unfair review?
 

http://www.mobilecomputermag.co.uk/2...et-tablet.html

Don't know if this one has been posted yet. Personally I think the guy is talking out of his you know where. Yes, certain issues are issues, but taking up space to talk about a missing FM radio is kind of petty.

If this hasn't been posted already, anyone care to comment or leave a comment to rebut his point of view on his website?

Re: unfair review?
 

Looks like a pretty even review to me. They left out the most glaring limitation -- lack of PIM apps that sync to the desktop -- but other than that it seems pretty reasonable.

Re: unfair review?
 

I agree, "...awfulness of the hardware keyboard..." that is insane, the N810 has the best handheld device keyboard I've ever used. Better than the iPhones. Oh and why were they comparing it to an iPhone? It should have been compared to the iPod Touch because pretty clearly, neither of them are phones...

Re: unfair review?
 

Excuse me, but you wouldn't buy a Ferrari and then comment about the absence of a trick off-road differential that you had in your Land Cruiser right?

The Nokia Internet Tablets were never meant as PDAs, and hence Nokia never wrote PIMs for it. If you want PDA capabilities, buy a smartphone or a PDA. Most smartphones today would built-in PDAs, and the iT is meant to be a companion to a smartphone, not a PDA.

By the way, I believe you are also specifically referring to the absence of calendar and task applications, not a contacts manager, as there is one in the iT as it were.

My comments on the review:

"Sadly, that’s the beginning and end of what we like about the N810. The rest just seems like disappointment after disappointment. For example, the only net-connection options are Wi-Fi or a Bluetooth-attached mobile phone. Like its predecessors, the N810 has no built in mobile phone functionality of its own -- despite being made by Nokia." -- clearly the reviewer has failed to understand that this device was NEVER meant to have GSM radio, and is a standalone device working in tandem with ubiquitous WiFi networks and as a companion to a mobile phone for connectivity (hence the inclusion of BT DUN profile)

"Frankly, the built-in FM radio on the N800 was more useful, but Nokia has removed it from the N810. Why, for goodness’ sake?" -- not an official feature. Reviewer fails again.

"Stick OS2008 onto one of these (a task that’s both free and easy) and you’ll have a gadget that runs just as fast but that costs £125 less and has a built-in FM radio to boot. Seems like a no-brainer to us." -- yes, and if I recall correctly, FM radio breaks something (can't remember what it is now, but similar to how installing OGG breaks audio in for VoIP calls). And reviewer seems to think that the N800 and N810 are in competition with each other. They're not. The N810 was designed for people who wanted to have GPS and keyboard and didn't mind living with miniSD, while the N800 was targeted at people who didn't need the physical keyboard and GPS and wanted 2 full-sized SD/SDHC slots.

I rate the review 6 out of 10. He could have gone into the media playback capability, the fact that it does Internet Radio and has a pretty decent list of stations in the directory, video playback of DivX/AVI/MP4, ability to download and install software on the fly, fails to mention that Skype and Gizmo voice calls are a breeze, and the fact that Pidgin Internet Messenger gets you connected to all the major IM service providers.

Journalism has really gone downhill in the last couple of years. I would have fired my contributors if I ran a media publication of sorts and they wrote biased tripe like this.

Re: unfair review?
 

Well, while the Nokia ITs might not do everything, they try to and do a great job at it. The lack of PIMs isn't because it can't do it. It could do it far easier than providing horsepower to play media, which its pulled off pretty well considering. So yes, lack of PIM is pretty glaring when Nokia would love for this to go main stream and this seems to be a pretty main stream feature that is missing.

Just my two cents.

Re: unfair review?
 

Thank you :)

Re: unfair review?
 

Unfortunetly, no matter how much we like the N800 / N810 they aren't the Ferrari of the handheld world, more like the Shelby 500 1968 - with much soul, great power but in some ways incomplete and lacking.

