Made a switch to Android..
 

I decided to get a Samsung Galaxy Player 5". This is just a tablet, no phone hardware, so I still use the N900 as my phone.

Here are some opinions and observations.
Advantages of Android (on the Samsung Galaxy Player):
1. Much nicer screen (5", can view movies on it, play games, etc.) without eye strain.
2. The touch screen is sooo much better. After playing with it for a while, the N900 screen seems very insensitive (must press harder).
3. Lots and lots of applications, almost any need can be satisfied.
4. The battery won't die in 8 hours of being idle. It can last for a few days in idle mode.
5. My device can be overclocked to 1.5Ghz (from 1Ghz) without increasing the base voltage too much. So it's almost twice as fast as an overclocked N900.
6. Same weight as the N900.
7. The speakers are quite a bit louder.
8. Compass and other sensors.
9. BT is better than the N900, especially with the WiFi on.
10. Skype has a much better video, and can select the front or back camera.

Advantages of N900
1. Keyboard (that's a really nice thing).
2. It has a phone built in :) And 3G too.
3. Notification lights.
4. Can run more programs at once, despite for the fact that it only has 256 RAM vs 512.
5. Runs Linux, can port some normal Linux programs to it.

Anyway, at home the Samsung is my 'default' toy. It's a really nice device, and I take it with me to places where I have WiFi. I use it a lot for games, some light browsing, and it's great for Skype with video. I also like the fact that Skype is a separate application, and not integrated with the phone.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

the galaxy note is the galaxy player with a phone

so if you really did want to replace the n900, that would be your most likely choice

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Yes, but it is much more expensive than the Galaxy player, close to 700 usd unlocked.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I bought my NOTE brand new for $690 with shipping and also got a 32GB microSD.

It can be had for ~$600 depending, and its worth its weight in gold$$$

I'm closely tracking the Ubuntu port and the Spark tablet. I think there might be a middle-ground somewhere. I think a dualboot into Linux+rpm+kde is possible just need the source which can be had from a range of devices (SGTABv, SGSII, SG NOTE all use Exynos) and also the LIMA driver.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

You are COMPLETELY wrong - what you observe ARE JUST HARDWARE advantages of contemporary HW against 3 years old one. Nothing to do with Android, which is just OS.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

^Except for points 3, 4, 5, 10.
Android has had its time to incubate and fix up many kinks, which is why it works well on most new Android devices.

I seriously doubt Maemo5 (on SG 5") wouldn't have kwirks of its own.
Given the tender, love and care...then I'd agree with you.

And that's the most infuriating thing about Nokia. If the Apple first iPhone's software was 4/5 years advanced compared to the competition, then the N900's would be at least 5 years more advanced than it. Why, Nokia, Why !!?!!?

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

The number of applications has to do with android. Even if the N900 had the same specs, you still couldn't do a lot of things because of the software.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I am sure the Note would be worth the money IF I needed a phone. But I work from home, and most of the time (say, 99%) I am in the range of a wifi network. The GSM reception at my place is very poor, I can get SMSes, and make some broken voice calls if the stars are right. Data is almost a no go.

Anyway, I am very happy with the Galaxy Player, the only thing I wish it had was better cameras, The back and front cameras are OKish for Skype, but worthless for anything else. And maybe 1Gb of RAM, although 512 seems to be satisfactory.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

@Kangal
point 3. I wont comment on "app mantra". Tired of it.
point 4. It is just completely WRONG. N900 lasts for more than A WEEK with GSM off.
point 5. It is HW issue.
point 10. What does Android (or OS) has to do with it?

Otherwise - I completely agree with the second part of your post. :)

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I never had the N900 last for more than a day with GSM off, wifi on, skype and some voip stuff on. My Samsung will last for 2 days of standby AND moderate use. Granted, it has a bigger battery and a more efficient processor, but I think that's more to it than just hardware.

Talking about the OS without talking of hardware is meaningless. I think you can put Android on N900 (not sure how well it works, and if it is usable). You can't put Meego on the Samsung.

Anyway, I was comparing it with the N900. The N9 is closer in hardware specs, and I would not buy a N9, even if it were at the same price. What matters most is the software. You just can't get the software selection and ease of use on Maemo/Meego. Installing most of the stuff requires hacks, some minor some not so minor.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

@Radu
I will repeat it - you are putting forward hardware differences/advantages as OS related.
Bigger battery in your device is NOT OS related!
Speaking about battery life Maemo/Meego is FAR more energy saving optimised than Android.
Talking about OS and getting HW out of the equation is the WHOLE point of it! Look at your thread title "Made a switch to Android", look at your statement "Advantages of Android" that is ONLY OS.
If you want to compare DEVICES - be my guest. But make a difference between OS and HW.
When speaking about software in terms of applications - it is JUST your opinion. I do not see many application that matter to me(note the bold!) that I miss/need on N9. I have many of standard GNU CLI tools inbuilt, which is something Android don't. But that just me...
No point of arguing - enjoy your device!
Dixi!

