Originally Posted by stelchio

we were promised through ads and various gadget blogs a wonderfull all around gizmo.

Originally Posted by Texrat

We don't get enough of these polarizing threads. I blame GeneralAntilles for intimidating the noobs.

Originally Posted by ddalex

I've been an early adopter of NITs, specifically the 770. I've been uber-excited by the incredible possibilities of a Linux computer at my fingertips. And now, two years later, I'm quite disappointed; not only in NITs but in all mobile internet devices.

I expected for the NITs to mature into solid consumer-level devices which allow tweaking if desired, but which would work flawlessly out of box (more-or-less). I could live with an Synaptic-like application manager to allow update and installing of new applications. This hasn't happened, and I still have to do incredible hackups (from a consumer POV) to get the tablet to run apps I want. Broken dependecy, I don't need to see your face again.

I expected a at least decent PIM, calendar and email application with Exchange capabilties that would work in a corporate environment.
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I expected to have a decent media player and controller, but even the task to have a picture/audio/video that "just works" is too big.
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For god's sake, I can't even have a half-decent browser that isn't a resource hog and will actually play good flash !
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And don't even let me start on under-utilized hardware packed in the tablets, for which I actually pay. If you're to be open to community, at least provide 3D and Jazelle specs so that somebody can actually write some drivers and put the hardware to good use.

Oh well, if NITs are something like an experiment to Nokia, let's call the cute little devices COMMUNITY TESTING AND DEVELOPEMENT TABLETS and be done with it. They will not ever be in consumer-level market, so let's see the competition.

The iPhone (the new released one) seems the closest competitor, but it lacks openness. It locks your money to Job's wallet with a chain. True, a gold-plated chain, but a chain. And there is that horrible platform with impossible approach if you want to be able to tweak and develop on it. Not free, not good.

The EeePC and the like are closer to something working out for me. But they use the incredible power-hungry x86 architecture (a problem which isn't so bad given the latest Intel Atom and VIA Nano processors), and they are big. Too big to comfortably slide in a pocket when storming out the door for the day's trip. And the EeePC's out of the box system is all but useless: you have to go through other system install, sweat blood and sacrifice a virgin goat to get everything working.

To be truefull to myself, I think I had more joy and better user experience with my old Palm m105 than with any new modern handheld device. I want that back, but with network, wireless and browsing capabilties !

So what I want/need from a mobile computing device:
- small form factor with touchscreen. Smaller than 770, bigger than iPhone, with big resolution, and software that understands that it runs on high DPI/big resolution / tiny physical screen;
- well-designed and stable consumer-level experience; the designed should focus on how one interacts with a handheld device, not how to cut pixels to fit a desktop environment on a handheld device.
- standard mainstream distro, even if not for x86 architecture. Ubuntu mobile seems a step in the right direction. Hildon and propietary extensions seem like an overreach, which bogs down porting programs that actually run well on a somewhat mainstream-ish and standardized interface like GTK.

- centralized-database application management. Putting apps on a such device shouldn't be a pain. Maemo.org is a good step, but someone should dedicate lot of time to maintain clean central application database, including the binaries of well-tested programs. If you want bleeding edge, you should be able to do it, but a central database with all the programs that "just works, no tweaks needed" is much desired.
- make use of all hardware facilities you can. On a small device, you have to put to use even the smallest register and not skip a cycle . Don't let 3D acceleration capabilities or Java hardware processor go unutilized. Also, the least thing you can do is beef up the RAM. It doesn't eat lots of power, is quite cheap these days, and you cannot ever have too much of it.
- working peripherals, be it bluetooth, infrared (I know it's old fashioned, but I could use m105 as extra-fancied remote, I want that back ! ), USB (Think of all you could do with a proper USB host port),

GPS, TV-Out/Monitor port. I want to be able to play a game using wiimotes connected to NIT with output on that big TV screen. If you add the 3D acceleration and the big memory, you end up killing not only DS and PSP off the market, you actually can go for the Wii !. All in a device that I can unplug and carry on to play/work during commute.

- if you pack extra RAM, and dynamic CPU frequency management, together with a mainstream distro, you get solved lots of problems from the start on the office front: OpenOffice and Evolution at your fingertips. Now I could read work emails and type half-assessed PowerPoint (bleah) presentations on the go !

- Mainstream webbrowser (Firefox) with working Flash. I can't stress out how important this is. Having the Firefox addons available for install really changes the experience of the internet for me. Flash is a must have in the new RIA world. AIR is a must too. By know, you should know that I really fancy Adobe, and I think they will change the face of the internet as we know it (just take a look at Adobe labs website!). I understand that Nokia or anyone else beside Adobe doesn't have a say in here, so I'm looking at you, big A.

Sorry for the long rant, but I expected and wanted a hole different experience from the new Mobile devices, and I'm not getting it. Decade-old handhelds did a far better (even if more limited) job. I want My Experience Back. Maybe Nokia or someone else will hear.

So this far, my NITs silently wait for better days. I have no current uses for them, apart from light web browsing when the browser doesn't crash. And I wonder, do you ever actually use yours beside for the tweaking which every geek needs to do once in a while ?

Where do you see the tablets going ?

Originally Posted by Texrat

We don't get enough of these polarizing threads. I blame GeneralAntilles for intimidating the noobs.

Originally Posted by Texrat

There's a big leap from "no improvement" to what you're demanding, Karel.

But hey, you stick with your legendary bombastic style. It's what we love about you.

Originally Posted by CelticDaddio

It is slow.