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

Number ONE thing I'd want is a Desktop DOCKING CHARGER...

sure inductive charging is cool but WTF.. I mean wouldn't it be easy to provide 2 contacts for a Docking station??? KISS method here??? all the other "inductive" BULLCRAP would take away from the other stuff we all want ya know??? money talks and bullcrap walks. I'm a NUTS AND BOLTS kinda guy.. and all my devices MUST HAVEa dockin station for charging.. the wimpy charging port is suspect to wear and failure in my opinion.. planned obsolescense??

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

Eeeeeasy big fella...

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

Docking station? A cradle? Oh please, let it never happen.. I've got lots of cradles, for two sorts of PDAs, and for phones. You know what? They all suck. It's a braindead concept. To be specific: The lean-to multi-connectors they all use. They _always_ start to work badly after a short time. The worst is when you depend on one to charge your device.. as I need to with my Palm PDAs. And my non-Nokia mobile phone (my other phone, a Nokia, is fine, because Nokia went for proper charging plugs years ago, bless them). Now, if that "docking station" used a standard charging plug it would presumably be ok. But that's not a docking station then, is it? Anyway, even the tiny, agreeably flimsy small charger pins Nokia use these days are infinitely better than any cradle connector I've ever seen.

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

I mostly agree with TA-t3, except that the connector should be USB. Charge via USB-client cable should be the only form of charging these days. Device specific docking station/cradles and device or vendor specific charging cables are just asinine.

And, as TA-t3 said: If they want to put it in the shape of a cradle/dock, sure go ahead. As long as the plug itself is a standard USB-client of some sort (micro, mini, whatever).

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

Charging through USB is also fine, agreed. That's one of those sane plugs that actually works (unlike those cradle multi-connectors..)

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

I third (fourth, or even fifth) the idea that the N900 should be charged via micro-USB, but likely for a different reason. The reduction or connection ports means that more space is available for internal gadgetry.

Perhaps the extra space could be used for a full SD, or even a second..... Perhaps another radio, or a better camera...


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Capt'n: I'm not sure how that works with OTG (how does the USB port sometimes negotiate itself as host vs client vs just-give-me-juice in different situations). It might work to just have the one connector for all 3 ... but I sort of have this feeling that it's cleaner to have 2 ports (1 for OTG and host, one for client/charging).

THat's why I didn't consider it as a space saving issue.

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

But the USB bus only allows a tiny amount of power, compared to the Nokia charging plug. Charging via the Nokia plug is almost twice as fast as through a hypothetical USB plug.

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

I am, in fact, completely ok with that :-)

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

But -- and that's my point -- I'm not.

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

No kidding. I don't have an unlimited amount of time to wait for my device to charge, so having it go as quickly as is safely possible is a good thing.

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

I'm sure that through some electronic wizardry, the plug could automatically route additional current to the battery, and achieve similar charging times. I know very little of electronics, but this doesn't seem far fetched.

In any case, using one type of plug is far more attractive than using multiple connectors. Ideally, the unit would have two micro-USBs that could be used to:

1) charge the device
2) connect to other USB 2.0 compliant devices
3) connect headphones (via a special dongle)
4) attach to an external display (via a special device)

The idea of having many 'specialized' ports (if indeed unnecessary) is not attractive.


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Here's one thing that I don't think has been mentioned, but I would like to see changed with the N900: The 'Internet Tablet' brand!!!!

I 'get it'. I understand the concept, the usefulness, and how these devices differ from cellular phones, or laptops. I also appreciate that there is *some* brand differentiating the 'internet tablets' from other devices. The problem is in the brand collision with other 'tablets' especially considering that they too can surf the internet.

I think the categorical branding for the Nxxx's has made them confusing to the consumer. The 'tablet' name for devices was coined a long time ago. It was used with the old Microsoft 'tablet', is currently being used with the new Dell multi-touch 'tablet', and is rumored with the Apple's 'tablet' device. Although the Nxxx is similar in functionality with the larger tablets, the differing price, size, and performance, places them in a completely different category of device, which the name does not effectively do.

