved way. Otherwise, you can "Sync" files to it, as long as its the right media type or you have an App that supports it.

The OP's point was that the iPhone hasn't just surpassed the N900 in things most people use a smartphone for... he was saying the iPhone is/has caught up to some of the "exclusive" capabilities of the N900. Meanwhile, Android can do both those tasks better* than either the iPhone or N900.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

I just come to think of this when reading most of this thread:

1: We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.

2: If you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree it will always come out short/stupid.

Ohh I agree with most written by OP. I've gone all the way and sold my N900/N9 and bought a 4S as i didn't use them for more than just phones anymore. I do like what the 4S offers me despite the closed OS and the restirctions and iTunes.

I to must say that my phone does not define who I am, regardless of brand I'm still me and not to be boxed as a certain 'thing' and I don't get all the demeaning comments against people using iphones. You sir's that say these things are the little ones as you do not embrace but reject and seriously it's phones and OS's there's more important things to get worked up about. You might have the 'right' phone that does the 'right' things, but you're not at all open(minded) as your OS (maemo).

Dousan...

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Many of the things you listed can easily be done by an iPhone 4S - this is sheer ignorance, it's like the majority of people here refuse to draw a distinction between the iPhone 4S/5 and the iPhone 3GS (to which the N900 was originally compared to)

As I said before, I have been into mobile technology for a long time, longer than most of you, I'm assuming (late 1990's) - go out, but an iPhone 4S with 5.1.1, jailbreak it, tweak it the want you want it, use it at your only device for 30 days if you don't think it's worth the money, then return it. Worst case scenario: you become more informed about mobile technology. Then you can get back to me.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Hi , xxxts, I decided to write a reply because I think it was you that had written a quite entertaining description about the why's and how's of your early N900 ownership.
Did you re-read it lately?

The N900 has mostly gotten better in time.

There is no use for informing people here about iPhone progress as long as it still has that button for multitasking.
to me the N900 beats the iPhone regarding general ergonomics.

The thickness, the kickstand, the keyboard, the OS interface..

To me it was the likewise device that made sense after 5 minutes of use.
And it keeps getting better day by day. Today iPad3 owners feel had because apple released an update after 6 months. No such danger to N900 users. The influence of the N9 will finally wear off and community support for the N900 continues well so far (knock on wood)

We also received a free iPad 3G , so I had some time checking jailbroken iOS 4.
I could not find any mature task manager that would make it behave like an oversized N900 :)

The only application I really admired need from iOS is Firewall IP.
It is a pro-active application based firewall that is similar to Little Snitch. These kind of applications seem to be seriously lacking on Linux (all likewise projects seem to be abandoned or have never reached mature status)

However all family members agree that the iDevice finally serves best as dictionary / encyclopedy and occasional gaming machine.

The iPad replaces the many heavy and dusty paper books and makes looking up much faster.

In general, N900 is a low stress, reliable device to me that feels like you are working on your (90's) desktop.

The whole iPhone concept, a combination of appshops, updating jailbreaks and capacitive touch screen can cause a lot of unnecessary hassle and stress to keep up with.

Below: I've noted people put some HTML 5 benches earlier in this thread so I added the one from my N900.

Greetings

http://s17.postimage.org/kkkn1d397/8...5afb1e14_o.jpg

http://postimage.org/image/kkkn1d397/

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

No, they cannot _easily_ be done. For all, you need to jailbreak the device. Definitely not trivial unless you have old HW, puts yourselfs at odds with Apple, is a cat and mouse race -- and if you are so involved with technology you know you have to avoid those like the plague. No to mention that the morality aspect of financing a company that does exactly what you DON´T want is at best questionable.
And you even need additional hardware for all the options he mentioned (except for the BT file transfer, where you only need to replace the entire BT stack. Go figure. And the same people will complain rebuilding a Linux kernel is hard...).

If you want to go down this route, then everything can be done with either device as they are both Turing machines. So, what can the iPhone that the N9/00 doesn´t? Be cute?

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Sorry, these recommendations are very superficial. Because there are many user requirements and preferences. For example :
- some users ask for a real keyboard, not touch vkb. So iPhone, many Android models, N9, etc, are excluded. But a Nokia Asha 303 can be the good choice;
- some users depend a lot on off-line Maps, so a Symbian smartphone with free Nokia Maps can be a solution;
- other users want the best camera, the answer is a Nokia 808.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Save your arrogant words for yourself.

iPhone without jailbreak has many limitations. But it is simple to use.

iPhone with jailbreak (which many users don't know how or don't want to do) has fewer limitations.

I remember last year that a jailbreak version for iPad needed to be applied (using a PC connected by cable) after every reboot, without it the iPad could not boot (open or not) at all ! My friend was a very talented iPhone/iPad user/geek, he could not let the iPad battery run off...

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

>>However all family members agree that the iDevice finally serves best as dictionary / encyclopedy and occasional gaming machine.<<

I agree. The built-in (inline/contextual) dictionary is great. I also found out that if I change the language to e.g. Japanese, then I get (industrial strength) Japanese dictionary in addition. For this reason alone, I am buying an iPad for myself when the time comes (the one I am using is company property). I used to rely on Windows computers, because only full scale Firefox or Chrome let me use the dictionary/translation plug-in. Android tablets (I have three) can't do it--they can, but I need to copy-paste and then use dictionary apps or Google translate; not as easy as Windows.

I also use my Android tablets (with ICS) to watch videos such as Korean TV dramas. I used to pooh-poohed iPad, because (I thought) it didn't have the video apps that I use (five or six) and it didn't have undiluted Firefox or Chrome. It turns out that iPad does have my favorite video apps and built-in dictionaries. So my first choice for browsing foreign Web sites (I read five or six languages) now is iPad (Windows is second). My only wish is for it to shed some weight.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

What do you mean superficial?
You simply said the N900 can do these, and the iPhone cant. I simply corrected you because the iPhone can do those. You are merely grasping at straws.

Firstly the qwerty/vkb is not an issue to debate. Some people prefer one over the other. Actually the iPhone has the advantage here too because it offers a much better vkb (though cramped) and it offers BlueTooth. You can connect any keyboard you like. And since the iPhone is much more slimmer, you can have a keyboard case too. The iPhone gives you the voice where's on the N900 the choice had been made for you.

The iPhone 5's no point and shoot but it's one of the best for a phone. Its now on N8/L920 level. Compared to the N900 agreed shooter, the difference is clear.

The iPhone does have offline Maps and you don't even need to jailbreak for it.

You sound like you don't know what you are talking about.

Re: iPhone 4S (iOS 5.1.1): A look back at the N900
 

Er, what? Are you saying that I don't have the choice to use the N900's vkb, or that I don't have the ability to use any bluetooth keyboard with the N900, or that I don't have the choice not to use the N900's integrated keyboard? :) :)

The iPhone has a virtual keyboard, and can use bluetooth keyboards. The N900 has a virtual keyboard, a hardware keyboard, and can use bluetooth keyboards. Seems like a bit more flexibility on the N900's side, I think...