Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I want both. In one device. Though, "phone" is the important part of the first one, not so much "smartphone". The smarts can come from the "unix-like" part.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I can assure you this is a much, much smaller community than the one Palm mostly abandoned down the river*
And I'm pretty sure the Symbian one is still bigger.
So I don't see Nokia "reusing" Maemo just for community value. "Prospective value", now you may be talking ;)
*Of course it seems they may be getting now "a bigger one" so it may have been a good move.


I don't really mind with future NITs being phones too if that...
- Does not mean instant $200+ pricetag increase
- Does not mean I have to use voodoo If I want to install Obscure-GNU-Application 2009.beta or Obscure-Linux-Distro 103.3 into it.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

javispedro: "Voodoo" is part of the Linux experience. Even on the slickest Linux desktops, I find myself editing configuration files, typing long, obscure commands (as root) into the terminal, and hunting for answers on the forums...

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

One of the things I loved about Maemo, and that I enjoy about Android ... I have never HAD to perform such incantations (though, certain things were easier on Maemo after I did one or two brief incantations ... related to root and sudo).

Maemo is almost, but not quite, as good at hiding Unix/Linux layer stuff from the user as OS X. And, IMO, that's high praise.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I would argue that the problem is they didn't just make an internal USB or PCIe or any kind of interface for a card to put INSIDE the case so that you can use ANY carrier or future technology that comes along.. instead of hobbling you with this cellphone crap. :P

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

That's the "fun" voodoo.

The "scary" voodoo is the one where your only hope is to wait for $RANDOM_GENIUS to understand the phone chipset and port/rewrite the kernel/a driver for the platform. A platform where the first non-vendor approved installed application appears on newspaper. Where asking the device manufacturer for drivers, source code or plain specifications is laughed at.

You can see examples of that voodoo in the iphone community, but most current smartphones are like that. The nit was a big step in the "right" direction, but I fear that adding a phone chipset to it might undo that bold step, because it will be yet another forever closed component or the device will become a much more prominent spotlight in Nokia's portfolio and as such, more closed. Time will tell.

Of course, I wouldn't expect that adding a phone woud make it harder to use for the average joe.:D It's just that it's hard to express myself, specially in a foreign language.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I hope we will have a screen with 16M color on the N900.

I think the 65,000 color screen of N810 too sad.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Considering some in-kernel sizings, it's likely to remain 16bit colour.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Is Nokia ambivalent about Linux, or biding its time to seize the market?
http://www.rethink-wireless.com/inde...article_id=481

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I tend to think Nokia or their parts vendors just 'don't get' Linux, unlike IBM and Red Hat, who've taken the Kernel well outside its comfort zone of the home PC and into server-land. Nokia KIND OF started to take it out of its comfort zone too, and into the pocket-sized land of ARM tablets, but lately I'm feeling rather jaded about that.

So.. I'm not sure that it's either of those in the headline. Maybe it's more like.. started well but now missing the opportunity to lead the way?

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Or maybe people had false expectations of what Nokia's end-game was, and now they're getting bitter about their own false expectations, but inappropriately displacing that bitterness on Nokia, instead of themselves.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Sorry but what is the point you want to raise with this link? This article (written over a year ago) has an ambivalent subject and an even more ambivalent content.

Please open a new thread if you want to discuss further (since this has nothing to do with the topic of this thread: I can tell you the next Maemo device runs certainly Linux). ;)

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Normally I would agree... but with Nokia decisions ending up losing them money in 2008, I think that some decisions as well as the global economy starting to tank are both indicative of a need for change.

Or it'll continue and they'll have to let go of more hired help. And unlike your typical bitter person, I want Nokia to flourish.

I just have much less faith in their ability to support an item (more faith in the community though) and less faith in their products.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I actually haven't given up on tablets, more on Nokia. Iran spying didn't help.

But I'm moving more into sofabook territory, since I don't do a lot of web surfing while jogging, personally.