I think that Nokia has to re-think the branding of the 'internet tablet' device category if it is to maximize the systems potential. I would like to see this new brand representing the N900.

As a fun aside: any ideas?


}:^)~
YARR!

Capitoneous Corrupticus

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

Gotta agree with the Captain here. I don't mind the whole Nxxx business, but everything else needs a good, marketable name. Everyone thought "iPod" was stupid, but damnit it was memorable and when you said it people didn't think you were talking about something else. ("Tablet - oh you mean a Tablet PC?")

I mean -- it's abbreviation is IT and it's system is OS 2008. How much more generic could it be?

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

let's call it nWeb :)

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

Yes, I've also been a bit bothered by 'internet tablet'. It isn't entirely clear what it means. In many countries 'tablet' is just another name for 'pill', it sounds like you're on medication for internet addiction! (Now maybe there's a twisted meaning right there.. ;)) I've tried to think of some better name myself but I'm not a word-person. So far I can only think of Intel's variant, which is MID: Mobile Internet Device. I for one would be fine with something better than that too.

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

Not to put a damper on the N810 sale-a-bration...

It looks as though Nokia might be watching. In the very least, they seem to be thinking along the same lines as many in this forum. Check out this latest patent application courtesy of Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/...ick-patent.jpg

Could this be the N900?

1) The screen and keyboard's size, proportion, and orientation seems to suggest tablet.

2) The rotatable "arm" could hold a camera that could be aimed to the outward for photos or inward for video conference (this is my speculation).

3) It seems as if the dpad can once again be placed on the device front, and be accessed even when open. Perhaps we'll see multi-purpose buttons, that can be game like on the front.

4) The screen is tiltable. Though the angle isn't much from the illustrations, does this suggest the kickstand is getting the boot?

This is just a patent diagram, so all information is scarce; there is no mention of model or specs. You can get to the original article by clicking here.

Now if they'd only do something about the branding! I completely agree with namtastic, Internet Tablet is far to generic and confusing. I like Kozzi and TA-T3's N-Web and MID names. Might I also suggest "Walk-Around-Web" or WAW?


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Here's a link to the patent filing:

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...DN/20070259702

It looks as though I was correct about the camera!



}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Quoted from a comment in Gizmodo article about the above patent, anyone here have any idea if this "might" be true ? 1 month for N810 or 6 months for N8xx with mobilephone's functions :eek:

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

Actually, it looks to me like the dpad is on the side, not the front. Not that I'm complaining -- it'd be interesting to get used to it being in that location, though. Doesn't really fit with the way I hold my N800 (index finger is on the +/- key, thumb on the dpad, putting the very base of my index finger right about where that dpad is), but I'd give it a try. I wonder if I could learn to use that base of my index finger to impart gestures on the dpad...

I like how it handles the camera.

I wonder if that drawing has to fully represent the keypad... as I don't see things like an enter key on it.

Still, I like the layout (I should, it basically conforms to stuff I asked-for/mocked-up in a "screen slides only and screen tilts instead of a kickstand" type form factor; the drawing in the right part of the image looks almost identical to one of my mock-ups). I wonder what the maximum tilt angle is ... like if you can tilt it up to almost 90 degrees.

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

It *could* be true, but there's really no way of officially verifying the information, so I wouldn't hold your breath!

Of course, having the option to go cellular with this device would completely devastate practically all other hand-held devices out there; one device that can do it all, rather than a bag full of gadgets.

Lets hope that it has some form of mobile internet technology built in!


I'm also interested in the button on the side. Does the patent state that it is indeed a dpad? If this is the case, the unit would have to be quite thick to be usable. A scroll wheel, or up down arrows would probably be nicer in that space.

I like it to. To be honest, I think the fewer moving parts, the better, but the increase in functionality of this camera arrangement over the current tablet outweighs the extra moving part (IMO). I hope it has some type of lock mechanism, as it would be annoying if the camera rotated when you were trying to hold the tablet. Pulling out to rotate it would be acceptable, or better yet, a release button.

