N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Like most on these boards, I'm impatient for the next improvement. Most of us new "non-devs" probably seem demanding and unappreciative, as we come from a different background.

I came from the "Communicator world" which was focused on getting work done. My N900 is MUCH better than my E90. I've seen people gripe about how "expensive" their N900 was. I paid more than twice as much (in earlier year dollars) for my E90.

I got a lot for that. Most importantly 3G in California, a nice touch screen, an amazing web browser a modern CPU, and a lot more storage.

My day to day hasn't changed much, I still sorely miss a quick spreadsheet editor, but my main use, podcast consumption, is really nice with gPodder and the Media Player.

Having Easy Debian is way way cool, and Open Office Calc tries to fill in, but it has too much overhead. My Restaurant spreadsheet needs only a few numbers to be entered, but by the time I get Calc open the bill is already paid. :-( When I get a chance I'll try Gnumeric and all the Debian apps there for the download.

I've listed out the things I miss from my E90 - no, there's no way I'd go back, but I got spoiled :-)

If these small things were "fixed" I'd be in handset heaven....
################################################## ##
E90 Functionality I'm missing==============================

Quickly edit .xls files <<----- My main usage!!!
Edit .doc files
View .ppt files
...Open Office Calc is too slow to open.
...Open Office Calc is NOT finger friendly. (or aging eye friendly)
Personalized Ringtones
Caller's Name "spoken" during Ring
"Call Log Export" {->.csv including duration of call}
Pin Documents on Desktop {open document, not open program}
File browser needs to show/edit extensions
Calendar: Events to minute: E.g. ISS visible 19:37 - 19:42
Games:
Snake
BlackJack
"Vibrator"


================================================== ==

I'm WAY too timid to venture into extras-testing or extras-dev, (aside from pelota-widget :-} ) but it seems there are a lot of exiting titles in there and this Community is AWESOME. I have hope these "deficiencies" will be addressed. Is anyone working on any of these items?

Thanks,

=================================
EDIT:
Gnumeric (Extras-Dev) matches what I had on the E90. That's the biggest missing piece. Still a lot to go, but it's in a good direction....

I see a LOT of Promising titles in Dev and Testing.. It's hard to wait....

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

I have also come from the E90 (and the N97) so I can relate. It's been 6 months now and I have not looked back.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

I've had the whole Communicator series, starting from the 9000, and must say that my N900 does almost it all. I encourage you to enable extras-devel and extra-testing, since the apps there are nowadays quite polished, and reflashing your device isn't that shocking experience if something goes wrong, since the /home tree with your data and configs gets retained.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

For these two use cases, gnumeric and abiword. Try them. Not the easy debian versions, the maemo5 versions!

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

I miss the Voice Dialing from Blueooth that normally works using E90.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

The main thing I miss from my E90 is the damn keyboard. Woe is shoddy cramped 3-line keyboards, Nokia need to follow the E90-style and size keyboard on more devices, imo.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

The one thing I don't miss is attendants and whoever off the street starting up conversations because they think you are using some retro phone (cos of its overall size and shape...)

Prob worse for me cos I had just started my twenties and it was important to look cool

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Thanks for the tips, but your answer left me a bit confused:
What is cases and where can I find it? Or do I just misunderstand your post?
Gnumeric... don't I need the Gnome desktop for that?

Is there any way to set up these (or any other programs) so that you can actually open an attachment directly from your email (instead of saving it to the MMC/Phone first?

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Docs To Go trial is on the N900. Read only. but works very well. Buy it for $5-6. The Premium version of Docs To Go with editing has been announced but is not yet available. Should be out very soon and makes a nice mini-office suite.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Actually, having been forced back to my e90 while I wait for my n900's usb port to be fixed, I must say that I dont find it that much better than the n900's any more...

Of the list from the OP:
Hell yeah. I have been wary of installing Abiword and Gnumeric as they haven't made it to extras. Can anyone comment on their stability? Have they been optified? Indeed, have they been packaged?

Would be nice, but I didn't bother that much with either on the e90; the former would be better on the n900s screen I suspect.

True dat. Very handy feature.

All get "meh" from me, but each to their own.

Again, hell yeah. The calendar backend can handle it, the UI is just foolishly crippled.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

No, for these use cases, you should try gnumeric and abiword.

