[POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I've seen a number of people posting their disappointment with the recent delay of the N900. Many of them threaten to buy a competitor's device, or claim to already have done so.

now: in my opinion, this is THE device/platform to have. open, powerful, geeky.
i can't imagine buying anything else, none of the competitors come close to even be considered by me.

i have been waiting for this for a few years now :). i read about Maemo when the N800 came out, but i didn't need a mobile device without gsm or 3g connetivity, so i had to hope that some day nokia would acknowledge my weekly virgin sacrifices and equip Maemo with cell phone functionality. Finally they did, and though i am as eager as anyone to hold it in my hands, i have no problem with waiting a few more weeks.

i'd like to get a little outline on how many people there really are on this board who actually consider the droid or some other inferior (in my opinion) device. is it just a vocal, but very small bunch of newbies, or is it a significant portion of this site's visitors?

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I've pre-ordered the N900, but if the screen is too small for my eyes I'll need to consider something like the HTC HD2 (or preferably an Android device with the same form factor).

Maemo wins by being the most free software, but if it's unusable because of eyestrain then it doesn't help that it's the best software.

The N8x0 screen suited me much better. Give me an updated, faster N8x0 and I'd have no reason to consider any other product.

Regards,
Roger

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I will get the N900, but the Motorola Milestone makes me "hmmm"

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

why is that?
is there some feature on the droid (aka "milestone") you miss on the n900? is it the battery life or maybe the price?

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I WILL get the n900, period!

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I will not get the N900.
I'm looking at tablets with screens larger than the N810 even - certainly not smaller.

If Nokia would come out with an N820 - without phone, faster and larger screen I would probably pre-order that...and I've never pre-ordered a thing in my life.

If I 'had' to make a purchase today for a smartphone it would be the droid over the N900.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

N900 wins all hands down with no competition in sight. Not sure what prompted you to even think about it? :D

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I've been waiting for the N900 since somewhere in September, patiently.
I downloaded the SDK, toyed with it, turned out my custom RSS reader et al, was very happy with the experience.

But now,.. the droid turns milestone and swims across the pond, and hell, it is sleek and slim and has a bigger screen with more apps...
It took me from 08:00 this morning until 30 minutes ago to come to the conclusion that the droid is better .. It's not thick and its keyboard isn't cramped at all.. Firefox is also heading its way to android and its also a linux phone. Sure, no FM transmitter,... but you know what,.. i'll buy it for 20 bucks, it'll be used in my car so no need to lugg it around.
I also like the droid's dock, goodbye to my crappy red-glowing alarmclock, i won't miss ya.

and for the N900? I won't miss you either, I didn't even get the chance to test it, the only thing it tested was my patience.
After stepping back and glancing at the two phones I find the N900 a brick with no multitouch and very little software.

The pre-order for the Milestone has been made, funds transferred, done deal.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

i seriously do consider something other than the n900, its called the n920 but its hard to get my head round something not known about

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Never seriously considered anything else, especially after the Moto Sholes/Droid turned out to be so completely disappointing. I ordered mine Sept 4th and I'll wait as long as it takes.

To me, those who pick one phone over another because of small differences in the camera, CPU, .6" of screensize or whatever are missing the point of The N900. Though the hardware is very good with a hard to beat feature set, the N900 is really all about the Maemo OS. No other mobile OS can come close. Maemo is the next step, the future of real pocket computing.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I admire your brand loyalty but if the h/w does not meet your requirements/needs it doesn't matter what OS the device runs.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I will buy the N900, but Nokia should stop making so many delays. They should come with this phone in 2005. It’s good to have competition and we are living dangerous times for smartphone manufacturers, in two years you can pass from first to last.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

you're right of course, but i think he was talking about small differences in secondary functionality (like the camera).

screen size is of course part of a primary function, so i completely respect yours or eiffel's opinion, that it might not be suited for your eyes. (and i disagree with that part of crashdamage's posting).

still, i think he has a point. many people nowadays buy items by comparing specs side by side, and that tells you only so much.

come to think of it, i can't come up with any knockout-criteria for the n900's hardware, apart from it's screen size and maybe it's weight/size. everything else is at least at the competition's level.

if someone's opinion differs, i'd sure like to hear about it :)

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I am loving the Milestone dock...

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I will definitely get the n900 if I have enough money..... but I'm confused because the Nokia N900 will probably not appear in Ukraine :(

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

What about the missing digtal compass (magnetometer)?
Those neat apps like http://wikitude.me/ will require a compass to work perfectly.