The reviewer presents only his opinion - and he makes a good point. When WiMax / EVDO / other way to always have wireless connection will come you too will start to wonder how you lived without. The fact that Nokia decided the tehnology was too imature or expensive doesn't mean it isn't a very good idea for a road warrior. Ubiquitos Wifi is only a downtown mark, I know a lot of places that haven't heard of it and still aren't lost in the woods. Following the same line of thought, FM radio is a great addition to any minicomputer - and one of the main reasons I chose N800 over N810.

It may be true - but then again you are also biased: besides owning a similar tablet for a longer time, you already decided when you bought this handheld it was the best suited . Generally only complete newcomers can tell you how it fells without being involved and unfortunetly N8xx doesn't exactly shine for somebody who won't put some (minimal) effort in geting the best out of it.

Re: unfair review?
 

Let me debate that point for point :)

1. It's not about whether it is a Shelby or a Ferrari. My point was that you don't buy a sports car and then comment that it's not very good off-road. Just as you don't buy an N800 as an Internet Tablet then then complain that it doesn't have PIMs or doesn't sync PIM data. Where on the packing box or on Nokia's site does it say that it had PIM functionality in the first place. Point is, he shouldn't be complaining about the absence of something that's not supposed to be there in the first place.

2. Connectivity -- I'm not sure what things are like in the US or wherever you guys are based. In the Middle East and most of Asia where I come from, GPRS/EDGE is the norm, with most networks offering 3G/3.5G data services. Nokia isn't building the iT for the US only, so maybe US folks should remember that there is the rest of the world out there, and that constitutes most of Nokia's market base, not the US. The tech-literate in the Middle East and Asia have no problems hooking up the iT to their GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA-capable cellphones over BT (hence the presence of the wizard to set up the mobile phone in Control Panel), and enjoying connectivity wherever, whenever in the absence of publicly-accessible WiFi hotspots.

3. FM Radio was an afterthought. For whatever reason it was, Nokia chose not to enable it, hence there is no liability on them to provide it or support it. Perhaps it was an easter egg, perhaps they found that the FM Radio interfered with another more important functionality. Whatever the case may be, it's not supposed to be there, so there is nothing to complain about -- see point 1 above.

4. GSM Radio - Nokia chose not to include the radio for a purpose. From a marketing point of view, let me explain:

Market positioning - this is meant to be a companion device to the mobile phone. A tablet that would connect a user back to the Internet, whenever, wherever.

Market fact - most people have cellphones.

Most people already have all their contacts on their cellphone.

People do not want to have to maintain two separate radio devices, much less have to juggle the SIM between the cellphone and the tablet.

If the tablet was radio-enabled (GSM/UMTS radio), then people would complain that it is too big for a cellphone and too underpowered as a PDA.

This would kill the product instantly. A product with a serious identity crisis -- all the flaws of both cellphone and PDA, none of the benefits.

If the tablet was radio-enabled, battery life would also be an issue, which means that

a. people would start complaining about poor battery life, or
b. if Nokia increased the battery capacity with a larger cell, people would complain about weight and size
c. if Nokia got this all right using really advanced Li-Ion technology, low-power screens, power-saving + high speed processors, the price would be pretty close to an iPhone. Would you buy an iT then?

5. Me having decided the device was the right choice for me was the result of a clear and precise needs analysis. I know exactly what functions I want the device to do, and manage my expectations accordingly. Is it my fault that there are whinging consumers out there who jump into a purchase emotionally and then go on to whinge endlessly about how the device doesn't do what it wasn't supposed to do?

I've been on this forum for what, 2 months? In my stay here, I have seen way too many instances of people crying foul about what the device is not supposed to do in the first place, e.g. (but not limited to):

A2DP
Booting from memory card
KDE
OpenOffice
KOffice
FM Radio
OGG

You say that "unfortunetly N8xx doesn't exactly shine for somebody who won't put some (minimal) effort in geting the best out of it".

