I figured out what I would do if I were Nokia. What would you do?

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1. I would DEFINITELY keep the N800 going alongside the N810, for those people who really do just want a device for accessing the internet. GPS, hardware keyboards and any other extras are great but some people just want the browser. It would also be a cheap way to discover the whole concept of the internet tablet.

I keep saying this, but this multi-device approach works really well for Nokia's smartphones, it means there's a model for everyone but without breaking the software platform that they all share. Added together these smartphones sell far more than any single device ever could.


2. The other big thing I'd do is contribute, test and approve the very best of the great open source software available for maemo. When these apps reach a mature enough status I'd pre-install them on the tablet's firmware. Almost every app on the N800 seems to have a better alternative in development in the OSS community, so why not have these better alternatives bundled with the device instead?

Most ordinary people never install extra software on mainstream devices, and are far more likely to use whatever is built in.

The n800 is only targeted towards our small geek audience, which was stated by someone on another thread, as being roughly 10%. In my opinion the n770 was an experiment and only a small audience even recogonized it. Nokia thought the idea had potential and decided to release the n800, which gained a lot of traction. I know some people that know about the n800, but have not even heard of the n770.

As we heard "uber geek, geek now mainstream" If Nokia step into a wider audience they must really polish up the device. I think they should put emphasis on a newer and more sensitive touch screen and a beefier more graphicly optimized UI.

For me, at least, they're all still rumors.

I have an N800 and am quite happy with it, save a couple of applications. I can do most of what I want pretty well with the tablet. Getting anything newer won't change the application situation.

I've said this before, and I guess I'll say it again: Nokia would do well to hire some of the Maemo developers (meaning pay them) to get the so-so applications up to snuff (which for me is GPE and Abiword).

The hardware that we've got in the N800 really is quite nice, and is capable of doing what we want (with the exception of cell phone capability - personally don't want it included; I'd rather keep the phone separate, and GPS; again, I'd rather have it separate, but that is purely my preference). It ALL comes down to the applications.

R.
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I absolutely agree, except for maybe the GPE/Abiword specifics.

In order for the IT's go to mainstream, they're going to need:

1) a word processor that can at least read, and probably write, word documents. Needs to be native; online google apps is nice, but only when you're connected. People will need this even when not connected.

2) probably something for excel docs as well.

3) calendar and to-do list.

4) sync service for documents, calendar, to-do list, contacts, bookmarks. I'd suggest google, except: no API for the contacts, and the bookmarks service is insufficient. And, whatever is chosen, that sync service needs to be able to sync with Mac native apps, Windows native apps, and Thunderbird/Sunbird/Firefox (mac, linux, or windows).

5) if they ever add video-out, then they probably should add a presentation (powerpoint) type app to #1 and #2.

6) a nice bonus would be a project management app, but not a general necessity.


The general business world, and even many students, wont get behind this without 1-3. And I bet the general populace wont get behind it as long as they keep hearing there's no built-in way of handling #4. If you do 1-5, then I bet you'll get a lot of business people drooling over it.


3rd party developers might get 1-3, and 5&6 done for you, Nokia, but you can't wait for it to happen. You need a basic, usable, solid solution for those right in the box. Let people do add-on replacements (the way you can add-on GPE Contacts to replace the built-in Contacts), but Nokia needs to include these as basics, in the device.

I think Nokia has 2 choices:

A) as with Contacts and Bookmarks, develop their own basic apps for this. Maybe make 1, 2, 5, and 6 be read-only, in this case. Then leave the 3rd parties to make the read/write versions.

B) hire someone who will work with the GPE versions to make sure they get proper support for the ITs, in a timely fashion. Then, only when they've got solid integration with the Nokia products, include them on the IT as included apps. Donate code/work back to the core GPE projects, so that it becomes a mutually beneficial arrangement.

I have a few ideas that I would try to implement, but maybe I'm alone on these. I started with my 770 nearly two years ago, and now I have had my N800 for over 10 months, so I have seen the huge improvements, but there are still more that need to be made. Here they are:


1.) Add the ability to use the device in portrait mode. This would make one handed use much easier, especially for apps like Kagu and Canola. Skype and Rhapsody would be nice in this mode also, especially Skype, since the device could be held up to your ear like a phone. This is how I use Skype on my IT, as weird as it sounds.

2.) Native A2DP framework support that developers can access in their apps. Please, this is at least a year overdue!

3.) Go to SlingMedia and ask what they need to get SlingPlayer working on the new N810. It works on just about every platform now except the IT. Figure out a way to cross-promote the two devices, both would come out winners.

4.) Come up with a quick and simple synching solution, making it easy to transfer bookmarks, emails, videos, music, etc. Make the IT a true desktop extension.

5.) Simplify the firmware update process. Having to wipe the machine 3-4 times a year and start all over by manually replacing apps and data is ridiculous. I know you can backup and restore, but it usually creates weird issues, so I never do that.

