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2012-11-18
, 13:52
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Posts: 7,075 |
Thanked: 9,073 times |
Joined on Oct 2009
@ Moon! It's not the East or the West side... it's the Dark Side
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#2
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N900 can't compete with the devices of today, but if you don't care for the latest and the greatest you can use it for years. Much better choice than the n9.
However, video, browsing, games can't compete.
But it has a keyboard, and that pretty rare opportunity now days.
So for the right price you will be happy. Good luck and welcome!
Last edited by Dave999; 2012-11-18 at 13:55.
However, video, browsing, games can't compete.
But it has a keyboard, and that pretty rare opportunity now days.
So for the right price you will be happy. Good luck and welcome!
__________________
Do something for the climate today! Anything!
I don't trust poeple without a Nokia n900...
Do something for the climate today! Anything!
I don't trust poeple without a Nokia n900...
Last edited by Dave999; 2012-11-18 at 13:55.
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2012-11-18
, 14:06
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Posts: 2,000 |
Thanked: 3,345 times |
Joined on Jun 2010
@ N900: Battery low. N950: torx 4 re-used once and fine; SIM port torn apart
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#3
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Originally Posted by dragonalas
Quick reply...
Hi there, I'm Dragonalas, and I'm new to this forum. I registered purely to ask something about the Nokia N900, which I'm very interested in.
The thing is, I don't need a dedicated phone or a tablet or whatever. I need something to mess around with, but it has to be something worth buying. I've been discussing this with myself for a while now, and I'm trying to figure out whether I should or shouldn't buy this phone/internet tablet thingy even in 2012.
I know it's way out of date and barely (if at all) supported by Nokia, but that's not a problem at all for me. I like spending time customizing my technical stuff so this device seemed perfect for me. I can live with a resistive touch screen (used to capacitive), no mms capabilities (never in my life used mms) and a fragile body (after having my HTC Legend for 2.5 years, there's not 1 visible scratch on it).
To sum it all up, I want a neat little device to spend a lot of my time customizing because that's just what I like to do, and there's nothing about the N900 that seems like so much of a turnoff that I wouldn't consider buying it. So my question to you is, is it still worth it in 2012? I know there are a lot better alternatives, but I don't want those, I am merely interested in this particular one (community also seems great).
I consider it worth it in 2012. In some aspects - user-replaceable battery, FM transmitter, stylus - it might be better than some recent models, such as N9. Its operating system is definitely beautiful. There is much being done (CSSU), and a lot to be done to develop it to full potential.
But I might be not a good judge because I am able to revere [Edit]a[/Edit] ten-years-old device.
Best wishes.
Last edited by Wikiwide; 2012-11-18 at 14:18.
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2012-11-18
, 14:11
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Posts: 1,076 |
Thanked: 176 times |
Joined on Mar 2007
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#4
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Though I generally like the 900 which I bought about a year and a half ago, I probably wouldn't go for it now. It is a big plus that you have access to the filesystem, but in my experience, if you're not a "power user" that feature is moot.
My biggest gripe at this point is with battery life. Under 3G I cannot go a full day. I have to switch to 2G for a "day's worth" of standby. I have Google Voice and a SIP client connected via RTCOMM which may or may not be a part of the problem but still the thing should not be giving me warnings after 12 hours with next to no use. It's been this way since I purchased an real Nokia battery and I have no intention of buying the huge batteries to attach to this thing. It is big enough and I don't want it any bigger. That is really my main complaint.
My biggest gripe at this point is with battery life. Under 3G I cannot go a full day. I have to switch to 2G for a "day's worth" of standby. I have Google Voice and a SIP client connected via RTCOMM which may or may not be a part of the problem but still the thing should not be giving me warnings after 12 hours with next to no use. It's been this way since I purchased an real Nokia battery and I have no intention of buying the huge batteries to attach to this thing. It is big enough and I don't want it any bigger. That is really my main complaint.
__________________
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N800
Diablo
Boot from MMC
Gpodder Cache on MMC
MTube Cache on MMC
Mugen 1800mAh Battery
Addesso USB rollup keyboard
Solio Solar Charger
Holux GPSlim GPS
N810
community SSU
Turbo Diablo
8GB external
Boot from Internal SD
Still no GPS Fix.
N900
Stock
32GB
Many Solar Chargers (Saved bacon during Sandy!)
