Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Yes, it was in ANNOUNCE: Mephemeris - Astronomy Program.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I've lost patience waiting, honestly. I'd rather already have the hardware and continue to get updates than wait and wait and wait. The money I had set aside for it has already been spent on a particularly fully loaded Dell Mini9 (as folks recommended I do, elsewhere, as an impatient son of a gun that I am is want to do). :) I need my new gadget fix, dammit!

Gotta say--I'm very happy I chose the mini9 over the other netbooks!

Now, I just need the new more modern pocket-sized Linux gadget to replace my N800... and so far, I've not seen one. I'm getting pretty impatient about it.. but then I'm not sure I want to spend the money anymore since I sprung for the mini9. The long waiting and just talk-talk-talking about something that nobody can even buy or even point out a solid release date reminds me too much of the vapourware of the 80's from the likes of Atari and Commodore that never saw the light of day. I got pretty cynical after seeing that pattern a bunch of times. :) Doesn't always mean there's nothing there--but it happens enough to make me feel ranty and impatient.

Discuss! :D

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I'm not really loving the Mini 9. The Atom is really a godawful piece of ****. Not being able to leave it sitting on a table alive and active for more than 4 hours (like I can do with my N800) is rather infuriating.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Not sure I follow you. I leave it on and alive for hours, monitoring it for temp and power all the time with no problems so far. I've been running Kubuntu 9.04 (beta, then RC's) for quite a while, though (almost as soon as I got it). Seems solid and stable to me. It DOES get hot at the keyboard (where it vents) when I push it too hard and so I do wish they'd had SOME kind of fan to help with that--but it never overheats and seems to run pretty solidly. I did find a bug in the Intel video driver that randomly makes the desktop restart.. but that's a driver error effecting even desktop PC's with a specific Intel video chipset similar to the one in the Mini9 and I didn't notice anything related to heat.

Anyway... this is veering into netbook discussion territory now. Let's get back to talking about the new, non-existant Nokia tablet. :D

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I'm pretty sure he's talking more about battery life than heat.

I agree.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

That's exactly the point. Hours, not days.

I really want an ARM-based netbook. . . .

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

OH! No no.. I understand you now.. and I wholeheartedly agree. A beefier ARM chipset netbook would be teh hella-hella-hella awesome. :)

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I wonder how different will the fremantle beta be in this regard - whether the lower level stuff is more or less frozen, especially considering this would be probably one of the less useful features to implement in the fremantle alpha given to the hardwareless crowd.

Also, as already said in the other thread, it's still not a showstopper even if no compass/gyro is is there, it's just that you need something to calibrate the accelerometers to - the moon, or the brightest star/planet you can see.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Haha! Great idea! Hopefully the tablet gets in on some of this action!


YARR!
}:^)~
Capt'nShampt'n

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I want looong battery life, like 10 hours of constant surfing and media player use.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I posted about the skynote 600 over in the competitors section. (the 680 is basically the same convertible tablet netbook, just with Andoid on it)

It's downsides are: 128M - 256M of RAM, no more; and 1-4 GB of storage. Not that bad compared to existing NITs, but pretty anemic compared to other netbooks. Even though it's a bigger screen (7"), it's still only 800x480.

Though, their current estimate for price in the US is $150, and it's definitely a convertible tablet netbook based on an ARM-11 533MHz CPU.

I do wish they had a 9" model with larger resolution, as well as options for more RAM and storage. But, at $150, it might be cheap enough to just use for cannibalization for a beagleboard and Mer, or something along those lines. That doesn't solve the screen size, but it would address any other shortcomings, I think.

They haven't returned my email asking questions about availability or options for more RAM and storage. Other messages sound like they're looking for a distributor in the US. Or suggesting that they contact the Mer team about porting to the 600 model.


Otherwise, it sounds like the Always Innovating Touchbook will be a good option.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Here's a request.

I love using my N810 as a phone, but it 's not without its shortcomings. For example, sometimes when I have my Bluetooth headset in, I'd still like to play music over the loudspeaker, but take calls on the headset. Similarly, I may want to listen to tunes using my headphones, but when the phone rings, I just pop in my headset (I hate keeping this thing in my ear) and automatically the sound is piped to that device.

The wish?

I wish that some of the N900 apps (namely RTCOMM) had the ability to pipe sound to different devices, based on the users setup. For example, you could have the phone ring over the loud speaker regardless if your headset was plugged in, so you wouldn't have to keep them in your ears to hear the phone. Similarly, you could play music via headphones and have the phone ring in the headphones, but take the call in a to-the-ear manner.

Currently, my N810 will ring the alarm over the loud speaker regardless of weather the headphones are plugged, the headset is plugged in, or my bluetooth headset is connected. This is a very good feature. It would be nice if it spilled over to different applications.


