N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

After reading these forums for the last few months, I keep seeing a repeating thread: I hate my N900, don't buy this if you are not a geek(linux guru, et. al.). I have been in the market for a new device, still working on the cash to plunk down on the N900 if that becomes the viable option, and I'm looking at tapping the collective mind of the Maemo.org community. The recent thread/poll regarding you recommending the N900 to a friend got me thinking, what sort of questions would you ask of a 'friend' if they wanted to buy the N900?

So here is what I am proposing for this thread. I am a person who is interested in the N900. You as a member of these forums can ask me questions that you feel would aid me in deciding if the N900 is right for me, AND what could filter me out as a potential user vs. just someone buying a fancy toy who could be better served by another (more restrictive?) device.

I am curious to see what sort of questions are posed by folks who have already used (love/hate/etc) the device, and if those questions would help guide me to a correct purchase. So let's be constructive here, I'm going to reply to most posts asking questions, but silly/troll posts... not so much. =)

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

OK here is what I think if you still dont have the cash to buy it and its not that you have serious issues with your current phone I suggest you wait till the next device is out :) It gonna be in fall or winter

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

ive just convinced my best mate to get one, hes a bit thick tho!
he loves it after i set it up for him, but hes always moaning about the battery life, i tell him thats the price of having the best phone currently on the market

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

We all start out as n00bs so I wouldn't pay attention to that warning.

That said, I think you need a clear idea of what you require and expect from any device.

Decide if the N900 has the potential to fit the bill.

Then if you are patient, willing to learn and research, I think you could do far worse than to buy an N900. You will soon be an expert too!

Oh, you also need to become immune to all the hysteria and drama that sometimes flows from this and other forums!:eek:

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

You should buy mine, because I'm selling it!

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I am certainly no expert. But one great thing about the N900 it is linux. So if you wanted to do something in terminal, just search how to do it in Ubuntu for example. The phone is not difficult to master or use. You can get plenty of stuff done with your phone that you can't do with other phones without being an expert.

But here's the catch: to really USE the phone to it's FULL potential you need to be an expert. However you learn something new everyday. That's my experience anyway. I like a phone that is so customizable and gives you such freedom.

I would suggest this phone to anyone. Everyone can use it. Geeks and non-geeks.

I don't know if you like cars. But for example this phone is like a ferrari. Anyone can drive it. But to post good lap times you have to know how to drive well.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Agreed, anyone can use this device but I think as a potential user, you have to ask yourself the following:

"Do you want to be able to "plug and play" out the box with apps etc?"
"Do you want 99.99% reliability?"
"Do you want 8 million fart apps" (or being nice about it "lots of apps")?
"Do you want the same apps as your friends?"
"Do you like fully "tried and tested" products?"

I think if you answered "Yes" to any of those questions the N900 is probably not for you :)

"Do you know what Linux is?"
"Do you want constant headaches?" :D
"Can you keep calm after bricking your device?"
"Do you know what bricking means?"
"Do you want to learn about a new OS?"
"Do you want to contribute back to the community?"
"Are you willing to spend time and effort making things work just the way you want?"
"Are you willing to wait and wait and wait, patiently for updates ;)"

If you answered "No" to any of these, again probably not for you.

The choice for me was to have a smartphone (iPhone) or mobile computer (N900) and that was the line drawn in the sand.

I wanted a complete device to take the place of both phone and laptop while travelling - and it has done that - brilliantly :cool:

If I wanted more phone than laptop at the time I would probably have an iPhone now.

I think (as a potential user), you read the press pack, the website, the specifications and come on here and have a look at the topics being discussed, you'll know straight away whether it is right for you or not :)

BTW: If you answered "No" to the first set and "Yes" to the second set, welcome............:D:D:D

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Actually, all the stuff about the N900 being just for "hackers" or "linux fans" is just not true.
There are many people who just use the N900 for what it is made for: web browsing (even the full YouTube and more stuff), playing music and videos, instant messaging on the go, reading e-books, and so on.
(So, if the above features are important to you, you should consider getting it.)

The trolling mostly comes from people who buy a device only for a couple of months for the purpose of showing it off - the N900 has no bloatware to show off, it just works.
(If you want a gadget that you want to boast about to your friends, the N900 is not for you.)

Additionally, contrary to what some might say, the N900 has a deal of great apps that enhance its functionality greatly.
(Not millions, but still very much.)

Here are the questions you asked for:

Would you like a device with which you can browse the web pretty much the same way a regular computer?

Do you want to watch DivX movies on the go?

Do you want to use Skype calls on the go?

Do you want to use MSN (or other IMs) on the go?

