Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Is it possible to buy a new N900 anywhere at this time (Nov. 2011)? I mean, a true, Nokia-manufactured item, not a counterfeit or a refurb. I am in the USA.

Does anyone know how to find such? I see the ads on Ebay, but they seem very uncertain. I followed up a couple of ads on Amazon, but these led to dubious companies run by one or two people, with no reliable credentials.

In Australia, Techoni is advertising the N900 for $299, but Techoni has quite a few bad reviews. Also in Australia, MobiCity seems better, they get good reviews; but in my inquiries, they kept saying that they had the phones in stock, only to admit later that they do not, and that the phone would ship directly to me from Hong Kong. So again, I do not know if I would be getting a clone.

I found a nice used one, but I would really like to have a new one, if only it is possible. Any ideas?

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

try calling some stores locally.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

I think you would find it would be very hard to obtain a genuine N900 let alone a brand new N900. As you would have already known nokia no longer produces them and if you're lucky enough to find them selling in the shops it might be second hand.

Hong Kong is fairly well-known notorious place to sell second hand items that are dubbed as new. Before there was a thread about N900 scammers be aware thread I bought my second N900 from there which the shop owner convinced me it was brand new. Truth be told that it seems the previous owner did not bother to reflash the device completely let alone restoring to defaults.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Hi!
I've did a bit of googling, and I've found some to sell from fastmobile, for $358.00.
Or from tigermobile for 359$.
It's available on Techrific too, you should contact these stores and see if you can get one new from any one of them.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

I bought a brand new one last week for EUR 300 (USD 400) in the Netherlands: BelCompany is selling a few, some are unused demos. The 2-year warranty starts on the moment you buy one. They do not ship them out, but they do move them to different BelCompany locations if you like. You should find someone here who can buy it for you and send it.
call +31-30-2300100 or +31-346-580366 or +31-30-2620763 and ask the personnel to check in their system what shop in NL has a remaining n900

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

what's wrong with buying a second hand or refurb from ebay or similar site? much cheaper than a new one, and at least you're not under the illusion that it has not been used

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

I have bought several over the past year for about $250 AUD from Ebay, claimed brand new from Hong Kong, and as far as I could tell, all were brand new. I am tempted to buy another now that nemo has pace.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thank you. However, I called them, and all three said they would not ship to the USA.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thanks for the reminder, and I may just do that. Still, there is the lure of the new...

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thanks for responding. These phones that you bought --- were they apparently identical to the older, original models? No differences at all?

Also, what does, "now that nemo has pace" mean?

Robert

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

This is interesting. I will contact them now. Next, to find someone who will send it.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Seems like good advice. What is your best guess as to the probable best source for a good one?

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Yes, they were all identical to the original ones I bought (two for myself), the packaging had been opened but as far as i could tell, nothing had been done to them, it was just to put a microsd card and screen protector in.

Edit: I get the impression the devices were sold cheap because they weren't selling and are largely obsolete to them.

Nemo, is a handset ux for Mer, the continuation of meego ce

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

try posting a "WANTED" ad on craigslist. also see if anyone is selling it. i would try ebay and amazon. with amazon you are safer with "fulfilled by amazon" option when buying. you could easily return them.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

I generally agree with what others have said on possibly relatively new N900 from your local shops and what not. Try looking around for ones in mint condition or decent condition. Sure enough if you can get a brand new N900 which has been left sealed in the box is extremely rare it would be great but the second hand N900 still needs some loving you know. Just make sure that the N900 has no obvious faults prior to laying down your cash.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful advice.

I bought my first N900 online. It seems quite good, looks new, everything seems to work, although I know nothing yet of Maemo or Xterm. It was advertised on Amazon as new, but it is probably a decent refurb, or maybe a good clone.

I have read through the various threads here about fake and good N900s, but --- while still able to return it, I have a few doubts, and thus questions:

1. It says it was "Made in Finland," both inside the phone and on the box. From another Maemo thread, this seems to be untrue, and that N900s are actually made in Korea. But I wondered if it was possibly true in some cases. It came with Maemo 5 loaded, version: 20.2010.36-2.207.1. Later, I ran an update, changing it to: 21.2011.38-1.207.1.

Underneath the battery, the sticker says it is an N900, and also RX-51.

2. The N900 had a clear, peel-off, temporary screen protector, unlike the black protector shown in some unboxing videos. When I peeled this off, there was another screen protector affixed firmly to the screen. I will take this off and replace it with a Zagg. But I wonder --- does this mean that the N900 is second-hand, and the screen protector was put on by the previous owner? Or do some cloners, or refurbishers, add their own protector? Or did some N900s ship with a screen protector in place?

3. On the back of the N900, there was no decal; just the black plastic backing.

4. The battery was no good. It looked like the "falshung" battery shown in a previous thread at: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php...erfeit+battery

and it drained quickly, causing the N900 to act crazy and then shut down. When I told the seller, he thanked me for bringing it to his attention and shipped me a new battery, which works well.

5. The black cardboard box seems to be original, but a little bit old. The accessories, however, were not all there. There was a charger, USB cable, and a generic, lightweight headset. But the video-out cable, the short adapter cable, and the cleaning cloth were missing. These are not important to me, but I mention them, in case this suggests anything.