Inland ProHT BT keyboard
What's this? A GPS Fix? Wowwwwwww
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N800
Diablo
Boot from MMC
Gpodder Cache on MMC
MTube Cache on MMC
Mugen 1800mAh Battery
Addesso USB rollup keyboard
Solio Solar Charger
Holux GPSlim GPS
N810
community SSU
Turbo Diablo
8GB external
Boot from Internal SD
Still no GPS Fix.
N900
Stock
32GB
Many Solar Chargers (Saved bacon during Sandy!)
Inland ProHT BT keyboard
What's this? A GPS Fix? Wowwwwwww
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2012-11-18
, 14:20
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Posts: 1,326 |
Thanked: 1,524 times |
Joined on Mar 2010
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#5
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Hi there dragonalas,
The n900 is a great little device for sure, and it sounds like it would be right up your street if you like to customise your devices. Take a look through this thread and you will see how others have customised theirs, you won't find two n900s with the same desktop
You are right in assuming that nokia have pretty much given up on maemo, but the community has not. For bug fixes and updates there is the CSSU team who have done some awesome work within the maemo OS. Hardware wise though, there a few help threads littered through the forums which may help in the future?
Don't worry about the resistive screen, it is not one of the cheaper varieties. This one is pressure sensitive which works great when you consider how some have put it to good use . Zooming into web pages in the awesome microB is done with a swirl to zoom gesture.
The body of the n900 is built like a tank and the build quality is rather good on them tbh, the only real issue was the weak USB port coming away from the pcb, so you would need to be careful how you handle them. (File transfers can be done over ssh which helps to prolong the lifespan)
As for those ebay sellers, they are often sell refurbished units and the quality of parts that they use cannot be fully trusted. Many are fine but others can have obvious tell-tale signs such as having "Dexigned in finland" stamped on them. If price is an issue for you, you could always check out the buy and sell section of the boards for used 2nd devices (many can be found at half the price of your links), there is one up for sale right now.
Hope this helps
Last edited by MINKIN2; 2012-11-18 at 14:23.
The n900 is a great little device for sure, and it sounds like it would be right up your street if you like to customise your devices. Take a look through this thread and you will see how others have customised theirs, you won't find two n900s with the same desktop
You are right in assuming that nokia have pretty much given up on maemo, but the community has not. For bug fixes and updates there is the CSSU team who have done some awesome work within the maemo OS. Hardware wise though, there a few help threads littered through the forums which may help in the future?
Don't worry about the resistive screen, it is not one of the cheaper varieties. This one is pressure sensitive which works great when you consider how some have put it to good use . Zooming into web pages in the awesome microB is done with a swirl to zoom gesture.
The body of the n900 is built like a tank and the build quality is rather good on them tbh, the only real issue was the weak USB port coming away from the pcb, so you would need to be careful how you handle them. (File transfers can be done over ssh which helps to prolong the lifespan)
As for those ebay sellers, they are often sell refurbished units and the quality of parts that they use cannot be fully trusted. Many are fine but others can have obvious tell-tale signs such as having "Dexigned in finland" stamped on them. If price is an issue for you, you could always check out the buy and sell section of the boards for used 2nd devices (many can be found at half the price of your links), there is one up for sale right now.
Hope this helps
Last edited by MINKIN2; 2012-11-18 at 14:23.
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2012-11-18
, 14:27
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Posts: 1,680 |
Thanked: 3,685 times |
Joined on Jan 2011
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#6
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Originally Posted by sondjata
Get a 1500mAh battery, they fit in without a new back cover. I have sip+gtalk+skype connected all day as well. There is perhaps a rogue process on your device?
Though I generally like the 900 which I bought about a year and a half ago, I probably wouldn't go for it now. It is a big plus that you have access to the filesystem, but in my experience, if you're not a "power user" that feature is moot.
My biggest gripe at this point is with battery life. Under 3G I cannot go a full day. I have to switch to 2G for a "day's worth" of standby. I have Google Voice and a SIP client connected via RTCOMM which may or may not be a part of the problem but still the thing should not be giving me warnings after 12 hours with next to no use. It's been this way since I purchased an real Nokia battery and I have no intention of buying the huge batteries to attach to this thing. It is big enough and I don't want it any bigger. That is really my main complaint.
__________________
N900: One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
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2012-11-18
, 14:41
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Posts: 1,239 |
Thanked: 1,278 times |
Joined on Aug 2011
@ Balochistan
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#7
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it is great device even in 2012. i agree that it is outdated but still none of the devices comes close to it. Nokia doesn't support N900 now but who cares about Nokia when we have this great community which releases frequent updates for N900. It's a great device buy go for it and you will never regret buying it.
