Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

Hi

Love this forum, and have become sold on getting an N800. I've just got a few questions before I hand over the cash. Is there anybody who can spare a few minutes to answer them?

1) I've owned quite a few PDAs in my time, including a Nokia 6680 smartphone. The main problem was always that they were slow--there never seems to be a fast enough processor or enough RAM! While I know the N800 isn't a PDA, how does it compare for speed? Will I be waiting around for anything? For example, does the web browser scroll quickly?

2) There's talk of a newer version of the N800 being released with a slide-out physical keyboard. This would be the one feature that would make the N800 my dream device. Do you think this is a rumor or likely to be true?

3) What's the on-screen thumb keyboard like? Good enough to make notes when out and about, or only to be used in emergencies?

4) I know Linux very well and work professionally in Ubuntu. This means I also know that open source software can tend to be a *little* buggy. How does the N800 software work-out? Any serious bugs? Any gripes?

5) I'd like to use the N800 to read ebooks, such as classics that can be downloaded from Guttenberg. Anybody got an experience of this?

6) Anybody know where the best prices can be had here in the UK? :) Amazon are selling it for £250 but Amazon never have the best prices for electrical stuff.

Thanks in advance, guys. If I get an N800, I'll be sure to be a regular here and post any advice I can come up with.

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

1) It can get bogged down from time to time. Scrolling is decent, though not quite as smooth or fast as I'd like.

2) I believe the keyboard is going to be on the next generation of tablet... but of course, no one knows for sure.

3) Thumbboard works well enough, but you can't see where you are putting the text into because it takes up the full screen. I prefer the smaller virtual keyboard and I either use a tap of my fingernail or the stylus.

4) Generally, it works well, but it's a little rough around the edges. http://bugs.maemo.org would help.

5) I don't but I've heard that FBReader is great for this on the N800.

6) Sorry, chap.

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

Thanks! You've pretty much confirmed what I would have guessed. That bug link is actually pretty useful.

There was another question I forgot to ask: What are the internal speakers like? One thing I'd like to do with it is listen to Internet radio in the kitchen while working. Would it be loud enough?

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

I do the exact same thing. Unless your kitchen is really large and loud, you should be able to do that without issue.

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

Thanks. One last question: From browsing the Bugzilla database, it looks like some people can emulate the N800 to take screenshots. Is it possible to emulate the N800 so I can take it for a virtual test drive?

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

Well, there's the SDK which allows you to take a look at Maemo, but it's mainly a development tool, not so much a test drive type of thing. Also, most of the applications that come with the N800 just AREN'T installed as part of it... so for example, Opera... the media player, etc...

There's a screenshot app for the N800 which is most likely what they are using for those.

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

The ebook reader FBreader is excellent! Works perfectly (not buggy at all :) )

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

Okay, as an ignorant:
1) the only problem in speed is if you're running some flash stuff or otherwise doing power-mad nonsense. The processor runs 320 MHz, and the DRAM is 128 -- so the hardware performance is about that of a PC from 1999. The software requirements are from about the same era (until you get to VoIP, and as someone who was in the VoIP scene in the late 90s, I must admit the n800 is better).

2) They claim it to be true. Whether I would "make the call" based on it depends on whether you can touch type. If you can touch type, no micro-slideout keyboard will be acceptable. If you can't touch type, learning to type on one of those things is just inviting debilitating illnesses

3) I suppose you can pound it out. The stylus is there, and while I live in squalor, I appreciate being able to express my ideas neatly. So no help there, I'm afraid.

4) bugs? Oh hell yea. I'll probly get flamed for this (=the best flame-******ant expression out there), but for me, the n800 software mantra is "Yes, but." Whatever you ask of it, it can do, BUT there is always some limitation; one that will probably end up crippling.

If you're a mad fool, and confident that a few software problems won't stop you (just as a 1960s Lotus owner is confident that any electrical issues can be overcome), then welcome to the club, brother. No, seriously, I may talk trash about it, but the last time I've loved a computer like this, it was 1985 and the Amiga 1000. Okay, so that brands me as a geek. But, dang, you just see the potential and you can't think straight.