Firstly, no tech device will do squat without the user getting around to RTFM. Go out, buy an E61i (or an E62) and tell me if you can get the most/best out of it without minimal effort. The N800 I bought worked as expected ('expected' being the keyword here) out of the box --

Gizmo worked
Skype worked
Internet Radio worked
the web browser worked
YouTube worked
Google Docs worked
Google Calendar worked
Gmail worked (web browser)

Gmail and IMAP didn't and I'm annoyed with that, but I have my E51 for my office pushmail and Gmail needs anyway, and I'm faster inputing text on my E51 than I am on my N800 anyway.

Guess what. Complete newcomers need to wake the *** up and get used to reading manuals if they want to get some decent mileage out of ANYTHING -- cars (how many people do you know actually KNOW how often their oil and fludis should be changed?), PDAs, cellphones ("oh really? I didn't know my E51 could do VoIP and IM. How did you know about this?"), notebooks, etc.

That's what forums are for, to help people get the most out of what they bought or to help when things go wrong, but NOT as a replacement for the manual. You reap what you sow.

Re: unfair review?
 

Oh my..do we now have reviews of reviews? Metareviews ha ha. I prefer a review that has some well argumented points of criticism, even lazy ones like this one, to the paid-for promotional crap you see on all the blogs.

Re: unfair review?
 

Lazy reviews like this misguide the uninformed public who rely on reviews to get feedback of what a device on their list of options.

Anyway, I just enjoy a healthy debate, on facts and opinions :)

But I digress. You're right, it's sad that the world we live in today suffers 'journalists' who fear backlash from advertisers and based their reviews on press releases and 5 minutes with a device. :(

Re: unfair review?
 

Many N8x0 users already carry two devices. I carry my cellphone and N800 around. Though I can see the no phone part as a positive, it can be a negative as well. Also, batter life is an issue regardless. If you were to connect to the internet via bluetooth on your phone, the battery on your phone will be the limiting factor. Once your phone dies, say goodbye to the net if you are not around free wifi.

Re: unfair review?
 

The review seemed totally fair to me. I own a N800, which I enjoy playing with, but consider it solely a toy and probably the first of all my devices I could do without. In terms of usefulness, it may be great for System Administrators, programmers and linux hobbiests, but the absence of useful mainstream type applications like PIM syncing with desktop and Office type document manipulation, will forever relegate this device to a very small niche market. After all, if it can't satisfactorily replace other devices you carry, it simply becomes another device to carry. As for the functions it does perform, it doesn't excel at any of them. It isn't a great media player and even it's primary function leaves a lot to be desired (try watching videos browsing on CNN, for example).
I read all the objections thet it isn't intended to be a PIM, etc., but limiting it to a device for accessing the internet will ultimately kill, what could be a great device, dead. Specially since it isn't even great at that yet.

Re: unfair review?
 

That's a poor analogy. A better one would be a car -- a car completely capable of doing everything an ordinary car can do -- that comes without turn signals or headlights. Having the manufacturer say, "Oh, we never intended that you should TURN, or drive at NIGHT," is just asinine, and is no excuse for such an obvious omission.

The n810 is MORE than capable of serving as a PIM (among its many other potential uses). It has, across the board, better hardware for that purpose than any of the current generation Palms. There is simply no excuse for it.

Re: unfair review?
 

Oh, what the heck. Why do people keep saying this? Oh, I know. The GVM doen't replace Palm devises perfectly, so it's junk. Download Datebk5 and install it into the GVM and you will have syncing of Datebk and your addresses with Palm Desktop. Then if you want to sync Palm Desktop to your Google calendar use Companionlink. It all works now.

Re: unfair review?
 

I find the keyboard on my new Nokia E61i much more comfortable to use but that's purely a personal thing.

