N800 is it worth buying?
 

i am close to buy a N800..no...i was close to buy a N800 but after reading the threads here on this forum ( and many ones on the web ) about people complaining of their N800 i am not sure anymore. Loops, 3 seconds boots, issue on the touchscreen and other problems...
what should i do?? i was thinking to buy the N800 in august in NY but now i am not sure anymore. now is June...are all these issue still present on the N800
pls help me decide!
ps: i am not a geek so i dont know how to flash,write command lines and so on

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I can tell you that the stability of the N800 has gone way up with the firmware updates. It's been quite a long time since I've seen any of the booting problems. Got no issue with the touchscreen either.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I have none of those issues you mention (no reboots, no loops, no touchscreen, nothing). I believe such problems are exceptions. There were reboots (only while idle) with the previous OS version, but new devices should come with the upgrade pre-installed. In any case it's very simple to upgrade. All stability problems (the reboots) disappeared for me with the upgrade.

For 3party apps. I have maemo mapper, puzzles games, battlegwled, omweather, quiver image viewer, maemo recorder, xterminal, claws-mail, and a few more. No mplayer or canola. Sometimes this matters. Oh, and I have simple launcher installed. This one creates a tiny problem whenever a new app is installed. In fact that one, and one problem with the built-in email app. are the only minor issues I have, none of consequence and with simple workarounds (see my first posting in the 'uptime' thread).

If my N800 was run over by a car or something I would buy a new one instantly. I can't imagine going back to being without one.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I believe you must never judge the quality of such a device by trouble reports you read in forums like this one. People who dont have problems dont post here, you know ;)

There is of course a chance that you will get either a defective device (touch screen issues etc.) or that you'll experience software problems. But: There is not a single similiar device on this planet (no matter if its a smartphone, normal mobile, game device,...) that does not suffer from glitches. Companies have to keep costs down and have to find a balance between perfect quality and reasonable price. That's life. :rolleyes:

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I have no issues with my n800, no reboots or faulty screen!

And I would recommend you to get one! but only if you are patient and can wait for updates, and software to be ported!
Also you mentioned you are not geek! well if you get an n800 for surfing the web! then thats great! but if you hang around these forums, you will start doing all sorts like, converting films to watch, mp3 playing! installing games! tuning all your local radio stations! sending picturs from your mobile to view on the lovely screen! eben listening to internet streams , it feels different than on a pc, more personal! one thingthough after a while it may turn you into a geek!

good luck

nyler

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

The biggest key is to determine what your needs are. If you want something different, to surf the web, have a Linux based OS, then maybe the IT is for you. If you have not time to really delve into the device and wants something that simply works out of the box, then this device is not for you. There is no sycning facilities. Transferring contacts is not very straightforward, and there are other issues. In my opinion, the N800 is not an average consumer device. Think what you want to do first then decide. There are many pros and cons regarding this device. I had one and sold it simply because I did not have the time nor the inclination to really get into it. I wanted something that worked out of the box and for me the N800 does not fall into this category.

thanks mates
 

thanks mate for your kindness and the lovely replies you are giving me. On my side i can tell you that i dont know linux at all. i am a little geek because i own a treo 650 and i am quite happy with it. no problem at all since now ( i own it since 2005 ) despite the fact that it has something like 46 apps!!!
something about me. i live in italy and every now and then i go to the states. some months ago i was hit by this thing called N800 so i started getting infos all around the web. i need something like N800 so that i wont carry my dell laptop anymore ( i just need to read infos on the web and write email) but then i was hit by 3 kinds of considerations:

1) all bugs reported on the net (including this forum)
2) what will it happen if i buy it in the states and when in italy it starts giving me the white screen of death?? will they repair it while in europe? (oh,yes...i want to buy it in the states because i would save, thanks to euro, something like 170$)
3)i dont know linux at all.

i see you point sapporobaby. i can tell you that i need it to surf the net. i am willing to solve issues but i dont want to become crazy on something i dont know such as linux! my bigger fears are 3-sec-boots and the white-screens

all these issues (most of allthe fact that it is buggy as i read ) have refreined me from getting one....what to do?? could you guys give me more feed backs for my peace of mind??
thanks!:)

Re: thanks mates
 

Hi France,

I can say that i had some issues (technical with my N800) but they were fixed with the latest upgrades, and from a 3 week visit at Nokia. However, once I got the device back, actually a new one with the old outer casing, things were ok. For me, I need the ability to sync my contacts, and to do a bit more than just surf. I have an N95 that works quite well for this and if I really need to get down, I have a 17 inch MacBook Pro for the heavy lifting. The N800 was just a nice niche device that for the most part sat collecting dust. I got rid of it due to lack of use, lack of viable software (that suited my needs), and had other devices that filled my needs much better.

