maemo.org - Talk - Thinking of getting a N900

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maemo.org - Talk (https://talk.maemo.org/index.php)

- Nokia N900 (https://talk.maemo.org/forumdisplay.php?f=44)

- - Thinking of getting a N900 (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=92986)

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 12:13

Thinking of getting a N900

I've been thinking of getting a Nokia N900. Right now i use a Nokia 808 Pureview, I have never had a non Symbian phone before but have for a long time been thinking of taking the plunge and trying Meamo or MeeGo, I also fancy trying out a phone with a slide out keyboard.

- I never play games on my phone
- I have only installed a small amount of apps on my phone
- I very very rarely do any social networking
- I do quite a bit of web browsing.
- I commonly use the music player with FM transmitter
- I watch videos quite often on my phone

The four main things that put me off the N900 the most are...
- Lack of full portrait support (can this be fixed? i use my 808 90% of the time in portrait)
- Resistive Screen (i had one on my Nokia 5230 years ago and all i can remember was it being horrible to use and feeling crap, whats the N900s like?)
- Support for 720p and 1080p videos (from some threads and articles i've read apparently the N900 doesn't playback 720p or 1080p videos well if at all. Is this correct?)
- Internet Browser (is it on par or better than the browser on Symbian Belle FP2, or Opera for Symbian?)

Some other things that put me off slightly...
- No Multitouch Support (not that i ever use multitouch on my 808, but it still bothers me for some reason)
- 3.5 inch screen (my Nokia N8 had a 3.5 inch screen and i was fine with it, but after using a 4 inch screen for 18 months I don't know if i can go back to 3.5 inch)

Can you change my mind on any of these issues i have with the N900 and would you recommend the Nokia N900 to me in 2014?

Thanks in advance.

handaxe

2014-04-06 12:46

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

The n900 can play certain 720p videos but not the highest quality ones (note that one cannot know until one tries the film). Needs special libraries installed but that is easy to do.

Portrait support is patchy in the sense that some apps do and some apps don't. A few of the don't'ers are key such as email.

Resistive screen if of the original quality (i.e. not a bad refurbished one and that introduces another issue about 2nd hand n900s) is very good BUT one must be used to them and coming from capacitive might be awkward.

Browser (I don't know the one's you cite): the stock browser is remarkably good for it's era but it is, well slightly venerable. But many swear by it. I use opera and whilst some have frequent crashes, I have very few and like it a lot. There is no flash or html5 support. Well, yes there is a workaround for the first but it sucks IMO. The n900's horsepower just doesn't drive the flash experience well.

My guess advice: not for you unless you are drawn to linux, fiddling with tech and setup and a flexible platform (and a great but dwindling community).

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 12:56

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by handaxe (Post 1420091)

Cheers, i will consider what you have said. I wouldn't say I'm a massive hacker who fiddles with tech that much, but my 808 is running custom firmware and i sometimes install more hacks to it. I couldn't have a phone which ran a closed operating system.

Anyone else got any advice on this for me?

Copernicus

2014-04-06 13:01

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

I'm not sure the N900 would be a good fit for you. :( It has a lot of nice features, but apparently not the kind of features you are looking for...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420088)

The four main things that put me off the N900 the most are...
- Lack of full portrait support (can this be fixed? i use my 808 90% of the time in portrait)

The CSSU does provide full portrait support for the desktop, and many apps now support portrait use, so this isn't the problem it once was.

Quote:

- Resistive Screen (i had one on my Nokia 5230 years ago and all i can remember was it being horrible to use and feeling crap, whats the N900s like?)

The N900's resistive screen is probably one of the best ever made. That said, it is one of the last high-end phones with a resistive screen; if you're used to the glass, you may not like it...

Quote:

- Support for 720p and 1080p videos (from some threads and articles i've read apparently the N900 doesn't playback 720p or 1080p videos well if at all. Is this correct?)

You can playback 720p on the N900 by using some of the tricks described elsewhere in the TMO site; it's generally done by overclocking the device. 1080p is probably impossible.

(BTW, this is one of my pet peeves -- why in the world do people insist on playing 1280x720 or 1920x1080 pixel resolution video on an 800x480 pixel screen? It isn't like you're going to magically be able to see the extra pixels; heck, the video quality is going to be _worse_ than an 800x480 video, because the phone has to down-convert the video resolution on the fly! You're wasting storage space, processor speed, and battery life by shoving oversized video onto a little cell phone... If you really want to play TV-resolution video, you should carry around a hi-res tablet. :) )

Quote:

- Internet Browser (is it on par or better than the browser on Symbian Belle FP2, or Opera for Symbian?)