I think what people (Including reviewers) have to remember here is that this market is in its infancy. I wrote a long post last year on another forum about how good the mobile web was but also how bad the experience can be. Over the next few years we're going to see speeds increase and a plethora of new devices from Nokia and others that will make our current methods of mobile net access seem like stoneage relics.

I loved my N800. I love my new N810. I use it almost every day on the train to work. I really can't wait to see what the next few years bring.

Re: unfair review?
 

As a complete noob to NITs and Linux but not to technology or computing (I was a DOS programmer in the early 80's) I feel compelled to comment on the suggestion that one should read the manual. I have written tech manuals and find the N810 to fall short of being very helpful. The way I have learned to use my tablet is to read all the posts about it on this site for 3 months and to watch the videos in the Tablet school. It is not easy for a noob but it is coming slowly. If Nokia expects to enter the general market they will have to make it more accessible to a less tech-educated/interested sector.

Re: unfair review?
 

I think consumer devices should be made such that you don't really need a manual in the first place, since the reality is that nobody reads manuals, apart from the geekier part of the populace.

Re: unfair review?
 

It would have been nice if the manual had mentioned a 'swap' key as it was referred to in many places when I was trying to upgrade the OS. And I have to assume that holding the swap key while turning the unit on brings it up in some sort of bootloader mode?

Re: unfair review?
 

The issue with the Nseries is that it has no focus.
Non-tech people generally aren't sure what they're for - 'Internet Tablet' is very broad.
Tech people just see Linux Palmtop and immediately think they can do anything with it.

The fact is, as an Internet Tablet, it isn't very good for web browsing - It can't render pages in full-layout as well as an iPhone or iPod Touch, but also can't render it in a stripped-down but purely readable layout as PalmOS units can do.

The video hardware is (According to Antilles and others) too crippled to allow the unit to be a good video player, and this is the experience I've had - It really struggles to smoothly play full-rate FMV that my Zod2 and TH55 can play with ease. I'd say it has about the same performance as my old T665 unit did with Kinoma videos.

While the unit has PIM software, I find it takes too long to pull stuff up - It just doesn't come close to competing with my PDA.

The unit just can't multitask - Load a couple of apps and the thing starts to lag like crazy; Even opening more than one Web browser window causes noticable degredation in performance. If it was using a state-switching system like PalmOS, the 400MHz CPU and 128MB RAM would be incredible, but it is using Plain Old Linux and such a system is just not powerful enough to run a 2.6 kernel and multitask without having more uLinux patches hacked in.
The fact that it has so many tasks running stock doesn't help either - My OS2008 N800 has more daemons running post-boot than my dual-core server!!!! :eek:

The resource tightness makes it unstable - I've already crashed the N800 more times in a month than I've crashed my TH55 in years (Tips - Try not to let MicroB+Flash and MediaPlayer load at the same time. Also, delete and recreate your Swap file (If you use one) after EVERY crash; Maemo doesn't sanitize it after crashes and won't notice if it's corrupt; This is exacerbated by the FS being FAT32.)

As it stands, it's a nice toy, but I think it needs a lot of developing before I'll think of it as a useful tool.
Nokia either need to enhance future lines so they're better at being more general purpose, or tighten up the OS so that it's better at what it is supposed to do.

Re: unfair review?
 

Hi folks

I’m the editor of the Mobile Computer site and I’m pleased to see that the N810 review has provoked so much healthy discussion.

I don’t usually feel the need to reply to such things, but I like ITT (I’m an N800 user myself and have found some useful stuff here), so I’ll try to address some of the meta-reviewers’ (I love that idea!) more negative points.

I can assure you that the reviewer did spend several days using the N810 before writing the review and I think he was pretty even-handed. I should also point out that Scott, the reviewer, is a professional journalist with many years’ experience – try Googling him sometime – and not just a blogger with an axe to grind (and that’s not to knock bloggers, of course). Review sites that are nothing more than an excuse to rehash press releases and pander to advertisers are ten-a-penny, but Mobile Computer is not one of them - just read a few of our other reviews and you'll see how fairly we treat all products.

