View Full Version : New Happy N900 owner
After finding out about the N900 in Dec 2009,
and reading every review I could find,
then getting officially released in Australia in May 2010,
I bit the bullet and bought one yesterday [June 29].
First impressions in a nutshell, absolutely amazing UI, a pleasure to use, and very quick.
Far better than Symbian S60 5th on the 5800 now sitting in its box.
First thing I did was update to PR1.2 via WLAN. No issues, I did see a message at the end of the download saying
"Operation Failed" but it then continued and updated successfully.
I was surprised at the number of Apps available via the App Manager.
Installed eCoach, GPXview, Maperro, PrDoom [gotta have it] and Angry Birds all with no issues.
The Task Manager is amazing, how it shows a small version of each App running.
While installing an App, it actually updated the progress bar while in Task Manager mini view, awesome.
Yahoo email configured perfectly.
The Keyboard is excellent. I missed having one when I switched from E71 [good for keyboard, bad for video]
to 5800 [good for video/music, virtual keyboard takes up too much screen space, tired UI].
The BIG test was the video playback. I dont get much time to watch TV at home so I tend to watch videos
on my 50min train trip to work and back.
Played an MP4 no issues. Then tried a few of xvid.avi and they played flawlessly, no conversion required, happy happy joy joy.
The ONLY gripe would be its too configurable. Cant seem to decide how to arrange all those desktops.
So just waiting for voice navigation in Ovi Maps, and edit version of Docs to Go.
The ONLY issue found was that Ovi Maps wont get a lock on the Satellites unless the SIM card is in the device.
Even with a WLAN connection, but no SIM card, no lock. Put SIM card in, works straight away.
Think I saw this bug on bugzilla.
Definitely happy with this toy, highly recommended.
:D
Average Joe
2010-06-30, 01:50
Congrats on your new device!
vkv.raju
2010-06-30, 01:56
Good to know your experience with the N900. Welcome aboard, enjoy :)
Awesome buddy :)
Within the short span of time (2 mos) of ownership, I have come to the conclusion that this phone is perfect for the DIYer.
After finding out about the N900 in Dec 2009,
and reading every review I could find,
then getting officially released in Australia in May 2010,
I bit the bullet and bought one yesterday [June 29].
As a fellow Aussie, I simply couldn't wait and bought one when I was in Dubai, January '10. Loved it. I did love the fact I wouldn't be seeing many other Aussies with is but it seems the phone is a bit more of a sleeper than I thought it would be so now I'm just glad to see people giving it a go. You'll come to love it even more over time mate, with MeeGo on the way and Android being ported over for dual-booting. Glad you're on board, sit back and enjoy the ride :D
Well done and welcome!
If you have the slightest interest in sketching, download mypaint......It is simply amazing!
lucas777
2010-06-30, 04:51
Yeah just watch out with those 50 min train rides and your dead battery when u get off, be sure to take your usb cable to work and charge it up, providing u work with computers. Other than that welcome and grads on getting it. I love it just dont like the battery drain so quick. Im also from Oz Gold Coast, brought mine months ago off a fellow aussie that had to go back to iphone for unkown reasons.
well it didn't take long for the rain on the party gang to arrive.
lucas777
2010-06-30, 05:00
wtf u on about, im letting him know to take a charger with him to work as by the time he gets off the train his phone will be dead. Dont talk crap mate. Im giving him the honest truth, Why come here and say ''yeah man its the best phone in the world nothing wrong with it'' Aussies help each other out and thats what im doing. So stfu
bandofbrothers
2010-06-30, 05:19
Chill out guys and be nice !
Its nice to hear another user is liking his new toy !
More common these days to read on issues, so this makes a nice balance.
Im sure you will find lots of uses for the four dashboards available.
It is advisable to either take a charger or usb cable where you work or carry a spare battery ,as this fone is really hard to put down and stop tinkering with it.
As with ALL fones the battery does suffer for many reasons, and is always going to be the bug bear of end users. We want it to last a week before charging....lol.
Learn how to tweak your settings etc to reduce battery drain.