And yes, you need GNOME, or at least a good chunk of it. Fortunately, Hildon etc. as found in Maemo is more-or-less a mobile implementation of GNOME, so you already have it.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

The most important feature that I really miss is the ability to search anything in contacts; name, company, title, even notes. I have more than 500 contacts and increasing daily, many have the same first/last name.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Sounds promising. I will definitely give it a try.. thanks

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Guys,
I am very surprised. I had an E90, then an apple, X1 and always reverted back to the E90. As much as the size and weight would frustrate me at times. The shear functionality of the large screen, great keyboard and software made it an extra, extra portable laptop in my pocket. When looked at that way, which pretty much it was, the thing was gold!
Now in a different role and not so work demanding on my phone I thought I would get something smaller and a little nicer in the pocket and more a media player etc. I simply was so use to the screen and large keyboard and couldn't let it go, I like other said was spoilt!
Now don't get me wrong, I love this phone, I really do but find it still not a real comparison or a step up on the E90. Considering we are talking +3yrs tech advancement. The shear smaller screen and dicky keyboard kill it alone. The real lack of office related apps kill it, I know, i know, we have leaf pad, gnumeric spreed sheet, I still don't find them as user friendly/ fast to use as the office packages and still lacking on the power point.
As much as I love the touch factor, noway are you as fast as a decent keyboard such as the E90. The extra power is definately a plus though considering the market and times it is behind by a large margin. Imagin the power if it was a true 1gb chip and overclocked. Multitasking is gold as is the web browser though in all fairness, I would expect these given the years difference.
I see a huge potential for this phone and truely do love it. But I must say and honestly, if used as the E90 was and keeping in mind +3yrs. Not a step up, the smaller screen and keyboard truely let it down, not to mention the shocking battery life. I thought the E90 was bad on power but could use very heavy and still see the day out.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Making it more pocketable has to result in smaller screen/keyboard. Adding more powerful CPU & more andvanded GUI results in increased power drain. It sounds like you expect N900 to bend the laws of physics, and even the laws of logic.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

E90 is still king of the "proper" phones at Nokia... Except maybe N97 comes close to taking the king position..

N900 isn't even in the same class.

Personally I'd have N900 over E90 anyday of course ;-)

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Look, don't get me wrong. I am a fan of the N900 and obviously as I have them both and using it over the E90. Not being bias, the N900 isn't in the same league as the E90. After your comments I wonder if you have owned, used or even seen an E90?
It rather defeats the purpose having a phone that is given a decent chip, potentially one of the best OS that enables a 600mhz chip perform tasks on par with it's rivaling 1ghz chipped phones. Then limit it with a smaller screen, dicky keyboard and tiny battery, which bring it down and hinder you using it as a full blown laptop replacement and just a supped up smart phone.
See the E90 had both small screen and larger screen, unless required you left closed and used the smaller screen, this reduced fumbling and saved power. The N900 only has a large screen and touch one which drains like crazy, what do they do, stick a smaller battery in it than the E90. It didn't even come bundle apps wise as a business orientated phone.
All I am saying, it is a great phone, awesome potential and has it's place. However, it is no comparison to the E90, if you have used one and seriously lived off it each day, you would understand what i am saying. It's these little things that put them apart and has always placed the E90 on another level.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

But the symbian browser is pretty bad. There is no comparision browsing on an e90 vs n900.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

This is true, but Skyfire 1.5 is pretty good. Not as good as the n900's but with the e90's keyboard, it does more for me than the n900.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

I totally agree that software wise we have some major advancement with the N900 over the E90. That said, I would expect so, we are talking 3yrs of tech advancement.
The N900 has a lot of merit, the software foundations really push it a long way up the ladder, even though not refined out of the box.
The simple fact it is open source means it should outlast the E90 and all other phones on the market providing the users are behind it and a demand.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

2 years E90 user here. Certain things I miss absolutely are the keyboard along with the D-pad (I used putty an awful lot with the E90), as well as the form factor where you could tilt and hold it in certain positions. Also miss the fact it was bombproof, but I do not miss the exterior screen (far too small), the lack of support for the internal screen from the various S60 apps, and horrendously slow pace of it. It also frustrated me how difficult it was to develop for.

Oh - and I also miss Gravity, but I think Tweego and Witter are coming on leaps and bounds.

For web browsing, Opera really came good with their latest release, but I can't look back with MicroB.

Favourite facilities so far: fcron, mypaint (great for note taking, sketching whatever), knots2, erminig, rdesktop and the fact that most (linux) tools I use daily are just quick install away.

The N900 is breathtaking piece of kit.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

I have no problem with this. I just think that the E90 strengths that you listed are such, that if you added them to N900, it would actually become E90 (or something very close to it). A gadget very different from what N900 was intended to be.

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

Totally agree

Re: N900 from an E90 perspective
 

i never used an E-series before but looking on my previous and present mobile devices, IMHO, none of them match up with the n900.

though i still like the way the n95 and n86 works for me,