No rattling on mine, either with keyboard open or closed. There is a very slight "thump" as the battery shifts around, though.

On the subject of build quality:
Overall, the N810 feels extremely solid and compact. However...
-The bezel around the keyboard has a 1mm gap between the left corner of my N810, but not the right.
-The kickstand contacts the unit a bit roughly when closed. I can see this being a source of wear & tear in the future.
-The left-side menu/back buttons are disappointing. After pressing the menu button, the back button is stiff and ineffective for one or two presses, then works as normal. The poor feedback when either button is activated, and overall "sponginess", caused me to avoid using them.

The above issues are present on my unit, which of course is the only one I've observed in person. I'd like to know if these are manufacturing or design defects. Or did I get the bad luck of the draw?

Been back to the shop and exchanged it now. The new one's fine or at least how I think they're meant to be - there's still the battery and back cover rattle (same as LurkerN's I reckon..), but no longer sounds like there's a loose object inside

I'd tend to agree about the build quality - comparing to my 770 I'm upgrading from, my impression is that the design and materials (well maybe, 770 was made of what I thought was really good quality plastic...) are much better, but the build quality is decidedly poorer.

The seams between the various metal surfaces move a bit with respect to each other, various rattles and general play between the components seems rather a lot for a relatively high-ticket item like this... (compare with say how recent motorola phones snap open and shut..?)
[EDIT: actually just noticed the new one's quite a bit better than the other one I returned, but still; it does generally feel like the parts are all a bit loose and sliding around too much and making little metallic scraping noises - don't have the problem with the kick-stand you mentioned there though - mine seems to work pretty nicely - seems this first run at least is a bit hit-and-miss on the quality control side of things maybe? ]

Bit of a shame too about the fairly big gap between the metal bezel and the screen surface - the sharp edge makes it look a bit unfinished (?) and the space looks like it's going to form a nice gunk 'n fluff border around the screen after a while :\ (maybe they had have it that way because of the touchscreen, but still..)

I also thought there was a noticeable difference in the firmness/click/straightness of the slide between the now three units I've played with - and overall I feel like I need to handle it very carefully, as opposed to the 770 which feels indestructible by comparison (I got into the habit of chucking it around the place/not really looking after it properly, and although it looks really battered now (it's 'got character' ), I've had no problems whatsoever - the n810 feels like it'll break the first time I drop it )

But of course that's not to say I'm not very pleased with it overall - just an observation/pros and cons of each model... )

The kickstand on mine actualy came slightly warped on the right side. And is loose overall.

I thikn you mean the left side buttons ?, Theres no buttons on the right . But yes I agree with you, mine do the same thing they seem to stick or are wicked stiff. I rarely use them either because I feel that they might break or get really stuck.

Any more impressions?

Mine's fine, mechanically--everything's tight, well executed, etc. If I have any complaints, they're software related, almost all directed at the browser. For instance, webpage javascript errors freeze things up for quite a while, and I'm finding out that javascript errors are all over the place on all sorts of webpages. I can't log on to Amazon, ever--my browser ALWAYS crashes as the intro page loads. Also, I can't sent mail from my Earthlink web mail--some sort of error, again. If they work out these things, I'll be happy.

All of my buttons work well, or at least as designed, the kickstand is precise. I don't much care for the keyboard, and I think it would have been better with two changes--less pressure needed (my finger smashes out flat and then hits multiple keys) and maybe more of a pointed or pyramid shape, so that the effective space between keys was greater and tactile feedback more precise.

One last thing--the owner's manual is relatively useless--there are a lot of little things that it doesn't tell that I stumble on by accident. I regularly trigger a small stylus keyboard on the screen, but every once in a while I get a large key, finger keyboard, and I have no idea at all what triggers each--and the manual is absolutely no help in this or many similar behaviors. In fact, it's the worst manual I've ever seen, for any product.

just came in the mail!!!!!

its alot faster than I imagined.. wow.. feels solid. battery rattles slightly.. but overall really impressed.. now.. how do I change the background image. I'm in love. cant wait to play around with it some more and bust it out when I'm with my friends.. damn. this is awesome... yoo when is this canola player going to be ready? does UKMP work alright? cant wait to add msn!

I gotta chime in here fellas...

I picked up my N810 from Nokia USA's web retail site.

Build quality seems okay. I only feel compelled to mention this because it seems to have hijacked this thread.

Okay, I'm a bit disappointed by the relative dearth of ported applications, but I take heart in the fact that it seems like there are new apps showing up daily. That's a nice feeling. I'm a bit saddened by the fact that I can't get Gizmo to work quite right. Oh, I can't get video that I have converted via Internet Tablet Video Converter to play correctly. There's no sound. To be fair, I've had problems at one time or another with all of the ITs. The nice thing is that, thanks some of the great folks here on these forums, most of my problems have been easily resolved. That's why I have a 770, an N800, and the N810. I guess that I'm just a big geek at heart. That's okay though.

If I fail to mention it anywhere else, the keyboard is a great addition to the unit. It makes staying connected much easier.

I miss the VNC Viewer, I like Pidgin, and think that FBReader is just great. Skype is cool too. The browser is a bit crashy (is that a word?), the RSS Reader sort of sucks (which makes me sad, as I love my feeds!), and I try to avoid using the built in email client (still). Oh, the GPS takes a while to get a fix. Guess what? This whole Linux-based, corporate and community supported OS is a work in progress. So long as the bugs get worked out eventually, I'm cool with some minor inconveniences. I blew away some iPhone'rs at the pub tonight with the customizable functionality of the N810, and couldn't have been more proud. Love it or leave it, my IT is here to stay.

Look, the internet tablet is a great product, and it isn't for everyone. I like that I can fiddle around with the insides of my tablet to make it just right for me. Not too many products allow the end-user that kind of freedom.

I'm so happy for you! Keep us all posted on the tablets usefulness!

Also, if you check the links section, a new media player has been released called MediaBox. It's supposed to be fully kinetic (with scrolling) and VERY finger friendly (doesn't require a stylus at all). The interface looks quite nice, simple but functional.


@mdarnton and tfinnan,

Great impressions! I really enjoyed reading them. As you can probably tell, I'm attempting to vicariously live through the more fortunate. I've got about a month to go before the N810 can be mine.

Keep'em coming!



}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

Country:
USA (Washington, DC)

Purchased From:
MobileCityOnline.com (New York City, NY)

Purchase/Arrival Date:
pre-ordered 10/23/2007, arrived 11/21/2007

Likes:
* Smaller than the N800, better sized for portability and ergonomics.
* I *really* appreciate the slideout keyboard. Much easier/faster to type long URLs, jot short emails and reply, and other extended typing sessions without need for the StowAway BT keyboard or screen keyboard.
* I'm on the fence about the GPS, it's currently nice to have, but the included Maps application isn't as nice as MaemoMapper.

Dislikes:
* Heavier than the N800.
* I don't mind the dpad on the keyboard, requiring slideout, but the dpad design isn't practical. A larger directional ring (similar to the N800) and smaller center (select) would have been more useful. It's currently frustrating to use.
* Ambient light sensor placement is prone to being covered by my left thumb or index finger during normal use, cause fluctuations in backlighting.
* Consistently slow GPS acquisition times. My Garmin eTrek, StreetPilot, and Dash all acquire faster.

Favorite Apps:
* Web browser
* Maps
* Osso Xterm (yay, now I can Xterm on the Metro with the slideout keyboard, and ssh into my servers for easier work)

I havnt encountered the lightsensor/left thumb issue. I guess its the way I hold it.