Now this is one area where the N900 shines (in my opinion). The N900's browser, "Microb", is based off of Mozilla (Firefox), and pretty much runs as if it were a desktop browser, not a phone browser. :) (You can install Opera though, if you prefer that.)

Quote:

Can you change my mind on any of these issues i have with the N900 and would you recommend the Nokia N900 to me in 2014?

If you're looking for a phone that you're mostly going to use for web browsing / music / video, I've gotta say that the N900 is probably not the phone for you. The hardware is starting to age, and modern iPhone/Android/WP phones do a fine job if all you want to do is consume media. :)

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 13:12

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copernicus (Post 1420093)

I'm not sure the N900 would be a good fit for you. :( It has a lot of nice features, but apparently not the kind of features you are looking for...

The CSSU does provide full portrait support for the desktop, and many apps now support portrait use, so this isn't the problem it once was.

The N900's resistive screen is probably one of the best ever made. That said, it is one of the last high-end phones with a resistive screen; if you're used to the glass, you may not like it...

You can playback 720p on the N900 by using some of the tricks described elsewhere in the TMO site; it's generally done by overclocking the device. 1080p is probably impossible.

(BTW, this is one of my pet peeves -- why in the world do people insist on playing 1280x720 or 1920x1080 pixel resolution video on an 800x480 pixel screen? It isn't like you're going to magically be able to see the extra pixels; heck, the video quality is going to be _worse_ than an 800x480 video, because the phone has to down-convert the video resolution on the fly! You're wasting storage space, processor speed, and battery life by shoving oversized video onto a little cell phone... If you really want to play TV-resolution video, you should carry around a hi-res tablet. :) )

Now this is one area where the N900 shines (in my opinion). The N900's browser, "Microb", is based off of Mozilla (Firefox), and pretty much runs as if it were a desktop browser, not a phone browser. :) (You can install Opera though, if you prefer that.)

If you're looking for a phone that you're mostly going to use for web browsing / music / video, I've gotta say that the N900 is probably not the phone for you. The hardware is starting to age, and modern iPhone/Android/WP phones do a fine job if all you want to do is consume media. :)

Thanks. But I definitely wouldn't say I want to consume much media, i use the internet mainly for reading news, i play my music though the FM transmitter on my old 80's stereo or in a car and i occasionally watch classic British comedy's on my phone or though HDMI on my TV. I do like to make changes to my phone though mods and hacks.

Also on the 'why would you want to play 720p or 1080p videos on a tiny resolution screen'. I agree with you. but i fear some of the videos may come in only high resolutions.

By the way whats the hardware keyboard like, particularly for texting is it any good? And whats the on screen portrait keyboard like

Copernicus

2014-04-06 13:34

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420096)

... I definitely don't want to consume much media, i use the internet mainly for reading news, i play my music though the FM transmitter on my old 80's stereo or in a car and i occasionally watch classic British comedy's on my phone or though HDMI on my TV. I do like to make changes to my phone though mods and hacks.

Ah, well, that does sound a little better. And, I should say, with an N900, you don't hack/jailbreak/root/etc. The phone is yours; you can add, remove, or modify the software to your heart's content. :) (Probably the best feature of the N900...)

Quote:

Also on the 'why would you want to play 720p or 1080p videos on a tiny resolution screen'. I agree with you. but i fear some of the videos may come in only high resolutions.

Whenever I want to watch shows on my N900, I put the video through Handbrake first before loading it onto the phone. Allowing a desktop machine to take its time converting a video to 480p is always going to result in higher quality than forcing a cell phone to do it in real time. :)

Quote:

By the way whats the hardware keyboard like, particularly for texting is it any good?

I like it, but then, I have almost no experience with other cellphone hardware keyboards. (There's so few phones left out there with HW keyboards any more...)

Quote:

And whats the on screen portrait keyboard like

Hmm, I've gotta admit that I always use the hardware keyboard...

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 13:41

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Thanks again. Damn decisions so many upsides yet so many downsides as well. I reckon if it wasn't for that resistive screen I'd take the plunge, maybe the screens not as bad as i think it is.

vincr

2014-04-06 13:43

Maybe a Neo900 would fit your needs?

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 13:44

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by vincr (Post 1420100)

Maybe a Neo900 would fit your needs?