It's a patent drawing (think sketch) so it's not a correct representation of the final device. It's a drawing designed to illustrate the working components of the invention.

I agree with you. I think it's a novel approach. My only hope is that it's sturdy given all of the moving parts and easy to keep clean! I wouldn't like it if I heard the crunching of sand every time I closed my tablet!


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Why is this thread on Page 19, when threads talking about the n810 which came out last Saturday are neglected. Isn't everyone's best interest being served in figuring out how to best use the n810 and improve it right now.

That being said: USB charging, and 2 card slots again.

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

Exactly! The ITT should leave out the power-hungry and proprietary cell modem and use BT to talk to whatever phone you have. Especially in the US where cell providers routinely cripple and lock down devices; I don't want my n900 (or whatever) to stop working if I cancel my plan with Sprint.

Re: Buttons vs. a screen that occupies the entire front of the device (ala iPhone)
Please don't get rid of the buttons on the face of the ITT. The iPhone is terribly handicapped by this choice and hack after hack is appearing, trying to get around the fact that there are no hardware buttons to use for input. It just isn't worth the compromise; I'd rather see the entire device get bigger than lose the buttons, and I believe we could use some buttons on the right side of the screen as well to allow shortcuts to applications. I really miss that from the Palm days where you could instantly jump to the core applications using those magic four buttons, and they were great for input in other apps.
I vote strongly in favor of a side-mounted scroll wheel too; there really is no other answer for quickly paging through sites and books without getting out the stylus to drag around instead (bleh!).

Larry

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

Why are they being neglected? That's an easy one - all the power users who were accepted into the device programme haven't got N810s yet. Anyone outside the US, hasn't got an N810 yet.

Nokia's announcement that sales have started in the US, isn't particularly joined up with the device programme; and lots of people around the world are still twiddling your thumbs.

You N810-owners will have to be as (im)patient as us not-yet-N810-owners ;-)

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

Because we're all technophiles, and technophiles like to brainstorm about better and better techie-toys. It doesn't matter what thing is out NOW, we're still going to want to throw in an idea here or there about what would be better.

It is entirely independent of why the n810 threads are or aren't being as heavily monitored. Even if they were in high gear, this thread (which has been out a LOT longer than just last saturday) would still be on page 19.

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

I saw that too. I wonder if that's a reference to the WiMAX version. Maybe the poster got it wrong (and it wont be a SIM card based device?).

But, if they're generally right, does this mean that the next gen will be usable as a full fledged phone? Or is this just a reference to WiMAX+skype (which, could sort of fulfill the statement).


Part of me likes the specialized tool approach.... it is, after all, the Unix way (do one thing, do it well, integrate with other things that do their job well). In that regard, wifi and bluetooth are good enough for being built into the NIT. We don't really need WiMAX, GSM, nor CDMA WWAN versions of the NIT. And staying with wifi&bt, the WWAN functionality is modular.

On the otherhand, there is something to be said about integration. Why carry 3 devices (NIT, Phone, bluetooth HD)? That's a little inconvenient.


That said, I don't really mind one way or the other if the NIT gets a WWAN radio. As long as it keeps bluetooth DUN, some reasonably current Wifi support, adds bluetooth PAN, doesn't _require_ me to pay for a WWAN service, and they don't undermine the battery life. In fact, my only "stomp my foot" with regard to adding WWAN to the NIT is: add bluetooth PAN first. The lack of bluetooth PAN is, IMO, a huge hole in this device.

After they add bluetooth PAN, they can add whatever WWAN capability they want to.

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

This is a very interesting analogy that I hadn't made before. Of course, unix commands weigh in at a few kilobytes and are tiny in comparison to the overall operating system. To compare a unix command to a mobile device, the unix command would likely be the size of a MicroSD card. In this case, integration would be a no-brainer: you could simply tape them to the device, slot them into the device, or carry them in your wallet, and presto, you have custom functionality.

