Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Nokia sells the N900 as a phone. you can see here:
http://www.nokia.co.uk/find-products...nes/nokia-n900

This should be considered illegal advertising. At most, it should be sold as an Internet thingy with an incomplete GSM phone stack.

There is no way to access the SIM card menu. People have tried to file bugs, but this has turned into another, almost useless, rapidly forgotten, brainstorm. Just like most of the brainstorms.

I'm sure I must be doing something wrong here. A lot of people must be doing it wrong, too. Isn't Maemo.org the place to file N900 bugs and try to solve issues and improve things?

How on earth having no SIM card menu access is not a bug for something that is sold as a phone?

Having no way to access the SIM card menu feature removes this device from the GSM category. Where are Nokia representatives?

Why can't we get a solution?

This is not one more person whining about not being able to organize contacts into groups, defining limits for email downloads, create profiles and other features that are common on most other smartphones. This is a major problem that affects everything for a lot of people. I don't know any gsm phone that is sold without the capability of accessing the SIM card. Not even Nokia entry level devices.

Please, can someone with access to Nokia representatives wake up?

Thanks for your attention. I am as much sorry for the aggressiveness of this post as I am for every poor soul who can't access credits, services and other operator related functions that are buried in the SIM card.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

illegal advertising? bro i think your taking it a little too serious. A phone is something that makes and receives calls. N900 does that. And yea it doesnt have even the basic phone features, but those features are not in the definition of the word "phone", so they are doing nothing wrong. It is a phone. They are not saying its a GOOD phone, but it is a phone. period.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

for me this is enough...

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

So every hard line phone that is sold in every store in the world should all be sued because they are sold as "phones" without even a SIM card to access a SIM menu?

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

It's sold as a phone, because you can call people over GSM with it.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

You fail to realize that I'm referring to it being sold as a GSM-compatible phone.

It is just like buying a computer that you can't install an operating system. it is sure a computer, because it can compute (if you can program it in machine language). But you can't use it to do any other thing that "computers" are expected to be used for. Word processing, for example.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

So Iphone is first...

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Hey, if you want to be taken seriously about anything, don't go around saying stupid stuff like Nokia should be sued for illegal advertising. Don't get mad at Nokia because you didn't do any research before you bought a $600 product.

I had no idea people still stored anything on SIM cards anymore.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Exactly. Its your expectations that are misguiding you. You expect the N900 to have these features, but it doesnt, and thats why your angry. Yes Nokia should have put them in, but they arent breaking any rules by selling it as a phone.

And you should NEVER buy something this expensive based on the sellers description. They want you to buy it, s obviously they wont name the negative points. Thats why we have reviewers. If people had read the reviews theyre expectations wouldnt have been off by so much.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

I did my research and nowhere it was clear that SIM Card menus were not supported. All the telecom operators where I live place many things on that SIM card menu. Sure, i can still talk on the phone, but without GSM SIM card support is not fully GSM compatible. Or at least, not following a de facto GSM standard.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

This is the second item I see people complaining it's missing... and I've never used such a thing.

"SIM Menu"? ... I mean.. sure I've saved contacts to a SIM before... but.. never heard of a "menu?"

So obviously... Nokia is targeting me. If I could only afford the damned thing..

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

well .... idk what your point is ... I expect a computer to compute and a phone to make calls???

And a cellphone to make calls from anywhere in the world and fit in my pocket?

I would have to say the Nokia N900 is at least a phone if not a Cellphone...or dare I call it a smart phone????

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

come on.!!..what is missing for u without SIM menu?

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Any second now we'll get into Exhange provisioning...

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Every GSM phone that is sold where I live does have access to the SIM card menu. That is a given thing, maybe wrongly taken for granted.

The problem, really, is more about having no support, no perspective of support and nothing official from Nokia about it. On top of everything, seeing only the growing of the marketing campaign, still pithcing it as a GSM compatible phone. They could at least place a disclaimer, explaining that SIm card applications were not supported.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

as long as u can make phone calls with it, its a phone.... u can copy contacts from the sim card but technology is far more ahead to use sim card to store contacts or messages...

btw i do agree the phone bit, among lots of other features,, is crap.. total crap

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

I agree though that it is an important feature in a phone. I guess nobody realized it was missing at the time you bought your n900. But at least now future N900 buyers can come across this thread and not make the same mistake you did. And hopefully ill come out in the next update (March i think)

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

what menu??!

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Telecom services management; managing credits for voice, data plans SMS; banking (a lot of banks require you to access from the SIM card menu); purchasing or changing plans; filing support and services request; purchasing additional connectivity options; changing network configurations; consulting network options and other stuff like that.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

not to get off topic but how is technology far more ahead to use SIM cards to store contacts? Easily switch phones without having to re-enter contacts, what other technology do we have that does that? Saving it to the memory card does not always work because not all phone use the same format of contacts or even the memory card. Sending contacts over Bluetooth would take forever. SIM contacts on a phone is something that is universally available and I dont think there is any technology that came do the same.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

All of that looks like stuff available from their respective web sites...

