What else besides an N800/N810?
 

I really, really like my N800. I wish it was a bit faster with the browsing, had more onboard memory, and have a few other gripes but otherwise it has been one of the greatest electronic devices I've ever bought. My girlfriend now wants some kind of media player device and I'd like to get her something that can be at least as good of a media player as the N800, heck I'd just get her an N800 but the only ones I'm seeing now start at $350 and up. Considering this is pretty old tech (and I bought mine 2 years ago for half that price) this seems like a steep price.

It seems like 2 years later I should be able to get something for the same price as I paid for the Nokia that is more powerful, but I haven't come across anything yet.

Specifically looking for something that doesn't need to be connected to a computer to manage media. It should be able to download podcasts, delete directly from the device, move files back and forth wirelessly. The only things I'm aware of that can maybe some of these are the iPod Touch, Zune, and a Sony player...all are expensive and much more limited than the Nokia...surely there has to be something else right?

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Sorry about this, but the best answer right now seems to be ... wait. I'm looking to replace my N800 right now, but unless I compromise and go for a smaller screen [smart android phone], the best options in the n800 competition are coming soon [as in not now].

.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

So it has been 6 months, anything else out there yet? I've been told I need to get some kind of smart phone by the end of the year for work. It needs to work on Verizon, but should hopefully be a "world phone" as there is a decent chance I'll be doing a fair amount of travel next year.

Last week I used an Android (Samsung Galaxy) for a few days while traveling. While the hardware overall was pretty nice, the software and customization seemed to be pretty lacking. Multi-tasking and app switching sucked compared to the N800,even though the screen was almost the same size as the N800 it felt a lot smaller since everything had to be big enough to touch with a finger instead of a stylus. I hate, hate, hate that apps are installed that you can not uninstall without rooting your phone. The list could go on, but I think you get the idea.

The N800 to me is just about perfect. I like the overall size (wouldn't mind a slightly larger screen, and smaller speakers, but that's nitpicking), I love that it is stylus friendly meaning I don't have to zoom in to touch something and then zoom back out again to actually read it, and overall I think the software is better than any other mobile OS I've seen.

So what else out there is at least almost as good that I can get on Verizon?

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

What about an Archos 43 http://www.archos.com/products/ta/ar...try=us&lang=en
Specs
Operating System: Android 2.x with Archos enhancements
Processor: 1ghz Arm Cortex A8 with DSP
Ram: 256mb
Screen: 854x480 4.3inch resistive touchscreen. this has a similar screen size to the Nokia n8x0 and it is resistive too
Kickstand, G-Sensor.
Connectivity: Wifi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, Microusb, USB Host
The Archos 43 seems like the true n8x0 replacement for me.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Why not get n900 + some external battery pack ?
I don't think there are smartphones with large screens. Do you only need 3G ?
Nwm, I thought Dell Streak doesn't have a GSM transceiver.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

The Archos seem nice, but I'm a bit let down with Android after my recent experience with it, and also right now I'm unfortunately in a position where I really need something with its own data connection.

The n900 is nice, but the screen is way too small and it doesn't work on Verizon.

Is there any chance that when Meego devices finally start showing up they'll launch with a device that works on Verizon? They'll have LTE launched by then in a lot of major cities, but CDMA will have to be on a phone as a backup for quite a long time I imagine.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

My advice: Wait as long as possible before deciding. The world is about to be swamped with devices that might be worth going for. True, you will eventually have to move on, but I would say that early next year is the ideal jumping-off point. (Now, I hope I can get myself to take my advice!)

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

I'd like to do that. I'm fairly happy with my N800 and Casio cell phone...but work is getting impatient. They had wanted me to have a smart phone last summer, and I've been pushing them off. I've been told now that I have to have one before the end of the year. I buy the phone, but they reimburse me for the data plan. Historically I've hated contracts, but I will probably get one this time since the plan prices are the same whether you get a subsidized phone or not...so it seems kind of stupid to not.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Try the latest line of Archos tablets. Then get busy installing Debian on the device for a little familiar CLI love.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Try N900... It's really great. Gives you everything you need.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

I think you neglected to notice the part where he pointed out that it needs to be cheap. :)

I don't really use my old N800 much at all anymore, ever since I got my Droid and my Dell Mini9, and so it just sits around most of the time. I have two 8GB SDHC cards, two AC adapters, DC adapter, car mount and GPS module. I think I still have the original box for both the N800 and the GPS kit. I'd be willing to sell you my N800 for relatively cheap but the headphone jack is a little flaky (when you plug in a headset it comes in mono until you twist the plug for a bit until you get stereo). Considering she'd want it for multimedia, that might not be acceptable unless you were intending to use it strictly with Bluetooth or the internal speakers the whole time. Let me know if you're interested, otherwise I'd recommend one of those Archos tablets. ESPECIALLY if she's into multimedia.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Hi Dan, sorry for the late response. I swear I had posted back to this thread awhile ago, but just noticed that the response is missing, so I must have forgotten to press post or something.

Anyway, thanks very much for your offer. I think I did a bad thing by bumping this old thread for a different reason. My girlfriend (actually wife now - told you it was an old thread ;) ) had to get a smart phone for a new job she was on where she needed GPS and on the go email, so we picked her up a Samsung Fascinate, which I used for a couple of days on my own business trip. My conclusion after using it for a short time was that the hardware was pretty cool, and some of the apps were really useful...but all in all it was kind of a frustrating experience coming from an N800 that seems to be a lot more flexible in what you can do, and the design philosophy seems to be very different.

Unfortunately I have to get a smartphone for work, and for cost reasons it pretty much has to be on Verizon. That really only leaves Blackberry and Android devices at the moment as far as I know. Android was frustrating, but it was still a hundred times better than what I've seen of Blackberry devices, so I think I'm stuck going with an Android device unless Nokia announces a Meego device t hat will launch in January on Verizon (which I think the chances of are fairly slim).

Anyway, thanks again, and sorry for the confusion of the post. Really should have just started a new thread.

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Well what will your work do if you just don't get one? Will you get fired? If they've let you get away with it since last summer, can't you just tell them you appreciate you need to get one, but ultimately it is a phone you need to be comfortable with and 'get on with' in terms of usability, so you'd appreciate just a couple more months because the device you really want is being released in the new year? Or a pre-bought N900 and just put a Verizon sim in?

Re: What else besides an N800/N810?
 

Not sure what would happen if I decided to fight this battle, but I'm not really inclined to. I've been pushing them off for the last 6 months since they explicitly asked me to get a phone, and really longer than that since they started implying I should have one. The thing is I've started to do more work travel and attend more events, and having a portable mini-computer so I can still get some desk work done while I'm attending a conference is important. I've got a couple of trips planned for the beginning of next year, so that's the immediate reason for the deadline.

Verizon is a CDMA carrier, which means they don't use sim cards, and even if they did they operate on different technology and radios than what the N900 has, so it still wouldn't work.