N900. After 5 month it's a total delusion - Page 6 - maemo.org

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	christexaport	2010-03-15 , 16:31
	Posts: 1,589 \| Thanked: 720 times \| Joined on Aug 2009 @ Arlington (DFW), Texas	#51

Originally Posted by kbeeveer46

I actually came from an iPhone (jailbroken) to the n900. I don't want this to turn into an iPhone vs. n900. I just wanted to know what makes the n900 so much more of a "computer" than any other phone because so many people keep saying "You should have known you were buying a computer that happens to have a phone" when people are disappointed about the n900. So far we only have multi-tasking and an operating system that lacks a lot of the apps people are really looking for (Facebook etc).

Well, would you be having this argument if it were comparing a laptop running Ubuntu and a Blackberry? Or is the difference between the two more obvious in that case? I don't think you or anyone else would disagree that an Ubuntu laptop is more of a computer than a Blackberry. That's good, and will help me solidify my point.

Now isn't this laptop more of a computer than an iPhone or Nexus One? I'd say so. Adding Gizmo5 or TruPhone with a wireless data connection to that laptop gives it phone capabilities, but makes it no more a smartphone than a toaster oven. So there's obviously something that separates the two aside from features and form factor.

Now compare that laptop to the N900. How do they differ? The OSes are nearly identical, save he UIs. 90-95% of the app frameworks and infrastructure components are the same. Both have GTK+, Qt, Python, C++, Ruby, Flash, Pulse Audio, Gstreamer, APT, XTerminal, etc. Only their UI layers differentiate the two for the most part.

So this isn't a matter of making a go-kart and calling it a Porsche. Its a smaller package, but the engine and internals are the same, allowing the same power and freedom of its desktop counterpart. It'd be akin to the iPhone running a full finger controlled version of Mac OSX, the Touch Pro2 running Windows 7 with a custom Sense UI layer for touch control, or having a MacBook Pro or Lenovo laptop in you pocket. The developer is limited by nothing but the hardware and level of skill. With a smartphone, there are compromises. With the N900, there are none. You can always add and optimize the features of the N900 to match the iPhone, but to get the iPhone to the N900's level, you'd need years of maturing the OS, and add lots of infrastructure.

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andraeseus1	2010-03-15 , 16:46
Posts: 446 \| Thanked: 79 times \| Joined on Mar 2010	#52

n900 has a few short comings but they are of no count when compared to all the awesome things it can do. I watched this forum before i bought mines and believe it or not this community is kinda what pushed me over the fence to buy it. I watched the bug reports, i watched the new apps coming out, i watched the developers meticulously document the implementation of new apps and upgrades etc. the phone is awesome but the community has made it exceptional for me. to be honest... i think this community needs a better phone. the phone is good but not good enough for all the things that these guys do here. btw, this is still the best phone i have ever owned period. i have had the n95, the nokia 7710, g1, hero, and nokia 7373 and samsung moment.

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	christexaport	2010-03-15 , 16:46
	Posts: 1,589 \| Thanked: 720 times \| Joined on Aug 2009 @ Arlington (DFW), Texas	#53

Originally Posted by stlpaul

I think even that is wishful thinking... Maemo 5 was basically obsolete already when it was released. It is what it is.

You seem confused. The N900 is NOT obsolete, and won't become so anytime soon for a good reason.

Maemo=MeeGo=Linux! Linux as we commonly know it today is usually a combination of modular open source components like Gstreamer, Pulse Audio, etc. These will remain the same. The only changes Maemo6/MeeGo introduce is official, instead of community, support for Clutter and GTK going forward, the addition of x86 hardware support, and the combining of resources in improving the UI/UX and components of the OS.

So the same frameworks will be supported, the same apps will run, and the ecosystem for GTK, Qt, Python, Flash, Ruby, etc. will grow. When an app for MeeGo is released, it should also run on the N900. It will only require the app be packaged for Maemo5, just like with Symbian, WinMo, OSX, and other OSes running Qt or other cross platform code. All this stuff means the N900 has legs now.

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daffydk	2010-03-15 , 17:01
Posts: 23 \| Thanked: 5 times \| Joined on Mar 2010 @ Esbjerg - Denmark	#54

hmm
This is why i bought the n900
I needed a device that i could have on me anywhere i went and still was online with browsing and phone and IM.

And
I needed a device that had linux and NOT Android ( i had a HTC tattoo wow what a shi.. device that was ) so i could use it to watch Tv , xvid,Divx, movies and use the radio and play alitle game .

