Thanks for your thoughtful response. I largely agree with what you're saying here, but I can't get away from my core point: if Sailfish doesn't get to a point reasonably soon where it's rock-solid stable (even on the Jolla hardware!) and capable of performing basic consumer tasks (how do you search for an e-mail in the built-in email client? please don't say "download a better client"), it will remain forever the preserve of hobbyists and mournful Finns... and that would be a shame.

It's true that the community has and will come through with amazing things, but communities need a foundation of a user base, and the user base needs basic functionality & reliability. I'm really enjoying using my Jolla, but it's incredibly frustrating to be told "Unknown app is not responding" on a regular basis. Sure, I can go and see that my swap space is full, but Joe Blow isn't going to know or care what that is.

I'm fairly sure Jolla have bigger plans, so I hope what I'm saying doesn't apply to them, but only to hardcore tinkerers/wishful thinkers who think that packet injection is more critical to the success of Sailfish than a built-in messaging/SMS functionality which doesn't freeze/crash on a regular basis.

I am eagerly looking forward to the next update, although I'm not so naïve as to think that it will solve all (or even most) of the basic usability issues. I'm still on the fence as to whether I can continue to use the Jolla as my main device: half the time when I get an incoming call the device seems to have some sort of panic attack and I'm unable to receive a phone call. That's a priority 1 issue right there. The random "flashing green/red LED & nothing works for 30 seconds" thing happens from time to time. By all accounts, other people seem to be having worse luck than me with that sort of thing, although some report few/no issues, too.

As for functionality: I don't want to have to go into the calendar app to see my upcoming tasks - I need the option to see them all the time on the lock screen; that last one seems like something the community can easily fix, but it should be there already. Why can't I search for messages? etc. etc.

Please don't misunderstand: I'm a great supporter of what Jolla are bringing to the table. I put my money where my mouth is and bought the damn thing, and if I had more free time I would love to get into app development. I still plan to.

Consider this, though: hobby devices are great, but most people only have enough money for one device. That one device needs the things I mention above. All sorts of wonderful tinkering opportunities as well? Amazing (and necessary) bonus... but it's the icing on the cake. We need the cake first.

Regarding maps. Online or offline. Is the current app useful for anything at all?

Yes. It has suited my needs quite well. Only major problem I've had with was on my holiday when the lack of offline support made it pretty useless.


EDIT: Note that I don't have a car or plan to ever become a car owner. Lack of voice navigation is a trivial problem for me.

I would have to agree more so with shallimus, unless you can demonstrate that a customer base of following folks:

"At this stage Jolla is only interesting to tinkerers, hobbyst-developers and Finns, still morning for Nokia demise."

can keep Jolla/Sailfish afloat...

It's ok at plotting a route and working out how long it takes but apart from that, for navigating it's useless. It's also useless as a simple compass since North on the map is always the top of the screen not where you're facing.

Even without adding turn-by-turn voice nav, it needs a bit of work as just a mapping app.

Even tinkerers, hobbyst-developers and Finns have meetings, friends and travel places. Best not do that with a Jolla though currently.

It's fine saying this in beta but for 1.0 it doesn't cut it that calendar and contact syncing is non-existent and there's no decent mapping or navigation. It's quite disappointing*.


* I'm British. For USAians, translate that into something involving your mother's fornicator.

How about walking around a town or cycling?

I found it pretty much useless as the route guide is just a text list and series of turn symbols that doesn't update as you walk/drive/cycle plus it takes up half the screen.

Sorry to digress but fortunately that is not the case!


http://www.businessinsider.com/large...america-2013-8

Sigh, I'm a sad panda again now, I really don't know if they can improve things "enough", soon enough.
N.B. I'm only going by other folks observations, 0 interest in getting it until they show interest in Australia, or at least the SEA/Oceania regions.

To digress further, I don't believe he was taking about "asians"...

Interesting skim-read though, I'd always heard/read that folks of Hispanic descent were quickly becoming the predominant ethnicity in the US.
Perhaps if you combine all the cultures/regions listed one could say that (haven't bothered), but it's clear that folks of European descent are still up there, at least going by this article.
But I mucho digresso....