So I just ordered the one here:

https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/home/

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Heh! I'm sorry, I'm not sure that Nokia's end-game should be irrelevant to the promises and pitches that sold the product to begin with.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

So, you don't even care that it's a completely different company? Not every company that has Nokia in its name is Nokia. "Sony Ericsson" isn't Sony and it's not Ericsson.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

have to write this down and pin it above my desk. - it really packs into one sentence the absurdity of the idea to optimize this kind of devices for "mobile use".

it's a sofabook, dammit. and "mobile use" is best covered by a €40 S40-phone.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I don't jog, but I do a lot of walking (both for exercise, and for getting to and from public transportation stops) ... and I do in fact web surf while walking. Or web surf while at bus stops. Or web surf while on a bus/train rides that are too short to pull out my netbook (7-15 minutes each).

My point being: sometimes a netbook is too big. (sometimes a pocketable is too small, but sometimes a netbook is too big). I do, however, really like the look/specs/design/price of the AI Touchbook. I'm really looking forward to hearing and seeing how well it lives up to its own hype.

(the netbook is for meetings, the couch, and the longest commute segment, which is an hour)

Not even close. Not only is an S60 phone not up to the task of being my primary pocketable device, an S40 phone isn't even up to the task of being my _backup_ device. The S40 phone I have (came with my wireless service) is pretty much useless.

The difference between my netbook/couchbook and my pocketable is: size (and the things that go with size), and telephony (mobile voice and SMS). Otherwise, the pocketable has to be just as capable as the netbook (decent web browser, solid ssh client (ie. not putty), etc.). If it's not, it's not worth carrying.

I'll reiterate what I've said elsewhere: if it's not a maemo phone, or an android phone, there's nothing else on the market that's worth giving the space in my pocket.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I understand what you're saying, but those ARE brand names, not just simple (hah) company names. If you don't want to be associated with it, don't use the same (high profile) name.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Yeah, let's change the name of Nokia, that's a great idea. ;)

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Did you know that Nokia poisoned more than 10000 people some time ago and that is a undeniable fact? ;)

You can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_w..._contamination

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Wrong, read it again. The water supply of Nokia (the town) was contaminated. Nothing at all to do with Nokia (the corporation).

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Well, my wife is from Nokia (the town, not the corporation), so I am quite familiar with this case...

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I believe you already do that in a way, it's called Vertu :D

If NSN does business that can (for whatever reason) adversely affect the Nokia brand (and vice versa), operates on a different market, then NSN should have been (*originally*) given a name that differentiates/shields Nokia from it. It doesn't matter what you do with the name *now*, since the damage, big or small, is already done).

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Hmmm... I'll have to write it down and pin it to my handlebars.

That way I can read it when I'm checking email at a long stoplight while out cycling. :p

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

and? to my understanding, you're still mixing the town of nokia with nokia the corporation. if it is true that the corporation did not have anything to do with the water crisis, then i'd see it most fit to simply delete the above mentioned comments. totally uncalled for to imply guilt by association.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Sounds like numerology.. with NAMES! Quick.. associate everything that has ANY kind of similarity!

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Not to say about those who don't usually wear any kind of backpack and must rely on their trusty pockets for convenient "entertainment-device-for-long-tube-rides" storage.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I think the N900 or one of the next tablets is going to look like this one row keyboard device that Nokia got a patent application for.
patent app # 20090137279 .

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...LD2=TTL&d=PG01

The images are in tiff format so if quicktime pops up and you see no image you'll have to find a way to remove quicktime handling tiffs (happens to me) and install alternatiff plugin for your browser.
I think the website is alternatiff.com

Converted image from tiff using free online converter
http://www.coolutils.com/Online-Image-Converter.php#
and then uploaded it to photobucket.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...owkeyboard.jpg

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Nokia owns part of it, and Siemens owns part of it. So it is not a "completely different company".

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Continuing with the one row keyboard patent app.....
reading it I see a few more details
The option is left open for the keyboard to be a flip out attached accessory or slide out also instead of just fixed.
One of the keyboard buttons is for cycling through predictive text selections.
To switch from numbers to letters you press two keys at the same time.
They also show it curved and used on a phone handset
They call it a phone but it looks like a tablet to me.
It has a dpad, options and clear button next to the screen.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Nokia patent application 20090059491

http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...AND+TTL/device


is a patent application on slding mechanisms and one of the images presents a pretty novel handset which I think you guys should all see.

