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maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)
-   Nokia N900 (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=44)
-   -   My Hands On Experience with N900 (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=31937)

qole 2009-09-22 21:45
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
The proximity sensor is right near the light sensor, which is designed to make the screen get brighter and darker, repeatedly, as a left-hander scrolls down a web-page.

;) :D

skalogre 2009-09-22 21:46
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qole (Post 331789)
The proximity sensor is right near the light sensor, which is designed to make the screen get brighter and darker, repeatedly, as a left-hander scrolls down a web-page.

;) :D
I think the term for the feature is Continuously Adaptive Backlighting - aka kinetic brightness :D

Laughing Man 2009-09-22 21:49
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Or powersave. ;)

strank 2009-09-23 06:27
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by daperl (Post 331687)
Granted, I haven't seen a phone-call-while-doing-something-else demo, ...
Here is a nice demo in French: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xag...-sous-mae_tech

At about 4:00 the first call comes in. If you continue watching, you will see several calls and text message notifications for this, obviously very popular, guy. :)

Regarding Bounce: I recall a video showing Bounce continue to run and respond to the accelerometers while task switching, but when another task was selected it paused automatically. I am pretty sure that's how the final version will (read, should) work.

cheers

pycage 2009-09-23 06:27
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by skalogre (Post 331791)
I think the term for the feature is Continuously Adaptive Backlighting - aka kinetic brightness :D
Oh, how I hate this on my N810. The light sensor is always where I put my finger for holding the N810. :(

VRe 2009-09-23 11:27
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Has anybody tried out what the calendar can do?

I would be interested to know how well repeating events work. Can one remove occurrence from middle of repeat? Can one remove occurrences from selected occurrence to the last occurrence in one go? Can one modify single occurrence of repeat so that it does not modify the other occurrences?

allnameswereout 2009-09-23 13:47
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lemmyslender (Post 331664)
That's kind of my point. If a more technically inclined user is having issues, imagine a non-technically inclined user.
OK. I just wanted to underline that part.

While what you say may be true in some circumstances its also true a technical user has different values than a non-technical user, and will therefore experience different issues.

For example, in this case the user is used to BB and its keyboard and compares his N900 experience with that.

Quote:
Having someone who is more technically inclined be very excited, then after using the device change their opinion down to "I'll wait and see" from "I want in now!", to me this indicates it may be slow to be adopted, or get a lot of returns.
This is just one experience. Don't give it too much value which is what you do when you say 'indicates it may be slow to be adopted, or get lot of returns'.

Also, the conclusion is at least not something like totally a bummer.

Since Nokia has lower market penetration in US than in EU, you can expect more people who are not using a Nokia product in US. And, it is questionable whether it is of value that a reviewer is currently a Nokia user.

So, yeah, I am far, far more interested in initial user experiences from non or less technical inclined people than from non-Nokia users. Although not right away after product is launched because there are always rough edges in initial stages a product is launched. My rule of thumb is to not buy a product right after it is released, so I'd fall in the 'waiting' category, even though I may be enthusiast.

lemmyslender 2009-09-23 14:19
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by aSIMULAtor (Post 331725)
If you have one ongoing call that's a cellular call for example, then you get an incoming call via SIP and you answer it, it puts the cellular call on hold and you can switch back and forth from the cellular call to the SIP call. It's easy to switch back and forth calls as there's an "on hold" strip at the top of the screen which you can press on.

hope this helps.
Thanks for the reply. Although I expected something like that for an incoming call while already on another call, it sounds like it's an easy to use feature.

I am more interested in the case of receiving two calls at approximately the same time. If someone dials my google voice number it forwards to several phones at the same time (including my cell number and my SIP number). When I'm in an area with wifi coverage, I'd prefer to answer the SIP call, not the cellular call.

I assume my cell number will ring first, and by the time I pick up/ get out the N900, the SIP call will be ringing as well. Is it easy to differentiate between the two call types? Then I could ignore the cell call and answer the SIP call.

kanishou 2009-09-23 20:04
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by timsamoff (Post 331564)
Bounce needs a lot of work atm. It doesn't pause at all and accidentally touching the screen (or a hardware button) takes you back to the main menu of the game. So, while this hasn't happened to me yet, I'm expecting that an incoming call would exit the current play and take you back to the menu.

Tim
The main menu _is_ pausing the game. If you tap outside the buttons, it will continue the game where you left off. Incidentally I just got a skype call while in bounce, and it appears to have paused the game.