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I switched to Android like the OP with a SGS2 6 months ago and had to witch back last week when it broke. Surprised how good the N900 still seems, I agree with the OP the screen seems less responsive and clearly there less apps but it is great to be able to use Xterm and have multiple apps running at the same time.

Not really sure why Nokia didn't stick with maemo as I am sure it would of still been a good OS today with development by Nokia, there is nothing in Android which make it a better OS just that it now has a far better eco system built around it, hence why I am now glad I now have my repaired SGS2 back, even if it is boring compared to the N900

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

ten chars!

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Forgot to mention the fake multitasking of Android (or iOS, or WP 7). I have lost 3-4 times the status of open softwares in the last 3 weeks using Android 3.2 @ Asus Transformer TF-101 : Adobe PDF Reader reopens at the 1st page after multitasking, Opera Mobile closes web sites, etc.

Android is a dumbed down OS following the trend started with iOS.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Depends of each user's needs. I have more softwares installed on Maemo 5 @ N900 and MeeGo Harmattan @ N9 than on Android 3.2 @ Asus Transformer TF-101. There are many good softwares missing on Android and iOS for my taste, which are available for Maemo/Meego.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

its amazing what google can get you these days...

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1396599

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

its amazing what properly working OS like maemo or symbian can get you these days...
there is nothing you can do except completly rewrite android code that will prevent it to close apps that you want open, you can only postpone it but not fix it

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Wow, 'droid really blows. 'But I can tweetdıck my blog status all over the memesphere' you may cry. What use is it if you cannot leave a program running in the background?

Also, the average spelling age of the majority of XDA developer users seems to be (trisha02)-6. What a cesspit of møngoloid retærds.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

bad news, N9 64 are outsold here in indonesia, or maybe good one? i want a black N9 64gb!! *sigh

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

How the he*l can you only get so little battery life on your N900????, i know i have the Duel SCUD, but if used mine just in almost total idle it will last for more then 4 days, and if i where to use it in total standby mode it will properly go for almost 2 weeks.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Yeah, so I would have to root Android 3.2 just to install this software...

Following the "Ram Manager" topic, we can read that the software killing problem is not solved at all.

I was a Psion SIBO (Epoc 16) & Epoc 32 user and developer, so in my opinion and experience I have the right to say well aloud : Android, iOS, WP7 are really dumbed down mobile OS.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I get great idle times on my n900 with skype and wifi even with GSM on, over 48 hours at least.

SIP is a battery drain if using standard UDP, Sipdroid for android engineered SIP to use TCP instead of the traditional UDP, this cuts down on battery usage but requires you to use a intermediate server since many SIP providers are not capable of using TCP. You can use SIP with TCP only on n900, if you use a SIP server that supports TCP or an intermediary, and use the Advanced configuration to use TCP only instead of the default Auto.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Lol you guys should take it easy a little bit.. the guy is just expressing what he (himself) noticed different with (his) N900.. Like my N900 doesn't last long being idle anymore too... but I know that I need to get a new battery for it.. he could be experiencing similar issues..

Also, yes capacitive screens aren't as accurate as resistive, but for the average joe, it's better and easier to use than the resistive screen.. ;P

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

The resistive screen accuracy is useless on a 3.5" screen. Even if it had perfect accuracy, the human hand is usually not as precise, to be able to aim the stylus at the right pixel. And when not using a stylus, the accuracy advantage is gone.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I disagree.

Have your ever used Easy Debian, LXDE or OpenOffice on a N900 ? Without stylus is almost impossible.

I use stylus on my N900 everytime, it is a lot more accurate than using fingers.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

radu @, just give urs N900 to me, lol

its geeky time

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

I tried to use Ubuntu on Android. It worked fine with the finger, given 5" size. Worked fine as in the click was fairly accurate.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Some people just aren't meant to use an N900...

But there's nothing wrong with that. Use what you like. You only live once.

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

You mean that after using it for almost 18 months I was not meant to use it forever?

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

you have ur own choice, so do we, just respect each other, :)

im not nokia fanboy, but whatever company that can give us maemo a new life, i will go for it, good afternoon sir

Re: Made a switch to Android..
 

Fairly accurate and pin point accurate are two entirely separate things. I have both an N900 and N9, and sometimes I'm infuriated at how inaccurate the N9 can be. I actually have to utilize the pinch to zoom, I hardly ever used the zoom on my N900, and I could hit weblinks etc dead on with my fingernail. Can't use the fingernail on the N9. And even it is a lot more accurate than the crappy Chinese Tablet I bought, which by the way is running Android 2.2 and has a resistive screen.

It's not really about Resistive vs. Capacitive, it's crappy quality versus good quality. Though I still prefer resistive, because of the pressure sensitivity. It simply rocks for things like Gimp, Xournal, etc.

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