Are you not afraid of standing out from the crowd?

... and so on.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

you must not forget the fact that even if someone yells louder in the community, he does not represent the thinking of everyone else that keeps quiet.

a lot of us are happy with the device, even if we does not participate in flamewar threads

and we dont create "thanks" threads. we thank to everyone that makes our phones better and better

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Since you're asking... I'd say no. Especially since there is no direct comment from Nokia about its upgrade path to the forthcoming MeeGo OS. Sure, the N900 will be the ARM platform for that OS, but that (historically) does not mean that it will receive the upgrade.

No sense in buying a phone without a clear update path and with a learning curve that ultimately might doubly make it not worth it if I were in your place.

So no. Don't buy.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I'm a noob, and I LOVE this phone. Here's why I picked it:
I wanted more power and possibilities.
There is no better hardware out there.
The OS is less polished but it still works, and you can tweak it as much as you want.
The community is working very hard night and day to make sure you can squeeze every last drop of usability out of this device.
You can send free texts and stuff.
You can use it with T-Mobile pay-as-you-go.
You don't need to buy a data plan.
You can give feedback directly to the people that are making the application that you like.

And so on. You don't have to be a programmer to do any of that stuff.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Taking this into consideration;
a) the possibility that the N900 will not run the next generation of OS,
b) the fact that you've been reading these forums for months and still haven't been able to make up your mind about if you want one or not, and
c) that and that you have to put in some rather big efforts into saving up for the device

equates to me - that you should't buy the N900.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I don't know about that. Personally I normally get a new device with every contract (12-18 months) depending on what deal I can get (and the devices are normally free with the contract - the N900 was btw).

I don't know much about MeeGo but I guess it will be similar so I think the learning curve that the N900 has given me will stand me in good sted for the next device and updated OS. I will have learnt all the "new" ways of doing things the Linux based way, like repo's and command line stuff etc

But if you are buying this as a long term device then I would agree with you, the "upgrade" path isn't really clear, but if you are able to move on to the next device every 18 months that really isn't an issue.

What do you think? :)

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Looks like there is some headway getting MeeGo on the N900...

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=50763

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

The "headway" to get MeeGo on the N900 was just like getting Fremantle on the N8x0 and getting OS2008 on the 770. If the community didn't do it - in one case it didn't follow 100% through - then it won't happen via Nokia.

And what's not to know about it? Nokia has never 100%, flat-out in a non-cryptic way said that they will have MeeGo for the consumers (read: outside of developers) available for the N900 in a concerted effort that stems from Nokia. Helping the community has historically led to a device that does not receive full support from anybody outside of the community.

And that means no new apps, no updates unless it comes from the community and if you have any problems with the software implementation on the hardware, Nokia will not support it either.

All of this comes from the aforesaid Nokia community based efforts.

So... want a Flash update? Won't happen. Want to resolve a problem that you're currently witnessing? Might not happen. And in the case of the older Maemo systems... for instance, Wayfinder GPS is no longer able to be updated, activated... and that's for people that paid for lifetime updates. Zero support. Or Skype? No updates. RTComm... still won't fully work with Yahoo or MSN since they've updated or changed their protocols. Workarounds exist, but you'd better not be a n00b to get it to work properly.

And the N900 is heading down that same path. Also... getting support for the known faulty microUSB port that has fallen out on normal usage has been like pulling teeth - there's a multiple page thread with many users that have not gotten fast support and have had to invoke local/country laws in some cases.

All of that definitely stacks up for a "do not buy" for a n00b. For a tinkerer or Linux enthusiast... hell yes. Buy it.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

davedickson's post pretty much sums it up.

However, since you're on the border, I'd wait and see what the Harmattan (MeeGo/Maemo 6), or MeeGo 1.0 devices bring to the table, since they're right around the corner.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Not going to take offense to your comment, but due to having a house on the market with a mortgage i'm still paying until it sells, rent, two car payments, living in two states 12hrs apart, being away from my wife for months at a time, and unemployed for the last 14 months... plunking down $500 for a new phone has not been high on my list of expenditures. Plus, before I spend money like that, I want to be very sure it is the correct item for me. :D

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Given your above criteria... don't buy.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

The the OP, I would say "it depends."

What phone are currently using? If you are using an iPhone or Android phone and enjoy that user experience, then the N900 is not for you. If you are using a Symbian phone (i.e. S60, S40) and aren't interested in having an abundance of applications, then the N900 may be for you. Personally, I use my N900 for internet browsing, email, taking pictures, chat, calendar/scheduling -- basically everything I already do with my laptop. I am a bit disappointed with the rather narrow support for PC Suite (and Ovi Suite), even moreso with my bluetooth connection impediment on my Win 7 64-bit boxes.