Now it’s great that people are passionate about a product, but dare I say that this can make some people a little too forgiving of its foibles..? The purpose of a review for a mainstream site like Mobile Computer is to honestly evaluate a product for people that may know little or nothing about it, and want to know how it compares to other similar products that they may be considering.

Now whatever you think the N810 is good for, the fact remains that as a handheld internet device, it lacks some features that most people would expect to find – all of which have been covered in this thread. Nokia may well have omitted them intentionally, but it is a reviewer’s prerogative to question such decisions in the light of other products that perform a similar function. If this runs counter to some people’s own impressions of a product, then that’s inevitable – reviews are subjective, after all – and that’s why all reviews at Mobile Computer are open for reader comments.

If you think a review contains a factual inaccuracy, then you are absolutely right to complain – and point it out to the site – but accusing a review of being “lazy” and containing “misinformation” when it simply states an opinion that’s different to yours isn’t really fair.

Anyway, this is a great thread and I'd love to see you make some comments on the site. Keep up the good work!

Re: unfair review?
 

I suppose I would like to chime back in here.

Cyker, a consumer device like this IS a toy. If you want to do serious development, you will use a laptop/desktop. Nokia doesn't try to tell us that this is more than that. Why does it lack focus? It does a LOT. That, by definition, is the opposite of focus. I certainly can't deny it lacks some functionality here and there. I posted about the lack of PIM. But I think most of the limitations are software based. And guess what, Nokia made this open source so that we can figure out ways to add functionality that we want.

I bought this IT, not because it did one thing well. I had a 160 GB Archos and it played video well. It sucked at everything else and was closed source and highly dependent on a company releasing features you had to pay extra for. They were nickel and diming us.

JProkaza, respectfully, the review was lacking at best. Scott is an iPhone fan boy and says as much. Don't get me wrong, my wife has an iPhone and its r-e-a-l-l-y cool. I have fun with it at times. There were a couple of instances where the tone of the review was flippant and frankly takes away from the integrity of the review. I'd like to address a couple of areas that I have a different opinion and a couple of areas that were indeed good points.

Lack of gestures. It is true that this isn't included...by default. I have seen a post on this site (and I am looking for it now - I seem to be flaking on the correct search keyword to find it now and if one of the regulars can help...) where there is work being done on a feature where you can flick gesture and scroll through lists and have have the scroll continue to do so as it winds down over a few seconds after you make the gesture.

The reviewer seems to forget mentioning many areas where there are differences of similar functions that would be of interest to people who are thinking of purchasing one or the other. But really, are there? If I needed a new cell phone and had no IT, I would CERTAINLY buy an iPhone. It's very compelling. But the Nokia ITs are not FOR people who need a cell phone. I am happy to leverage my existing cell phone's data plan for additional connectivity.

The reviewer forgot to mention the n810 can properly display pages that contain Flash elements, Real Media, Windows Media and use nifty and useful browser plug ins like AdBlock Plus. Apple's workaround is not really a workaround. Perhaps at some point, Apple will include Flash support in an update which would be a welcome one for their users.

While my keyboard sometimes has a little "give" in the center, it does not permanently "bow" out. I am sure if I had a chip on my shoulder for the n810 as a competitor to the iPhone, I could easily apply enough pounds per square inch to damage the unit while typing.

The n810 does not have a cool landscape to portrait flipping mode. But moving forward, much of our video will increasingly be landscape, so the lack of it is fine with me and will be fine with the bulk of people using it. being stuck in portrait would be bad.

The iPhone has no support for DUN support via bluetooth. I can't tether my devices I want to share internet access with to the iPhone's (US) unlimited data plan. Which leads to an important point... These two devices aren't really competitors. One is a phone, the other is not. The iPhone packs an incredible punch AS A CELL PHONE. The IT purposely left that out and I wouldn't have bought my n810 had it. I don't need a second cell phone. I needed a device that did almost everything I wanted it to as a compliment to my Blackberry 8800. If the iPhone adds BB server/Outlook integration, BT DUN support, true Flash support and 3G+ capabilities, I will certainly wait in line for one.

