Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

This isn't a formal publication :-) Whether it is formally true or not, the products do get referred to as "SSD HDDs" out in the general market.

They're not mutually exclusive.

A tilt screen device could have the advantages of a kick stand (the ability to lay it on a table, and still have the screen at a usable viewing angle), and still use a 770 style slide-on hard cover when closed.

The kickstand, IMO, isn't the goal. The goal is "usable viewing angle(s) when laying on a flat surface". A kickstand is only one way to accomplish that. IMO, a tilt screen is a better way to accomplish it.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

- A2DP/headset support but also pass through support for headsets. The blueye does this somewhat. I tether via my phone but listen to music with the tablet. If I receive a call, I have to fish out the phone and answer. What if the call was routed through the tablet and I could answer using the headset. (I'm thinking of playing with bluez to see how possible this is but I'm certainly not capable of doing anything more than a fragile hack at best)

- Portrait mode for the screen. It's absolutely wonderful for FB reader, I'd love to have something like that for the browser at the very least.

- Greater keypitch, more tactile buttons, ability to configure the keys easily (I'm using the unit to code and it's a little pesky to hit the Chr button for "{" and "[") I'll probably change the keyboard mapping as soon as I figure out how to.

- I'd love to be able to plug the usb cable in without dropping down the stand. When I get to work, I'd be able to leave the unit in it's slipcase.

- ... that said, a hard cover would be appreciated.

- Would also be nice to have encfs loaded. Emails I get sometimes have client passwords. I also use ssh keys quite frequently. In the event of loss, I'd like to be fairly confident that I'm not going to be responsible for compromising someone else's system. (I know, it's bad to have such things anyways, but convenience factor! 0:) )

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

********. A tilt screen manages to both significantly decrease durability while reducing internal component space. It is a bad design and should stay out of the IT lineup. :)

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

1) Include voice turn-by-turn nav software. I'll gladly pay for updates.

2) Better GPS - although I don't mind having an external BT one in my car. Hate how long the internal one takes to synch.

3a) A simple docking port - a home and a car version. For charging, speakers, and perhaps a standard kbd.

3b) A separate iPod docking adapter might be a nice touch. This would provide most of what I want - charging and speakers. Would allow the use of thousands of existing iPod docking devices.

4) Have the slide out keyboard slide out 1/2" more and give the numbers their own row of keys! Not having is a real PITA since there is only a left hand "fn" shift key. This would incidently probably allow for a right hand "fn" key as well - it would still be useful.

5a) For heavens sake - the screen is 800x480. Give the thing a powerful enough video processor to handle full DVD (720x480) resolution. And support more protocols while they're at it.


5b) Nokia might consider including pc and mac software to properly convert DVD's (vob files) to DivX (and support it) at various resolutions (the Media Converter download has some problems...)

5c) I'd happily accept a 1/8 increase in thickness to accomodate better video handling, perhaps just adding a more powerful CPU. With that much space they might even be able to add more internal memory (even 4gb would be nice),an additional full size SDHC (vs the miniSd), and a video out port. Or perhaps the extra 1/8" would allow for a better GPS.

6) V & H scroll wheels or touch scroll bars on the front or side of the case. Unlike the iPhone and iPod Touch, the recessed screen makes it almost impossible to use your fingers for scroll bars on the sides and bottom of the screen. Applications could assign desired controls to the scroll wheels. Of course, alternatively Nokia could goto a flat case/screen front like Apple.

7) Include PPTP out of the box. I really want to be able to VPN home and use rdesktop to access my windows desktop. Maybe just takeover and support the old stinghorn software and build it into OS200x

8) Include a useful Java out of the box. This would really get the business applications rolling. I have a bunch of specific business products I'd like to put on this thing and have no desire to continually cross-compile - or actually program on Linux for that matter.

9) Perhaps Optionally allow you to buy with Windows Mobile - or figure out how to get a .Net CLR on this thing. A removable OS card might be nice.