I also like the 'open' aspect of Mameo but the recent "Nokia sues apple headlines" don't fit in the open paradigma and I'm not so sure about Nokias primary intrests.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

The delay didn't really change my mind; those happen.

I'm unfortunately centered around the price and the "phone is an afterthought" comments as a reason to wait. Well that and this is merely step 4 out of 5 - that has annoyed me from the beginning.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

ah yes you're right. augmented reality apps would be the cream topping :)
i don't use any myself, so i think of this too as "secondary", but it might be a dealbreaker for some.


nokia's primary interest is making money. the fact that maemo will have to cater that interest on a large scale some day already shows with the introduction of DRM into harmattan.
we'll see how this will affect the open paradigm of maemo, i think it's too early to make a judgement yet.
edit: and i don't think the lawsuits to be of any importance to this. that's just business.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

If you read ArsTechnica's recent article where they had two lawyers peruse through the filings and patents in question it's not a simple case of patent trolling. In fact Nokia isn't even asking the court to stop production and sales of the iPhone or for Nokia to get a royalty per iPhone sold. All they're asking is that Apple licenses the patents properly and pay Nokia the licensing fees they owe. So it'll depend on if the company Apple bought their hardware from had an appropriate license from Nokia.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

The delay doesn't bother me much more than that...I'm of course eager to be able to use it, but if it's tomorrow or in 1 month or 2, it doesn't change much to me...so no, I never considered switching to something else because of the delays.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I'll go for the n900, foe me any issue that others may have with the screen size should be ok as an cueently used to a smaller screen, only issue may be the size and 'pocket-ability' but I'm sure I'll get used to this!!

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I use n800 but I will get Droid.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

It has nothing to do with 'brand loyaltyl, I have no particular fondness for Nokia stuff.

To me it matters a LOT what OS the device runs. Maemo is 95% of why I want a N900. It's ALL about the OS. IOW, if the OS doesn't meet my requirements/needs the hardware doesn't matter.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I'm still on the fence about getting an N900.

I presently have an HTC Magic, and while happy with it, have been looking for a replacement since the day after I got it (I am perpetually looking for my perfect mobile device).

I fully realize that the N900 is not it, and is in fact very far removed from my perfect device. Which isn't to say there's anything wrong with it, just that it doesn't really fit any of my use cases.

Bizarrely, I'm still really tempted to get one, possibly out of some sort of geek obligation (part of me feels like after suffering through an n800 and n810 I owe it to myself to stick with the platform); or out of just wanting to support the initiative (like how I order a copy of Openbsd every release even though I have no desire to run it on any of my systems).

Maybe I hope that eventually if the platform gets enough traction and success, it'll branch out to include a device which I'd find more useable.

Right now is sort of a weird time for mobile devices. On the one hand, we're in a golden age, as there are several platforms which are just entering maturity and the people have unprecedented power in their pockets. I also feel like, now more then ever, amazing developments are just around the corner. While that's always true for technological development, I feel like we're at more of a crossroads than normal.

So, if by the time the N900 ships, I haven't yet found a more suitable device, then I'll most likely still get one to tide me over until that time comes.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I still have an n900 on pre-order, but have plenty of time to cancel if I see something better. End of November, right?

Trouble is with the best exploration, I can't find anything better. (And yes, I do need to replace soon as my current phone is on its last legs)

For me the primary thing is the careful mix of software/hardware. I know nothing about maemo, but I can see the advantages of open source long term (and the drawbacks short term in terms of available apps), compared with OSs that have been around a while. But I did a 'compare' on capacitive vs resistive screens, and find I hate capacitive as I instinctively use my nails not my fingers. Then I looked at cameras, which is an important feature for me: only nokia and LG use decent lenses, and LG don't make a proper smart phone.

So I'm still looking. Nothing else on the market hits as many of the right spots as the n900. I'm not so dedicated I wouldn't buy something better if it came along. It's just that even with all the activity from all the companies, nothing has so far. Got a few more weeks yet, of course. ;)

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I actually meant "OS 'brand' loyalty".
Still, I admire the loyalty and passion - as I know I could never buy a hardware device and basing 95% of my purchasing decision on what OS it ran. I first go for specs like cpu speed, memory, size, screen etc...the OS does matter but in my case maybe it's 20% of the purchase decision if I had to put a number on it. 0% if the h/w specs 'fails' for me.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Please, start shipping!! The waiting is driving me crazy!