I am writing this post on my Mac. I bought my wife her iPhone two weeks ago. I too, am a big fan of Apple. You mention we should Google for Scott to read his other articles. If he is so very unable to do an unbiased review on a product and insists on doing such lackluster reviews, I don't know I am interested in anything he has to write. The review is woefully short. Really, it should be a number of pages long. He, like many other reviews of many things, lists a summary that doesn't even properly summarize his own article. Comparing this to the iPod Touch would have been more appropriate or at least comparing the n810 to both. There is no doubt that for the money, the n810 blows away the iPod Touch.

Scott also forgot to mention (if he is going to compare Apples to oranges) that the n810 does not require an monthly fee of $60 to $120+ to have full functionality. And before someone chimes in about Nokia's charge for full functionality of the bundled GPS (which Scott actually forgot to mention as another bad point about the n810), there are third party GPS mapping apps that are completely free.

On an iPhone, when I want to go from one feature to another, the last app I was working on closes. On the Nokia tablets, it does not. But if I want to multi task on my n810, I have the option of keeping apps open and sometimes bogging down the processor, or closing them as I go along. And really, choice is why I like my n810 so much. I get to pick and choose how I want to use my IT. I can do things that an iPhone can't dream of right now like remote desktopping into machines anywhere, using it as a remote control for my media system, install p2p apps, install apps to crack my in law's WEP when they forget what it is and don't want me to reset their router, print to a printer on my network, easily browse through shared folders on my network, play a huge variety of audio or video file types, do video chatting, make VOIP calls, use a real GPS that regularly does not place me 500 yards away from reality....my fingers are getting tired. My point is that the n8x0 series opens up a piece of equipment that has a huge potential to open source developers to work in parallel or separately from Nokia developers to add functionality to this device that could make many, many people salivate. I am not a developer, but I appreciate and can not thank enough, the people who put so much hard work into continuously improving an amazing device. Apple will soon open up their SDK and allow for similar improvements in usability and feature sets, albeit with a device that offers less potential in terms of hardware features. If I am in the market for a new cell phone, and in a few months i will be and Apple adds hardware and system and third party software I feel is sorely missing for the corporate market, I'll also own an iPhone.

The n810, much to Nokia's chagrin, ISN'T for everyone. But it can be for a lot of people.

Lastly, do you pay Scott in iTunes gift cards? ;)

Re: unfair review?
 

As the original creator of this thread, I was about to chime in to address Jprokaza from the mobile computer site's post about why I don't think his writer was fair on his review of the N810, but I think dubiousmike has made all the points I was going to make about this article's myopic approach to the potential of the N810.

I just don't think the article was ready for prime time in that it was biased from the start and didn't even want to give the N810 a fair shake, but I'd guarantee you if the reviewer received the N810 from Apple, he'd be an apologist to its limitations, but instead because he disliked the Nokia from the get go, he failed to even come close to objectivity with this review.

Re: unfair review?
 

Hello,

I’m the author of the apparently-mostly-offending review. I wouldn’t ordinarily enter into a thread like this because, as Julian Prokaza (the Mobile Computer editor) has pointed out, I do this for a living and, frankly, defending every last word I write would soon prove uneconomic. Also, he’s already made a good fist with his response.

However, I’m going to make an exception on this occasion because the feedback has been rather polarised. Some respondents agree with me but most don’t. That’s fine. In return, I agree with some of the criticisms thrown in my direction while disagreeing with others. I’d love to go through them all point by point but I simply don’t have the time – there are a thousand-plus readers to this one writer. That said, if Julian wants to commission (ie, pay) for the super-long response I’d have to prepare, then you can have it – feel free badger him to spend the money.