But mobile devices are far bigger in comparison than unix command. They're harder to integrate, take up more space, must all be individually charged, just all be switched on, etc.

This is why I prefer convergence (at this stage) with hardware. I'd rather have one device that does a lot, than many smaller devices that do one thing well. I would rather have a phone, a point-and-shoot camera, a mobile media player, a GPS, and a laptop in one device than having to juggle five. Its smaller, lighter, and far easier.

Just to be clear: I'm not advocating cellular integration into the N900. I'm personally indifferent about this option. However, I would love the ability to surf/talk/IM in the park, or on the beach with my tablet and without another device.

Of course, wi-fi should NOT be removed. I believe if Nokia goes WiMAX, upcoming WiMAX radios are backwardly compatible with Wi-Fi radios. In fact, this should be true regardless of the upgrade.

Oh, and WWAN sounds so much better than 'mobile internet' :D



}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Compact Flash cards were supposed to give us that ability. They had cameras, wifi cards, GSM data cards. And, they're electronically identical to a PCMCIA card, so functionality wise, anything you can do with PCMCIA (WiMAX, express cards via caddy, SD cards via caddy, etc.) you can, in theory, do with a CF card.

But, their popularity has waned. Too big, really, for putting in a cell phone ... and standalone PDAs are being replaced in the market by smartphone-PDAs. Though, a CF card slot on the back of a Nokia tablet, which blended right in, and allowed you to choose between Nokia manufactured camera, Wifi, WiMAX, GSM/EDGE/HSDPA/HSUPA, and CDMA/EVDO* cards would be rather nice. Then you can pick whichever one suits your personal taste/needs. (and the only one I would say HAS to be on the base integration is the bluetooth radio)

(* ok, nokia says they're out of the CDMA business, so maybe they just provide drivers for a known CDMA CF card vendor)

And there IS still a niche market for CF cards (someone made some industrial sensor cards for detecting chemicals, temperature, etc... sort of like a tri-corder on a library of CF cards) ... with the right drivers, Nokia could capture that market, as well (because the other cf card hosts are vanishing from the market).

I don't expect to see it happen, though. I think CF cards really are going to go the way of the Dodo.

I did recently see that someone made a wifi card that goes into a SD card slot. So, an SD card slot that has the functionality diversity of CF and PCMCIA cards (cameras (sony had one on a memory stick, so why not?), wifi, gsm, cdma, etc.) would be nice.

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

I bought an SDIO wi-fi card for my Palm nearly 3 years ago, and they were available for PPC (the old pre-winmob PDAs) before that. SDIO never took off though, probably because it turned out too difficult to support compared to the physically larger CF. There were only ever a couple of types and very few makers of SDIO cards, unlike CF I/O cards where there were probably half a dozen types or more, and lots of makers.

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

Interestingly enough, they're making WiFi Micro SD cards now.

This is semi good news. If they can fit a WiFi radio in a microSD, who's to say that they can't fit a GSM or WiMAX radio? Of course, because the current N810 has only one slot, and assuming that it can accept these MicroSD expansions, you would have to momentarily forgo your files to get access.

Here's to hoping that the N900 has at least two expansion slots ala the N800: full SD, if possible, or at the very least two Micro SD. If the trend remains the same, mini SD is not going very far, and the extra space would be gladly traded for an additional MicroSD slot.

In any case, I'm quite pleased with the direction the Tablet's are going. They just need a *little* bit more to be the ultimate handheld devices.


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Any more ideas for the name? I have another one:

Nokia MI series

MI (pronounced "Mee") is an acronym standing for Moblie Internet. I can even see ad campaigns floating around the idea of individuality on the web! Like it? Hate it?

Some other similar ones are
1) Nokia I series (for internet -- though could/will be considered an apple ripoff)
2) Nokia W series (for Web or WAN -- not as slick as N or I, but it works)


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Hm.. Nokia MI Tablet (pronounced "my" instead of "me"). Its MI Tablet.