But overall, I am happy [for now] with my N900, despite only getting 2.5G/EDGE coverage with my carrier. :(

The N900 is seemingly more of a hobbyist phone (or like my friend says, a "nerd" phone). It has much more potential than iPhone or Android, but Maemo appears to be quite a vertical segment. I'm hoping that Qt will alleviate some of the shortcomings with the N900.

Good luck, I hope you join the N900 club, and it at least meets your expectations.

- mp

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

If I were in your situation, I would consider the N900 a luxury item and would revisit my decision to purchase one when my situation improves.

- mp

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Questions from davedickson - My response in bold
"Do you want to be able to "plug and play" out the box with apps etc?" I would like a working device, but as with my old pda I needed to install many 'tweaks' to get it working as I wanted it
"Do you want 99.99% reliability?" Want? sure, reality on most any device? kinda doubt it
"Do you want 8 million fart apps" (or being nice about it "lots of apps")? No, fart apps are silly, but apps about boobs? winsauce
"Do you want the same apps as your friends?" My friends are idiots and we don't play who has the cooler phone/apps/car/etc
"Do you like fully "tried and tested" products?" not necessary, bought a Scion xB when they were not 'tested'

"Do you know what Linux is?" Last OS was RedHat 7, then used Solaris mostly, certified SCSA on Solaris 8
"Do you want constant headaches?" :D Want? No. Expected with every computer I have? Yep.
"Can you keep calm after bricking your device?" As long as I can reflash it
"Do you know what bricking means?" BSOD on a device that renders it a brick
"Do you want to learn about a new OS?" Very interested to, but again with Meego, will this be learning 2 new OSs
"Do you want to contribute back to the community?" You should see my post count on TheHighRoad, bit of a gun nut
"Are you willing to spend time and effort making things work just the way you want?" As long as it doesn't take me a full day to get one thing working, and if there are guides/people that can help
"Are you willing to wait and wait and wait, patiently for updates ;)" PR1.2? As long as it is out before 2011.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Not to worry, things have improved greatly, just making the point of why I've been researching for months instead of just buying the device then coming here to complain that it doesn't wash my car and cook my breakfast. =)

...and for your question of what phone I'm using? Virgin Mobile pay-as-you-go on a classy, high-tech Nokia 2115i.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Considering you're certified SCSA, you're definitely not a 'noob'. Still, my suggestion still stands: Wait for Harmattan/MeeGo 1.0, and see if you like the new device(s) better. They're not very far away.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

That Dell $419 deal is pretty damn good then, just make sure you're a patient guy. :)

- mp

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Coderedcomputing, I say go for it.

And this comes from a noob. And is not based on what you just wrote.

Here is a little story, and, let me warn you - it will cause flame from people. They will probably quote me and disagree. Angrily, in fact. But, try to listen.

The story is about my country, Serbia. We were a very closed, isolated society. Very poor, with very few civil liberties. People were mostly ignorant and thought that was the way to go. Then, as it is always the case with such societies, change came. Finally, people took to the streets and replaced the regime. Now, a decade later, we're a free country, with freedom of speech and with democratic governments that change with elections, and people are learning their rights. They are becoming aware. Aware of the wrong things in our - and other societies. And - they are complaining more than ever. This is normal.

Such is the case with the N900 and Maemo/MeeGo. You see, freedom and openness causes a lot of people to feel much worse than they should. In closed societies, they may even feel happier. Unlike other companies, Nokia actually gives hints to upcoming updates and events. MeeGo on N900 still hasn't been announced officially, but Nokia gave strong hints that it will come (for those willing to see). There are no hints - strong or otherwise - whether current Android phones will support anything beyond 2.2, let alone something really new. And in Android language, MeeGo is not 2.2 or 2.3 - its more like 3.0. And we have strong indication it will come on N900. See what I'm getting at? Still, Nokia users bash their company, while Android users feel like they are being taken care of.

PR1.2 was supposed to come few months ago - there was something wrong and now its late. Instead, they could've just said "it will be released this year" - just as HTC said that "most" of its phones will get Android 2.2 till the end of the year - and people would be happy. Instead, Nokia said - it will probably come in March or April - and when something went wrong - people felt like they had some God given right to have it in March or April.

The N900 *will* be supported by Nokia for a long time. With QT apps, with one or two more PR updates and then with MeeGo. I would bet on it.

Also, it's open nature and design and this great community means it will be supported unofficially as well - and at a much greater capacity than it is possible on closed platforms like the iPhone (could a community change so much on an iPhone? Or even on Android?)