So, why am I here? Well, because in among the many fair comments lurk some frankly silly accusations.

The first @dubiousmike: “I am sure if I had a chip on my shoulder for the n810 as a competitor to the iPhone, I could easily apply enough pounds per square inch to damage the unit while typing.”

This comment suggests I purposely damaged the keyboard on my N810. Okay, I could’ve done that. Or more likely, the keyboard bowed of its own accord after just a few days’ use and I, as an experienced journalist, felt it report-worthy. Take your pick. If this suggestion weren’t so serious a slight then it would be laughable.

Second, @Callanish. This poster offered a guarantee that if this device had come from Apple I’d be an apologist to its limitations. Can I claim on this guarantee? As stated on the Mobile Computer website, only two things made by Apple have ever excited me, and the iPhone was the second. Put another way, I’m about as far removed from an Apple apologist as it’s possible to be. But because I’m open-minded I test everything with open mind. Even Apple stuff.

Some of you will doubtless be pleased to hear that I’m making regular use of my N810. I use it on the train, at work and in the bog (if Nokia’s PR is reading, they might want to give it a rinse when it’s returned). Indeed, I like it more now than I did two weeks ago. When Nokia kits it out with a SIM slot (and perhaps a better keyboard) I might even buy one.

Scott Colvey.

Re: unfair review?
 

maybe after a month you'll like it even more and put this whole now what were we arguing about thread to bed!!

Re: unfair review?
 

Scott,

I think it's unfortunate that you chose only two points to reply about, both of which you found to be personal digs and nothing at all about why you would choose to ignore so much about an item you were reviewing.

In regards to the keyboard, I found when I first used it, that there is some give depending on how you hold it. I was concerned about it, but had quickly found a way that is comfortable for me to hold it and actually be able to type fairly quickly. I still haven't found I can type as quickly as with my Blackberry, but I am sure the speed in which I can type on the n810 will improve. But you should not make assumptions about my statement. If I did indeed begin using the n810 "not liking it" from the start as your review would imply, I would not have been careful to change the way I typed. Even if you were doing stress testing on the unit to see if it would indeed bend and not slide back in snugly, there are far more responsible ways to say it for you not to imply that the keyboard would bend for everyone. Because not everyone would continue to use it in a manner that would obviously harm it. Perhaps a valuable service to your readers of your review would to then suggest a way to hold it and use it that would keep them from bending it. Did you call or write to Nokia asking if you had a problem unit and what would happen if users did happen to bend their n810 keyboard?

Statements in your review like, "So what’s the problem? Well, actually there are a few of them, but let’s be nice and look at the good stuff first. There is some, right?" has you wearing your intentions regarding the product on your sleeve.

Your post here on this site is almost half the size (word count) of your review. Its unfortunate for both readers and manufacturers that you aren't able to do any more than twice the review on products both they and consumers care enough about to read on your site than to reply not to any of the valid comments here, but just the two that you took offense to. I still can't help to think that your review was seriously limited because you went into it comparing it to something very different. I am sure if I wanted to write a negative review about the iPhone, I could only mention its shortcomings in less than 900 words too.

To your defense, you may have written a 4000 word review and your editor trimmed it down. But to say that the only goods are a "big, clear screen" and the backhanded "some touch-navigation browsing" is just irresponsible to your readers. Because then all of the other features would be the bad ones. But you somehow left out mentioning so, so many features. But perhaps your editor isn't interested in responsibility to your readers, but pounding out some content that contains searchable keywords people are interested to drive page views and ad impressions. Because frankly, even if your opinion differs from others and you don't place credence in many of the things that the n810 actually does, to not bring them up and to compare it to the iPhone just makes for a sham of a review.