But what i got was SOOOOO much more than that and i was suprised to see the speed on the n900 . my girl friend says that i spend to much time with the n900 than with her. lol. hmm well that is true

the phone are more fun lol

I dont care if there will be Meego or what ever on the phone iam happy with it as it is course i didnt expect to get that much from the begining.

this community here are great .
if i have problems with something on the n900 i can always ask in here so thanx guys and keep up the good work .

/Daffydk

And for god sake please do NOT compare N900 with Iphone or any other phone out there. its NOT the same. Its Linux And its Great And Freeeeeee.

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	christexaport	2010-03-15 , 17:20
	Posts: 1,589 \| Thanked: 720 times \| Joined on Aug 2009 @ Arlington (DFW), Texas	#55

Originally Posted by x61

The problem is not that the phone is not good. Many people realized the phone was primitive at its release but they expected Nokia to provide rapid fixes and updates to the phone.

Well, in 5 months, how many updates did the original iPhone, TMobile G1, Blackberry Storm, Touch Pro2, or Palm Pre receive? How many has the N900 received in comparison? So isn't Nokia providing unprecedented, speedy improvements and updates? We've seen improvements to Flash, Web browser rotation, stability, an app store, the App Mgr. layout, etc, and there will be updates to come.

There will also be the possibility of a MeeGo port for the N900, whether by Nokia or the developer community. So be patient and realize the pace is unmatched, the technological lead is evident, and you can always imitate a smartphone, but a smartphone can never imitate a full PC, and will always be easily exposed under scrutiny.

It has been over 5 months since the phone was released and yet there is no USSD functionality... No GPS navigation ( mere 1990s maps), yet, Nokia is thinking about releasing their maemo/meego device 2Q (next month) simply to keep up with other smart phone devices. Instead of focusing on producing quality product, they produce mediocre product hoping users work on it. I hope they don't abandon their next phone as they did N97 and the N900.

Do you feel USSD message support is a priorty for a device in this class? Or wouldn't it be better to devise a new way to access that data, possibly with a widget or web portal? USSD is a legacy method that predates smartphones, and may soon be outdated. Luckily, Nokia chose to not focus on this, and on other forward looking matters instead.

I use the GPS navigation all of the time. Turn by turn voice guidance would be cool, but I have no reason to think it won't arrive for the N900. In fact, I'm sure the next Ovi Maps will be powered by Qt, and work on Symbian, Maemo/MeeGo, Windows 7, and maybe other OSes.

Maemo6/MeeGo was planned years ago, and the devices announced later this year are just a progression of that. The N900 ushered in a new device category which has no competitor. Anyway, Nokia IS THE LEADER in converged device sales, touchscreen sales, and global distribution. Its closest OS competitor, RIM, is half as large with an immature OS. As for manufacturers, its Samsung, and they are also dwarfed by comparison. So while the media acts like Nokia is doomed, they're sitting pretty in the crow's nest, planning and plotting away.

Neither the N900 nor N97 were abandoned. The N97 is one of its best sellers, has been totally revamped with an improved UI from launch, and like the N900, supports Nokia's Qt frameworks. So its compatible with Nokia's, Symbian's, Maemo/MeeGo's ecosystem going forward for years to come. And who's to say both those devices don't run S^4 or MeeGo down the road? Both OSes will be fully open, and if we can run Ubuntu, Windows, and other OSes on an N900, running MeeGo or S^4 shouldn't be rocket science. If we got drivers for Mer, we can get them for MeeGo or S^4 as well.

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TheLoz	2010-03-15 , 17:45
Posts: 9 \| Thanked: 2 times \| Joined on Feb 2010 @ United Kingdom	#56

Originally Posted by antoarts

For twitter, use the browser or mauku

The Twitter experience on a computer is not really optimal on a PC browser, and on the N900's tiny screen it's downright PAINFUL to use. Don't get me started on Mauku... It's laughably underfeatured. I'm coming from using Gravity on the N95, which was a stunning program and sorely missed.

You can use openoffice through easy-debian, or you can use google docs through the browser

I could technically do either of those things, but like the twitter site example above, the experience is very poor indeed. What we need is a tablet-optimised, hildonized Office app. Something like the finger-friendly built-in notes app, only with more powerful editing features. I love the N900's native UI, but most of its apps seem to abandon this and use their own horrible alternatives. That's not why I bought the device at all!

Does the iPhone have video chatting?

It doesn't, and that's one of the reasons why I never got one. Nokia has always had the edge on Apple as far as features go... or at least it did before the N900!

Nokia's giving Symbian plenty of love--Major software updates for the N97 bringing much-requested features and fixes, as well as the whole 'free maps navigation' initiative, but Maemo's being left out in the cold. After all the publicity and excitement and above all POTENTIAL of Maemo 5, it's really upsetting to see that Nokia seem to be neglecting it entirely. Us UK owners STILL haven't got the latest software update! It's unacceptable!