Yeah i was thinking that, but IMO i just can't pay £500, especially as I'm not certain on even the N900. Maybe i should just try and get a cheap one on ebay and give it ago for a week and if i don't like it, it's no big deal I can slam it back on ebay and go back to my trusty 808.

pichlo

2014-04-06 14:12

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420099)

I reckon if it wasn't for that resistive screen I'd take the plunge, maybe the screens not as bad as i think it is.

Funny. In my case it's exactly the opposite. I might forgive a phone a capacitive screen as long as all other features outweigh the disadvantage.

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 14:19

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by pichlo (Post 1420103)

Funny. In my case it's exactly the opposite. I might forgive a phone a capacitive screen as long as all other features outweigh the disadvantage.

It's probably not as bad as i think it is. But i remember hating the screen on my 5230, which was a 3.2 inch resistive screen, that was my first touch screen phone to. I hated that phone so much it almost made me never want to get a touchscreen phone again, but that could be down mostly to Symbian ^5 which was rubbish IMO. After that i got a N8, probably the best phone i ever had, I have a 808 Pureview now.

Maybe i should put my 5230 past behind me, I'm sure the N900 screen is fine, you don't have to press down hard to make it respond do you?

handaxe

2014-04-06 14:36

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420104)

... you don't have to press down hard to make it respond do you?

Not at all.... but getting a good n900 is the real challenge...

Copernicus

2014-04-06 14:40

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420104)

I'm sure the N900 screen is fine, you don't have to press down hard to make it respond do you?

I don't have to press hard on mine. I've gotta admit, though, that I love the fact that you can use your fingernail rather than the pad of your finger (something that you can't do on a capacitive screen); it's a lot more accurate, and more comfortable. (Pressing my fingertips against a glass screen over and over again eventually becomes painful...)

pichlo

2014-04-06 14:48

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by Copernicus (Post 1420106)

I love the fact that you can use your fingernail

Or the stylus. Don't forget the stylus. I love the fact that you can use the stylus. The lack of ability to use one is for me the main disadvantage of capacitive touch screens. They are like in the Hitch-hiker's Guide: you vaguely touch the screen in the approximate vicinity of where you want... and hope. Resistive screens are much more accurate.

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 14:57

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Cheers everyone. If the resistive touch screen is good, then I'm much more likely to give the N900 a go as thats mostly what was holding me back. If theres one on ebay cheap maybe 60-70 quid.

supergaban

2014-04-06 15:09

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

1 Attachment(s)

well..here my opinion,
i think using N900 as main gadget for today mobile computing are rather to late.
especially for web surfing. most of today web page using heavy scripting and tons of images.and that's are heavy to handle on it CPU and ram

but for me, this device just awesome i treats my N900 as my precious one :D and pray it will be life so long.
and just bought new battery coz the original battery was swollen :D

installing alot of applications, store my movies and musics collection in it. so far it still excellent for me. Last week i install Yappari it just awesome i don't need to bring my tablet anymore

tvall

2014-04-06 16:01

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

I just switched from the nexus 4 to a n900. the n900 is used from amazon, missing the stylus, and with a spare battery. cost $99.

the resistive touchscreen is much much better than what i had expected. it took me 5 minutes to learn how hard i needed to press.

the only things i miss from my last phone are nfc and 5ghz 11n.

ceene

2014-04-06 18:45

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvall (Post 1420118)

Hi!

I've just bought one refurbished unit from some seller in Amazon. It's coming via Singapore post. I hope it will be arriving some day next week. I have faith on what I'm going to find on this device: physical keyboard, precise touchscreen and lots of thingies to play with (both in hardware: IR, FM transmitter and software: full-on Debian!).

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 19:41

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

I see I'm not the only one who's thinking of switching (downgrading?) to a Nokia N900. What phone are you coming from ceene?

peterleinchen

2014-04-06 20:10

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Just give it a chance.

Touch is not comparable to 52xx/N97 (worst). I switch between N9 and N900 on-the-fly. :)

HW keyboard is the best.

OS is free and hackable.
It took me some time to getconvinced of N900 (used only S60 phones) but then I will never give it up.

Of course you should love Linux and like to tinker and live with some disadvantages (old HW and some app flaws like no MMS support).

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 20:50

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterleinchen (Post 1420143)

I would probably do the occasional bit if tinkering but not to often. Ready made mods and hacks i would have time to do.

Probably will buy one and if i don't like it can always sell it again as it seems many people want them according to bids on ebay.

EDIT: What? Theres no MMS support? Although i don't send multi-media messages much but i do sometimes. I'm sure i could live without it.

kureyon

2014-04-06 22:34

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420088)

I've been thinking of getting a Nokia N900. Right now i use a Nokia 808 Pureview

I have both.