__________________
N900 Firmware files with Flasher Linux+Windows
N900 Firmware files with Flasher Linux+Windows
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2012-11-18
, 15:16
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Posts: 3 |
Thanked: 6 times |
Joined on Nov 2012
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#8
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Dave99
Yes I agree, but like I said, I like the whole customization thingy going on + I like the way it looks and operates. It might be outdated, but I still think it would be a fun little gadget.
Wikiwide
Even so, every bit of positive input encourages me to get this device.
Sondjata
Like I said, I want something to mess around with. Of course I'm going to use it for functions like Music and maybe a video now and then, but I don't suppose it's going to be that much of an issue. I mean I have a PSP GO and although I have to recharge it multiple times a day due to the crappy battery, it works for me. I guess I can live with it as long as I'm not charging it 6 hours a day for 4 hours worth of usage.
MINKIN2
Yeah price is kind of something I have to take into account here. It seems that I need to watch my money more than I thought initially, so this is going to be a hassle. The thing is though, that I absolutely refuse to have a used item. It's kind of a mental thing which makes me a very strict person in that matter, especially when it comes to years of use. Sure if someone has used it for a day and didn't like it, that MIGHT be an option. But 3 years? No thanks. I guess I'll have to save up for the new deal thanks for the reply and tips though, I'll definitely look out for fakes. There seem to be some originals but they're mostly over 350 USD.
vi_
If the battery seems that bad, I'll get one of those batteries. If I'm spending a lot of money on a device I might as well spend a little extra to optimize.
panjgoori
Yeah that's what I like to hear. I'm sure I won't regret it. I like how the community is dedicated not to let this phone/OS die. Please keep at it, guys! Now to just get my hands on a reasonably priced original.
Thanks for all the answers, it helped a lot with making up my mind.
Yes I agree, but like I said, I like the whole customization thingy going on + I like the way it looks and operates. It might be outdated, but I still think it would be a fun little gadget.
Wikiwide
Even so, every bit of positive input encourages me to get this device.
Sondjata
Like I said, I want something to mess around with. Of course I'm going to use it for functions like Music and maybe a video now and then, but I don't suppose it's going to be that much of an issue. I mean I have a PSP GO and although I have to recharge it multiple times a day due to the crappy battery, it works for me. I guess I can live with it as long as I'm not charging it 6 hours a day for 4 hours worth of usage.
MINKIN2
Yeah price is kind of something I have to take into account here. It seems that I need to watch my money more than I thought initially, so this is going to be a hassle. The thing is though, that I absolutely refuse to have a used item. It's kind of a mental thing which makes me a very strict person in that matter, especially when it comes to years of use. Sure if someone has used it for a day and didn't like it, that MIGHT be an option. But 3 years? No thanks. I guess I'll have to save up for the new deal
thanks for the reply and tips though, I'll definitely look out for fakes. There seem to be some originals but they're mostly over 350 USD. vi_
If the battery seems that bad, I'll get one of those batteries. If I'm spending a lot of money on a device I might as well spend a little extra to optimize.
panjgoori
Yeah that's what I like to hear. I'm sure I won't regret it. I like how the community is dedicated not to let this phone/OS die. Please keep at it, guys! Now to just get my hands on a reasonably priced original.
Thanks for all the answers, it helped a lot with making up my mind.
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2012-11-18
, 15:36
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Posts: 293 |
Thanked: 163 times |
Joined on Jan 2012
@ beijing-islamabad
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#9
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it depends on you ,it depends on your taste . There is still nothing to be compared with N900 in terms of software,but there are lapses in case of hardware but thats ignore-able .So it depends whether you want something unique and totally a free device or perhaps those new so called fastest greatest devices which apparently become boring as soon as you spent 2 months with them . N900 never let you feel bored . It is totally geeky and totally blended with open-ness ideology.
The only con i have in my mind is its slowness . Deal with it . ciao
The only con i have in my mind is its slowness . Deal with it . ciao
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2012-11-18
, 15:39
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Posts: 59 |
Thanked: 47 times |
Joined on Aug 2012
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#10
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Originally Posted by dragonalas
Hey,
Hi there, I'm Dragonalas, and I'm new to this forum. I registered purely to ask something about the Nokia N900, which I'm very interested in.
