Nokia N900 Pitfalls and Issues
 

Nokia N900 Pitfalls and Issues that should be recognised
If an admin/mod would be as nice as to change the title of this topic to reflect the thread title. Ty.

I have signed up merely to defend Nokia due to uneducated and terrible comments in these forums for which have no backing and understanding of the environment it is posted in and argued against.

Experience with Nokia N900
I've had my Nokia N900 since it was available on Pre-Order. Yes I am Australian. I use my Nokia N900 almost whenever I can and I have used it a lot.

I have created this topic to correct many preconceptions and complaints which are not valid but I will update this along with community perspectives (with moderation).

Complaints that should not be major complaints
There is no 3G Video Calling
The Nokia N900 is not a phone designed for this. Infact it is a Mobile Computer with phone capabilities. The primary roles for the product are to allow us to access the internet and check emails. It is similar to a PDA. Think of it as a N810 upgrade rather than alone. If you would like a phone with a keyboard go for the Nokia N97 or N97 Mini or the many other phones out there.
Alternative: There is video calling if you use Skype I believe and Nokia is going to implement this according to their website.
Update: On Nokia's website "Video calling: availability will be announced later"

There is no Virtual Keyboard in Portrait Mode
This product is not made for primarily portrait usage. It was designed with a keyboard so it should be used 2 handed. I believe it does not need a Virtual Keyboard in Portrait Mode as this is a not a necessity. It would not be that beneficial either, it is easier to type with 2 hands regardless. Yes it would be good if this feature was available however it isn't.
Alternative: Reverse engineer Portrait Keyboard from Opera Mobile and PORT it to an application.

Adobe Flash 10.1
In no way was this explicitly written that the N900 will receive Adobe Flash 10.1 but it was used as a testbed. Those that have purchased N900 for Flash 10.1 should have waited a little rather than hoping for it then not receiving it and complaining. MicroB is an exceptional browser that just needs a little tweaking.
Alternative: Sit and wait with Adobe Flash 9.4 and HTML5 (I think HTML5 works with Firefox, please correct me with PM if wrong).

Pitfalls of Nokia N900 which are inexcusable and should be updated/changed
- Ovi Maps having trouble picking up a connection with AGPS
- Email UI, integration and synchronization needs working on
- No built-in support for .doc and other common document files such as .xls, etc. Alternative: http://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2...p-on-the-n900/ (rm42)

Minor Pitfalls of Nokia N900
- Adobe Flash 10.1 (so there is a better web experience)
- Equalizer for Media Player
- Better Contacts management
- Cannot manage saved passwords in MicroB
- OS Bugs (these will always be around)


More to be added.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

"There are no apps for the N900." Well, it depends on how you look at it:

http://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2...er-palm-users/

http://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2...p-on-the-n900/

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

OH OH me thinks he is in for a roasting lol.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Mathewtt, while i as a lover of the N900 appreciate your defense, you should not even have to counter argue at all. you understood what you were getting before you bought it. bottom line if you did not do your research then you are SOL.

treat it like any other large purchase. do your homework and you will be pleased with your decision.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

This thread doesn't add anything new on the table.. :/

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

3g video calling and portrait mode is a phone capability. Then you said n900 is a mobile computer with phone capabilities. What makes you conclude that 3g video calling and portrait should not be implemented? Well portrait mode could be considered. Also if its a mobile computer why on earth is it under the phones list of nokia and not on the tablets? I mean common users surf the phones list of nokia for updates of new smartphones. Then why would they dump the n900 there if it wasnt suppose to be on the smartphone category after all?

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

These arguments/debates are pointless because the N900 is actually as capable and more of any apps etc as any other mobile and i would go as far to say that anything is possible on the N900 as it is indeed mostly open and fully programmable and only a matter of time before we have the choice of multiple OS as well as the capability of porting Symbian over to Meamo/Linux.
Remember it is in fact a computer in it's own right.
So basically the N900 has endless capabilities.
Point to the OP for sure is the N900 is a wonderful device and really does not need defending as it will in time shine with glory.
Dedicated users of the N900 know this only too well and as for the rest that doubt ... they will find out lol.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

who's this guy?

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Nokia's new Chairman? lol.

Re: Nokia N900 Pitfalls and Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I am sorry to say this but in my opinion the OP is incorrect and should re-word everything.