Quote:

- Lack of full portrait support (can this be fixed? i use my 808 90% of the time in portrait)

With the 808 most apps are geared for portrait and vice-versa for the N900. I use my N900 exclusively in landscape mode (I disabled the orientation switching thing in CSSU because it's more distracting than useful), plus in landscape mode you can quickly slide the keyboard in and out.

Quote:

- Resistive Screen

It is sensitive enough (plus it is pressure sensitive so you can use the excellent mypaint!)

Quote:

- Internet Browser (is it on par or better than the browser on Symbian Belle FP2, or Opera for Symbian?)

The default browser microb is too slow and clunky for me, fennec is even slower. I use opera - it is fast and very pleasant to use, I rate it a much better experience than opera on symbian.

Quote:

- No Multitouch Support (not that i ever use multitouch on my 808, but it still bothers me for some reason)

What, not even to zoom in/out of pictures? Which is about the only place where it would commonly be used - when browsing I tend to double tap on a paragraph to autozoom to fit. Anyway on the N900 lack of multitouch is not a handicap, the volume buttons can be used to zoom in/out and are conveniently placed so they are easily accessible whether you're left/right handed and in portrait/landscape mode.

Quote:

- 3.5 inch screen (my Nokia N8 had a 3.5 inch screen and i was fine with it, but after using a 4 inch screen for 18 months I don't know if i can go back to 3.5 inch)

This you will have to judge for yourself. Do bear in mind that the resolution of the N900 screen is a lot higher than both 808 and N8 (I have that as well :)) - that may be a good thing or a bad thing depending on how bad your eyesight is :D

Quote:

Can you change my mind on any of these issues i have with the N900 and would you recommend the Nokia N900 to me in 2014?

I'm not here to change your mind. But if you're the kind of person who likes tinkering and looking under the hood as it were, then you will enjoy yourself.

dodgevipergts

2014-04-06 23:04

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by kureyon (Post 1420156)

I almost never pinch zoom, I normally just double tap whenever i want to zoom in or out on anything. From what i've seen the N900 seems to have a pretty good spin wheel gesture for zooming anyway.

Thanks by the way. So the browsers better. My minds pretty set on getting a N900 now, I may even buy one i've found tomorrow.

endsormeans

2014-04-06 23:06

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Frankly I rate the worst and average out there against my n770...

The best against my n8x0's ...

And these 3 device lines don't have the latest and greatest or cell service....

In my humble estimation ...I keep going back to my n900 out of disappointment ....nothing yet touches my n900....

Can't wait for my neo900 to arrive on the doorstep. :D

endsormeans

2014-04-06 23:17

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgevipergts (Post 1420161)

I almost never pinch zoom, I normally just double tap whenever i want to zoom in or out on anything.

Thanks by the way. So the browsers better. My minds pretty set on getting a N900 now, I may even buy one i've found tomorrow.

Just be careful ....there are alot of fake n900's out there...mainly from Asia...they look the part...but under the hood they aren't proper n900's
Also ...turning to look at used models be careful of damaged ports, severely worn touchscreens...etc. Caveat Emptor man. If you are still determined...buy one from someone here ...fellow members won't steer you wrong.

Personally If I were you...at this late hour ...skip buying a n900...
Chat with someone who MAY put you on the now closed list for the 1st run..for a much improved neo900...pay your 100 euros and save up another 600+ euros for roughly the next 6 months and wait for a proper successor...you'd be biting your tongue off...buying a n900 now ....and then 6 months from now seeing all the kids with the upgraded tonka toys in the sandbox ...man :D

jellyroll

2014-04-06 23:54

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

If you're fermiliar with linux, do care about privacy or want to pentest 24/7 a day you should buy a N900.
The Nokia N900 is a pain in the *** but does the job that's why I do own 2 original/legal copies build in 2009.

dodgevipergts

2014-04-07 00:02

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by endsormeans (Post 1420164)

Apparently if i did feel like upgrading to a Neo900 i can have the parts sent to me so i can do it myself. Plus i think it's propably best i try out a normal N900 first to see what i think about it

FlashInTheNight86

2014-04-07 01:57

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

N900 is a computer with phone capabilities, more compact than some recent smartphones yet providing better experience.
N900 has some minor drawbacks that can't be overcome even by this decent community, however, it's cheap enough to forget about them.

nokiabot

2014-04-07 04:40

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Dont think much just get it.