Otherwise, Nokia insists that the 770 was for übergeeks, the n800 for geeks, and the next generation for the mainstream. So, in that case, you better wait.

5. Ebooks: problem is, I want to read pretty girls to sleep. VoIP don't like them ebooks nudgin' on their territory. I invite y'all to prove me wrong.
6.No, but 250 quid just ain't right. Surely if you can find this site, you can do better.

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

1) I've owned quite a few PDAs in my time, including a Nokia 6680 smartphone. The main problem was always that they were slow--there never seems to be a fast enough processor or enough RAM! While I know the N800 isn't a PDA, how does it compare for speed? Will I be waiting around for anything? For example, does the web browser scroll quickly?

I have owned Palm PDA, Treo 600 and Windows Mobile 5 PPC-6700 and web browsing is the best on N800. I tried iPhone and iPod Touch a few times at Apple store but then picked up N800 because of higher resolution (N800 has 800x480 vs iPhone has 480x320). I have not run into any scrolling performance issues at all. Now I use N800 to surf the web around the house more than I use the PC.


2) There's talk of a newer version of the N800 being released with a slide-out physical keyboard. This would be the one feature that would make the N800 my dream device. Do you think this is a rumor or likely to be true?

I wanted to use my N800 mainly for web browsing and it is the best portable device for that. I do not want to use N800 for word processing as any keyboard in that form factor is not good for high volume data entry. If you download the application called "maemopad+", you can write notes in your own handwriting but it doesn't convert writing to text. But there is an option for handwriting input instead of virtual keyboard that I haven't tried as the thumbboard meets my needs just fine. I can't comment on the rumors about slideout keyboard as I have no insider's knowledge.

3) What's the on-screen thumb keyboard like? Good enough to make notes when out and about, or only to be used in emergencies?

It is okay if you have to type upto 20-30 words. Beyond that, it is just not efficient to use a virtual keyboard for high volume data entry. In that case, you could get a "really portable and foldable" full size bluetooth keyboard that you can keep in your other pocket.

4) I know Linux very well and work professionally in Ubuntu. This means I also know that open source software can tend to be a *little* buggy. How does the N800 software work-out? Any serious bugs? Any gripes?

No serious bugs so far. Once I had to shut it down and restart because the faulty javascript in a web page made the browser go in a loop. But otherwise, it is as stable as my Windows XP pc (it has been running for weeks without restarting) and much more stable than Treo 600 or Windows Mobile device.


5) I'd like to use the N800 to read ebooks, such as classics that can be downloaded from Guttenberg. Anybody got an experience of this?

I mainly read PDF's formatted for 8.5x11 paper size. I had bought Sony Reader for $299 first and it sucked for those PDF's so I returned it the next day. I researched a better and yet portable device and found N800. It is much better than Sony Reader and I installed evince which is a better PDF reader (just doesn't work with browser PDF's so I had to rename a file to allow default PDF viewer to be used in the browser). I haven't used other eBook formats yet. Keep in mind that for a PDF formatted for 8.5x11, better screen size would be 5.6 inches but N800 does pretty good for its size

Re: Sold on N800 - just got a few questions
 

I've had no real complaints with the speed of the web browser with flash disabled: some extremely intensive AJAX sites (such as Gmail Standard) do irk me somewhat, but not much. (Just use Gmail basic :)

There IS a new N800 with WiMax coming out sometime relatively soon. If you live in a WiMax rollout area, I'd wait.

Good enough for reasonably rapid text entry. The stylus+small keyboard is better for precision work.

The N800, largely, works as advertised. 3rd-party apps are generally pretty solid --- MPlayer and Maemo Mapper are great examples. If you're used to running Ubuntu with backports and multiverse, you won't see anything new here. :)

FBReader is a basically perfect app for reading pure-text and light-html ebooks. You can download an on-device pdf2html converter to handle the rest (or convert it yourself): the PDF readers aren't nearly as optimal for ebooks.

No clue here, but you could get a used one from the States for $300, which I imagine is around £175.