The Nokia case arrived today. It is a great looking minimalistic design. I was a bit worried at first because the package was so heavy (didn't want to add a lot of weight and bulk to the n800) but then I realized it was because of the two big magnets Nokia includes.

I'm guessing about 99% of those magnets will never be used. Connect it to a refrigerator? Perhaps the Fins have been reading about how Americans like to eat in their cars and attach things to their refrigerators....or maybe it is the Fins who like to do this.

Having said that the rest of the magnetic enclosure works well. It might have been more efficient if they had designed a mechanical attachment point into the back, but sans that, the steel plate and magnet are a workable solution...hope they don't rust. Speaking of that, have others left the plastic coating on? Not sure why it is in two pieces...a thin coating over the entire surface and a thicker smaller one in the center.

I finally feel like the screen has some real protection from what might bump into it vs. that soft case it came with. Overall, I'd give it a solid A. A+ if you didn't have to glue bits of metal on that back.

I suspect you're right, in fact possibly closer to 99.99%!

This stumped me for a while too, then I realised the smaller thicker piece of plastic is actually the protective coating from one of the larger magnets which had transferred itself to the battery cover attachment. I've put that piece of plastic back onto the unprotected large magnet, which is sitting in a drawer attached to it's twin awaiting a future purpose... car and house keys on a metal keyring stick to it quite nicely.

As for the plastic covering the metal strip attached to the battery cover, I've left it on but will probably remove it as it's beginning to blister and while I doubt the metal will rust, it will probably become quite grubby from finger marks!

One thing I've noticed is that pressure on the case can sometimes result in the center of the d-pad being pressed, potentially activating something. I first noticed this probelm when the media player began streaming a radio station as the media player applet had focus at the time and the default action triggered by the d-pad center/enter key is "Play". While the new case for the N800 provides adequate screen protection, it still doesn't provide the automatic lock/unlock functionality of the old 770 hard case - a truly inspired design... I hope future Nokia devices have a magnet sensor built-in whether they come with a case or not, as this case could easily have triggered such a sensor if only it were present.

AhHa.

There are "stainless" metals that are also magnetic. Hope this is one of them. I don't expect to ever look at, or touch, that steel plate again...I'll keep the cover on 24/7.

That isn't a problem for me because I always lock it when I close it. I had to many accidental pressings with the soft case. I really like how the same two key presses put it in suspend and awake it. It makes the process very mindless and fast.

I guess I'll have to get used to pressing the buttons to lock and unlock the screen - that's what I so liked about the 770, the fact that the locking and unlocking of the device was taken care of when I slipped the case on, whereas the N800 is a definite step backwards in terms of user convenience and ease of use. I know it's a trivial issue, but why Nokia discarded such a great concept as the magnetic front sensor (which probably costs pennies) beggars belief.

I had a 770 too. The combined case/switch was a very nice feature.

The n800 is certainly poorly designed from a handling standpoint. (the "designer" probably never even bothered to hold a prototype before it went into production) It's VERY slippery, and difficult to hold securely while using the stylus. Dropping it is not a question of "if", but "when". In addition, it was provided with a fabric slip-case that's so slippery and loose that the unit literally shoots out of it at any given chance, putting the unit in constant jeopardy until you wise up and lose the slip-cover in some dark drawer forever. Compare to the very similar but oh so much more properly designed snug and secure slip-case of the legendary HP voyager series calculators, perfected over 25 years ago! Why didn't they just refine the 770's hard shell? I guess the marketing department didn't think it had enough "sexy curves". The power button is another annoyance. Hopefully these things will be cleared up in the next version.

Personally I felt that Nokia had a design classic on their hands with the N770 and then made bad decisions when it came to its successor. As you say, the new designers just didn't get it.

FWIW, to solve the slip-on case problem I stiched a seam 1cm in from the long edge (snip off the surplus) and it now holds the device as it should.

I found the new case can be used as a stand when I fold back the front cover portion which now becomes a support/stand. It holds the N800 at a tilted angle of about 25-30°, very nice when I am standing and have it on the table. Using the tumb keyboard becomes alot easier in that postion.

I haven't had that problem at all. I hold my N800 one of two ways:

1) stand closed, left thumb at the bottom of the screen, index finger and middle finger curled over the top on either side of the microphone (not perpendicular to the N800, but almost running along the length of it), ring finger on the back of the N800, almost by the power plug, and pinky at the back/base of the N800.


2) open the stand all the way. Slide my left hand between the stand and the back of the N800. My hand is big enough that it becomes firmly secure when the stand is at the base of my fingers (just before passing over the knuckles). I can pretty much keep my thumb free in this case, but for extra security I use my finger tips and thumb to keep the N800 still. Sometimse I keep my fingers perpendicular to the width of the N800, sometimes I put my thumb along the left side of the N800 (so that the corner of my thumb is at teh lower left corner of the N800, and the tip of my thumb is almost at the camera), and then my fingers run diagonally along the back of the N800, and my index and middle fingers curl up over the top.

I try not to put a lot of pressure on the stand when I use it this way, as I don't know how much fatigue the hinge can take. I basically just make sure that it's "snug" without being "stressed".


No slippage ever.


If I ever wanted to hold it in my right hand, I'd probably put my thumb between the nokia logo and the right speaker, my index finger running along the top of the N800 (toward the microphone), my pinky finger along the bottom, and the my middle finger and ring finger pressing on the back (so that the device is basically being squeezed between my thumb and middle finger).

Then I could do the same with my left and, only instead of using my thumb to press on the front of the N800, my left thumb would be available for the D-pad and other buttons.

I just held it both of those last two ways, and it felt very secure. No feeling of slippage. Holding it the last way, with both hands, I could even release my right thumb, so that if the N800 had buttons on the right side I could have used them too.


At some point, I'll get my housemate to take pictures of the different finger orientations I'm talking about. I really didn't feel any sense of slipperyness with the N800 when I held it in any of the above configurations.

I emailed Nokia online shop about the problem and that I wanted to buy the case and they gave me the number for Nokia direct. Rang Nokia direct and they will not sell to anyone in the UK and referred me back to Nokia online shop.

I could not find a telephone number for the shop, despite references to calling them on their 'sales terms', but rang the Nokia Care line. Who were no help whatsoever. I asked for a number to speak to someone at Nokia shop for sales and they refused to give me the number. Incredible you want to buy something and nobody at Nokia UK is interested. I've heard of poor after care, but the sales side at Nokia UK needs to wake up, currently it has no idea.

Rich