Figure 7a through 7d has two swivel arms attached to the full qwerty keyboard underneath that let the keyboard rotate into both landscape and portrait positions.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/figure7a.jpg

Figure 3a is a handset with both a top and bottom slide out part at the same time figure 3b (seems useless to me)

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/figure3a.jpg

Figure 6A shows a full qwerty keyboard that stays full in both landscape and portrait.
You gotta see that one because I don't think anyone has thought of that mechanism before.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/figure6a.jpg

Figure 8a through 8d has a slide out landscape keyboard with two swivel plates on either side of it. They are leaving it open as to what the plates do mouse etc..

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/figure8a.jpg

Figure 9f shows a slide out landscape letter keyboard to the left and the number pad swivels from portrait over to become the right side of the landscape keyboard so that you have letters on the left numbers on the right.

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...r/figure9a.jpg

You know what?.... Nokia should just come on to maemo.org and ask us what form factor we want. Take a vote on several sites. Post the images of the different form factors and ask us to vote on them. They should do that on several sites and then repeat the process for phones.
That would give them their next 5 phone models and tablet models. They don't have to give out all the details and of course things get changed during production and testing.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Those posts about patents would be much more interesting if they included usable pictures.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I can't convert tiffs to jpegs or gifs. I tried using super c and it didn't work.

Otherwise I would have copied them and put them up on photobucket for everyone to see.
Anyone know of a program I can use to do this?

I gave you the link to the patent so that you can view the images yourself.
You can't click on the images link at the top of the patent app and view the tiffs?

If it is not working for you then download alternatiff from alternatiff.com
and you will have to get rid of quicktimes hold on viewing tiff because for me quicktime highjacks the tiff viewing in Firefox and IE but won't actually display the images. All I see is a quicktime logo that quickly appears and then disappears and no image.

So i had to uninstall quicktime and reinstall alternatiff.

Photobucket doesn't accept tiff images.
edit... wait I found an online free tiff converter. Hold on and I'll upload them to photobucket and then i will edit the above post with the jpg forms of the images.
http://www.coolutils.com/Online-Image-Converter.php#

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Weird. I can't view the images either -- and I have a bleeding-edge Mac with, um, everything on it. When I load a page with an image on it, I see the QuickTime plugin attempt to load something, but then I just get a blank space where something should be.

Hmf.

Tim

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I also cannot view the images... strange. I used to be able to...

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Thanks for mentioning that fact, which Ragnar forgot to mention. I was beginning to think that the Nokia part was named after the town, or it was just a giant coincidence.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

I can see the pics just fine.

Figure 3a with the top and bottom slide out which was called "useless" has already been used on previous Nokia phones though the model name escapes me (I seem to remember the one I came across having arabic keys on the keyboard as well as qwerty). The idea is that you would slide out the "wings" and hold it in landscape mode so that your hands would be holding the phone by the wings, giving you the keyboard for use with your thumbs.

Yeah, it's not too great.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

When they say, "they can't see the pics" they are talking about the pics at the uspto.gov website, not the ones that I have posted here.
The ones on the uspto website are in tiff format.
For some reason quicktime defaults as the image viewer for your browser for tiffs every time you do a quicktime update but fails to actually show you the image in the browser so quicktime is extremely annoying to me. I uninstalled it just because of that. I have to see patent images. I am always looking at patents.

Re: N900 specs revealed
 

Well, perhaps we're on a different wavelength here.

For me, there was a two-step process.

1. Realizing that Nokia is going in a direction that doesn't interest me at the moment.

2. Now that I've decided not to go with Nokia, what toy to get next? I already have a Centro and a year to go on my plan. I don't need a phone, and in a year things will be a lot different.

So, I'm definitely not giving $300+ to Nokia, which doesn't want or need my money.

I do read lots of ebooks. The Kindle seems popular, but I don't like captive environments, the same reason I don't go with Apple products.

Reading on a tablet seems just fine to me, but a bigger tablet might be nice. I don't care about e-paper.

Thus my decision. The key part where Nokia was involved was in convincing me it wasn't worth waiting for whatever Nokia is doing, whenever it is doing it. In a year, I'll reconsider.