Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Can you advice me if I should buy N9 now?... I have a N900 and I love it, but it is getting old. What about apps on N9,are there enough apps? sailfish on n9 - can it be used as primary os? nitdroid - is it functional?

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Not new, but if you get used device for low price its worth it.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I think you can forget any OS except Meego Harmattan, the original one. Others have no GPS, no photo functionalities for examples...
I'm still using a N9 nowadays, but I clearly cannot have any fancy app like Tinder. Minimum is available, nothing fancy.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

@mikecomputing I wasn't gonna buy a new one, Iwould go for a used one, around 200$... is it worth it?

@pmeuh so other os's are like nitdroid on n900- not really usable, just for showing up and some apps?

and if not a n9, what is a good alternative for a former n900 user?

thanks :D

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I purchased my first N900 in June 2012 and fell in love instantly. So much so that I am now a proud owner of four of them (one partly working, for spares).

I have recently acquired a used N9. Everything works except for the loudspeaker, which is the main reason I have not yet tried it as my daily phone (since I can't hear the ringing; although the earpiece works so I can hear the other party speaking).

I do not use any social cr@p so cannot give you any feedback in that area. Neither do I know what Tinder is. The phone comes with everything I need from a smartphone right out of the box. Being second-hand, mine even came with a lot of stuff preinstalled that I do not need (like games), so off it went, saving about 500 MB.

I paid about 80 GBP delivered which I think is a fair price for a 64 GB N9 in the given condition. It would have cost me about 1/3 less if I lived in the US: the shipping from the US plus "import charges" imposed by eBay pushed the price up.

Please bear in mind that the following is written from the point of view of a die-hard N900 user. YMMV if you come from a different camp.

First off, it was not an instant love like the N900. The N9 actually looks and feels more like a phone than the N900 does and I can imagine using it as my main phone if i get the speaker fixed, but I am not sure I would spend nights on it like I do with my N900. It feels like a damn fine device but lacks a certain 'mojo' compared to the N900.

Things I like about the N9:

• Starting from the basics - the form factor. It feels just right. The dimensions, the screen size and resolution, the weight, it all feels Just Right™.
• The screen. The OLED screen is so crisp, I've never seen anything like it. And I love the always visible clock on the stadby screen.
• The speed. Everything is instant, unlike on my N900 which shows some lag in some operations. I have not yet noticed any lag on the N9.
• The battery life. As mentioned above, I have not yet put it to a serious test, but a basic like switched on, connected to GSM and WiFi, checking regularly for emails but otherwise idle, the battery lasted about 5 days. My N900 in the same situation barely makes it through two days.
• The user interface. It took about half a day to get used to and I still miss the X button to close apps, but I am getting more familiar with it and I definitely consider it far superior to any Android offering (that I've seen so far).

Things I am not so keen on:

• The capacitive touch screen. Yes! I seriously miss the ability to use the fingernail or the stylus to pinpoint exactly the point on the screen. Using your finger on a busy website is only asking for trouble.
• The lack of a physical keyboard. This is by far the most serious drawback. Shift+Ctrl+Left/Right cursor in a text editor to highlight some text is merely a dream. Which means I had to type my WiFi password manually rather than copy&paste. Quite a drag considering that my password is a random string containing both case letters, numbers and special characters.
• The lack of a memory card expansion. Not that it bothers me yet, but it might get there at some point.
• The micro-SIM slot. I find that annoying because it means I cannot freely swap SIM cards between my devices.

To summarise and answer the OP's question, yes, for the price I've paid for mine it's definitely worth it :cool:

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I just bought the N9 last week. Was VERY DISSAPOINTED.

thing felt like a incomplete Iphone copy from start ,the way the packing box was barely bigger than the phone (same with iphone)

The way how there was no "linux" desktop architecture , no widgets , but just apps on the home screen.

But i've gathered up my thoughts..

This is by far the best music player on the market , has dolby digital and can play FLAC 96bit.. There is a new ipod alternative coming out and thing costs like 500 , and that has 16gb memory , this has 64..

The screen resolution is not sufficient enough to see multitasking going on , but having my NY TIMES , MUSIC , TIME , MESSAGING on in one single multitasking is all I need.

So in the end , if you want some nice swype gestures , a great hi-fi media player (beats galaxy s4's yamaha sound processor , and iphone 5s..) And a decent multitasking window for simple browsing , messaging then this is great..

