Hey! I'm surprised there has been almost a total lack of discussion on the N900 by N810 users. I've had my N810 for over 2 years now and have LOVED it. Probably the best tech gizmo I ever bought. I've been eyeing the N900 and I'm just curious if anyone would mind leaving their comments from a N810 to N900 users perspective. Mainly I'm curious how it does with the smaller screen and no D-pad (for games). Money isn't really a concern, I'm more interested in whether it's better than the N810 for what I do. My usage is 80% games, 15% GPS/Maps and 3% web browsing, 2% quick note taking. What have been your impressions with it?

I have both, N810 and N900.

N810 = almost PERFECT device.

N900 = screen too small.

I would say that the N900 is better for resource-intensive tasks like running media/emulators/games, especially for 3D - and it's also great for heavy hacking . However the N810 in my opinion is better for general-purpose computing tasks such as web browsing, e-mail, e-books especially, (some) pim, basic media, flash games are a bit easier to use due to the kb/d-pad/ui, and scripting - the N810 has an excellent keyboard for typing .

I have a 810 and I wondered whether I would use my 900 much for browsing, because of the wider screen of the 810. But the overall experience at what I do - mainly browsing- is so much better with the 900, that I never use the 810 anymore. The speed is the first apect, but the screen of the 900 also is very clear, with the same amount of pixels. I don't game much, but the speed is important there to, right?

If you'd like an N810 with GSM / 3G connectivity and voice calls, and some more performance, and the smaller size doesn't bother you, go for the N900.

It is interesting, though:
The people who come from the previous tablets find the N900 too small, while those coming from other phones find it too large.

I bought my N810 in September 2008, and got my N900 a few days before launch. The pros and cons of either device seem to me to be mostly a matter of trade-offs, although the N900's hardware is certainly superior in many ways.
My thoughts:
- The N900's overall build quality seems better, although it's all plastic (I like brushed metal )
- The web browsing experience on the N900 is vastly improved, in terms of speed, interaction, and (for the most part) features. It's still much less convenient than a netbook or laptop, but I had to spend a few weeks using the N900 as my primary computer when my desktop was broken, and it did the job admirably in that regard.
- The N900's keyboard is smaller, and less terminal-friendly, but (IMHO) the tactile feel of the keystrokes is much nicer, and the lack of D-Pad means that it is more centered than the N810's. A cross between them would be excellent, but I personally prefer the N900's.
- The N810's kickstand is awesome, and the N900's is almost useless. I especially miss being able to stick my hand through the kickstand (flat) for reading/watching one-handed without dropping it. If the wimpy kickstand bothers you, keep an eye on Fake's laser-cut stands (search for the thread), which are quite nice, if not a full substitute.
- The N810 had USB host, and as you probably are aware, the N900 does not. This likely isn't a big deal for most people, but I did love being able to plug in a flash key. (Of course, now if I need to when I'm out, I just plug it into the N810 and send it via Bluetooth to the N900)
- The screen quality is fairly similar, although the N900's is certainly brighter, and maybe a bit more vibrant.
- The physical screen size is a trade-off... I often use my N810 to read e-books, so I can read whenever I have a few minutes without packing a thick novel around; the N900 is too small to comfortably do that, although it's still large enough to be quite usable. Of course, the nice WVGA resolution is less useful in some ways due to the relative sizes of screen and fingers, but Nokia has done a good job of making it work in terms of interaction. If you have less than perfect vision, you may need to zoom the browser (which is easy to do, in three different ways), but everything else should be readable. Despite the more smartphone-y size, however, it is still very much a two-handed device.
- I can't really speak to gaming ability, because I don't do much of that. The arrow keys are certainly more than sufficient for the tasks I do, and are physically much easier to manipulate than the N810's D-Pad, but I don't know if it would be a suitable substitute for your use-case.
- The Notes app has seen a few improvements (such as being able to save in plain-text), and a few features gutted. Overall, it's kind of "meh", and you're probably better installing LeafPad or something else, for most uses.

Overall, I've been really pleased with the N900, and it makes my N810 jealous, but it's hard to know whether recommend it to someone I've never met. It's seen a lot of improvements, but it's also still rough in some areas. You should probably see if you can find one to play around with for a few minutes, if you can. I think there was a thread somewhere on here to post the locations of forum users - you could check that and see if there is someone in your area who could give you a hands-on demo.
Cheers,

I think ebooks are where it will really annoy me as well as lack of USB host. I cant believe the BT mouse implementation isn't here yet as a replacement by Nokia.

I found the gui a little confusing on the N900. The multiple homescreens are nice I guess but I don't use them. The N810 seemed to have more consistent gui functions and the hardware keys for window management were the first things I missed on the N900. For example: while running a maximized program on the N900 you have to make two screen taps to see the running programs. This is annoying coming from the N810 where the little button on the side shows the full list of running programs. The N900 makes up for this with very quick task switching compared to the slow N810.

Even though the touchscreen is smaller it seems much more sensitive than the N810. You look at some buttons and they seem to small to get detected by a fat finger tap but usually they work. Maybe I just notice it because my N810 had a dying touch screen.

Otherwise, ditto everything jaem said.

Point of interest, Ctrl+Backspace on the N900 will bring up the task switcher from (virtually?) any context, so if you have the keyboard out, it's actually arguably quicker than the N810's method. But yes, I miss some of the hardware buttons, too. On that note, @OP, I forgot to mention that the completely useless (and uselessly-located) lock switch on the N810 has been replaced with a wonderfully springy tab that you can easily flick with your thumb as stow or retrieve the phone from your pocket/purse/gadget holster. Also, it actually blanks the screen right away, rather than leaving it on until it times out, like the N810.

Yes, another point I missed - the N900's touch panel is superb. It's probably the most sensitive resistive panel I've used, although admittedly my experience isn't that broad. It is certainly much better than the N810's, and the flush mount means you don't get cruft around the edges of the bezel.

I was just using N810 on my Easter holiday and thinking should I upgrade to N900.

I still decided not to. The N810 for me is fine even if it lacks stuff like exchange syncing but because the N900 is a phone also, such things are not acceptable.

I currently use E61i + N810. I am planning to upgrade later this year to a device that would combine the good sides of both. One device I've been looking at is the HTC desire. The HTC HD2 would otherwise be cool but Winmo 6.5 is a dying platform.

The N900 was a real disappointment for me. I would gladly have upgraded if they made it as a tablet instead with bigger screen. Something like HTC HD2 but with a sliding QWERTY keyboard would have been cool!