So, I dropped my N810 today, again. This time, the slider didn't survive without a wee bit of damage. Everything works, though a bit sloppy. However, in that $#**!! moment, I've realised just how dependent I've become on the little guy.

I've been hunting around for the next thing... but nothing even comes close to the N810 in meeting my needs/desires. It just does near everything I want, the way I want it. But, it's so old, there has to be something better by now? My searches keep ending up at that "Always Innovating" site... love the idea of a pocket computer that plugs into the back of a tablet, that plugs into a keyboard and extra batteries... but vapourware is the worst kind of tease for a geek. So, I guess it's time to buy another N810.

I just know that the day after I buy another N810, there will be some great announcement for something that hits me the way the N810 did when I read the specs... An, "oh, I want that" kind of thing. I've been waiting and waiting, but nothing. Sigh. I give up.

I've posted a wanted add here:
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=81265
for a used one

Are there any retail mail-order deals around that anyone knows about?

David...

Amazon has some for $200 if you're desperate.

No, not desperate yet... but considering it. Amazon prices seem to run about $115 and up for used, $200 for new. Ebay is about the same. There's some cell site advertising new for $160 but the reviews on that company are rather alarming, to say the least.

I figure I'll take the time to see what's available used before jumping in. Who knows, maybe the next CES show (Jan 9th or so) will surprise the world with exactly what I want... or not. I can wait past then; been waiting for a while actually.

I paid $400 for my N810 only to have the price drop to $250 a month after I got it. So, knowing my luck, I'll fork out big bucks for another one, only to have the price drop because a viable replacement is suddenly available. When that happens, the asking price for the N810 will probably drop through the floor - but then I won't want one because I'll have something new. Sigh... sometimes the realities of capitalism just suck.

i would watch ebay and find a cheap used one. that's how I got mine a couple years a go for under $150, now i see them on there under 100.

I use my N810 every day.
As an IT it has Opera.
As a hacker device it has gcc, and a lot of tools.
And I believe it has coolest appearance ever. N900 is not as good, and N9 is too slim and glamorous.

+1 for the ebay route. I picked up a very clean one for slightly < $100 (including shipping).

So... I made another attempt at finding an N810 replacement. This time, I decided to look into Android but searching for a cheap Android tablet with GPS was getting me nowhere. So, I flipped it around... looked for a GPS that was Android based. And, what do you know, this little guy popped out:
CyberNav Mini
I've found the N810 to be a great internet tablet with a mediocre GPS. This thing looks to be a great GPS with mediocre tablet capabilities. But, for the first time since getting the N810, I'm actually excited about a device. I ordered one off Ebay, slightly over $100, and I can't wait for it to arrive.

I really have no idea what it will be like when I get it. It's new and there are no reviews I can find. Every website that shows up on a search has exactly the same text - basically the sales brochure. But, it's got some decent specs. The GPS chip is highly rated, so that should be good unless they've screwed up the antenna. It's a 5" screen but only 6mm wider than the N810. No bluetooth, Android 2.2 so no USB host mode (that I can see right now), so I'll not be using it for ODB2 diagnostics (Carman on the N810 is great for that). No hw keyboard - I'll miss that. Not much in the way of any hw buttons. Power and reset seem to be it. The 2hr battery life is pathetic, but then it's designed to run plugged in to a car. I might be able to improve that by turning off the GPS. After all, the N810 only gets about 3 hours with the GPS on. But, the 800Mhz cpu, 256MB of RAM, and 4GB of internal storage pretty much doubles-down on the N810.

So... my plan is to see how far this thing can go towards replacing my need for the N810. If it falls flat, then it will become my Off-road bike GPS. Not too bad a use for the price. I've also been browsing the Android market place and, after living with the Maemo repositories, that can be a bit overwhelming. Then again, nearly everything there requires "internet access" privileges. Why does a flashlight app need internet access? ... ads. After a while, I got smart and searched for "opensource." That yielded about 20 pages of goodness, a little bit like home. I should be able to get apps for most everything I want. It turns out there's even Perl for Android. It's just a matter of the hardware, mostly the missing bluetooth.

Honesty, as a daily carry-around, I don't think it will best the N810. I mean, I'm happy with the N810 and my biggest problem is living in fear that it will die on me with nothing to replace it. Maybe this Cybernav thing will fill that backup need. Then again, I'll probably still buy another N810... though I'm going to wait for sub $100 pricing. I've made one offer but he's not got back to me...

Funny, I thought I was behind with my N900. I appreciate finding a device you like and holding onto it; ignoring the "latest and greatest".

Why were you disinterested in the N900? Is it because your prime need was GPS? Decent used N900s aren't too difficult to find.

Sincerely,

Abe

Mostly, it was the smaller screen size but I'm also not interested in having a cell bundled.

Screen wise, I find the N810 about as small as I'm willing to go. I find panning around disorientating when trying to do remote desktop to a server and fullscreen on even 4" is bordering on unusable. On the other hand, I don't think I'd be carrying around (as much) a device with a screen much bigger than the N810... it's in a sweet spot for me.

On a choice between an N810 and the N900... I'll go with the N810. There are no N900 apps I want that can't run on the N810 (that I know of anyway), the N900 isn't supported any more than the N810 (nothin' = nothin'), I don't feel the N810 is too slow, so any extra CPU is not that meaningful, and it costs more. Besides, I really like that N810 stand thingie. I mean, I never would have thought about it when going to shop for something, but that little bar makes the thing so much easier to hold. I slide my left hand between it and the body and that makes for a very secure grip with a very light touch. I'm really going to miss that with the next device.

Wait! You know... I should be saying the N810 sucks. Everyone should dump theirs on Ebay and buy the N900. Yeah... that stupid little stand is useless, and there's no Nokia support, and it's really slow, and it can't do youtube - total piece of junk

Sigh... (speaking of what I expect to be junk) my CyberNav Mini is stuck in customs right now. Ordered on the 17th, shipped (so they say) on the 18th, tracked via HK Post on the 20th, in Canada on the 22nd, and off to customs... wait, wait, wait... All this time I've been blaming Canada Post. Tracking is a bad thing for government departments.

Oh, and yes, a better GPS would be nice, though it's not a prime requirement for a daily carry-around. With the CyberNav, the GPS can be the primary use if, as I suspect, it will fail at daily use. I'm also interested in exploring Android, so that's another use. Like I said, I'll probably buy another N810, at some point, as a backup.

I have to say that Canadian customs is by far the worst customs I have ever been forced to deal with in all my years - with a "third world" country being the exception. They will nitpick the most ridiculous things. The bureaucracy in this country stifles my will to live at times.

Best wishes on finding a system with the perfect fit. I have very poor vision and would really enjoy another 20/30% screen on my N900.

Abe