The thing is, I don't need a dedicated phone or a tablet or whatever. I need something to mess around with, but it has to be something worth buying. I've been discussing this with myself for a while now, and I'm trying to figure out whether I should or shouldn't buy this phone/internet tablet thingy even in 2012.
I know it's way out of date and barely (if at all) supported by Nokia, but that's not a problem at all for me. I like spending time customizing my technical stuff so this device seemed perfect for me. I can live with a resistive touch screen (used to capacitive), no mms capabilities (never in my life used mms) and a fragile body (after having my HTC Legend for 2.5 years, there's not 1 visible scratch on it).
To sum it all up, I want a neat little device to spend a lot of my time customizing because that's just what I like to do, and there's nothing about the N900 that seems like so much of a turnoff that I wouldn't consider buying it. So my question to you is, is it still worth it in 2012? I know there are a lot better alternatives, but I don't want those, I am merely interested in this particular one (community also seems great).
I have bought the N900 2,5 years ago and still love it. Important to say is that I never owned a phone for longer than 2 years before that and always wanted something new - not this one. I have been looking at the N9 but as long as the N900 does it's job I won't replace it.
If you love tweaking your phone, the N900 will give you loads of fun and hours of configuring. I have just recently installed CSSU (thumb), which gave the device a fresh breeze (portrait mode, which I love, runs quite a bit snappier, too).
Regarding battery life I don't have IM accounts running but I am using Yappari, a Whatsapp client for the N900, almost 24/7 and it needs to ping the servers every 5 seconds. I just a couple of days ago got a new original battery for 5 € and since around 9 pm last night (it is around 4.30 pm here right now) it went down from ~85% to 57% while running Yappari, being on Wifi, 2G, light usage of web browser, auto querrying 4 mail accounts every 2 hours and alarm this morning. I can't complain about that actually, after all it is a smart phone.
It definitely doesn't come with a lot of apps, but I don't really need that. My use cases are as follows:
* chatting via yappari
* receiving and writing emails
* routing through navit (offline maps) and sometimes ovi maps frequently
* reading news on the web and looking up public transport connections on the web also
* listening to music or internet radio while in the bathroom
* calendar (gotten to sync that with Google Calendar with a bit fiddling around)
* sometimes using skype for chatting or phone calls
* using it as bluetooth modem for the notebook when on the go
* phone calls obviously
* texting and calling of course
I don't need the latest apps for instagram or twitter or whatnot proprietary services although I believe there are be clients for those also. It is a bit slow opening apps sometimes but that's totally ok for me, no bummer at all.
Also it takes ok pictures, sound quality when listening to music is pretty good and also plays your videos if you like watching movies while on the go. What else do you need?
Since I knew from the start that the USB is probably the most fragile part of it I have always been careful with that. For quite a while I have been using the port a couple of times a day and I charge it every night and after 2,5 years it still doesn't seem to cause me problems.
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The thing is, I don't need a dedicated phone or a tablet or whatever. I need something to mess around with, but it has to be something worth buying. I've been discussing this with myself for a while now, and I'm trying to figure out whether I should or shouldn't buy this phone/internet tablet thingy even in 2012.
I know it's way out of date and barely (if at all) supported by Nokia, but that's not a problem at all for me. I like spending time customizing my technical stuff so this device seemed perfect for me. I can live with a resistive touch screen (used to capacitive), no mms capabilities (never in my life used mms) and a fragile body (after having my HTC Legend for 2.5 years, there's not 1 visible scratch on it).
To sum it all up, I want a neat little device to spend a lot of my time customizing because that's just what I like to do, and there's nothing about the N900 that seems like so much of a turnoff that I wouldn't consider buying it. So my question to you is, is it still worth it in 2012? I know there are a lot better alternatives, but I don't want those, I am merely interested in this particular one (community also seems great).
Thanks in advance.
On a side note, does anyone know if the Ebay sellers offering this phone for below 200 bucks are trustworthy? I mean I'm a student so cash is tight, meaning that if those Hong Kong sellers with 98% acceptance rate, a lot of positive comments and a lot of sales are trustworthy, I can make some serious cutbacks in the budget. I mean there's the whole Paypal buyer's protection, right? They do also guarantee you 100% satisfaction, and they seem like they know what they're talking about. Here's what I mean:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-NOKIA-N9...item5d2f150399
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Nokia-N9...item43b40d119a
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nokia-N-Seri...item3ccbf529ba
Thanks again (sorry if I blabbered on too much).