Otherwise most apps suck. They are so bad that even maemo.org won't have a maemo 6 downloads section. Apps like temperature on standby screen are really over hyped..

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

This seems a bit harsh as a review..

Anyway - my take.
For me the main thing on the N9 that I love is the fact that it looks and feels like a modern smartphone, yet it has hackability that other phones don't have. App support is ok, it has the things you need. (For me its pretty much youtube, and I wish I could get pandora but the web client is fine.) Everything else works fine apart from when I break things :p Oh and maps+navigation are great to have, and the camera is decent.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Dont know about the n9 but if you like n900 you will enjoy it .

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

If you want a SMARTPHONE, you won't be dissapointed with the N9. My friend has SGS3, and he said if there was bigger version on the N9 (like 4.5-5'') he would pick it over SGS any time of the day. So I guess this says something about the Nokia.
However, if you want MOBILE PC, you should stick with N900.

I personally like the N9 way more than the N900, but that's just my opinion.

I love my N9. It is my main phone, and i have another as a backup in case anything ever happens to it. I do not plan on replacing it anytime soon. It's not an N900, and it's not an iPhone. As long as your expectations are realistic, there is no reason you shouldn't buy this phone.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

hello dear fellow

if you want my advice ,, I have both N900 as a primary work phone and N9 as a personal phone and love both of them..

N900 as from my point of view is strong solid one more than N9 even though not enough supported apps

N9 is running smoothly depends how you use it and light comparing to N900

if you are a normal user only caring about FB and Whatsup then go for it cause it is better than yappari in N900

also you tube and watching videos is more fun than N900

Battery consumption in N900 is a bit faster than N9 and am facing this now

if you want more experience and more apps with a reasonable budget.. then go for MOTO G mid range but powerful...

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

It's 2014. If i was in your position, i would definitely go for a Jolla. I've had N900, N9 and now Jolla (since December) and i never had the feeling, i want to go back to N9, because:

• sdcard support
• no need for nitdroid, because of android compatibility
• changeable battery
• real root-access, no aegis
• much smoother and faster than N9
• much better battery life than N9
• extremely fast growing number of native apps compared to apps not working / being developed on N9 anymore
• TOH-concept, with exciting stuff like QWERTY-TOH

plus: after having used abandoned systems for almost 4 years, it really feels good, to use a system, that is "alive" with new exciting stuff happening every week.

only thing, that was better at N9, was the display in my opinion, but when you come from N900, you won't miss it :)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

i use n9 as my only personal and everday use phone...its just awsome...its been 2 and a.half years since i fell in love with it...never had feeling of made a wrong choice...ofcourse apps are less...but u will blow your friends brain out....if u want a n9 experiance in a android phone....belive me go for moto x or jolla...

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I still use N9 as my primary (and only phone).

My reasons are:
I don't want to surrender to Android
Both WP and iphone are not even considerable (surrender to MS or Apple).
It has all what I need: skype (trying to get rid of it but no use), email, web, phone, gtalk, messages, basic document viewing and basic games.

Yes it's aging, becoming slower and sluggish but so far there is nothing that can replace it fully (for my use cases) :/

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Let those will not compare H9 and iPhone 5s, these devices in different weight categories ....

but for the money that now quencies N9 smartphone you will not find better!

I have both n9 and iPhone and android devices ... BUT until n9 remains the primary device and I do not think that in the near regular time that you replace him .. well, except that Jolla

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Using abilities of N9. Listing in descending :)
1. You know, if you wanna have a lot of fun with POWER OF LINUX (learning of basicsc terminal,developing your IQ :) and ability of fixings) enjoy wirh pleasure!!! In this case the best gadget!!!

2. You can also use it as main phone (in most case), as it said it comes from the box with everything what needs to be as a main phone. But, one but, the but is that you always have to understand and keep in mind that this is yes 2011s phone flagman but using in 2014.
a)Calls - everything you need to call+free call recorder+not bad speaker,hearing good.
b)contacts - unlimited memory+sync your Nokia/Google/Facebook/Twitter...and much much more(very good for 2011s smatphone in 2014)+you can view all of contacts and can show each accaunts contacts separatly - very usefull,i loveit
c)messaging - too! + you can messaging in your Messages app not only via SMS but with all of your contacts synced from your accaunts-no need to go to Facebook (example) or some else social site,just sit and recive/sent your messages to your social acc contacts.
d) camera+gallery+player - good quality+taggs,geo,beatiful gallery viewing images+not so functional,but enoughly if you wanna just listen music(dolby quality)
e)and very beatiful UI with just swipping - this is the pleasure for me to use N9, just swipe it and it gives me pleasure :) just swipe and close,just one swipe and swerve the window. As it said - Love at first Swipe :)
but ofcourse not so functional,not so strong battery life as 2013-2014 smarts,but again yes still useful - it can be used as main phone!