Switching to the tasklauncher while in the game (using the keyboard shortcut) still keeps the game running though. I don't know if this is sensible, but you have to admit that it makes for great demonstrations (and ultimately bounce isn't much more than a tech demo right now)!

twaelti 2009-09-23 21:11
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ragnar (Post 331267)
We also thought that many calls would be started not by starting the Call app, but rather click on the person (or select from the contact book) and then select to call him/her. [...]
You can just start to type on the Home view and that will start to search the contact book.
Thanks for this - it's the perfect solution. I had a number of SE phones in the past which all featured such a function. It really is outstanding usablity.

remister 2009-09-24 02:32
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strank (Post 331969)
Here is a nice demo in French: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xag...-sous-mae_tech
cheers
Thanks for a good video, I wonder why English Hand On video aren't that long!

timsamoff 2009-09-24 04:10
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeneralAntilles (Post 331788)
It doesn't sense an electrical circuit (since that's essentially what the screen does to sense touch), it has a little IR LED and a receiver. When the IR bounces off your face and into the receiver it knows that there's an object close by (face, pocket, purse, whatever).

It's basically a miniaturized version of the IR beams they have on some electronic keyboards and synthesizers.
Completely OT, but this would be an awesome way to make a digital theremin on the N900 (one finger for screen pressure, the other for IR distance). :D

Tim

Thesandlord 2009-09-24 04:17
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Wow good idea Tim!

GeraldKo 2009-09-24 04:19
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strank (Post 331969)
Good video, gave me the best sense of the N900 hardware of any video or photos I've seen. It's nice looking. It looked like it would feel good as a phone.

I also saw a couple things of interest on the unit's screen in the demo ...

There was an icon for an Evernote client. Someone on this forum has been jonesing for one. There was also an icon for an "Amazon Widget," though I'm not sure what that is.

Also, actually maybe on another video linked on that webpage, I saw that the user could zoom in on a page (with the weird spiral gesture) but that the text, as a result, ran off the screen. It makes me wonder about the lack of Fit Width to View, which I really liked (escaped when I hated it!! -- that is, except when I accidentally left it on and a webpage rendered unbearably slowly). QGil had said something a long time ago about a superior way to make sure we could read text on the little screen, even without Fit Width to View. If that technology is incorporated in the N900, it wasn't immediately apparent to that reviewer. I hope there's some trick -- like an effective font size control -- that can replace Fit Width to View, assuming FWTV isn't offered.

zerojay 2009-09-24 04:28
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GeraldKo (Post 332655)
Good video, gave me the best sense of the N900 hardware of any video or photos I've seen. It's nice looking. It looked like it would feel good as a phone.

I also saw a couple things of interest on the unit's screen in the demo ...

There was an icon for an Evernote client. Someone on this forum has been jonesing for one. There was also an icon for an "Amazon Widget," though I'm not sure what that is.

Also, actually maybe on another video linked on that webpage, I saw that the user could zoom in on a page (with the weird spiral gesture) but that the text, as a result, ran off the screen. It makes me wonder about the lack of Fit Width to View, which I really liked (escaped when I hated it!! -- that is, except when I accidentally left it on and a webpage rendered unbearably slowly). QGil had said something a long time ago about a superior way to make sure we could read text on the little screen, even without Fit Width to View. If that technology is incorporated in the N900, it wasn't immediately apparent to that reviewer. I hope there's some trick -- like an effective font size control -- that can replace Fit Width to View, assuming FWTV isn't offered.
Evernote and Amazon widgets are in Extras/Extras-testing/Extras-devel... I don't remember which.

Fit Width to View is done by simply double tapping on a paragraph as Quim previously stated.

timsamoff 2009-09-24 05:07
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thesandlord (Post 332654)
Wow good idea Tim!
Of course, then I'd have to somehow get an N900 sent to my pal, Angelo. Hmmm...

Tim

mhammo 2009-09-25 16:46
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by YoDude (Post 331128)
Can I ask what you use MMS for that could not be accomplished via an e-mail from the device? Sending media to another phone that can't view/play e-mail attachments is all I can think of. Isn't the size of an MMS message limited as well?
Not everyone I know has email, nor does everyone I know have the ability to get email on their phone. MMS allows you to easily snap a pic and zip it to their phone.

It's not a deal breaker for me, but something that I feel should be a core function for such a high end phone/device that has both Wifi and 3g...to me, it makes no sense NOT to have it.

mhammo 2009-09-25 16:51
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by misticjeff (Post 331156)
and to me, "sub-optimal" just means "not yet used to it".... it goes without saying that if you're used to a 4 or 5 row keyboard and someone hands you a 3 row board, you'll have troubles. But... after about an hour of texting, you'll be cruising along fine.
Agreed, I can eventually get used to it, but, there is a BIG difference between "not yet used it", and what I feel is the sub-optimal hardware part of the phone. One can get "use to" just about anything, but that doesn't mean it gets any better or less frustrating/disappointing to use. The main thing was the spacing and feel of the keys, and their travel. I was just expecting a much better keyboard experience.