YARR!
}:^)~
Corrupt Sandwich

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

goodluckwiththat

OMAP3 has better powersaving and a faster CPU, so it's going to spend less time on and doing work and more time idle for the same tasks, but the SoC isn't the only thing using power, and if you expect the screen run for 10 hours on a 1500mAh battery, you're not being realistic.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

An ARM11 netbook isn't worth discussing (especially one with Android on it).

OMAP3440, OMAP3640 or nothing.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

The DSP audio on the N8x0 made things . . . complicated. PulseAudio should be a bit more accommodating.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

The 680 has Android. The 600 has a generic linux dist on it.

But, that's partly why I suggested using it as a home for a beagleboard. Then you're pretty much bypassing whatever their motherboard limitations are. I just don't know how feasible that'll be. I may buy one just for that purpose.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Exactly.. if it's a pocket-sized computer.. I can understand living with some limitations.. but if it's going to be a netbook, I should expect that with the increased footprint should come some more capacity (battery, RAM, CPU speed, etc.) Otherwise, why bother with a netbook form factor?

We can hope.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Modern GPS receivers should give you better resolution than this. I highly recommend the N900 use one.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Physical size.

The N810 can do just about everything I would want/need, in terms of CPU, RAM, and storage, in a netbook. It's just too small, and not ergonomically suited for it.

If the N810/N900 had:
1) Easy way to support an external full size USB keyboard (full size in terms of the key sizes, it could be one of those "full size keys, but no number pad)
2) Easy way to support an external 7" or 9" LCD or OLED display (and such displays were easily available accessories for the N810/N900)
3) Support for displaying larger resolution on external displays

(or, instead of those, redfly compatibility)

then I probably wouldn't need/care about a netbook.

You can sort of do #1 with some adapter magic, but I seem to recall it takes more than just a USB size adapter. And, if you're ok with portable bluetooth keyboards, you don't have a problem with what the N810 does now ... but I haven't found a portable bluetooth I really liked. But I do love my folding mathias USB keyboard much better than I did the stowaway I also have. I would definitely want to be able to use THAT with an N810/N900.

But the real gating items, IMO, are #2 and #3. Without those, I need a netbook for many situations. I don't really need more CPU, RAM, nor storage than my N810 has (and the above netbook DOES have more storage potential than the N810). Those would be nice, but they aren't necessary.

With all of that in place, I wouldn't have any problem plugging the keyboard and display into my N810, and taking notes on that while I'm in a meeting (anywhere I have a table or desk). Or hooking it up to my KVM switch on my desk. I could easily forgo a netbook in that case.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

High-quality receivers cost a lot of money.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

As to 1):
n810 + original usb cable + double female usb adapter +
my silicone fullsize keyboard works great.
Just go into the control panel
and configure Bluetooth Keyboard to Generic 105-key PC.

EDIT .
Forgot to mention :
Run usbcontrol and set Host mode
before connecting usb keyboard.


2) and 3) also on my wish list.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

It takes money to make money.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

So, then, a female USB to male microUSB cable should in fact work fine? (or, in my case, I think miniUSB male to microUSB male might be what I need, since the port on the matthias is a miniUSB)

Or, perhaps, instead of double female USB, a female USB to male miniUSB adapter would allow the N810's original cable to plug into the matthias keyboard.

Either way, though, that still leaves open the need for the large display, and larger resolution on that display.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I just purchased one of these a few months ago:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Micro-USB-Host-C...3%3A1|294%3A50

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Which is why I keep hoping (though seriously doubt) the N900 will have OLED. I'd gladly pay the extra for the thinner device with longer battery life (due to less consumption by the screen during use). Besides, OLED's are really starting to drop in price for smaller screens. OLEDs may not have the longest lifespan, but consider how long it will take before they'll be outdated and tossed aside anyway.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

@ johnkzin

Sorry, forgot to mention :
Run usbcontrol and set Host mode
before connecting usb keyboard,

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

The Sony part is a transflective display.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Thanks for dashing my dreams...:p

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

solar panels covering the back / face

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

At a bare minimum Nokia needs to do:

1. Faster CPU
2. A2DP
3. 1024x600
4. USB host mode

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Yes.

Yes.

No.

Probably (since we've already got it, I hope they don't take it away on new hardware)

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

D-Pad on the device face please!

As a person that often uses the tablet with the keypad closed, I miss having access to the d-pad and the menu key! It is especially inconvenient with one handed operation (which should be easier with the coming accelerometer and auto-rotating screen).


