Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

I've given it 10days, had fun, but have decided to return my N800 (CompUSA are great!).

My original requirements were:-
1. Portable (fits in pocket)
2. WiFi (reliable connection)
3. Decent resolution screen (better than 320x240)
4. SD card (preview stills/video from digital cameras)
5. Email/Contact/Calendar (preferable sync with Outlook)
6. Bluetooth (GPS/ cell phone xfer)
7. USB Host (external Keyboard/camera/drive)
8. MP3 playback
9. Reasonable battery life

The N800 fails to deliver for these reasons:-
1. I struggle to safely take it out of the house. No hard shell like 770. Just too awkward for a pocket (I could throw my Jornada 540 around and it is still going)
2. WiFi just does not connect correctly to open APs. I frequently get 'connected to xxx with link-local IP address' and browser/email fail. It does work well in my house though.
3. The screen is excellent!
4. Great having SD card slots, but I still can't preview my camera video AVI files
5. Maybe one of the PIM apps can do this/will do this?
6. Bluetooth works fine, although I didn't see any A2DP/headphone profile. I can't seem to play audio through my bluetooth earpiece I use with my cellphone.
[[7. Rumour is USB Host Mode is disabled in the kernel. IS THIS TRUE?]]
8, 9 no issues.

In summary, half my requirements are not met. I will probably replace it with a VGA, WiFi, SD Slot, Bluetooth, Windows Mobile PDA (eg Loox C550, Acer n311, Dell Axim X51v) for the same price, my belief being one of these will fit my requirements better. I will miss the lovely N800 screen!

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Sorry to hear you didn't get what you expected from the N800. So do you have a 770 still, or did you return that as well?

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

I'm with you on 4. I also have .mov (quicktime) files from a camera, they don't work either. Nokia, get us some codecs, please... as it is now one of the potentially great selling points ("extra independent SD slot, preview your camera video files easily!") doesn't work.

What I still use my T3 (PDA) for is mostly:
- Avantgo (the rss feed in the N800 is a bit rudimentary compared to Avantgo)
- Contacts (the T3 version is perfect for what I need it for)
- Calendar (I don't need calendar sync. functionality, I maintain it all on the T3)
- Todo-list (my shopping list, mostly)
- Simple calculator (for this app. the slight latency time for loading it in the N800 bothers me, the T3 calc starts instantly.)
- Google maps (the native application on the T3 utilizes the screen estate way better than using the browser to access maps.google.com on the N800)
- Keyring (password protector app.)
- KMeteo (that Accuweather app. on the N800 seems to be totally US centric. Apparently there's a weather app. in Maemo in the mistral repo, haven't tried that one yet. Coming to bora?)
- Offline email (while on the road I use N800/gmail in browser most of the time, through wi-fi or gprs, but sometimes it's ok to just sync gmail to my T3 through pop)
- Timesheet program (I've noticed there is one for the Nokia but I haven't checked it out so I don't know if it would fulfill my needs)
- MetrO program (this could possibly be ported to the N800, but the MetrO guys would have to decide on that)
- Watching those movies that the N800 can't display (which is just about everything I've got, on any card..)

Possibly some of the T3 uses could at some stage be taken over by the N800.

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Although this is exactly the one and only (!!) reason why I will not purchase a N800, I'm still surprised how many people share my point of view. Either Nokia really made a very big mistake here - or they meant to design the N800 for home use only and deliberately abandoned the concept of a truly mobile device.

If it was a mistake, there's hope that the next model will correct it again. If it was a deliberate decision, we'll have to say good-bye to mobile internet tablets based on Maemo in the long run :(

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

I put it in the soft case and carry it in my pocket this way. However, it slides out of the soft case rather easily so I too would like a hard case. I'm wdonering how good that flip case will be. Some people have also suggested using a DS Lite case for it (Although I'm not sure if it'll still be able to fit inside your pocket using one.


Also I believe the local link problem when connecting to a wireless access point is when you're not getting a strong enough signal to actually connect to the wap

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Ok, It's getting tedious seeing people harping on the same issues over, and over, and over, and over, and over. Please, move on already!

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Maybe it's because the issues are crucial and still not resolved.

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

At least on the hard case issue, I sorta have to agree with bac522: Complaining about it won't and can't change a thing. The N800 doesn't come with a hard slipcase. Period. Final. So there.

We could use our nagging superpowers better if we directed them at the software flaws of ITOS2007. At least those Nokia can (and hopefully will) address.

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Being quiet about the hard cover would send a wrong message towards Nokia in regard to future products - we do hope that the N800 will not be the last Nokia internet tablet, don't we? So there's a good point in making complaints/suggestions about the hardware as well.

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Well... agreed, but IMHO it would be better to post hardware complaints in a "I want this in the N900" thread, or something like that. Less confusing and such...

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

I agree with Karel.

*braces self for Apocalypse*

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Only for hardware issues...

Here you go for the Apola-- the Acypo-- the Aspoc-- the Rapture:

http://e-sheep.com/apocamon/

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Yes, I too miss the hard shell for N800. But I feel the design of N800 may not allow the case to slide in from any side. Just got an idea!

* How about, same pouch with one side hard shell and a buckle on top to not to slip out :) Just an accessory change.

Continue thinking . .. ... .... ..... ;)

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

So they'll have to change this on the N900 ... :)

The leather-screencover they announce on some nokia.sites will do this job pretty well. It's not a replacement for the 770s hard cover, though, because the N800 lacks the magnetic switch that puts the device to sleep. The basic design change needed for the next model would be to re-implement this mechanism on the device itself.

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

That's uncanny, because I have been pondering about cutting a piece of aluminium (I'm not American, I know how to spell it :D ) and somehow work it into the pooch-- uh: pouch, with a magnetic clip to lock it.

I'll think some more, but the problem is that we're a month away from moving from Europe to Thailand, and most of my gear is packed. I don't think I can cleanly cut metal with my Leatherman... :rolleyes:

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

Is there enough clearance on the pouch to put a snap in place?

http://www.allproducts.com/metal/eye...nap_button.jpg

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

There is room to put it there, but not enough room to close it. :p

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

There's an easy way to CLIP a cover to the front of the N800 (and I'll graphically illustrate when I get the time): take advantage of the gap between the metal frame and the LCD screen to insert 4 thin retractable clips near the corners. The clips would of course be attached to a hard cover. Heck, you could even attach such a mechanism to the back of a bt keyboard.

*waits for applause*

Re: Why N800 doesn't suit my needs
 

You could sew in a Velcro strap...