Why did you get the N900?
 

After seeing the multiple threads about some people being happy and some disappointed about N900, i noticed that we are not all the same market and that some got mostly what they were expecting and some not.

On my side, i got the N900 because the N810 had the Skype feature that i love but no phone/data feature, and also that i could stay online in my chats instead of always SMSing. And since i have a pro account at Skype, i can make calls using the data plan and for free with a wifi wherever i am (NO ROAMING!!!)...
But also all the other computer stuff i can do with it, it's like having a extension to my technical life...

I wanted to know what was the factor that made you want this device in the first place? And if you got what you expected...

This could help the next person to either identify himself your criteria to either get it or not...
Might be better this way than some saying it sucks and having totally other areas of interest than others that love it.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I had an N800 that did almost everything I needed as an IT professional. The only problem with it was that it did not have a phone application.

The N900 does. So it is now perfect for me.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Hi there, first post on this forum. Why did I get the N900? Because i wanted to develop software for a new phone before there are thousands upon thousands of apps already.

plus I wanted a device that would keep me always online so I can basically carry around my internet life while I am spending time in my real life.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got an N900 so I can make fun of people with their Iphone's.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

been an s60 user since 2003, symbian is stale now so fancied a change. the old magic i felt for s60 is now back with maemo 5

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Well, I like this phone very much, and see it can do so many things.....but I am kind of 50/50 on where to get this phone now. Seeing so many good thing and bad thing at the same time. Just make me feel so worry....I know this phone is not cheap,.. just hate going thru all the trouble if i happened to get the bad one.

..... just not sure about it.:(

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I've been an N800 user for two years, and it really bothered me to carry around a cell phone (SE k750i) AND my tablet. The N900 was exactly the device I needed, since it was kind of a convergence device between a cell phone (which I don't use a lot, so many of the issues it *may* have don't apply to me) and a PDA, which runs Linux (a very important point for me).

as a bonus, the fact that it has a keyboard is a huge plus compared to my N800 (here it's the UNIX/Linux system administrator speaking: much easier to ssh into my servers with a physical keyboard).

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got the n900 because I'm a big fan of the Free software philosophy.

(Obviously I'm not so much of a big fan that I absolutely could not live with some closed bits, even if I don't like closed software, though.)

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

1) My N70 was almost dead.
2) I wanted a new phone for some time.
3) The N900 does everything i wanted lol.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got it because I wanted a portable computer that I could take anywhere and that could also take calls. :)

Really, a cell phone is somewhat secondary for me because I can't take it in where I work anyways, so I wanted it as a secondary function to another device. I'll probably use my N900 more as a computer than I will as a cell phone.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

1) Maemo 5. I'm a Linux lover ofc
2) Great UI. Yeah, its a ridiculous reason, but its cool =)
3) AIO Features. It includes Front/Rear cam, GPS, Phone, 3G etc.
4) Hardware power. My Nokia N96 was 233mhz and Symbian :/ N900 is much better.
5) I want to try a touchscreen phone first time.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

- Was looking for better browsing experience, coming from Motorola Q.

- DROID's reception issues, lack of simultaneous voice/data, lack of global roaming, had me looking elsewhere.

- Hardware specs, form factor is "best of breed" for me, right now.

- Wanted device with history of decent SIP client.

- Wanted access to multimedia (XM/Hulu.com/local web house-techno station, etc) via Flash sites now, instead of "mid-2010?"...but not really working out w/900.

- Didn't like Google's "all knowing eye" all over my DROID, and my personal info, just to get phone's full benefits/features.

- TV Out, to connect to car's in-dash HU, for Slingmobile/HAVA display.

- $10/mo 3G/3.5G data plan.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Like nokia firsts.. 7110, first WAP phone, 7650 first Symbian phone, 7710 first touch screen phone S90, 5800 first touch screen S60, 770 first Maemo..

Symbian is tied down.. hidden files, DRM, signed binaries.. nothing that helps ME.. I loved the 770, n800 and n810.. Each time myself and many friends said if Nokia made a tablet that was a phone we'd be bashing down doors to get one..

Got one.. not sorry.. loving the new experience! even if it is a bit beta in places, it's all part of the fun!

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got mine because I got a new car (Toyota) and its navigation system didn't work with my N95 8GB's bluetooth. Now the N900 does work with it. I spend a lot of time in the car and in Ontario they passed a new law recently mandating hands-free.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Wanted something to browse this Forum all day on. Cant think of a better mobile browser at the moment.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I liked (and still like) the pre-Fremantle versions of Maemo. Got a 770 (broken), two N800s and an N810. I knew from reading the specs that the N900 couldn't be my phone, and I knew that I would need to keep the N810 for its screen size (and the N800s for playing with Mer ;) ...), but I needed to know how far Nokia would take the idea. I'm still totally surprised to see a major company as Nokia developing such a sophisticated device based on free software... based on the very same GNU/Linux software that powers my laptop and my PC. There's nothing like it on the market (well, there was OpenMoko...), and I just had to have it.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Simply put, Nokia. I knew from early on that this devices was going to be on bleeding edge and *WE* would be suffering from it's teething & screaming infantile stages. Regardless, it is still a sweet device and my purchase mean I planned to let it grow up.