6. From another post, I learned to say, "uname -a" in Xterm, and I got: Linux Nokia-N900 2.6.28-omap1 #1 PREEMT Fri Aug 6 11:50:00 E EST 2010 armv71 unknown. I suppose this is a genuine response.

So --- in light of this, what do you think? Do you think that I have an N900 worth keeping? I certainly think so, it is an amazing device, and I cannot find any real flaws. But I wondered if someone with more experience would notice something important.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

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I do not know why people are talking about 'fake' n900s, they will be even rarer than brand new ones (uk). Brand new ones DO turn up on ebay from time to time however it is getting uncommon these days. The main problem with buying a 'refurb' (which just means 'second hand') is the physical condition it is in. How well does the slider still work? Does it still clunk and click nicely. Most importantly of all, HOW IS THE USB PORT???

If you buy a 2nd hand n900 the MOST important thing you can do is to solder down the USB port.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Hmm, we'll need cpuinfo for this one.

http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=399135

If hardware version is >=2101 and it's "Made In Finland", I'd be wary.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

1) Made in Finland N900 are most likely pre-release (or the so-called summit versions). These devices are rare if they're genuine. Also if I'm not mistaken, these devices should have a yellow sticker detailing the revision version of the device as soon as you open the back cover.

2) I am unsure with the pre-release or summit versions of the N900. However the retail N900 does not have a screen protector when you unbox them. It only has a black sort of like a matte film protector (that is not stuck on, its more like ionised to the screen).

3) Now you're being a bit vauge. On the back of the N900 (i.e. the back cover) should look like this. If the device is new (as you said), it should look like this. There are no other special decals on the underside of that back cover apart from manufacture dates, recycle symbol and a few other things that aren't really worth mentioning. There's no decals on the back side of the N900 once you remove that battery cover.

4) Original N900 and even brand new N900 should never be offered with non-genuine nokia batteries.

5) There should be barcodes on the box and there's labels indicating what IMEI does the device actually have. If these do not match, then that's an instant giveaway that this device could be a stolen device, or a refurbished device and the original owner or subsequent owner lost the original packaging box that came with the device.

6) The output of uname -a does some somewhat legitimate enough (btw, you misspelt PREEMPT) :)

In either case I am willing to bet on the fact that this N900 is definitely not brand new. There are already a fair few tell tale signs that does not have genuine stuff neither does it have the usual accessories that were meant to come with the N900 like every other N900 when one usually buys from a normal shop.

Depending on how much you paid for it, I would be willing to wage against the seller misrepresenting the goods as brand new when its:

a) Missing A/V cables, nokia cleaning cloth, `matte' sort of sticker,

b) Non-genuine battery, as well as a non-genuine wired headset. By the way, N900 should also come with a quick start guide, and the USB cable is CA-101. Probably also non-genuine N900 back cover too.

c) Most likely sold more than what it should have been worth as second hand item.

As for clones, I have not seen a N900 clone that would be running maemo linux. By you outputting uname -a should be fairly adequate enough to prove that it is not running some sort of hacked symbian OS that is usually featured on fake N900. Maemo linux is almost like a specialised distribution of linux, for a clone that could run maemo linux would generally mean completely identical hardware or otherwise the manufacturer responsible for cloning N900 would have a hard time resetting up maemo in a specific way to accept with the fake/cloned N900.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thank you for the detailed answer. I tend to agree, that I have got a refurbished unit at a fairly high price ($395 USD). But since I have about three more days in which I can return it for a refund, I would like to gain your opinion on this again.

After a lot of consideration and research, I chose this unit because the seller had stock in Pennsylvania, he offered a one-year warranty to/from Pennsylvania, and he seemed intelligent and polite in his emails. The transaction was via Amazon, and it carried a two-week grace period with a full or 85% refund. All things considered, I thought this was a better bet than taking my chances on the Hong Kong or local used market.

However, because of my inexperience in using the N900, I have noticed some things that might be defects, or they might be only artifacts of my wrong button-pushing.

For instance --- tonight, I went to the maemo.org page and installed two apps --- Recaller, and Ruby programming language. They both went through the normal installation dialogs and procedures, and then --- nothing. Neither had an icon on any desktop, and neither appeared anywhere that I could find. But I do not know if this is an N900 problem, or only the problem that I do not really yet know what I am doing.

Rarely, when I turn the N900 off, it restarts itself. But is it doing this by itself, or am I maybe holding the button down too long? And likewise, once in a while, it will not turn on right away, but only after I press the "on" button again. Once, when I perhaps wiggled the usb cable in the usb socket, it froze up, turned off, and would not restart until I had reseated the battery.

My own guess is that these are just little quirks, mostly fueled by my own lack of knowledge about this device.

Likewise, the GPS map program sometimes works right away, sometimes says that it will use an alternate server, and sometimes just sits there, accomplishing nothing.