Laughing Man 2009-09-25 16:52
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Most people I know don't even have SMS or MMS plans on their phones lol. Heck, I didn't use SMS till college and that was because I got Google Voice. But I do agree that it's a shame a feature like that is out on a device like this.

romanianusa 2009-09-25 16:58
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
I wonder why MMS is so useful?? You can send pics through email too...so what's the big deal?? Because it's more easier?? Because it send right away?? Because when someone open it ..it shows the picture right away???

mhammo 2009-09-25 16:59
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ragnar (Post 331267)
You can place a shortcut to the phone on your Home screen, in which case it is 1(-2) clicks.

We also thought that many calls would be started not by starting the Call app, but rather click on the person (or select from the contact book) and then select to call him/her. Starting the Call app itself is slightly pointless.

You can just start to type on the Home view and that will start to search the contact book.
Not everyone I call, or every call I make, are going to be contacts in my address book. In fact, because I will use it for my job, and as my only device (hopefully anyway), MOST phone calls will be to people who are NOT in my address book. I certainly don't want to add every Tom, Dick, and Harry I need to call to my address book to make it easy to call.

Plus, in order to start typing, you have to open the soft keyboard, or, open the slider, those are extra steps that are generally not needed to make a phone call.


To me, there should have been a hardware key or soft key always present to be able to make a call.

Laughing Man 2009-09-25 17:01
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by romanianusa (Post 333663)
I wonder why MMS is so useful?? You can send pics through email too...so what's the big deal?? Because it's more easier?? Because it send right away?? Because when someone open it ..it shows the picture right away???
Email requires a data plan most of the time, something most people don't have.

Soulfarmer 2009-09-25 17:03
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by romanianusa (Post 333663)
I wonder why MMS is so useful?? You can send pics through email too...so what's the big deal?? Because it's more easier?? Because it send right away?? Because when someone open it ..it shows the picture right away???
I think the only useful feature of MMS is just that, it is much more quicker. If I want my GF to see something right away and comment on it, I won't use email.

EDIT: actually aforementioned reason is the only reason I will miss MMS on N900...

Bratag 2009-09-25 17:27
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhammo (Post 333667)
Not everyone I call, or every call I make, are going to be contacts in my address book. In fact, because I will use it for my job, and as my only device (hopefully anyway), MOST phone calls will be to people who are NOT in my address book. I certainly don't want to add every Tom, Dick, and Harry I need to call to my address book to make it easy to call.

Plus, in order to start typing, you have to open the soft keyboard, or, open the slider, those are extra steps that are generally not needed to make a phone call.


To me, there should have been a hardware key or soft key always present to be able to make a call.
Of course you could just put a shortcut to the phone app on your desktop like most the demos show and get to the dialer in 1 click. I realize the effort may exhaust you but think of the workout :)

Laughing Man 2009-09-25 17:29
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Wouldn't that just be turning the phone to portrait mode then (I think it automatically opens up to the dialer/phone app).

zerojay 2009-09-25 17:45
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhammo (Post 333667)
Not everyone I call, or every call I make, are going to be contacts in my address book. In fact, because I will use it for my job, and as my only device (hopefully anyway), MOST phone calls will be to people who are NOT in my address book. I certainly don't want to add every Tom, Dick, and Harry I need to call to my address book to make it easy to call.

Plus, in order to start typing, you have to open the soft keyboard, or, open the slider, those are extra steps that are generally not needed to make a phone call.


To me, there should have been a hardware key or soft key always present to be able to make a call.
Eh... what?

To call someone you can do:

- Open the Phone app.
- Rotate the phone if launch on rotate is turned on.
- Press power key, tap Phone button.
- Click on a contact in your Contact book, select Call.

When you open phone through any other means other than through clicking on a contact, you have two buttons at the top... one for going to a dialing pad to call anyone you choose and a second button for heading to your contact list.

Hit the Dialing Pad button and there you go... phone buttons all there for you to type away on. It's very simple, really. No, you don't need to add everyone to your contact list first. No, you don't need the keyboard open either.

UCOMM 2009-09-25 17:51
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by zerojay (Post 333692)
Eh... what?

To call someone you can do:

- Open the Phone app.
- Rotate the phone if launch on rotate is turned on.
- Press power key, tap Phone button.
- Click on a contact in your Contact book, select Call.

When you open phone through any other means other than through clicking on a contact, you have two buttons at the top... one for going to a dialing pad to call anyone you choose and a second button for heading to your contact list.

Hit the Dialing Pad button and there you go... phone buttons all there for you to type away on. It's very simple, really. No, you don't need to add everyone to your contact list first. No, you don't need the keyboard open either.

this sounds complicated, is there a phone that just has a giant picture of a phone i can press, and at most 1 physical button, this way i won't be confused

Soulfarmer 2009-09-25 18:05
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by UCOMM (Post 333695)
this sounds complicated, is there a phone that just has a giant picture of a phone i can press, and at most 1 physical button, this way i won't be confused
I think you only need to do ONE of mentioned actions. Not all.