I upgraded from a N96 and the keyboard/touchscreen combo is joy.

Last week I had my first chance to ssh'd into work production machine during holiday party at a bar to restart a few processes. It was confirmed that this device would be another step in freeing me from the desk.

Plus, just could not drink the iPhone purple koolaid that everyone else has.

* Will pray that some 3rd party vendor produces a bulk-battery back-cover to simply put bed power issues. But for now I have a have a 2nd battery and still have no need to use it...

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

lol


because it's the best phone money can buy...

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Because it's the closest thing to what I want. I don't believe that Nokia will ever make a 4-5" resistive scrreen tablet again. So instead of waiting for the next best thing, I bought it.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Firstly ... Very glad I'm not the only person moving from an n70 to an n900 ... most early n900 owners seem to be moving from really pretty sophisticated phones already!

... secondly if I'm going to be spending a lot of money on a phone then I really want to be happy with it ... and not have too many compromises ...

I wanted a smart phone with a really good browsing experience ... I love the net and like to stay connected ... and twitter through SMS was getting silly for me ... this way I can keep up with forums, social networking and IMing wherever ...

I was also without an MP3 player ... and didn't want to be tied to iTunes ... so the external drive type connection this has is perfect for me ... I also like that the FM transmitter's is inbuilt ...

GPS was another factor ... I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to use the phone as a SatNav ...and in the mean time at least I can find out where I am even if it won't actively direct me there!

I'm a huge fan of pretty things and customising things to be the way I want ... and am hoping to make my own themes as soon as there's windows support on the theme maker ... in the mean time being able to organise my desktops to the way I work is keeping me very happy ...

I also wanted a physical keyboard ... onscreen just isn't enough ... although the one on this is very useful ...

... I'm not getting fabulous battery life at the moment ... but I like that I can get a spare if I find it's necessary ...

Although I'd never really considered the advantages of TV out on a phone I can already see it'll have it's uses, especially since I already record lots of telly to my puter ...

I don't think I use technology in a typical way ... I'm very keen on making my technology work for me, and not being stuck with having to work around my technology ... it's there to make my life easier, and I feel there are fewer limitations on the n900 that will bug me than on other options ...

... basically I really wanted everything from the iphone without it's limitations ... and I'm hoping the n900 will be that!

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

The short version: because buying one got me exactly what I wanted.

A bit longer version: the fruit themed gadgets make the user feel like an idiot (because of the ridiculous amount of pampering "we know what is good for you, we know all your needs"-rubbish and artificial limitations), Google's watchful eye has no business getting to my bedroom (but my communication device has, which is why the two cannot exist in the same entity) and my Windows allergy has been getting worse all the time, so the options were spread rather thin... Blackberries are almost impossible to get here, I might have ended up with a Storm, but then again the 5800 XM felt so cozy all the time I had it that it had to be a Nokia. And it so happens that Nokia has one device in its portfolio that I needed: the most open phone/MID/tablet/mobile computer on the market, the N900. I love it more day by day.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got the N900 because I wanted a faster n800 with a hard keyboard.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got mine because... well, because I can.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I switched from the iPhone, simply because I'm tired of Apple's tight fisted platform. Sure their hardware is nice and even the operating system is based on a stripped down of OS X which is just a XNU kernel + BSD.
The problem though, really that finally drove me away was their draconian approval process. the iPhone is the antithesis of what is open and free and reminds me of how Verizon and other carriers were back in the late 90s/early 00s - very controlling in what they would let onto their platforms (anyone remember BREW?). Funny how both Sprint and Verizon (with the Palm Pre and Droid) are now more open than Apple/ATT.

Oh and the other reason I migrated to the N900 is the awesome hardware specs.
I still miss a handful of apps that I used to use on the iphone, but I am content to do with out them, rather than sacrifice my principles.

I don't think the N900 and Maemo is quite mature enough, though I think it will get there eventually - maybe in 2 years time (I think more than one manufacturer needs to produce Maemo devices for this to be really viable though).

But for now I'm along for the (imperfect) ride.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Because:

1. The N810 had no phone
2. I'd exhausted the possibilities of WinMo hacking/flashing
3. I wanted the newest/fastest hardware available with a slide-out QWERTY

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

ROTFL. Good one.