Re: Nokia N900 Pitfalls and Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I'm for N900 and I think it is fine the way it is, you should explain what do you mean on what I should reword.

You may want to re-read what I have written. I am saying those points that people complain about are wrong and should not complain about those issues I have mentioned.

Nokia has marketed this as a Mobile Computer rather than a smart phone. Type in google 'Nokia N900' and you will see the result "Experience the speed and raw power of the high-performance Nokia N900 mobile computer. Nothing else even comes close."

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

The problem with the counter-arguments is that they aren't counter-arguments at all. They can all be summarized as follows: "Nokia never said x feature would be supported, so you can't complain, or "The N900 is not a phone so stop complaining about missing phone features".

As for the pitfalls section - I thought there was some office-to-go installer preinstalled on the N900? I deleted it so I can't remember. At any case, using the OP's writing style, I could rebut this as such: "The N900 is a handheld Linux computer, and .doc, .xls, etc are proprietary Windows formats, so it shouldn't be expected to support them out of box. You should have gotten a windows mobile device if this was important to you"

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Good point about the .doc. How come OpenOffice has it then? I think there is an OpenOffice port. Not sure.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Rather than counter arguments, to me they feel more like explanations on how those deficiencies came about.

This is how I rationalize the arguments against N900:

- The N900 is a Nokia branded product which receives wide marketing and distribution, usually displayed/presented along other Nokia smartphones in its price range: E72, N97, N97 mini, so on.
- Nokia has consistently provided the previously mentioned features in their 'smartphone' product lines (3g video calling when there's a front facing camera, vertical on-screen keyboard, good pc sync capability, etc).
- It is only natural to assume that Nokia has not lowered any of their standards on any of their new products.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

@matthewtt: reverse engineering. If you are interested in an office viewer, checkout freoffice. My point wasn't that those formats can't be opened under linux, but that linux shouldn't be expected to handle these formats.

If you install easy-deb, you can technically install open office on the N900. It's still in extras-devel so not really suitable for regular use, but freoffice is also supposed to be able to handle these formats as well IIRC.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

if this is a "mobile computer", then how come we can't edit Word and Excel documents out of the box?

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I suppose you neglected to read all the responses. Your argument is as silly as "If my box running windows <insert version here> can't read ext3 partitions? how can it be called a computer" or "If <insert statement here> can't run Safari, how can you call it a computer". The (in)ability to open a particular file format or do OS-specific tasks doesn't (dis)qualify a machine as a computer.

In fact, by default, stock Windows laptops can't open excel spreadsheets either without first installing (or having pre-installed) microsoft office.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

That's a rather bad analogy. Safari is not an exclusive manner to get to the web. Each OS has their own default method to get to the internet.

And each OS can read certain file system partitions. A reasonable person would know that Windows will be able to read NTFS and FAT32, Mac OS X will read FAT32, HFS, HFS+. And Linux will read ext3, ext2, ReiserFS et al.

To assume past that is folly - out of the box, that is.

Agree here. But you needed to be a bit more specific earlier, which (in my opinion) was somewhat incorrect because it left too much room for error.

Matters. Most come with the Excel, PowerPoint viewers. I can, however read *.doc files in Wordpad out of the box.

But as a "mobile computer" the N900 does fit the fact that you can indeed install an application (after purchase) that will extend to read, edit and manipulate *.doc, *.xls and *.ppt (among other MS Office) formats.

Oh... and *.doc was originally used by WordPerfect. It was their original proprietary file format before Microsoft adopted it. I remember that from my WordStar days.

You might want to correct that part.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

@gerbick: I never claimed that Windows couldn't read *.doc files out of box.

Are you implying then that *.doc is an exclusive format to write reports, papers, etc; that excel is an exclusive format to write spreadsheets?

"Reasonable" was a bad choice of words here. It seems to imply that a person that doesn't know that Windows can't handle ext3 by default is unreasonable. The point of mentioning ext3 partion format is that every modern operating system that I have come across can read ext3 by default EXCEPT for Windows.

Either way, it shouldn't be expected for a non-windows computer to be able to open Windows proprietary formats -- can stock Mac OS 10 open excel spreadsheets, yet? Why should a Linux computer be expected to?