Be VERY careful on downloading any software that is in its infancy.
The beauty of the n900 is its open source but could also be the downfall for any noob users who can make their handset suffer.
No offence intended. IMO the handset is suited for any user.
Enjoy your new toy.
Take care.
I use my n900 alot during the day and I find it to be not bad on battery life. Today, after 23 hours I still have 37% life left. Usage included 6 hours of wifi and 5 hours of mp3 playing + the usual cell usage.
I'm happy!
Yeah just watch out with those 50 min train rides and your dead battery when u get off, be sure to take your usb cable to work and charge it up, providing u work with computers. Other than that welcome and grads on getting it. I love it just dont like the battery drain so quick. Im also from Oz Gold Coast, brought mine months ago off a fellow aussie that had to go back to iphone for unkown reasons.
Yep, I realise with the extra power of the N900 comes more battery usage, theres always a trade off.
So this mornings train ride was:
* configure email
* play angry birds
* watched about 15 mins of movie
All with bluetooth stereo headphones active to the device.
Come in to work and to conserve power have turned off BT and WiFi, but intermittently have enabled the GPRS connection.
After 7 hours I can still see about 70% battery, so much better than I expected.
Even my 5800 would consume battery fairly quickly when playing video and it has no where near the power of the N900.
I use my n900 alot during the day and I find it to be not bad on battery life. Today, after 23 hours I still have 37% life left. Usage included 6 hours of wifi and 5 hours of mp3 playing + the usual cell usage.
I'm happy!
Thats pretty good.
The 5800 would only be on par with that. In fact the battery meter on the 5800 seems unreliable.
Ie, after 12 hours it would still show full battery, but then reboot it, and it would show 40%.
aironeous
2010-06-30, 06:41
Can anyone tell me where the f'n. "start a new thread/topic" link is on this f'n website. Why are you making it so hard to find? It should be right at the top of the f'n page and very obvious.
I've shown a few people at work, including iPhone users.
The biggest jaw droppesr are:
* the Task Manager with the real time updating mini views
* it plays Divx/AVI's standard
* the desktops with real time widgets
I can feel the jealousy oozing. :)
Can anyone tell me where the f'n. "start a new thread/topic" link is on this f'n website. Why are you making it so hard to find? It should be right at the top of the f'n page and very obvious.
Well, you can post a new thread in a specific forum, not in New Posts or Search for instance...
breakd0wn
2010-06-30, 07:45
Yeah, the n900 is awesome. I love mine.
disappointed
2010-06-30, 09:04
enjoy it until you start getting charging port problem. mine is currently in nokia head office. my advice when you are charging it leave it alone. its very delecate.
Thats pretty good.
The 5800 would only be on par with that. In fact the battery meter on the 5800 seems unreliable.
Ie, after 12 hours it would still show full battery, but then reboot it, and it would show 40%.
Yes, I think it is good showing too.
For the record, I use the useful application called Battery Graph.
Also, my wifi power is set at 100mw, I haven't tried the 10mw setting, that would save even more power.
At least you can take a spare battery. Try wifi switcher helps a lot with battery life
lordfury007
2010-07-03, 00:33
I just got this phone yesterday, and am loving it already... Nokia's Ovi store wasn't real impressive, but the "Application Manager" has hundreds of great apps there.
Plus the fact that this forum is very active is another bonus.
One of the better sites i've found that displays some of the better apps is:
http://mynokiablog.com/2010/05/13/apps-apps-and-some-more-apps-for-your-nokia-n900-maemo-5/
garyc2010
2010-07-03, 00:51
Awesome buddy :)
Within the short span of time (2 mos) of ownership, I have come to the conclusion that this phone is perfect for the DIYer.
Yeah I love a bit of DIY and found the n900 makes an excellent hammer.......................so you see its not totally useless, and if I forget how to bang in a nail , I can consult the man pages for n900 hammer and its all there.
Its a bit ironic im heading to NZ and Aus later this year for a few months and im selling my n900, I simply dont trust the bas***d with my data plan.