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Even with its disadvantages N900 and Fremantle are the best mobile choice available as they provide the right balance between Linux/X11 compatibility, easy of use through touch UI, and convergence abilities due to hardware components.

The unique synergy of Linux/X11 convergence I dreamed about almost 10 years ago is now reality. Is it perfect? No way. Most likely its more than good enough for me, far more usable than either Zaurus or OpenMoko, and it does a lot more than I could imagine.

Besides that, I also support a corporation which is, from a practical viewpoint, behaving the most ethical in this field when compared to competitors such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft.

I'm sure many disagree with above, stating DRM, USB OTG, Lex Nokia, digital compass, MMS, ASR portrait mode, finger touch UI, and what not. We have different priorities, and it is a large sum of + and - which when all accounted for leads me to above conclusion.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

5th of November, UK. Remember...

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

5th? That's a new one. I heard 9th, 14th, 15th, 26th and 30th. And my pre-order still says 1st Dec. Peter says 'November' (The Nokia guys can't handle days with number on)

If between us we plump for a different date each, one of us is going to be right, no?

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

the longer I wait the more Iwant it. Its already perfect as a prerelease, now Nokia want to make it even better.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I don't anticipate moving to a new device until next year but when I do, OS will be down on the list of things I will consider. I am interested in what the phone can do which means that I will focus on screen size, keyboard, processor speed and apps. Unfortunately for the N900, new products with bigger screens and faster processors are being announced (most notably the Sony X10) but none with keyboards (the Droid has the keyboard but the rest of the specs are similar to the N900).

The question I have is what the app store(s) will offer in six months. I'm hoping the developer community can port a number of substantial apps to the N900, especially if developing for it is as easy (comparatively) as people here say.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Know thy culture :p Guy Fawkes Night (pop reference).

FWIW, when I was in London begin October, I asked the clerk at Regent Street Nokia Store. He said week after mainland Europe gets it because they're usually later in UK.

Quite funny, how the clerk looked like a nerd, surrounded by 2 security bulldogs :eek: ..but that is also a different story.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Bleh. Beware the ides of march.

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Someone went to Nokia Chicago meeting last night and they said that Nokia guys said will try for november but before the year end is certain...

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Did they specify what year? :)

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

Oops, you did it now. How long before the blogosphere picks up the March date?

I can see it now: "Sources at maemo.org are now predicting major delays in the shipment of the N900, originally scheduled for October, with some saying it will be delayed until mid-March. Nokia declined to comment on these reports."

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

PLEASE dont let this thread descend into a N900 is late thread :mad:

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I wasn't really looking for a smart phone but a PDA, something to replace my old Palm TX.

http://temporaryland.wordpress.com/2...x-replacement/

I was very excited about Android at one point as well, but when I started looking into Maemo I found that it beats Android hands down where it matters, and that it is able to give me all I was looking for and much, much, more. I feel that Android apps development is going to be restricted by the fact that they all have to be written inside a Java virtual machine. Also, so far Android devices have too little room for applications, too little application memory, and do not multi-task as well (or maybe even at all in some cases). Maemo, as presented in the N900, does not have those problems. So what I foresee happening is that Maemo applications, while fewer, are going to be a lot richer in functionality than Android's, and in many cases, with better offline capabilities. I fully expect my N900 to finally allow me to stop lugging my laptop every where I go. And, I hope to write at least one Python app for the cause. Something I don't think I could do on Android. ;)

PS: And don't talk to me about how long you have had to wait for this device. I have been using a paper based PDA since May.

http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/...he-hipster-pda

Not bad. If only it had audible reminders and allowed me to sort my data by different fields. ;)

PS2: Oh, and as far as the thickness goes, I have no problem with it at all. I think it looks manly (sorry girls ;-). And, I am going to get a good pouch with a belt clip as I did for most of my old Palm PDAs any way. I don't know which one yet, but I hope to find a good leather case with a metal belt clip (from experience, plastic clips don't do well with me).

Re: [POLL] Do you seriously consider something other than the N900?
 

I replaced my Palm TX this summer (the screen died) with the N810 for many hundreds of dollars less than the N900. With GPE Calendar and Erming (to sync with Google Calendar) I am basically content other than It's noticeably heavier in my shirt pocket. The main things missing are a good to do list (it may exist, I just haven't found it yet) and HandyShopper.

OTOH, the idea of replacing my PDA and phone holds some allure which is why I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the N900 in brick and mortar stores so I can see it for myself.