As always, your specific needs are the key.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

There are these indications (anectodic, i.e. not necessarily true) that US units are made in Korea, while European units are made in Finland.. and that the Finland made ones tend to be of slightly better quality when it comes to buttons/dpad. Take this with large grains of salt though. As for the price, you should now be able to find the N800 at more places than before, and at a lower price than from Nokia direct.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

It depends. What are your specific needs? If you need a small mobile wifi enabled tablet to browse the net and you are not put off by it's steep price tag, by all means get one. But try one out if you can, some people don't like the look & feel of the Hildon OS.

I have a N800 and personally I wouldn't recommend one to anybody. But that's because I think it's far from perfect and has too many issues combined with a hefty price tag.

You decide.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I've had my IT for a few months now and really like it and although I have many complaints about it none of them are what you are describing, mine are more "in-depth" and with certain apps or lack there-of. I know a little about Linux but you really don't need much more then some common sense and basic computer skilis most times. Just long as you are really only going to use it for "some" web browsing and email etc and that you also realize that this isn't a laptop or a UMPC, dektop replacement or any sort of PDA etc and that the N800 as with most electronic devices may be outdated soon after purchase. As long as you know these things up front and you are looking to spend some cash and buy a new gadget, there really is no other devices on the market that offer what the IT can, just compare what this can do to the limited capabilites of say most PMP's (iPods-Zunes etc) on the market where all they can do is play music and do some vid, wheras for the same money or sometimes less you get so much more with the IT.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

Its a bit of a Pro-sumer device.

Once its updated however things became easier, and with more units out there, more people to ask for fixes and make software for.

Its not an iPhone, its not an N95, its not a UMPC, its not a laptop, its not an iPod.

Saying that, it has been stable, has good software, resonable ease of use (especially if your a little tech savy), lots of software on the way, a FANTASTIC screen (and I'm one of the few lucky ones who have used an iPhone and let me tell you the N800 screen is better), and good comms.

Oh and its not that expensive

I like it, but have a reason to use it before buying it, you will have more fun.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

My device is perfectly stable. The only issue for me is pim synchronisation with my linux box - which I am sorting a solution for so I couldn't be much happier with the device.

great news
 

thanks mate...i dont know...i have the feeling that i did something great here. i started a topic about all the good things the N800 has...before this i didnt even think there could be people WITHOUT any issue at all...the truth now is that all the bad things about the N800 have gone away after the latest updates:)

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

Hi everybody
I've no problems with my N800 (have it since few months).
Each firmware update is a benediction : bug fixes, easier to use, better stability, better performances...
Tip : the next one is in few days :)
We're waiting for great things like Skype, 3D, better included softwares(PIM/Opera), SDHC official support, bug fixes...

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

For some people the N800 doesn't replace a laptop. Without a connection to the internet (through bluetooth or wifi) it's relatively a brick.
But I can't speak for you or anyone else as for the usefulness of the device, but obviously I can provide an account of my experience.
I've come to really enjoy the device. It made me realize that the only thing I do at home with my laptop is surf the web. I don't ever think about booting up my laptop anymore. It is advertised as an internet tablet and I personally believe that for it's intended function it works great. There are limitations, such as choppy video in youtube and other items that others have mentioned here. It's very convenient when there is connectivity.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

There are many opinions on the N800.

Mine is: It's a fantastic device!

It's not a laptop or a iPhone. Look at the demo on the n-series website. I'm no linux expert. Actually I don't know the first thing about linux i'm a Apple user. (And yes only gui, no terminal) And i'm very happy with my N800. It's awsome at what it say's it does!

If you want a small device that does internet stuff (surfing, mail, rss, internet radio, ... Nokia N800 is what you need!

If you want a top of the bill PDA go get a Palm or Windows Mobile device.