3) you can not use and accustom Meego Harmattan if you came from EASY using,not friendly for fixing issues then you absolutely do not buy and then dont crap this beatiful device - this device loves those who love to fix issues :)

about other OS's - Nitdroid port is older than Sailfish port,so for now its (Andorid) working better than Sailfish on N9 and better than our also lovely N900. About what is not working, please make a search and read (read read and read) about what is working,what is not working for now and what will never work - go to nitdroid site,find the latest relase (for now it Alpha 5) and read all about this. Im using quadruple OS on my N9 -meego(full working)+android(80/90% of phone functionalities working)+Sailfish(60/70 maybe can be said 80% working)+firefox os(60/70% working).

and all of these was wroughted from my N9 64GB :) Also plus is 64GB.

PS: if had enough money i would be continue this device and this OS manufacturing and developing (in global power:)) but i dont have money for it :)) if this OS will be developed and supported by Nokia in it full power this device and OS will be the best usefull featured OS for now,more than android more than ios....Oh God, where is justice :)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I have an 64GB N9 I bought new last year. I'm in the US with Droid and Apple everywhere with excellent 3.5G coverage. For me, it's been a great phone does what I need. Great size and functionality. Don't use a lot of apps so no troubles No plans to replace and I may even pick up a spare. I only use my other phone for photo outings: Nokia 808.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I bought my N9 in september 2013. It's the 64GB cyan version.

I really love the versability and hackability of this phone, you won't be dissapointed!

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Well, I really like the n9 for many of the reasons stated in previous posts but it still does not meet many of my needs so it sits in a box. Although I will bring it out soon and dust it off for a group shot of my phones. I have a diverse family...

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Thank you everybody for such detailed replies :D

On my N900 I mostly surf the web, listen to internet radio and music, chat on Yappari, watch YouTube videos and take some pictures with my camera...
the thing that I want but I dont have is better photo viewer(album), better flash support and a nice browser because I use opera which i okay,but not great. I also need dedicated Facebook app with notification system, offline navi and maps and I also need some cloud storage implemented in phone system... Can N9 serve me with all these apps?

EDIT: I also need documents viewer and simple editor, for working with word, and pdf files

And how hard is it to get used to on-screen keyboard after N900?
cheers :)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Only my comment.
Had the 16Gb simlocked variant from my provider since more than 2 years.
$ weeks ago y bought a new one 64GB variant without simlock.
I am happy, playing a little with Sailfish and uisng harmattan FW as my mainphone.
I didnt looking for more apps. All what i need i have on this phone.
And you can still download wordwide maps for offline navigation.
The lumia only have regional navigation. For more yo have to pay, like with Nokia 5 years ago.

So the N9 is still the best phone. VoIP, VPN etc.
I think the next will be a Jolla Phone

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I still have two Nokia N9's 64GB in my family. It is still ok phone. I really liked how the social networks were integrated. Also the size of n9 is perfect. However, my daily phone is Jolla. Screen, os fluidness and battery life are just way better than it was on the N9.

For 100 EUR (130 USD) an used Nokia N9 64gb would be a very good phone. If you have more money - just buy Jolla.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Just ordered one on ebay about an hour ago, finally in my price range after all these years, haha.

Got one for $150 with express postage, so hopefully I get it before the weekend.

Basically, I went from N97 to N900 in 2010 (I think), then got an Xperia Play around Septemberish last year because I was sick of my N900 battery not lasting as long as I wanted, buying a new battery every 6 months etc. It was still way better than this Xperia Play, other than the cpu/gpu (I can actually use the Xperia for 720p playback, lol).

But yeah, tonight looked up the Jolla prices, still way out of my price range, so ebay'd N9 and it was finally in the $150's so ordered it.

Can't waaaait. So sick of androids OS (also the lower right corner of my Play doesn't work properly, so anytime I write "m" it puts an n, or a backspace). And if the Sailfish port ever gets fixed up enough to use as the main OS (From what I've seen, it's been pretty dead for the last few months, not holding my breath haha) it'll give me more fun.