Anyway, it's easiest if I just quote the appropriate posts. So, for me:

Agree. I hardly use my phones as phones - much more data and SMS use so this little beast is perfect for me.

Guilty!

Had a bunch of GC on my Amazon.com account and, well, it works better for me than my N97 which I'll sell at some point soon (even if the N97 is a better smartphone :) ).

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

i've had a "dumb" phone for the past 5 years. I've been holding out for the smart phone that met all of my requirments:
1. Qwerty keyboard
2. Touchscreen
3. Ability to run emulators
4. Ability to run most if not all of my media without the need to transcode to a different format
5. GPS
6. A fairly modern processor

I was very tempted by a few of the android phones as they met most of my requirements but I decided to hold out and now I have the device that I want. If i HAD to complain about the n900 i think the only thing could say is I wish it came with a Snapdragon chipset, but i'm more than satisfied with my purchase. Give the developer community some time and i'm sure we'll have more than enough apps to handle anything most users will need.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

It worked well for S60 all those years, and is working for Apple and RIM so far. More would help, though...

I got the N900 because I've dreamed of having a pocketable laptop until I tried the OQO. Then I knew we'd need a custom UI to make it a reality. The full Linux OS, free open source alternatives to popular software, always on connectivity, open platform access for developers, and a great camera were all I'd need to make my dreams come true.

Now I'm walking around with a finger controlled pocketable workstation, and I couldn't be happier.:D

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

Nokia Marketing is hardly comparable to Apple's Marketing Machine.
People were queueing up for days to buy an unsubsidized phone when the first iphone was released. I see nothing of the sort with the N900 launch (not to mention Nokia royally bungled the release to begin with).

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got the N900 as it's the most geeky phone you can get right now. =P

Also:
1. Browse web just like PC
2. Watch videos without transcoding
3. No need to hack / crack it
4. Hardware keyboard
5. Awesome LCD
6. Resistive touch - I use my finger nails often
7. Good open source developer community right here
8. Possibility to maybe learn some basic linux

Basically, I wanted a mini-pc+phone in my pocket. Seems only N900 fits this criteria.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

n900 is very helpful for me... im a college student.. and working parttime.. i dont have enough time at home to do homeworks online.. since n900 got the best web browser... i can do all of it anywhere i am...

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=37098

that's why =D

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I had a N810 for work, was planning to make the jump to a N810 WiMax so I could be online everyyywhere. Then discovered the beautiful N900.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I have an N900 because Tero is a terrible influence.

I didn't need an N900. I wasn't getting one. Then Tero handed me a free, six month loaner at the summit.

Loaner. They're going to take it back! I had to buy one. Had to!

The first one is always free. That's how they get you.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got pissed at Apple one day for not allowing me to move a movie onto my IPhone. Plain and simple. I wanted an open phone that I can do whatever I want with it.

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

the ifone has one good thing about it and that thing is the apps. i like being the rebel side. loved sony ericsson UIQ has them for ages,now dead.wanted a touch screen with a slide out keyboard.just before getin a palm pre n900 was announced and fell in love ever since

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got it for...

Killer hardware feature set
Real Linux OS
Nokia's OSS attitude

IOW many reasons already stated here. But in practical terms, I use it heavily, as in 15-20 calls a day (about 2000 min/mo), several checks a day of 3 email accounts, sometimes remote into a server and desktops, and trickiest of all to do, accessing several companies' secure 'web portal' type websites several times a day. Plus regular surfing for news, etc. My old G1 just wasn't up to the job, especially the browser so I had to schlep around a mini-laptop. But now I can leave the laptop home and do it all from the N900.

Pretty cool to broadcast a Radio Paradise mp3 stream to my radio as I go too...

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I don't need to keep the whole media library on the device:

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...952#post428952

And better than that, someone was happy to show me how to do it, instead of writing some fancy, proprietary applet and charging me $10 for the privilege (if it gets approved by a committee).

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

For it was an easy choice, I am not phone savy like most on here, I use Skype every day, I saw the phone had skype in and that was that, the phone is also better on battery than my iphone, maybe cause I am with telstra next g so it only works on 2.5g but skype still works so who cares, I have wifi at home and work which is quick so I am very very happy, except for the having to add the country code for dialing with skype in Australia

Re: Why did you get the N900?
 

I got it because I am Nokia 4 Life...even though I skipped out on N97 (mostly from bad reviews). But number 1 think which caught my eye is Flash Player. Honestly folks its 2010, if you want a web phone you need flash player plain and simple. Iphone doesn't have it, so when my cousin shows me his Apps on his phone, I'm like so what? You paid so much money for a phone that doesn't even have flash player.

Did I mention that I bought it to make fun of people who show off their Iphone's to me, like I'm supposed to be impressed, please.