Laughing Man 2009-09-25 18:10
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Though that does bring up a good question. If Nokia intends for the switch to portrait mode to trigger phone application to be the main way of calling. Once everyone starts introducing portrait apps wouldn't that be problematic? (if you kept the option for portrait mode = phone on) Thus why it would also take Nokia awhile to figure out just what to do with supporting automatic portrait mode for the operating system and applications in general. Besides the press power key then telephone, it seems the portrait mode activation is the only single step phone launch method.

Unless Nokia can detect the amount of force. Then say a quick switch to portrait orientation would activate phone. While a slow rotation to portrait orientation would just keep portrait mode of whatever application you are using.

tso 2009-09-25 18:33
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
my understanding is that the dialer autolaunch only happens on rotation if the focus is on the "desktop"...

daperl 2009-09-25 18:36
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laughing Man (Post 333709)
Unless Nokia can detect the amount of force. Then say a quick switch to portrait orientation would activate phone. While a slow rotation to portrait orientation would just keep portrait mode of whatever application you are using.
It would be too tempting to take a hammer to any device that worked like that.

Laughing Man 2009-09-25 18:42
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Haha true, out in the world it probably wouldn't be ideal. Or you'd have to set the sensitivity threshold for quick to be like throwing it and it would end up in the lake.

allnameswereout 2009-09-25 19:20
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mhammo (Post 333667)
Not everyone I call, or every call I make, are going to be contacts in my address book. In fact, because I will use it for my job, and as my only device (hopefully anyway), MOST phone calls will be to people who are NOT in my address book. I certainly don't want to add every Tom, Dick, and Harry I need to call to my address book to make it easy to call.
Nokia E71 has 2 modus: business and personal. These influence the look & feel of the device as well as the way the home screen looks. This feature could be extended to something akin to your purpose. Also, in an IM client you have all kind of groups; friends, family, co-workers. You can hide or unhide a group. Very useful. This is flexible since it could also be possible 'both modes' are desired.

zerojay 2009-09-25 19:28
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laughing Man (Post 333709)
If Nokia intends for the switch to portrait mode to trigger phone application to be the main way of calling.
It's hard to intend that to be the main way of calling when it's off by default. ;)

qgil 2009-09-26 22:11
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by timsamoff (Post 332651)
Completely OT, but this would be an awesome way to make a digital theremin on the N900 (one finger for screen pressure, the other for IR distance). :D
Coming! http://maemo.org/packages/package_in...remin/1.4.0-4/

pelago 2009-09-26 22:24
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by timsamoff (Post 332651)
Completely OT, but this would be an awesome way to make a digital theremin on the N900 (one finger for screen pressure, the other for IR distance). :D
Do we know for sure that the proximity sensor outputs a value saying distance to nearest object? Or is it just a binary "too close" vs "too far" output?

allnameswereout 2009-09-26 22:31
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by qgil (Post 334456)
Aha so that is the place to search for packages. Could you make packages.maemo.org redirect to maemo.org/packages because Ubuntu and Debian use packages.* as well.

Giorgiom92 2009-09-26 23:07
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sachin007 (Post 330942)
The phone can be used in both landscape and portrait mode. Also there is a setting where you can automatically make the phone launch if you hold the device in the portrait mode.

Thanks for the review.
How do you know that the phone can be used in both landscape and portrait mode?
i have seen everywere, that for use all apps, you must be on landscape mode...

Laughing Man 2009-09-26 23:24
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
I think he meant the phone application itself can be used in both landscape and portrait (and indeed videos prove this). For apps right now it is landscape mode only (though Nokia plans on making some of the apps later on like browser and email maybe portrait mode with an update).

And individual developers can choose to make a portrait mode if they want. But it's not officially supported (as in here's an API to do that for you).

Soulfarmer 2009-09-27 00:03
Re: My Hands On Experience with N900
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laughing Man (Post 334503)
And individual developers can choose to make a portrait mode if they want. But it's not officially supported (as in here's an API to do that for you).
One thing I would like to point out is that "not supported" is not the same as "not possible". I have read this over and over again that "not supported" means exactly that, not supported. Support in these cases means that Nokia is not helping devs in said feature. Not supported does not exclude questioned feature. Published stance on something not possible means that, not possible.

Please dear avid readers of this forum bear in mind difference between something not supported and something not there. It is kinda like a river... is there supported bridge somewhere or just a river crossing you can get over the river at your own risk. Totally different from Nokia telling you "hey there is NO way over the kwai river"


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