10) As for wi-max, I don't mind being tied into Sprint if I want phone connectivity, but still want it to work with public wi-max and wi-fi networks. Otherwise, I don't mind sticking with connecting through my own BT phone. In fact, I'd prefer it.

11) Simple voice command recognition software (don't need continuous speech).

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Sorry. Don't agree.

1) the AT&T Tilt doesn't appear to have left out a lot of functionality, and its smaller than the NIT line; I haven't heard complaints about it being fragile (nor do the dummy phone versions of it feel more fragile than other sliders).

2) the proposed Nokia patent tilt screen doesn't look fragile at all, the use of the 2nd piece the forms the screen's "kickstand" looks like it would support the screen quite nicely, and shouldn't be any more fragile than the little whispy kickstands on the N800 and N810.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

One of the things that the Nokia tilt screen patent application would do is not hide connectors behind a kickstand (a good reason to loathe the kickstand based designs), letting people develop some form of docking cradle for it.

Moving the micro/mini USB to the bottom edge of the device, instead of the right edge, you could have the docking cradle basically provide a powered USB hub (for keyboard, Audio via USB, Video via USB, external storage devices, etc.), and perhaps one or two full size SDHC card reader slots.

If you look at other keyboard slide devices, in a cell phone/pocket size, you'll pretty much find the same arrangement: letters only, and numbers provided via a symbol/fn key. I sometimes wish for a number row on my phone, but it's not really an issue 90% of the time. What I am more annoyed by is that every device seems to have a unique mapping of where they put each symbol.

I wonder if there'd be legal issues there.

I agree about getting rid of the bevel, no matter what is done here.

On the N800, I _can_ use the scroll bar with my thumb, when using the RSS reader. I _cannot_ use it the scroll bar with my thumb when using Opera. And that is a HUGE annoyance (esp. since the RSS reader often invokes Opera when you want to read more about an article). Consistency here is _mandatory_.

I would prefer to see better inertial finger scrolling (as with the iPhone and iPod Touch) over dedicated touch scroll bars (that's what the OQO does, right?). And I would prefer to explode in to flames over scroll wheels.

An included, GUI configurable, VPN would be good. I wonder how hard it would be to support the 2 or 3 major variations/standards (I could probably do PPTP on my own, but work supports a particular standard that isn't PPTP, and I'm not recalling what it is).

I agree with supporting Java. I do not agree withs supporting .NET nor Windows of any flavor.

If the GPS philosophy carries forward (you wont be forced to buy a subscription/service if you don't want to), then this should be exactly what you get: for-pay WiMAX services (and for-pay Wifi services, for that matter) are entirely optional.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Just wanted to point out that the Toshiba Portege G910/G920 smartphones are doing exactly what I've been recommending that Nokia does, camera-wise:

2 cameras. One facing outward from the screen, toward the user ... one on the back, for taking pictures.


http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/16/t...he-g900-super/

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

It's called "OMAP3430" and it will solve all of our video troubles. The LCD controller on the next generation OMAP cores can handle the 800x480 resolution without the need for a bottlenecking custom LCD controller.

They already did this (though there's currently no OS X port).

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

1) wimax - I'm in a large city so it will be here soon - if possible a simcard slot for optional cell access
2) 2x SD card slots
3) larger screen size
4) Battery life - make it thicker if you have to but it needs 15 hours of battery life when being used with networking active
5) interoperability with android
6) updated gps chipset for faster sync and lower power usage
7) video playback/processor upgrades/larger internal and faster access memory

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

re: WiMAX (mentioned several times)

At CES next week, there will be a Sprint/Intel WiMAX presentation. There's some buzz on engadget that that's where we'll see a WiMAX EeePC revealed. I'm kinda hoping/wondering that we'll also see the WiMAX NIT unveiled there as well.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/31/a...-intel-and-sp/