Most things work just fine, the internet is great, no complaints. The usb socket is solid, the keyboard slides smoothly with a resounding click, and the screen, keyboard, and body look brand new. My gut feeling is that I like it and want to keep it, but I have also had enough wrong gut feelings to seek another opinion.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

...oh god...

wobbly USB! I beg you, TEST IT NOW. If there is ANY doubt over how solid the USB plug is SEND IT BACK RIGHT NOW. Holy **** man. Wobbly USBs is what kills N900s and it would be a real bummer if your 'refurbed' unit had a 'ready to break' USB port. I cannot stress this enough, CHECK THE USB PORT while you are still in the 10 day return period.

If the USB goes you will have a very expensive electronic disappointment.

Also, before you get to attached to your current set up, do a complete FULL reflash. I have never come across a vendor who understands how to properly flash an n900. Even if you connect it to PC suite and click 'reload software' or whatever it is called, this is not a complete flash. You need to flash emmc & rootfs (you will understand when you read the link above).

So in conclusion:

1. COMPLETE RE-FLASH!
2. Check USB port.

If problems still persist, get that **** sent back!

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Yes, I have read that the usb port can be a major problem. However, I seem to have used the wrong wording --- from another post, I learned that you should file down the nibs on the usb cable, in order to make a not-too-tight fit into the N900's usb socket, in order to avoid putting undue stress on that socket. So I filed it a bit too much, so that the plug is possibly a bit too loose. And this is what I meant about the wobble that possibly caused a momentary disconnect, which possibly caused the N900 to freeze up.

The N900's usb socket itself seems to be quite solid and secure, no wobble whatsoever.

And thanks for the reminder about reflashing --- I was avoiding it, not yet confident about my own skills, and not wanting my N900 to become a brick. But I will read the instructions carefully and see about it.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Don't worry about re-flashing mate, it is more or less literally impossible to brick the n900...unless maybe you hit it with a brick.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

OK, here comes a crazy post. Brace Yourselves. I'm feeling manic.

I am desperate for a N900. A NEW N900. I can't find a source that I trust to purchase one from. They are all listed at online retailers with really shady reviews (As in the ones that list under Google shopping who obviously write almost all of the positive reviews themselves) or they are being sold from Hong Kong through Ebay. I am in Canada for a year and Amazon won't ship them here (although the bulk of the sellers seem to be from Hong Kong anyway). I really don't want to pay for a new N900 and receive something used. Most of the online shops I have found are those that claim to have everything in stock in endless quantities just to get a credit card number.

I am so desperate that I will pay one of you to find this elusive creature for me. How does $50 sound? I'm not kidding. Ideally, it would be from a Nokia reseller within Canada or the U.S though I wouldn't refuse a reputable source from the UK or even mainland europe. I would like to be able to speak with a floor person on the phone. Essentially, someone without a phone sales department. I want someone to be able to say that they are holding the box to verify it is in stock.

I'm not ready for an N9. I might be when six months of community development has happened - but not yet.

I know that I am insane but I am serious. I will send you cash in the mail or pay you with card (anything but paypal - not a fan).

My sincerest thanks -

Abe

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Post of the Year.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

I just bought mine from an Amazon dealer, but since you can't do that --- otherwise, the deal that looked the best was from MobiCity in Australia. They say that they have new N900s, but I wonder about that. The phones apparently ship from Hong Kong --- however, MobiCity gets good reviews, they seem decent, and they offer a one-year warranty, upgradeable to two years. The only problem is that the price is high ($449, I think), and you have to pay for international postage for the shipment, and for any warranty shipments. In a chat session, they said that, within 40 hours after you receive the phone, you can return the phone for any reason for a full refund. After that, there is a $35 restocking fee.

With the stated guaranteed return policy, their good reputation, and the 2-year warranty, I thought that it was a pretty good bet.
And you can do it yourself, without an agent. Also, did you read the earlier post in this thread that says there are new units at a store in the Netherlands?

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Hey, thanks Robert!

I'm about to call and talk to the Aussies. Thanks for looking into that. If it goes through I'm serious about the $50.

Abe

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Also,

Was the one you bought from Amazon brand new, unopened? Was it POSSIBLY a Hong Kong refurb with funny documentation? How long ago did you buy it and how long did it take to get to you?

Thanks again

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

My Amazon-bought N900 looked new, but the box was open, and there were a few discrepancies, as mentioned in an earlier post in this thread. My guess is that it is a very good refurb, probably with new casing etc. I bought it around Dec. 7, and it arrived (Pennsylvania to California) on Dec. 10. There were a few issues (bad battery, a few spontaneous reboots, the startup CD was only in Chinese), but the dealer sent a new battery, and the reboots are getting resolved.

I exchanged quite a few emails with MobiCity, also had a few chat sessions. They previously sold N900s with A-tick certification, which is an Australian seal of competence, but that was recently discontinued. Now, they say that they have the N900 in stock, but if you ask for clarification, they say that they are coming from overseas sources (probably Hong Kong). I think that they are getting well-remanufactured units that are pretty good, enough so that they can stake their warranty-commitment and reputation on them, and still come out ahead.

Re: Where to buy a Nokia N900?
 

Thanks for the $50 offer, but no need --- just sharing information. Please see my reply to your next post.