Estel

2014-04-07 05:40

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

The point about lack of MMS support is actually a little misleading. There is fMMS program, that does exactly that - send and receive MMS'es. In some *rare* case it can be temperamental, but generally, works as it should. I use it daily to send text messages via MMS, as they cost the same as SMS in my plan, but allow much more characters (in fact, as long message as I want, it just need to be under 100 kb - which is lotta hell of text, if you use it just for that, without any pictures/videos attached.)

/Estel

peterleinchen

2014-04-07 06:16

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Quote:

Originally Posted by Estel (Post 1420191)

The point about lack of MMS support is actually a little misleading. There is fMMS program, that does exactly that - send and receive MMS'es.

In my case (and a lot of others) I lost somehow the ability to receive (view, found out after debugging to hell that first download seems to fetch the MMS but on pressing view it downloads again empty one) MMS. Sending works fine.
But that is kinda OT, will do some more research and post in fMMS thread.

handaxe

2014-04-07 21:44

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

I believe dodgevipergts has witnessed the passion and exuberance of this community in this and other threads......

dodgevipergts

2014-04-12 18:08

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Thought I'd mention I've just bought a second hand N900 for £65, and a PolarCell 1500mah battery.

king Ralphred

2014-04-12 21:04

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

I have two myself. 1 for using tranmission at my mothers and the other as my main phone. You've just got one but thought I'd post this link anyway.

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=93016

dodgevipergts

2014-04-16 18:21

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Just got my N900 all seems good. Have flashed it and installed CSSU Testing edition but I think something isn't right, can anyone help?

- I have no orientation lock button in the top menu and the three other small buttons are missing (i saw this stuff in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...id=P8CbujOdlHw maybe it was taken out for whatever reason or changed?

- I have no Google, calendar or OVI widget (ovi doesn't really matter). Also is there supposed to be a FM transmitter widget.

- Also i have no contacts menu on the homesreen but i think thats because i haven't put a SIM in it yet.

Thanks in advance.

mr_pingu

2014-04-16 19:11

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Dodgevipergts, these are not missing.
These are just not installed:

Check this out if you want these buttons: http://maemo.org/downloads/product/M...ection-applet/

Regarding calendar, I have no idea but you could install calendar home wdiget: http://maemo.org/downloads/product/M...l-home-widget/

Google widget, well you shouldn't miss it. It's just a shortcut to google, unless you mean a application called "TouchSearch"

Contacts is probably due you don't have any saved contacts yet. My 2nd N900 DOES show contacts even without SIM but I have got saved contacts.

FM transmitter widget is also installable, just take a look in the application manager to see what's available ;) If you need a cool application to remote control TV's and other IR enabled devices check out Pierogi.

Take a look in the repositories to see what's available and convenient however avoid speedpatch en batterypatch at all costs, it's garbage!

dodgevipergts

2014-04-16 19:16

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

Cheers i'll check that stuff out.

codelad

2014-04-28 11:19

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

New here, and in the exact same quandary over buying a new N900 for use as a regular phone.

I have the advantage of migrating from a non-touch device (my 8-year old Nokia N70) which should negate any screen usability issues, and having played around with a second-hand N900 (but with a patchy screen, as the seller readily admitted) for a month now.

Loving the N900 experience. Being from a Linux and coding background, I was able to set up custom firmware, try little hacks, etc. without feeling too much out of depth. I'm not averse to hardware hacking either, if it comes to that. I've had one issue so far, never being able to get the wireless hotspot feature to work. Does not matter much, though, and I'm sure there are a few other means.

My primary usage would be voice calling, texts, SSHing into my other machines, web browsing, watching the occassional video, and mostly just fiddling around. If it were 2012, I would have jumped at the next N900. Being 2014 as it is, could I still justify buying a N900? Or better put - would there be any compelling reason not to buy one?

Afraid the Neo900 is out of reach for now.

Also, would you recommend buying new N900s on sale on Ebay? This, for example - http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-NOKIA-N9...-/151268865507

Thank you!

handaxe

2014-04-28 11:28

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

If the price was right and the seller was the previous owner (ie knew what was ok what was not) then why not? You can replace screens etc, even though quality issues pertain there too, but advice is available on this forum.

"New" n900s are a lottery in many cases. All are refurbished, to varying standards. Anyone who says "no, it really is new!" be suspicious of them. Some folk have had luck, some duds. Search this forum as the stories are scattered across various threads... I believe that honest dealers on Ebay etc acknowledge the refurbishment.

Properly new "n900s" are "knock-offs" and AFAIK do not run Maemo

xanderx

2014-04-28 11:59

Re: Thinking of getting a N900

There is no such thing as "new n900". What you can get is the refurbished one.

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