What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

I just got my N810, and while I'm completely in love with it, I have a few build quality and build choices niggles that I was wondering if anyone else noticed.

1. The kickstand, compared to the N800, is flimsy. I'm deathly afraid I'm going to bend it or break it or something silly. Do you feel as though it's gotten worse?

2. I'm completely annoyed at the new latch mechanism for the battery door. It's in the way of the kickstand, first of all, and it's a huge pain in the butt to use.

3. When you shake your tablet, can you feel the battery moving about? The battery door definitely doesn't attach as securely as the N800 did.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

No issue with the battery door aside from the fact that it's loose and annoying.

The kickstand has served me fine, and while it probably won't stand up (no pun intended) to someone sitting on the tablet while it is propped up with the kickstand, it seems to be sturdy enough for daily abuse.

My battery certainly doesn't move about. As a matter of fact, I find that my battery is wedged in so tight that I need to use a small screwdriver to pry it out when I'm swopping.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

The kickstand of the N800 is a bit thicker. But the N810 one seems quite solid as well.

How often a day do you change battery? Other people need to open this latch at most once a year, and for that it's OK.

Not at all. The battery door of my N810 attaches very securily and doesn't move a bit, unlike the battery door of my N800.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

Not on my N810. I can easily pull out the battery. But on my N800 I need to use a small screwdriver to pry it out.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

Actually the only thing I don't like is the feel of the buttons on the front for swapping and going back. Those buttons to me feel flimsy and like I will break them soon.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

I've yet to find a complaint with any of the buttons, actually.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

my battery and door was loose , for the battery i used a small strip of black scrapbooking foam that has a sticky back , keeps it wedged in nice and tight. and as for the battery door , i put doublesided scotch tape in all four corners layered up , 3 layers i think... and this solves the looseness problem. the one thing i hate that i can do nothing about is how the keyboard isnt uniformly lit , the top row of keys is always brighter and the "p" key is brighter than all the rest and a bit of light shows around the edges of the key. to me little things like this and especially the battery door and the kickstand were designed/constructed a step beyond...(or below...lol) half-assed and piss poor.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

For those with battery removal issues. Take a small piece of cellotape (about 6cm will do), fold one edge of the tape over onto itself, leaving yourself about 2cm of sticky at the end. Now stick the tape to the underside of your battery (at the opposite end to the terminals), and curve the end over the battery to make a small handle to pull the battery.

Now if all of that made sense then you can insert the battery into your tablet and the tape will stick up around the battery, when you want to remove the battery just give the tape a tug and the whole thing will pop out .... no more small screwdrivers and no more smacking the tablet against your hand to pop out the battery.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

1. I don't find the kickstand to be flimsy at all. Plenty sturdy. I think that's a perception caused by size.

2. Agreed. I don't get that one.

3. Very, very slight battery movement in mine. No biggie for me. Battery door attaches very securely.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

I found the kickstand SLIGHTLY more flimsy because I don't use the full angle: I use what was, on the N800, the full angle. The new full angle is for keyboard+kickstand use, which I don't personally understand, but more power to them!

The battery door is significantly harder for me to put back on, but I don't have any reason to remove it now that it's flashed.

The battery door rattles a little bit, or maybe it's the battery hitting the door. Not a dealbreaker.

The build quality so far kicks the crap out of the HTC slider touchscreen phones (TyTn, Mogul, TyTn II) that I've used.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

I'm pretty impressed with the build quality.
My several unscheduled drop tests off dashboards and tables have not damaged the 810.
My only "niggle" is the SD card slot & cover, but I don't use that much anymore.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

The kickstand seems solid enough but the detents could be firmer.

The battery cover is confusing even though I know how it has to go back in.

They need to move the USB connector so it isn't covered up by the kickstand (they could add charging and move the charge connector below the kickstand since I usually charge it that way, but use host-mode adapters and USB keydrives or other things often).

My major hardware annoyances are:

Kickstand covers USB (already noted)

Ambient light sensor is where my left thumb goes when I'm holding it.

Wifi antenna is where my right hand covers or interferes with it.

The gap between the touchscreen and case is enough for stuff to get stuck.

A few more external keys (like the joypad or even user definable) would be welcome. And a mute switch or button!

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

Overall build quality of the 810 seems to be ok for me,
although my former 770 felt much more solid.

The dpad is too near to the sliding top case half.
Pressing the 'up' area is a pain, as you have to use your finger nail
instead of your finger tip. This is a design flaw IMHO.

The keyboard's tactile feedback is very different on different keys,
and the keybord backlight is unequal across the keyboard,
some letter are much better readable than others.

Just take a look at an OQO 02 keyboard to see and feel what quality means!

However given the size of the 810 it's nice to have a keyboard at all;-)

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

Overall I really like the design and construction of the N810. The only thing that really strikes me as being odd is that the two buttons on the face aren't backlit. They look like they should be with their cut metal symbols and white underneath. It doesn't take long to "memorize" them, but unlike the n800 there isn't much texture there to help you locate the one your after quickly in the dark. Certainly not a deal breaker though :)

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

My battery does rattle if i shake it, i might try the fix of putting some tape there. I did the same thing on my 770.

I also noticed that the gap between the sliding screen and the base is a bit more wide on the right side than the left. I can push it together on the bottom, but on the top there is a little metal piece in the way (the anchor?). It still slides smoothly, so I'm guessing that's just how it was designed. I can also see a little IC when I slide the screen up all the way and look at the back.

I like the brushed metal look and the screen doesn't have that rainbow fuzz effect that the 770 had. Sometimes it seems the left speaker is louder than the right, but maybe that's because my hand reflects the sound on the left side. I think the microphone should have been placed on the front of the unit, not on the bottom, but I guess it's better protected that way, and it seems to be pretty good at picking up sound. The webcam is one of the worst I have ever seen, but it works. The ambient light sensor should have been put in the top center.

I have no problems with the d-pad other than "why didnt they put it on the front" or just give me an enter key, or some kind of key which brings up the on-screen keyboard. I have to tap multiple times before it finally brings up the on-screen keyboard...

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

For the people with stuck batteries: screwdrivers and Li-ion batteries are probably not the best combo, though you won't do any harm if you're careful.
But my technique (N800, tight battery) is to remove the back cover, hold the N800 by the end with the power jack, and thwap it against a cupped hand. The battery comes right out and lands in my hand.

Re: What are your thoughts on the build quality?
 

the n810 is tougher than i thought ... ive dropped it multiple times and still no damage.... though it doesnt feel very sturdy like the 770 or the 800...