HeavyComponent
2010-07-03, 02:42
Nice! I got mine about 2 weeks ago and fell in love. I can't seem to put it down. I do everything with this phone, I don't really need my PC when I'm away. Even when I'm not I rather use my phone.
I should of bought it when it dropped, but I was told it was going to drop for T-Mobile. If it did I would of paid the phone off piece by piece. This phone is so expensive and that's another reason why it took me so long to get it.
Love it!
My HD2 is in my draw at the moment waiting for a full and stable Android OS.I have a test version running on it, but a lot of stuff don't work. Then again it's for testing and viewing at the moment so yeah.
My 2 cents on the phone I was using prior to the N900 even though it has nothing to do with this thread. :)
I just got this phone yesterday, and am loving it already... Nokia's Ovi store wasn't real impressive, but the "Application Manager" has hundreds of great apps there.
Plus the fact that this forum is very active is another bonus.
One of the better sites i've found that displays some of the better apps is:
http://mynokiablog.com/2010/05/13/apps-apps-and-some-more-apps-for-your-nokia-n900-maemo-5/
It has thousands. Add extra-devel and extra-testing, trigger software update, and take a look of the full list with the following command under xterminal:
apt-cache search \ | grep -v ^lib | more
Add extra-devel and extra-testing, trigger software update, and take a look of the full list
And this should be complemented with:
Don't install from Extras-devel or Extras-testing unless you're prepared to reflash your device if you happen to stumble on an application or library that's not really done.
Extras-devel is to be avoided unless you really know what you're doing.
Just a heads up.
Update.
After using the N900 for the past week I can say I am even more happy with it.
I've installed the following apps and games:
zoutube - works
VGBA - havent tried yet
Transmission - works
TowerBloxx - havent tried yet
SiB - works
Quake 3 - works and is awesome fast, freaky :eek:
PrBoom - works
omweather - works
NumptyPhysics - havent tried yet
N-Speed - works
Mappero - works
liqtorch - works
KMPlayer - works
fMMS - works
Firefox - works
eCouch - works
DrNokSnes - works and is coolio :D
Conky - works
Bounce - havent tried yet
BatteryGraph - works
AngryBirds - works
AlienBlaster - works
AutoDisconnect. - works
Battery life is better than expected.
With a 2 hour train trip watching movies, and then checking email and web intermittently through the day, I still had about 30% left after about 14 hours.
On a weekend I pushed the battery to the limit to get a full discharge and had about 5% left and thought it would turn off soon.
It kept going for nearly another 2 hours. It just wouldn't die.
The battery indicator seems to be the most linear of any phone I've ever owned. That is, it doesn't accelerate as it gets to the bottom like a car petrol tank. :)
On a weekend I pushed the battery to the limit to get a full discharge and had about 5% left and thought it would turn off soon.
It kept going for nearly another 2 hours. It just wouldn't die.
The battery indicator seems to be the most linear of any phone I've ever owned. That is, it doesn't accelerate as it gets to the bottom like a car petrol tank. :)
Your device and the battery came with it seems to have high quality. Device as such could be running at 1150Mhz without any issue. Gratz. ^^
Hey I'm glad that you're enjoying your new phone! I just got mine recently and am loving it! Also, I don't know if you've heard but you can easily "overclock/underclock" the processor to use less voltage and save even more battery.
Hey I'm glad that you're enjoying your new phone! I just got mine recently and am loving it! Also, I don't know if you've heard but you can easily "overclock/underclock" the processor to use less voltage and save even more battery.
Yes, Ive read some threads on this.
Im a techy but not game enough to try it yet.
Especially by flashing with a new kernel.
You don't need to flash to do overclocking.
sophocha
2010-07-09, 09:10
Welcome, almost 6 months late :)
You don't need to flash to do overclocking.
Point me to the link, I may try it.
Point me to the link, I may try it.
I can save you time by giving you direct instructions here:
Prerequisite: rootsh installed
(go to xterminal)
root
apt-get install kernel-power-settings
reboot
(after reboot, go to xterminal again)
sudo kernel-config limits 500 950
There you go.
You may alter the limits, but then you should read the corresponding document for safety.
Hope this help.
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