In the end, the N900 is a great device with the BEST IM integration, best current video support, one of the best browsers, and with great hardware. Yes, hardware. Not everything is a CPU - why do people thing that if its Snapdragon - its good hardware? What about a good sound card (N900 has a great one) with great speakers (no stereo speakers on Android and iPhone devices)? What about a great camera (compare N900's Carl-Zeiss 5Mp with any HTC camera - even the EVO's 8Mp one - and tell me its not better)? What about storage? (32Gb + card). What about TRUE 800x480 display (not that half-RGB Amolead quasi-800x480 screen that is closer to 600x400 - compare the clarity of text on the two!)?

Now - N900 has its faults like any platform. And I LOVE Android devices. If you chose one instead of the N900 I wouldn't blame you. But if you like the N900 - go for it, it IS an awesome, trully awesome device. And Nokia IS supporting it - in fact, it may turn out that it's supporting it much more than other companies. Just trust me on this one: Nokia is much better than people give her credit.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Since I'm from country with similar background (freedom lovers fighting for it from centuries) you really made me think.
Open Source(freedom) vs Commercial(Orwell like), such a good comparison and conclusion. I founded myself trolling here and how quickly can change state of mind from love to hate because few others trolls, but when you stands on solid ground that make perfect sense.

People are to lazy to be free...

So, if you're prepared for hard work to deal with unfinished OS (instead of click/tap/done use brain sometimes) this is a good device for you.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Couldn't have said it better.

Be enlightened and deal with the truth, or be ignorant and blissfully unaware, sums it up nicely, I believe.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

How about buying something for what it already IS!

Then everything else is a welcome bonus.

I don't buy promises, so I'm rarely dissappointed.......

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Noobs are better off with a Droid device. There are a lot more useful/interesting apps already out for it. They are also much more intuitive and user-frinedly to use.

The N900 is only good if you need a high degree of flexibility in how you use it (as oppose to iPhone, where many things are restricted, like music streaming for example). But much of that flexibility is buried until a programmer with free time on his hands comes along and makes an app for what you need to do. And you could only pray for that. It's an individual-driven app-development environment where one does as much as their time allows. So you can't always expect a well-polished app every time.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

No bashing here-you have overcome oppression so N900 talk is so superficial but fun pastime. :)

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

If you have to ask, then no, it's not for you. Being right for the n900 is like being in love. No one can tell you you're right for the n900, you just know it. Through and through. Balls to bones.

So says the Oracle.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Isn't there a place online where you can "check out" a Nokia phone for a week or two to try it out first?

- mp

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I think some flagship stores allow you to play around with them a little bit before buying/not buying, but definitely not lend.

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

hhhmmm what more can one say

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I think it depends on if you really need the few exclusive applications that the n900 offers:

examples such as xournal and the web browser

Or if you are a coder

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

too obscure of a Matrix quote? Sorry, it was late ;)

In some sense I really wasn't joking. The n900 is a niche device. Although it should be supported for a while going forward, its also in a weird position in the device chain (the end of the Maemo line, and the beginning of the Meego line) so you're less likely to see it as a viable device for longer then a year.

So yeah, if you need it, you should know why. If you have to ask "is this right for me?" in some sense you've already got your answer.

Instead of asking why you should buy one, ask yourself what you want to do. Then select the device that does what you want. For some people the best device for what they want to do *is* the n900. Even without the 1.2 update ;)

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

That's something I'm not quite sure I 'get'.... the whole viable device view. Will there be something that happens to make the N900 not longer viable as a working device? The way I see it, as long as GSM and 3G networks exist, the device should be able to make calls, right? As well, if you can make it work for you as of now, what would stop it from working? Unless you have a specific need that the N900 won't be able to address... dunno.

ie - my cheap little phone makes calls when I need it. my old pda still plays mp3s and can hop on open wifi networks, BUT it can't get on many websites since it runs WM 2003 =) So it's almost met a total end-of-use for me.

As for my needs, and finding a device that meets those needs... that's always the fun part. My main needs, web access, e-book reader, mp3 player, camera-lite, email, calendar, contacts, edit/read 'office' docs, IM, and once I get it setup, access to a home file server (not settled on the OS yet).

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

IMHO it's just perfect. And it should also fit your needs stated above.
But you really gotta test it. Probably but it at amazon and send it back if you don't like it (Can't imagine that) =)

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

I found the place: http://www.womworld.com/nokia/trial/

- mp

Re: N900 - Am I a n00b, should I buy one, why?
 

Interesting, I'll try to look into that website, getting my hands on the N900 would be nice, but for now I'll just keep reading and see what folks on here are doing.