Especially the bank stuff.. what bank does SIM menu that doesn't do online banking now-a-days?

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

u cant rely on reviews because every person has different needs... i read loads of reviews. some said the music player IS NOT THAT GOOD.. and some said its very good... . the specific problem is never mentioned.. every single bit will not b in a review... and i never saw any review about sim card functions aswell

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

GSM covers the communication standard with the network. SIM menu access is nothing to do with GSM it is an extension to the SIM and is supported by some, but not all, operating standards. There is an issue withe USSD codes for GSM at present but that is another issue.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Maybe this stuff?

Thanks for your attention. I am as much sorry for the aggressiveness of this post as I am for every poor soul who can't access credits, services and other operator related functions that are buried in the SIM card.

Maybe its more for people that use "pay as you go" type service? 4+ years with a 3G phone and I've never had a need to access my SIM card, save for contacts, but I exported them into *.csv or *.vcf format a while ago. I guess there are people that need to get in there more often.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

I agree that nothing is quite like that.. but that is becoming antiquated. Assuming you follow a "normal" upgrade model.. almost all smart phones now-a-days sync to some service or another - google being a very popular one.

So if you go from Android, to the N900, for example (which is what i hope to be doing).. you're contacts are all stored in google, not your SIM.. much less likely to be broken or lost there too.. (standard privacy concerns input here)..

Now.. if you go from an android phone back to a 90's flip phone.. then yeah - no more contacts.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

...and in fact my carrier (AT&T) installs phone numbers in my contacts for all services.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

bloody hell all of that ??? i only ever used to store contacts and messages on it.....

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Curious, who's your carrier?

I hear your argument, but am betting on something based on my question. Thanks in advance.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Those are personal reviews. In the professional reviews (at least the ones I read) they never say "not good" without giving reasons why. So read the reasons, if your okay with it, then you can just ignore that comment. my fav review site is mobiletechreview.com because theyre detailed and dont give personal opinions, just facts and comparisons. They dont say the music player is not good, they say the music player is not AS good as the iphone.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Unfortunately, they are not all available from their websites. Some features are ONLY available from the SIM menu (credit management, for example, the most important). Some others are available if you do go personally to a service representative.

As for the banks, go figure. I think that is because they already have some kind of technology that has been tested and works with all phones (those that have SIM menus and wap access, that is) and they don't want to change. The other option would be to access from the web browser with java, if it was available.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

I didn't know any GSM phone that didn't use this extension. the first, for me, is the N900.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Well.. I do understand your complaint.. and surprisingly - this was one I hadn't come across before... so before recommending a bug report/feature request or brainstorm.. I decided to search..

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=39048

Would that fall under the same category? If it does.. then all of the above are already done..

If not.. then I suggest searching around and if nothing has been made for this mystifying "SIM menu".. perhaps you could make one and see what comes.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

A lot of phones use melodic ringtones too but it is absolutely nothing to do with the GSM standard. It has as much to do with GSM as the colour of the case.

Whilst I understand your frustration please realise that the technology you are talking about is different.

If the previous mention about WAP is relevant too the N900 has never been given as supporting WAP by Nokia as far as I can assertain. Lack of WAP is related to the lack of MMS.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

thanks for the hints but I had already voted for those and I am following all those threads since I've come across this problem. But they seem to be stuck, as far as the brainstorming is concerned. To make things worse, there was another "solution" there, which stated that Nokia should provide it by default, but was removed and nobody knows why.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

The answer won't please you, but its being addressed by Nokia with Maemo 6 and the ofono stack.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Oh.. well in that case I am seriously wondering what you hoped to accomplish with this thread?

What's the intent here?

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Okay on a serious note let me give you a usercase to show how bad the phone element can be. In Nigeria there are no free call or text contract packages. You just buy top up, load it on your phone and you are good to go. You dial * then your pin number and then # at the end.

Well I went there for three weeks. I bought credit scratched the card typed in what I need to load the credit and find out that the N900 can't load the credit. So what do I have to do for those three weeks:

I have to switch off my phone and take out my battery, then remove my sim card. I then have to ask someone else to do the same on their phone. I then put my sim card into their phone, replace the battery and then switch on the phone. Then I top up. Then I switch off the phone, take out the battery, take out the sim card and hand over the phone to the kind fellow that let me use his phone. I then put my sim card back in my N900, replace my sim and put on the phone.

Thanks Nokia.

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

The hope for an insightful soul who had not seen the other threads to shad a light on the problem or ...

for someone working for Nokia to go to the boss and say "hey, i think we should reconsider that strategy of ignoring those guys"... ;)

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

Ah... so a random thread in the forum will attract more attention than the official bug tracker that obviously has already received attention from Nokia...

uh..... Good luck with that?

Re: Why does Nokia keep selling the N900 as a phone?
 

wht few guys needed was a cell phone. not a modern day MID. they accidently bought this device without doing any research.

i only seen n900 as a mobile device with an additional feature to make n recieve calls..thats a phone function, u should have checkd wht n700 and n800 was before jumping straight to n900..