No computer I have purchased (either through newegg, circuit city, or best buy) has come with an excel reader preinstalled without paying a premium. It has been a couple of years though, so perhaps this has changed.

The original complaint was that these things weren't built-in, so the mention of installable applications to fill this void is unneccessary.

No need for corrections, lest everything that was ever said on the internet need be historically accurate.

Re: Nokia N900 Pitfalls and Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Marketed as a computer and not as a phone?

The headline on Nokia's N900 page "The Nokia N900 Mobile Phone"

http://www.nokia.co.uk/find-products...#/main/landing

I think, and it is only an opinion after all, but when Nokia say " The Nokia N900 Mobile Phone" they are actually marketing the device as a mobile phone.

Unless, of course, I've missed the subtleties of the headline......

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

@Freemantle: Funny enough, once you click on "See more features" it says both. "mobile phone" AND "mobile computer" : http://www.nokia.co.uk/find-products...-n900/features

Hell, even the N810 WiMax is filed under phones: http://www.nokiausa.com/find-product...-wimax-edition

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Earlier you said:

That's what I was addressing.

I didn't say that, now did I? I said that *.doc was not proprietary Windows - thus Microsoft - formats. It belonged to WordPerfect.

The rest... you've assumed way too much unfortunately.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

"Adobe Flash 10.1
In no way was this explicitly written that the N900 will receive Adobe Flash 10.1"

Yes, a very legalistic wording, and it is indeed the primary Nokia line of defense. As if users should be expected to say, "oh, but what version of Flash is the N900 going to support?"

This kind of reasoning simply announces that Nokia is not to be trusted. What Nokia REALLY means when it touts the N900 as having flash should be sought in footnotes and subtle distinctions.

I myself, by the way, am not very interested in Flash of any version number. But I think that Nokia's sudden enthusiasm for the Flash support that the N900 had implied that it wasn't simply a Flash in the pan, but a real commitment lasting longer than one version of Flash, and users blindsided by Nokia's sudden abandonment of Flash have my sympathy.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Can it be said that, whether it be the N770, N800, N810 or N900, Nokia has built very capable hardware that's yet to realize its full potential because Nokia keeps switching software gears every year?

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Wowwwww. Some people love arguing over the smallest and stupidest of things....

Its Bank holiday here... Im off out!!

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

No, what you did say was:

Notice the use of the interrogotive words "are you". It was a question, not a quote.

Funny how you neglected to highlight the word linux in my quote.

This is "the rest". I fail to see what is "assumed" here. your concern over the original proprieters of a particular format seem rather pedantic, given the context at which the original argument was given -- that is, that it whether it was word perfect, microsoft, or anyone else's format originally is irrelevant.

Anyways, back on topic: I would say geneven raises a good point, except that I can't think of any other mobile device that has had more than one version of flash. My archos 5 only had one version AFAICT. Had it not been for the demo video where 10.1 was seen to work on the N900, I myself wouldn't have expected an update at all.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

It's funny to see references to 'nitpicking' or 'being pedantic' when the defense centers around the terms 'mobile phone' vs 'mobile computer'.

People don't care how/why these shortcomings on their $500 phone came about, they just want the solution and not have to know any better.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Exactly... yep.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Why would you need counter arguments against complaints?

Present a solution or an explanation if one is asked for. Rude and non-constructive complaints should be ignored, since they usually aren't directed at the maemo community afact.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I haven't read the thread, but I do consider the lack of flash 10.1 (should it prove true) inexcusable if they insist on calling this a "mobile computer with phone capabilities".

I'm not saying it's not a computer, but you can't excuse the phone problems by saying its a computer and the computer problems by saying it's a phone.

Granted, flash 10.1 may not be essential right now, but what happens when the majority of websites adopt it (which they will because of the obvious advantages)? What happens when every site you go to says
"please upgrade your flash plugin"?

I can tolerate most of the N900's niggles, but this particular issue stands to cripple the N900 long before my 24 month contract runs out and I am able to get another device. End result? Another dissatisfied customer.