EDIT::
One thing I will miss though, is the GPS on the the Xperia Play. It's the most accurate GPS I've ever used, was pretty amazing.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

hahah that is exactly what I was thinking :D

Maybe the most important.. The N9 really looks sexy! Some friends of my and I say it is the most sexy looking phone there is, the chickmagnetability is high!

:)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

It is a really great looking phone I agree! Even in 2014 I'm fully satisfied with my n9 as my daily phone. Even the size is ideal as phones are just getting too big nowadays... The only down side is there aren't a lot of apps. So if you're a gamer look to elsewhere, all the basics are covered.
I recommend using the N9Tweak app and adding the traffic option for maps/drive, then maps is pretty much on par with Symbian and Windows maps.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Maybe it's mistake by typing.
I think you recoment N9QTweak from schturman.

It's far better than N9Tweak

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

one of my 64Gb was sold for 70EUR this week (sweden only)

I paid €210 for a cyan 64gb in august 13, theyre quite rare in NL it seems..

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Cyan 64GB? That's probably a black 64 with a cyan housing.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I stand corrected. I am using N9QTweat from schturman. It really very good.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

That's about how much I just paid for the 16gb.
Couldn't find any 64gb in Australia on ebay (used, around $150).

):

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

You Can! but no application are developing on this...so you can justify u r self before going

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I got mine as a thing of destiny last July-August. I HAD to change my phone for an interview so it was either a Samsung S3 mini or a used 64GB N9, which fortunately I could get for about USD 200.

I'm very satisfied. Battery lasts very long. Storage capacity is very good. Camera is good. Also you have all the basic apps you need. No it doesn't have the latest angry birds or whatever games come out... but I don't use it for gaming. And even them emulators and an entire array of games for wasting your time exist. Sometimes you have to work a little bit for normal services (e.g. exchange, Google calendars) to work properly, but they are cool.

Also apparently there is a whole group of tweaks you can apply.

But the most important factor of it all for me is.... it has offline, free maps and navigation!!! An extremely RARE thing nowadays. Only this is worth the price of a GPS.

And last month I bought a Nokia Play 360 NFC Bluetooth speaker because I'm travelling.... it ROCKS!

The best thing of buying things that are not the hype anymore... you can get fully accessorized for low prices.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

I got mine three months back. It is a used one but still in perfect condition.

I've always been fascinated by maemo on the first place. Even though I had no N900 to play with back then, I was constantly following TMO threads and the progresses. I wonder why I felt happy when I read about great achievements by the community even with no real hardware to fiddle with. Always loved the way coders and moders came together to defy limits (literally).

Then there was N9. A sleek sexy piece of a real 'usable' phone. I know the hardware looks quite outdated when compared to the innumerable droids and other 'smart' phones out there. But, it does all the stuff I need it for. And having to dive deep in to the device and do that extra work to make it perform many things is kinda cool in fact.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

thanks everyone :)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Just bought one of the last new, unused, unrefurbrished n9. I'm switching from nokia belle os. I still cant let go of nokia even though its time has passed.

Totally worth it! :)

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

just go for it man..

you would just love the tech of the N9.
the swipe, the display, the swiping on it, u'll just spend hours swiping on the screen for nothing..

Like KF Panda would say - "THE AWE INSPIRING AWESOMENESS OF THE AWESOME N9 and MEEGO"

regards

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Hi.
I would like to add the following:
.- I hadn't seen any real innovation on mobile devices since 2011. More CPU and more Ghz usually mean higher prices to run the same software. For instance: parallax was something available in the N900 long before it was announced for the iPhone 5 ... four years later.
.- I still can't believe that with so much processing power, Android is not doing multitasking.
.- I don't expect real innovation in the foreseable future, and this means the N9 will get obsolete much more slowly..
.- I might seem paranoid, but I don't trust hardware from companies outside the EU in terms of privacy.
... and this leaves Harmattan, Maemo and SailfishOS as my only alternatives.
For me Maemo is much more friendly, Harmattan is an unfinished product (yesterday I flashed my main phone for 2nd time in 9 months) and the aegis stuff is sort of a PITA. And SFOS is still very expensive for me.
I also don't expect much from other initiatives like FirefoxOS or Ubuntu phone ... or even Tizen, but we'll see what happens in the next years..
Regards.

Re: Is it worth buying N9 in 2014?
 

Hi.
Here's an article speaking - more clearly - about what I meant in my previous post.

http://viewer.zmags.co.uk/publicatio...9#/639dd269/30

Regards.