6.) Improve the screen! Resolution is just fine, but brightness needs to be better, along with the elimination of the weird shadowing along the right side where the backlight is. My N800 at full brightness is like many of my other handhelds at 50% or 60%.

7.) Mini-USB charging, with just a standard cable. Eliminate the barrel jack, it is not needed, and is not as flexible for people on the go as USB.

8.) Simplified and expanded integration with BT-equipped phones, which is now probably about two-thirds of them out on the market. Easy tethering for data access, easy access to contacts on the phone for SMS and email. BT printing support would be a plus, also.

9.) Last, but definitely not least...Nokia, please take a long hard look at the iPhone and copy everything you see fit. Don't be ashamed, because the iPhone is a great device. It just works the way you expect it to, pick it up and start using it with the instantaneous loading of the apps. Many of my points above are already on the iPhone, or will be in the not-too-distant future. New firmware? No problem, just sit back and let iTunes automatically sync all your data, apply the update, then put all your stuff back. The iPhone screen is much brighter than the Nokias, and even though the resolution is lower, the easy zooming and panning feature almost makes that a non-issue.


Well, there is my list...I am not trying to turn this into an Apple vs. Nokia flamebait post, but Nokia is just *this* close to having a device that does everything we all want it to. I know the original plan that Nokia had for these devices was to be just mainly a web browser, but those plans need to be quickly adapted to all of the new uses that we all now expect. I hope the third time is a charm, and hopefully the IT series is around for a long time, because both of them that I have owned have been two of my best purchases ever.

I'd kinda like that too. Low priority, but I'd like it.

That'd be cool. Esp. if the N810 has video-out. Watch whatever content your slingbox is providing right on the N810 ... or hook up the nearest display to your N810 and watch it on that :-)

But, again, ultimately optional.

Not nearly as optional. Something really needs to be done for contacts and bookmarks. And, while a static email sync would be nice for people whose desktop uses POP ... the email client that's built in REALLY needs to support real IMAP (all folders, including sent/inbox/etc. can live on the server, all server-side folders can be viewed on the IT). These 3 things REALLY need to be addressed (claws-mail does a good long way toward supporting IMAP with a local cache of messages, but the interface is a little too non-PDA optimized in my opinion).

I'm a bit more agnostic about video and music, but yeah, some sort of nice solution for syncing those from desktop to IT is good.

As far as I have heard, the next major maemo update will start doing that. Chinook will start doing package based updates (like OSX) instead of flash the whole thing like a brain-wipe type updates.

I actually turn my N800's brightness down. I have it at 3 dots most of the time.

Mostly agree. There's part of the flash process that might depend on having separation between the USB and charging interface ... but we'll see if they change that. And, right now, you can get a USB->Barrel adapter plug for the N800, then you just plug this thing into the N800, and attach a USB extension cable to the adapter.

More BT would be good. Bluetooth PAN for example. But I don't want SMS. If anything, I want to know that I can completely turn off and ignore SMS. I have GoogleTalk built in to the N800, and pidgin for all of my other IM needs. And SMS can cost money per message. If someone wants me via text, they can IM me.

To an extent, yes. As long as they don't adopt apple's closed platform attitude.

I don't have a problem with claws interface, the problem is that it is very slow with relatively big folders.
The problem with most mail programs is that they're geared to a local store and imap support is mostly an afterthought. The only program really designed around the imap paradigm was mulberry. I'm too used to the thunderbird and claws interface (both are good enough) to like mulberry, but it actually did something right: it just fetches enough data from the server to fill the screen, nothing less, nothing more.
If the screen can show, say, 20 messages, just fetch 20 headers. Scroll down and fetch 20 more. Let the server do the sorting and the threading.
It is fast even on slow speed links, since there's no time lost synchronizing a local cache with the server, and I assume it also helps keeping memory usage low.

The problem with the claws interface is that the little folder triangles, for collapsing parts of the tree, are too small. It's VERY easy to miss them. And I couldn't zoom in and out of that list view, IIRC. I also find that some actions just aren't very intuitive. I feel like they made some UI choices that probably work very well for their desktop version, but end up feeling shoe-horned in the PDA version.

I didn't always like Mozilla's IMAP implementation, but Thunderbird (TB) 1.x was "good enough", and TB 2.x has a HUGE feature win: the way you can select whether the folder list is "all folders", "folders with unread messages", "folders marked as favorites", or "folders you recently accessed". That is a HUGE usability win, IMO. And I don't know of any other mail client that does those.

I asked claws to implement it, though. And they said no. Which is a shame. It would have really helped with using the tiny screen if I could limit the folders shown, without limiting the subscription list. And limit it based on dynamic considerations (like "has unread messages" or "recently seen" or "marked as favorite").

Maybe after they finish microb, someone will work on porting a TB based mail client to maemo. I would _LOVE_ that. Especially if it has the folder view selection I mention above.