I suppose Nokia already has our money. There's not much incentive to continue to innovate and support the platform now...

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jimmyb5374	2010-03-15 , 17:56
Posts: 28 \| Thanked: 8 times \| Joined on Feb 2010 @ berkshire, england	#57

For my 2 cents, this was cut directly from the n900 uk nokia page :

The Nokia N900 Mobile Phone .........thats the header !!!!

link on the side to maemo software , how great it is, what it can do , the apps etc , the latest added app on nokias own official page was on 11/12/2009 ?

For me , i use the phone as a phone, to text , and movie player, mp3 player and internet /e-mail, all to me the handset does well , and i will possibly never have the aptitude to write / convert anything for it, but i am trying..

From a purely personal point of view what gets me is the whole "all singing all dancing" type advertising from nokia, and their own site has no new apps added since Dec '09 ??

That to me, personally , smacks to saying we don't really give a rats A**E as you have bought it now , and we will issue support if we feel we need to .

Ok i get its an open source device, and don't get me wrong i love it , but please everyone with the nokia fully support the maemo platform attitude smell the coffee !

I called nokia uk support and asked for the date of the uk new update and they couldn't even tell me a Month, well after the rest of the world have it

Sorry for the length of this un ashamed rant , but do big business really care about a "minority" product and its support , look at their own websites support for the n900

Just my 2p

James

(btw i love the phone, thats why i bought it, just not nokias laughable support)

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TheLoz	2010-03-15 , 18:06
Posts: 9 \| Thanked: 2 times \| Joined on Feb 2010 @ United Kingdom	#58

Originally Posted by christexaport

You thing the browser is what makes the N900 not a smartphone? Its nothing many Android and WebOS devices won't soon be replicating. Its really about the class of OS the N900 is running. It has the same app frameworks and components of a desktop Linux distro, meaning less limitations. Robustness is the applicable word here.

I'm aware that the OS is much less theoretically limited than any of the other smartphone offerings. Android is a bit of a joke by comparison. I think where it falls down is in the applications. Just because you CAN easily port a Debian app to the N900 doesn't mean you should. The OS might be finger-friendly, but these half-baked recompilations certainly aren't!

Don't get me wrong, I love the N900, and I think the bundled Nokia offerings are absolutely without equal. The conversations app is the best SMS/IM experience I've ever had on a phone, and even the phone app is excellent and very underrated if you ask me. No complaints there, I just wish the third-party apps came close to matching the quality and feature set of what's included in the box.

Now I'm shocked you missed the multiple Twitter options. From editing the Twitter webpage using a Greasemonkey script, web apps like Hahlo, native apps like Witter or Mauku, or the Conversations plugin, there are multiple options!

Believe me, I've tried every single Twitter option on this phone, and they're all awful. I wouldn't mind so much, but Nokia marketed this device as a hip 'n' happening new media powerhouse. The fact that there's no comprehensive native app support for Twitter or Facebook should only be seen as a huge disappointment.

Video chatting is possible using aMSN or if you recieve a Gtalk video conference, and it works very well. Was it not to your liking?

As I mentioned above, the N900's Conversations/IM app is fantastic. With that on the table, why would you want to use AMSN which looks awful? Maybe I'm being superficial, but the look-and-feel of apps is very important to me. I'd love to see Skype video call support, and old-school video calling. As it stands I'm not sure why they taunted us by including a front-facing camera. Is the G-talk video conferencing included in the native Conversations app?

You have to be more realistic, and know that the promise of nirvana with Maemo/MeeGo is tied to Symbian^4, which is still months away. Once S^4 and MeeGo are launched and the ecosystem broadened, apps will pour in.

I really hope you're right. I fear that when MeeGo is launched, any hope of getting some big-name apps released for the N900 will be lost, as developers concentrate on the newest and greatest release.

I knew there was a risk of this happening when I signed on with such a niche device, but I still can't help feeling rather mugged. However, as I'm in a two year contract, I really have no choice but to be patient

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oldpmaguy	2010-03-15 , 18:31
Posts: 344 \| Thanked: 73 times \| Joined on Jan 2010	#59

Originally Posted by jaysire

I used to say my average phone lifespan is 6 months and we're getting pretty close to that now. Ironically, Apple might be what keeps me an N900 user for a while longer: I'll get the iPad and play with that and feel satisfied with my N900 for a few months more. But if there's no improvement after 7 months on the market, you can be sure I won't stick around much longer. Problem is, I don't really know what to get instead...

Attention span of typical cellphone user = ?