Alright, my N800 arrived today!

What I am working on:
Downloading the image file of OS2008. I'm not sure how to install it, but I know I need it.

My questions:

1) When the OS2008 bin file completes, how do I install it?

2) I have the duke3D.grp file and have downloaded the debian installer. I installed it, but when I run the program nothing happens. It thinks about it, then seems to give up. I noticed the OP for the Duke3D thread says to make a new directory to put the GRP in. How do I make a new directory? (thread here)

3) How can I have success with Canola and the stock media player? I tried both and found that only Mplayer will play my movies smoothly.

4) If question 3's answer is "Use Mplayer then" how do I make Mplayer the default media player? (I tried to the solution from here got emelFM2 installed, and could even view the config files mentioned, but I cannot open it. When I double click it, it asks for a command. I figured it would be a simple text file, but it isn't. How can I edit that file?)

Thanks in advance. I am stuck in Egypt for a year with the military and this is my new companion. I am looking forward to watching movies and playing duke3d and quake on this thing.

1) the OS2008 bin should be installed before the rest of your applications, as much (if not all) of that will 'go away' during the OS flash.

a) You can flash from a windows machine using the utility on the Nokia web site.

b) If flashing from a Linux machine, there's a flashing utility on the maemo.org site, and there is a direct pointer to it from the Nokia web site.

So am I to understand you can't flash the unit by itself? You need an external machine to do it?

I know that installing anything before the flash would probably get removed in the flashing process but I couldn't resist.

EDIT: is there a place I can download the new OS image that is better than the nokia site? The download keeps crapping out on me.

Use the tablet flasher wizard in windows to dl the bin image. Much more reliable.

For mplayer as default, use dbus-switchboard.

A new directory can be made with the built in filemanager.

It would also be worth maybe, converting the movies yourself with an n800 video converter.

on the itt forum news section there is an announcement that os2008 51-3 has been released. go there a download the image by clicking tthe link and inputing your wlan address when prompted.
after downloading, run the tablet software update wizard and browse to that file and upadate.
there is an internet tablet school for newbies. google it and ull find more stuff over there

I seem to recall a thread (perhaps on this board?) about flashing directly from the device, but I haven't read the thread, nor have I tried the (assumed to be complicated) procedure.

As far as I know, the OS image is only available on the Nokia site.

You cannot flash the entire bin image. Just kernel & iinitfs which isn't really much use. (Not in this case, initfs & kernel flash can be very useful)

Alright. I got the new image flashed and OS2008 is running! Good stuff. MY video's still don't play smoothly. I was hoping to avoid a converter but that doesn't seem possible until media hits a standard format and little devices get a little stronger.

***EDIT: Duke3d fixed and running.