Now, your grammar and style of writing is fine and I don't doubt your talents at writing an entertaining article. But to pen an 800 (edit: 871) word article on the n810, mostly comparing it to an iPhone, not mentioning or talking about so much of what it is makes what you wrote a fluff piece. Why not compare it to a Porche, an anteater or the Republic of China as well? Well, because that's ridiculous! And so is calling what you wrote a journalistically sound review.

Just in case you are going to write a review on the new 3G iPhone, I hear it doesn't play DVDs like a DVD player, record live TV like a TIVO or transport people in a gyroscopically sound manner like a Segway. You can use that if you want to... Your readers might find it very valuable in a review.

Re: unfair review?
 

This analogy doesn't hold up. The HUGE difference between hardware devices like cars, toasters, lawn mowers, and devices like the N8x0 is that the latter are _programmable devices_. The hardware is there to provide a generic starting point, what the device can actually do is all about programming. There's really no such thing as "meant for this, and not for that", as long as you're not trying to go outside the fundamental hardware limitations - which isn't the case when we're discussing PIM or no PIM: the HW can do everything necessary, it even includes an alarm system that can wake up the tablet from power-off mode. Just like any PDA.

Re: unfair review?
 

Not a good or bad enough review to be worth this much response.

Re: unfair review?
 

Agreed -- if Nokia DID bundle PIM software and promised the ability to sync with desktops and web apps, fine. But Nokia made no such promise, so enough blaming a manufacturer already.

Want me to go on using the car analogy? How's this -- so many people whinge about the Lotus Eslise not having built-in aircon. Yes, it's an option, but the Lotus has made it clear that the way the car is positioned as a trackday toy, air conditioning is OPTIONAL. So, when it is optioned for, it works. If not, then blame the person who optioned the car such, not the manufacturer. Now, if someone optioned the a/c but the a/c fails to perform in the summer, then I would agree that that is a issue, i.e. a feature promised by the manufacturer that has failed to work.

Tell me, how did the iT PIM suite fail miserably if it wasn't supposed to be there in the first place? Now, think carefully before you answer, because by agreeing that the hardware could support PIM software (which I agree with), but Nokia has chosen to omit such a feature, you are fundamentally agreeing wth my point that users cannot and should not be blaming the manufacturer for a feature that was never promised or should have been there in the first place. :)

Re: unfair review?
 

Great, so if Nokia does not build a PIM for it, why not get 3rd party? Why should Nokia develop and support PIM software for a device that they did not see fit to include one in the first place?

FYI, cars ARE programmable devices these days, to some extent.

My PC and notebook hardware is capable of motorsport datalogging, yet I see no such application in the OS or bundled as a 3rd party software supported by LG/MS. Should I start blaming them for for not including such software? Just like any good trackday data analysis tool.

Oh, my analogy holds up alright. ;)

Re: unfair review?
 

Just read the replies to the reviewer and the editor. Thanks, guys, you took the words right out of my mouth!

dubiousmike, one of the rare times we're in agreement! This calls for a celebration ;)

Re: unfair review?
 

I take what I read with "reviews" with a grain of salt..Everyone has their opinion and not everyone needs an IT..Working as a Linux SysAdmin this is my dream device..I can tether to my phone, connect to my company's vpn, ssh into a server if need be or check my ticket responses via the web. Everything I needed to know about this device I found in the tech specs..And since I knew it ran Linux if something didn't work I just needed an SDK and off I go...I guess my point is people shouldn't get so bent out of shape over this guy's review.

I did find it amusing that he thinks the interface is "clunky"..I find it very streamlined and once I got rid of the cruft(gizmo, skype for example..I have a phone already ;) ) that I'll never use and re-arranged some of the menus it's perfect for me. I also think that the target market for these devices are going to do a bit more research into it than your normal Joe Blow would. Since I bought mine 4 of my coworkers have picked one up after seeing the use I got out of it.

I would ask the reviewer to use the device like it's intended to be used before you slam it for not doing what you think it should do. I'll wrap up by saying vi or emacs?? :P