maemo.org - Talk - Why I miss the 770, or Hurry up and learn to love the N800

I had the 770 for a little over a year, and this week I sold it and purchased the N800. Part of me however wishes I hadn't.

First, the reasons I bought the N800:
- I enjoy being a bleeding edger
- Thought the camera may come in handy as I don't have a camera phone
- Ari's (original) statement that OS2007 would not be available for the 770, no way, no how
- Stereo sound
- SD support

Next, what I like about the N800:
- (apparently) Faster surfing experience
- Built-in stand
- Built-in camera (yet to be seen how used it will be)
- Hopefully faster apps (e.g., Maemo Mapper)
- Front buttons together. It was sometimes hard to tell at a single touch on the 770 where your thumb was
- Support for multiple storage cards, continued support for RS-MMC
- headphone jack on the side

Finally, what I don't link about the N800, or what I miss about the 770:

- Style: The 770 just looked cooler to me

- Top Buttons: 770 had a more comfortable feel. This isn't a matter of getting used to them. The buttons are harder to press (correctly) and don't have as much tactile feedback. Having the - and + together made sense, with the full-screen button separate. The on/off is just painful (almost literally)

- Sliding case: The convenience of the 770's case was just amazing to me. I could in a single motion put the device into sleep mode, throw the thing in a pocket or pack, and be on my way (without worrying about the screen). The N800 requires too much thinking and too many steps. I sincerely hope Nokia plans on mailing out free of charge to everyone who bought the N800 some kind of cover. Possibly related, I'm seeing the N800 battery life die out much quicker.

- The LCD display is slightly askew in the casing (at least mine), meaning the black border at the bottom of the display does not exactly line up with the inside edges. Not a big deal, but my old 770 didn't have this and it's enough to be noticeable.

- The storage card door at the bottom feels like a toy. Took me a few minutes to open it initially as I kept thinking I was going to break it off. I even checked Nokia's online tutorial to make sure I was doing it right. This just feels like cheap plastic and I hope it lasts.

- The battery door tab also feels flimsy, and the sliding (silver) button to open it rattles slightly.

- The front buttons have a gap on their right side, which with the other items pointed out above, makes it seem like an unpolished product.

- The 770 stylus could be inserted and taken out quietly; the N800 stylus has too much friction due to texture. When I put the little ones to sleep at night I usually break out the tablet to hang out with them as they fall asleep. The stylus going in/out of its holder makes way too much noise in a quiet room. (Hey, it's the little things...)

- I miss the 770 orange theme.

- The screen appears to have a lot more glare. I say it appears to, because may be it's the new ITT design, but I keep seeing myself way too much even with brightness at a fairly high level.

- Finally, where is the list of N800 compatible apps & repositories?

So, would I return the N800 if I could get my 770 back? More than likely. I just hope Nokia comes out with some amazing stuff for the N800/OS2007 to have made the purchase worthwhile. I waited a long time for a device like the 770 to come along, but like others, have become partly disillusioned with Nokia for the changes they made with the N800. I'm glad to see Ari listening to the community, and I hope he will continue taking people's feedback and acting on it.