Guys:

I'm thinking about getting the Nokia n810 for web work and GPS mapping.
Just have a few questions that's hard to find on the net. This should be easy for someone that owns the n810 and bought 3rd party map & chat clients.

Does the n810 have Nokia Maps 2.0? Any free maps available? I hope to get World wide coverage (I travel a lot to remote areas outside Americas/Europe). I don't care about traffic direction maps, just streets and a dot showing where I am. I don't need or want Wayfinder.
Do I need to subscribe to the map service? Something like $40/year or can I just buy the maps once?
Google and Microsoft maps are good, but I can only use offline maps.

Does the built-in web-cam work for online video chat? Can I use video-chat with MSN Messenger or Skype? Or I can only use some less known app like Gizmo? There was lots of questions and trouble about this a year ago, but I hope things have changed a lot since then.

I'm actually having trouble finding any real N810 user. If I'm WAY off, please just point me in the right direction. I hope to get more into this by using the n810 as a real Linux machine.

Thanks!

A clarification: There's not much third party Internet tablet software available for purchase. There are some packages (Wayfinder, Skype, Rhapsody, etc.) for which one must pay for service to gain full functionality, but the client software is free.

There's quite a lot free (often open source) software available though.

No.

The Wayfinder maps are free to download and use. With that application, you pay for routing and voice, if you want them.

Maemo Mapper is the most popular free solution. It uses raster maps downloaded from various sources.

There are a few other free mapping programs available.

Wayfinder would provide what you say you want though, and without paying anything extra.

There is no charge for downloading maps--aside from whatever you pay for Internet access.

As I understand it, Maemo Mapper can use pre-downloaded Google maps.

If you--and the remote user--are using suitable software, yes.

I believe the aMSN client supports this, yes.

No.

Gizmo works. The built-in SIP client will work too, given an appropriate client at the other end.

I'm a cheap, imported counterfeit myself, but there's probably some genuine users around here too.

sjgadsby:

Thank you for your very helpful reply. I did have trouble finding someone that knows about the n810.
Now it seems I just need to learn how to download and install open source apps, like Maemo Mapper and aMSN. I also hear Diablo is popular, need to learn about this as well.

Thanks again!

Just to clarify, Diablo is just the name of the latest operating system for both the N800 and N810. Fremantle with be the next major release.

@Den
Do you think Maemo 5-Fremantle will run on a N810 and not just the successor (N900)? I know the N900 will be a whole lot better, but I can get a N810 fairly cheaply now and the new operating system should add some life to the N810.
Just thinking...

No, Fremantle will be the next major release. Freemantle is a suburb and electoral ward in Southampton, UK.

Just a heads up, the next person to misspell Fremantle is getting 50 lashings.

Yes and no. It will not be officially supported, as the current generation of hardware just doesn't have the oomph and featureset to do so acceptably, but Mer will offer some recourse to current owners to see continued improvements and some changes from Maemo 5.

Well then, let me assure you: you've come to the right place!