YARR!
}:^)~
TheloneusCapt'n

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Although there probably will not be a compass, why not add all sorts of sensors? The Nokia research teams have always been talking about sensors in mobile devices and how they can help larger scale surveys or services. Placing tempature, compass, and barometer sensors in an open source device could lead to some great experiments. I don't know how that would change the overall cost, but it would be alot of fun!

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

The N97 has a compass AFAIK, so I don't think it's completely out of the question for the N900.


YARR!
}:^)~
NortherlyCapt'n

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I don't agree about 1024x600. 800x480 is just fine. Don't fix what isn't broken.

A2DP? I don't consider the NIT to be my PMP, so I don't care about that at all (one way nor the other). So it's not on my minimums.

And, the NIT already has USB Host (OTG can switch to Host, IIRC). What it needs there is just an easier selector for the different modes, and judging by the bug/feature tracker ticket activity on that issue, I am expecting we'll see that in 5.0.

My minimums for the N900 (and thus the hardware, not the software): HSPA (got it), lots more storage and RAM, and charge via USB client. More CPU would be good, but it's not a "requirement" for me. If I thought there was any hope for it, I'd put in "Dpad on the face" as a requirement, but I have a feeling that "requirement" would mean I'd never be able to buy another NIT in my life. It would also be exceptionally nice to have a 5 row keyboard that has good solid ergonomics (the E71 has amazingly good feel in this regard, I hope the NIT team was able to learn that from them). No more hitting the symbol key in order to get numbers. If the HSPA does all 4 groups (euro, asian, AT&T/NAM, and T-Mobile-USA), that'd be a wet dream.

On the software side, I do hope that Maemo 5.0 will bring us a SyncML client for calendar and contacts. Before Sept. I wasn't a big Google Apps user, so I never really looked into it with the NIT, but I do hope that 5.0's browser has good solid non-mobile version support for Google Mail, Calendar, Reader, and Voice. It'd also be nice if it does well with Google Docs. I say "non-mobile" because one of my annoyances with the G1 is that it's all the mobile versions of those apps, which lack some key features. I'm also hoping that the built-in support for the other IM/Chat protocols (general Jabber, Yahoo, AIM, MSN, and maybe IRC) will be nice and solid by 5.0, as well as solid SIP support.

If I had all of that, even without the Dpad on the face, I'd have a very hard time choosing between the N900 and my G1. If it has both the Dpad on the face, and the full UMTS/HSPA capability, that'd be outstanding.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I'm new to this forum and to the 810, but I've been doing Linux in various ways for years - especially embedded and cross-compiled applications. Aside from maintaining the open source and coolness factors, what I really want is something slightly different than the current 810.

I read a LOT - all sorts of things. I want a handheld device optimized for reading. I think that means a physically larger screen. There's a huge gap between phone-sized deices like the 810 and even the smaller laptops.

My ideal would be something more like the Kindle - about the size of a small paperback book, but with a glorious color screen, comfortable leather binding, and the ability to browse the net and run all my favorite Linux apps. WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, and compact flash/SD are necessary. GPS, FM, and accelerometers are all good. Full bluetooth cellphone control would be good, as well as the ability to act as the handset for my home phone and act as a full-function IR remote.

I don't care about fitting it in my pocket, but I want it to be exquisitely comfortable to hold, look at, and use. The paperback book seems to be close to the ergonomic optimum.

I've been waiting years for this, but no one has made me happy yet :-(

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

@johnkin
I agree with you that the NIT is nearly perfect.

I personally would like to see A2DP. Many computers can handle it, so why not the NIT as well (pocketable computer)? Besides, it's mainly a software problem so it should be easy enough to support.


@rx7vt
I can understand your request for such a device. There are a whole slew of netbook variants (including tablets) on the horizon that may give you what you want. Many of them will run an ARM processor and as such should have comparable life compared to the NITs, albeit in a larger form factor.

Also, Nokia seems to be getting into the Netbook game. I'm not sure what their play is, but perhaps they'll enter into the market with a little ingenuity and provide something similar.

I think I would be very interested in a larger tablet device (mainly for inking and as a thin client), but I'd like to keep the NIT as a pocket-able unit.


YARR!
}:^)~
NetCapt'n

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Hmm, how we love to repeat ourselves. See above; A2DP is supported in fremantle (#667).

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

I'm with ya. After I was done printing Bruce Sterling's "The Hacker Crackdown, law and disorder on the electronic frontier" I naively thought, "This might be the year." That was 1994. And a year or so after that I purchased a few PDF's and thought, "Now this has to be the year." I gave up over a decade ago. But 1994 was about the first year that linux has been on my desktop in one form or another.

Re: What woud you realistically like to see in the N900?
 

Well, the USB transceiver (ISP1204/ISP1207) was mentioned in the beta kernel and it seems to support OTG.