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

One thing that I'd like to see on the next version of tablets is this: No cover for the SD card!

Since the kick stand effectively acts as a cover (assuming the card is to be inserted in the bottom), then I'd rather have the convenience of easily swapping it/them, without picking at a tiny cover before doing so. A simple push to secure or to release would be ideal.

This is a minor concern, as I would rarely have to swap 8GiB+ cards. Still, it would be nice if it were slightly easier (like changing DS cards).


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

If that latest patent application drawing is what we can expect for the next gen of the NIT, then there wont be a kick stand. But I do like the idea of going door-less. I'd rather have like on cell phones, where it's spring loaded (push in, and it pops out). But that's just me.

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

What would I like from the next gen... well it isn't much in the way of hardware. I really like the form factor and would only wish for a hard cover for the screen that is easy to get out of the way. If my phone screen gets scratched... who cares I can still use it for it's primary purpose. Here however...

1. DON'T change memory card form factor again. Please.

2. Bluetooth stereo out and avrcp that is independent of application.

3. Better descriptions of applications in the repositories so I've some Idea what it does, and how to make it do it.

4. Tabs in the browser.

5. Greater support for multi-threading.

6. Support for non maximized applications. So I can do more than one thing at a time (like listen to music and surf without having one hang the other.)

7. A way to use the onscreen keyboard in a manor like xvkbd. To allow you to use non hildonized apps.

8. a file manager that allows you to well. Go outside the MyDocs folder....

9. A repository of "stock" applications so that if I decide to remove one... then later change my mind I can re-install it. (Like the calculator) without a re-flash, also comes in handy if I go "oops" and need to do a repair.

10. Better "integration" with 3rd party applications. For so long in the US and other places I visited. People HAD to buy a Nokia phone just so they could custom skin it. Nokia needs this kind of buzz for the IT.

11. Non DOS SD cards. Time to go 21st century.

12. Keyboard and non keyboard versions (ala n800/n810

13. Did I mention tabs in the browser? (hint hint)

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

Hahahahahah! Pure gold!

Great list. By the way.

I am TOTALLY on the same page regarding the Maemo site. Half of the applications have no information. Nokia needs a simple, easy-to-navigate repository that really SELLS the rich applications for the N8xx. For a novice user, the N8xx may as well have only the apps loaded onto the system!

It seems to be a trend with open source software: work really hard building a full-featured, complex application, then put up the crappiest, most cryptic, hard-to-navigate site possible to show it off...

Nokia should really push for a clean, easy to navigate, site with one-click installs, for all users. More screenshots are generally better than less...


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot about that...

Seriously though, I don't *need* tons of internal storage as long as it's painless to swap things in and out. It reminds me of cartridge switching, on the game systems of yester-year.

I've been watching GP2X vids, and wishing that the N810 was a descent emulator. Certainly it *should* be possible (it can run Quake 2 afterall), though no emulators have been optimized for it. The thought of playing Gen/SNES or maybe even PSX is truly drool-worthy. Here's to hoping that the next version of the tablet has the speed and button layout to accommodate this type of functionality.

Does anyone know if the N810's keyboard can be used as a make-shift gamepad?


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt

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

....... Yes

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

I'd like an ambidextrous (or even better, left handed) design as mentioned earlier, where there are buttons on both sides and one could swap keymap layouts.

Full size SD card(s) are a must. They store more data at lower prices and greater density.

Faster processor, more RAM.

Peer-to-peer / ad-hoc WiFi file sharing & IM between tablets; Wi-Fi gaming would be even better.

Some kind of gaming capabilities (maybe something derived from the N-Gage failure).

Physical screen lock / standby button (something like the sliding button on the top of the iPod).

Screen that is easily readable in sunlight.

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

Candid and concise.. :)

Is this a supposition, or from experience? Would it be comfortable to use?

I still have high hopes for the N8xx as a viable emulator, even at a reduced framerate and resolution.

What's the state of PSX emulation on the GP2X these days?


}:^)~
YARR!

Capt'n Corrupt