Hello,

I'm on the verge of getting an N800 but have held back because of some unanswered question about some of the N800's features. I've been poring through SO many threads for the past month that my head is spinning (but its good to see that this is a very active forum!).

My issue is this. On paper, judging by the specs, the N800 has the feature set that I'm looking for. These include:
- web browser
- vnc capability
- FM radio
- simple camera
- video recording capability (I'm ok with the low resolution)

However, when going through the postings here in internettablettalk, I've come to the realization that only the first 2 bullets in my list above seem to be fully satisfied if I upgrade to OS2008. In other words, the common sentiment of what I have seen posted is that OS2008 does support the N800's FM radio, but there are side effects to battery life. As well, the Camera application works in OS2008, but does not support video recording. Am I understanding this correctly that this is the current status of these features at this point in time?

I've heard it mentioned that the later Camera versions gave a better quality picture output than those circa v2.7. Is this true? Can anyone confirm?

One of problems of scanning through so many threads is that some of the information that I read may not be totally correct and even for some of those that are correct, that info has now been obsoleted. Can anyone set me straight with the latest story?

Thanks a bunch!

I haven't seen a problem with my battery while listening to the radio... yet? I hope not.... Yes, the camera has a very low quality compared to phones that are out there, it is not even a megapixel however at least you can videochat with other N800 owners...

Before you go out and buy that N800, here are my 2 cents:

- web browser <-- good, works as promised
- vnc capability <--
- FM radio <-- interferes with another core feature, can't remember what.
- simple camera <- yes, very simple, not fit for most purposes
- video recording capability (I'm ok with the low resolution) <-- does not do video recording

You should be aware that most of your needs are not addressed by the feature set.

The radio will consume battery life, as would any other form of media playback, so be aware of that.

The camera is a low-quality webcam, and it's very poorly supported by the software - the only video chat application is Gizmo.

The FM radio works fine. I use it frequently, and the battery drain is minimal. But as I discovered (and posted elsewhere in another thread here), if you turn off the N800 without stopping radio play in the FM applet, the radio remains active and drains the battery.

If you turn off the N800 without stopping radio play in the FM applet, the radio remains active and drains the battery??!?!?!

Then what all is the OS doing when it supposedly "shuts down"?

Has anyone confirmed this and submitted a bug report?

No wonder some people are having battery life issues!

the fm radio is a surprise since it wasnt in the product sheet...
someone said recently it interferes with bluetooth, but i dont know
if that is a software or radio interference issue.

the internet radio capabilities are pretty wonderful on the n800,
especially if you install streamtuner, so i almost never use the fm radio.

The fm radio works fine. There was a way to record video, but I haven't seen it lately, and it was very primitive, though sorta fun. I have several batteries and a charger, which cost me a total of about $20 including shipping on ebay, so I rarely notice battery usage problems. I did an ebay search yesterday and it looks like the battery/charger deals are still available.

VNC viewer -> http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...d.php?p=134884
Simple Camera -> http://illumination.sf.net/maemo/Knips.install

- despite any issues w/the current state of os2007 or os2008, the Nokia N800 is one of the best deals on the market for an Internet tablet, especially considering it is now in the US$200 range...

- top features for me:

1. Linux-based (so many benefits here)
2. built-in wifi
3. bluetooth
4. built-in camera (also works as a motion-based Internet security cam!)
5. FM radio
6. mp3/video playback
7. (2) SDHC slots (currently supporting 64GB of storage! mine has 32GB)
8. touchscreen
9. supports external USB devices (RS232, HD storage, keyboards, etc.)
10. Skype, Gizmo Internet phone/videoconferencing
11. Gmail POP3 support

- and on and on...

- just try to find *any* device with these capabilities on the market in the N800's form factor and price range from any other manufacturer!

- JMHO, YMMV

The OS does a number of things. First, and most obvious, strangeness of "shut-down" behavior is when the charger's plugged in. With the N800 "off" but the charger plugged in, it displays charging status on the screen. You might think, since the device is off, there must be a secondary (low-power) CPU handling this, or that there's just a BIOS routine, and the whole OS is not loaded. In fact, the OS is up, just in a different runlevel. Programs can still run, sometimes with quite interesting results. Like most modern devices, off doesn't mean off. It's a little more visible on the ITs, though, and you could argue that's a (collection of) bug(s).

I've no experience with this, and it sounds wierd even to me. With the N800 powered off and no charger connected, I think the CPU really is off. Don't know how the FM receiver could still be on, but it's possible. If so, then it's a bug; when the process receives sigterm, it should turn off the radio.

But there is the possibility to leave the FM radio playing through the "headphones", even when the headphones are a bare patch cable used solely as an antenna. Not a bug, just a hazard. Done that a few times...