Need a tNeed a tNeed a top mp3 / video player get a iPod or iPhone. Oh yeah don't forget
there is a
Zune aswell ;-)

As far as problems with the hard or software... I have mine since release date and I
never had any problems. (And yes I use it a lot. This reply is written on the N800
aswell)

well...
 

well, i am more and more convinced. i think you guys should open a thread (and make it sticky) about what kind of issues the nokia guys managed to solve such as: loop= solved ; 3 second boot=solved and so on and so forth. the first thing you see getting in this forum is all the bad things N800 used to have and this is not good advertisement for such a device. i know this is a forum to solve issues but sometimes good ads are what devices need to be bought...right??

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

whats the standard nokia warrantee on these things?

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I would not recommend this device to anyone who doesn't have highly skilled knowledge with computers

I would not recommend this device to anyone over another MP3 Player, due to the amount of set up required, my headphones lack loudness and so does the internal speakers

I would recommend it to someone who would like a GPS device that can also flip as a music player and limited internet sites

I most certainly would not recommend it for VOIP, when I tested it on my machine with a broadband connection @ home on Gizmo it was crap, none of my friends use GTalk and Skype in Q2? well... maybe if released in the next few days will be useful to some.

It's an internet tablet, but forget browsing websites that utulize java apps because there is no support for it, in my eyes that reduces my ability to surf alot of internet sites. Tried to watch video on CNN... no go...

Half the programs on the device have limited functionality, the games are absolute crap unless you are looking for commodore 64 / NES 8 bit games or there are some other games that look ok but are far from commercial quality....

Really this device to me is a tech gadget with alot of potential but no real bang for your dollar cause at it's price... well I pretty much feel ripped off.

There are some things I like about my IT tablet, the screen is a nice size, too bad the applications that come with it don't work so well.

So some people call this an Internet Tablet, I tend to think of it as a device that never got out of Alpha, a large following by programmers who can see it's potential and a bunch of curious users who have half an idea of how to operate it.

I respect the programmers and community for all the support and continued development, but really this should have been done behind closed doors before being released to the public... still waiting to be impressed even slightly

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

@testerJ,

Perfectly said. Summed up beautifully. Which is why I wasted money (my opinion), and now have sold it and moved on. I can do my Internet banking, music playing, somewhat photo taking, etc.... with my N95. Could not be happier (well, Nokia could issue another upgrade) that the N800 is with someone that has the desire to work with it more than me.

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

Video on cnn is an issue; it works fine on Ubuntu with totem-mozilla. It would be nice to have a fix. It wouuld sure be nice to have Java as well...

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

Being an eternal optomist, I'm very hopeful that the N800 will someday solve more of my problems than it does today. The primary shortcoming for me is the inability to sync data with my other computers. My Palm does this flawlessly, and has for many years. If Documents-To-Go can work on a Palm (Word, Excel Powerpoit files), it can sure as heck work on the N800. Similarly, InfoSelect that I have been using for probably 20 years as my storehouse of all knowledge, can also sync with my Palm--and has for many years. Calendar, contacts, notes...simple with the Palm.
My goal is to eliminate my Palm, but in the interim, I've at least been able to eliminate my laptop for traveling.
The latest Minimo is superior to Opera in my opinion, since it allows the gmail docs and spreadsheets to be used--as long as you have wireless access. It still isn't totally stable, but the latest version (0.2?) is better than the previous version, and I expect it to get better.
I finally got the Navicore GPS, and for $199 it's pretty neat. It has some glaring limitations--like the inability to plan a route and save it, rather than having to start over after you turn the N800 off--but again, this is a simple software problem, and sure to be fixed (I told you I'm an optomist).
I love the screen. So with a Stowaway keyboard, N800 and my Palm, I'm quite happy--but anticipate more improvements as time passes.
I agree with everyone else--depending on your needs, it can be a welcome addition/replacement to some of the tools you already have. Right now, it can't replace a Palm (or equivalent) if you have a large stable of pim issues. but if/when the syncing applications become available, I'll happily toss my Palm.
Tom

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

I just returned from a lengthy vacation in Europe where my N800 was an invaluable travelling companion for VOIP, maps and email. I have owned it for 4 months and have had no problems with it. In the past I used Psion products which I liked very much and now I find the N800 a very competent substitute. Well done Nokia, try it out Fortuna favet Audaces!

ciao

Re: N800 is it worth buying?
 

Wow.. there are still sites on the net that use Java that aren't bank related? I don't think I've even seen a site in the last 6 years that uses Java still.