Anyway, I will wait and see. Hopefully Nokia will realise how important this is.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I think a lot of the complaints are not from N900. People usually like their N900s, but they do fear for its future and whether they would end up with an obsolete device in a year's time. The main reason for this is Nokia's attitude. IMHO, following are the main reasons why people are complaining and many of them are legitimate:

1. When they bought N900, they thought they were buying into a platform which would form the basis of Nokia's smartphone entry. However, then came Meego and the news that N900 won't be officially supported
2. A lot of people (that includes me btw) were hoping that with the N900, Nokia would hopefully finally get the new dynamics in the post iPhone world that it is not about hardware anymore. With Apple supporting its two year old phones in the new firmware upgrade, I think people find Nokia's contrasting attitude very disappointing. Personally, I think Nokia shot themselves in the foot here by treating their most loyal customers shabbily. I have been leading NPD for the last 10 years and there is anything I have learned is to keep your core customers. Nokia should probably go and study about NPS (Net promoter score) and network effects
3. Last and probably the biggest reason is Nokia's selective open source adoption. Nokia adopted open source when it suited them i.e. getting a lot of pre built software and application echo system without having to do the work themselves. However, they left the other half out about open communications and transparent roadmaps. Again, as anyone who has studied economics and Nash equilibrium would tell you that open roadmaps are actually great for both customer retention and also to make sure your competitors don't enter your markets. That is one of the reason Apple announced the features of their next OS as many of the Apple loyalists had started cribbing about lack of multitasking etc. Nokia however are all about keeping mum. There are genuine reasons for that as that gives you more flexibility, but in this case that is causing more harm than good

So yes, IMHO Nokia have actually screwed many things up with N900. As I said, having headed product development in associated industries, I can see too many holes in the process to say Nokia is blame free here. But I am not worried because Nokia will actually have to pay for it in the medium term. Justifying actions to users never works retrospectively. You have to manage their expectations from the very beginning, which is what wasn't done in this case.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I really don't understand why all the arguments going on here about nothing but false representations basically.
Just for the record if you look at the N900's hardware it actually has everything that a Symbian mobile phone has and more a lot more!.
What we are talking here is software nothing more needed as the hardware is all there for anything that would be written for android and symbian apart from a digital compass.
The rest of the arguments have absolutely no ground whatsoever as it is only a matter of time before it all comes together software wise.

The very first point the OP made was

"There is no 3G Video Calling The Nokia N900 is not a phone designed for this. Infact it is a Mobile Computer with phone capabilities"

What are you talking about here because the N900 does indeed have 3G capabilities and the rest of it is down to software and a 3G signal being present on both sides
If you base your counter defence in that way you will make yourself look very silly indeed and the very reason you need to re-word everything as you started off on the wrong foot.
Anything available on Android or Symbian will eventually be available on the N900 (android has already been ported to the N900 on this very forum if you care to look) and as it IS a computer in it's own rite and all the hardware capabilities are already incorporated in the hardware of the N900 so the arguments stop there.

Please stop the drivel and get on with the developments in hand that will make this device into what it was portrayed as a "FLAGSHIP" mobile device from Nokia IT DOES NOT NEED DEFENDING !!
.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

And another arguement pops up now. some people say this is not a Flagship device.

Portrayed is an interesting word .

How does a phone get the distinction of being a "Flagship" do the mfgrs. give it that distinction, or is it a title awarded by sales?

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I completely agree with what your thinking and that the point of sales should indeed make it a "flagship" device but in the case of the N900 it was indeed portrayed by sellers and the maker Nokia as a flagship mobile phone/computer.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

I have provided some solutions if you read thoroughly but I'll edit my post so it is explicit.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

AHHHH this is totally pointless.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Ha ha... that is spot on. Too many circular arguments.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Yes but we all love the Nokia N900 and wish to continue its prosperity by recognising it's faults and improving upon them even if they are minor.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

You really do need to get to know the community on which your posting because i can tell you from personal experiance it can get dammm right nasty and argumentative.
Right now everyone that bought this device is not amused to say the least so you coming on here trying to make out at this moment in time its such a fantastic device will only start arguments and you will get attacked on here.
Wait a little while untill some headway is made on the OS and in particular some decent apps appear then you will have no problems in defending the N900 but untill then your on very shaky ground.

Re: Nokia N900 Counter-Arguments for Complaints
 

Well I love the N900 and I think it is good with almost no problems. Other's think the problems are worse than what I perceive and I would like to try and convince them otherwise or help them with a way to fix it. I will add any contributions to the first thread post provided they are helpful.