N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

hi hi all, my gf has been wanting an n800 like mine to watch movies and listen to music
with kagu and instant message and all the other great things i do on mine. But today
we were shocked when Frys in Concord California, who had one yesterday, were sold
out and not getting anymore. The price tag said $200.00 when it was 329.99 the
day before. The employee said its a nation wide discontinue and it will no longer be
carried anywhere. He tried to tell me its because of the iphone and ipod touch but i set
him straight by telling him the flaws of those closed system devices. Then we went to
circut city where they said the same thing. Both places checked all the local stores
and Frys found one in Texas and the customer service person asked me if i can pick it
up. I live by sf in california how dumb can that employee be. They also couldnt ship it
to my store since it is discontinued. This is a tragedy such a great device no longer
being sold in stores. I thought sprint was going to come out with an n800 with a sim
chip or something? Wonder if they still will? Guess ill have to get her a new one on
ebay. Just thought id let you all know my experience and what dissapointing news this
was.all, my gf has been wanting an n800 like mine to watch movies and listen to music with kagu and instant message and all the other great things i do on mine. But today we were shocked when Frys in Concord California, who had one yesterday, were sold out and not getting anymore and the price tag said $200.00 when it was 329.99 the day before. The employee said its a nation wide discontinue and it will no longer be carried anywhere. He tried to tell me its because of the iphone and ipod touch but i set him straight by telling him the flaws of those closed system devices. Then we went to circut city where they said the same thing. Both places checked all the local stores and Frys found one in Texas and the customer service person asked me if i can pick it up. I live by San Francisco in california how dumb can that employee be. They also couldnt ship it to my store since it is discontinued. This is a tragedy such a great device no longer being sold in stores. I thought sprint was going to come out with an n800 with a sim chip or something? Wonder if they still will? Guess ill have to get her a new one on ebay. Just thought id let you all know my experience and what dissapointing news this was.

(sorry if there are any mispellings or grammatical errors in this post im typing on my n800 on a bumpy car ride)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Still for sale at:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw...-keywords=n800

http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?...=n800&cat=prod

http://www.buy.com/prod/nokia-n800-i...204055141.html

http://www.onsale.com/shop/detail.as...FQltZQodPkTswg

http://us.accessories.skype.com/serv...uctID=77138200

Oh, and you can BUY AN UNLOCKED ONE FROM THESE SHARP FELLOWS:

http://www.cellhut.com/productdetail...FQltZQodPkTswg

:rolleyes:

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I don't think Fry's ever sold the N800 much.. Circuit City still lists it on its web siite , along with the navigation kit.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Paragraphs are nice. ;)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Why didn't anybody tell me before? Unlocked! At last! I've been looking for clues on how to unlock this 770 of mine for over a year now, but there's nothing about it on the web. Seems to be darkest magic...

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

HAhaha the retail monkey at FRY's in Oregon told me back in May that they stopped stocking N800s because nokia recalled them to be "made Vista compliant" and then returned to stores..

http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...ead.php?t=6416

The guy didn't understand that there was nothing windows related on the n800 that need such an offense.

When I was in calif, I was lucky enough to buy mine at CompUSA for $239 in Willows ave. Concord before they closed. The retail monkey at the FRY's there told me the same thing. Something about them being made window's compliant. I never bought one after being told that to check to see if they added a vista compliant install cd.

My friends there in Concord said that they never saw a N800 in stock ever. Just some old beat up 770s way in the back near the computer monitors at that pathetic little PDA section.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Nokia marketing at it's best. :)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Got the same frustrating run around and odd explanations at Fry's in north Atlanta. Even more frustrating, they still had one last 770 in stock!!!

From a Fry's employee (friend of a friend), I have heard that Fry's had trouble supporting the770 (lack of Linux knowledge, etc.).

We do need to remember that these are open-ended, still a bit immature, and mostly "geek toys".

Just order one from Amazon - got mine about six weeks ago for $328, after a discount, inc. shipping. The free shipping got it to me in 2 or 3 days...

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Nokia needs to do the following in the U.S. market:

1. Get a swift kick in the jimmy. Apple did that already with the iPhone and have returned for another kick with the iPod Touch.

2. Find that guy who went on some news TV program with the N95 when the iPhone launched. All the baiting in the world from the beotch across the desk from him couldn't get him to even mention the word "iPhone". He's bad-@$$.
Get HIM to get out the word more throughout the various news media outlets that Nokia "is coming". Make the damn thing like a viral Jaws commercial or something.

3. Whatever that touchscreen Nokia thingy that leaked out, FINISH IT and get it out there. I'd rather buy that since I know Nokia's going to allow 3rd-party software on it as well as provide a good SDK for it, unlike Apple and their iPhone offering.

4. Rejigger the Hildon interface on the N800. Those huge icons and bars taking up all that screen real estate should be *optional* not *required*. And fix all the damn dpkg/tar bugs introduced in the newest firmware.
Basically, have the tablet team actually listen to us. So far they are a little but only via reporting critical bugs on their bugzilla.

Just remember that 99.9% of all people who work at consumer electronics outlets are phucking *****s. Everytime I'm in one of those places and they keep asking me over and over again if they can "help" me I tell them that since they couldn't "help" themselves in the first place by finding a better job just what the hell makes them think they can help me? I also inform them that if I ever need help finding something in their store then their store layout is phucked up.
God, I miss Germany. That crap NEVER happens over there.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I never ONCE saw an N800 on display at either of the Fry's here, and I practically live in those places. :D

Compusa did better, but then, they closed most of their stores...

Oh, please. I won't defend marketing but on the other hand even they shouldn't take the hit for idiot "techs" at Fry's.

Vista compliant... :rolleyes: That's worse than the "unlocking".

(oh, and LMAO @ iball. He has been winning thrread after thread)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Maybe it was a cheap shot, but where is the product support or education? Do Nokia just provide product to these stores without any background documentation to assist the sales staff? What about training? Not just on NITs, but across the whole Nokia range? Do Nokia simply deliver their products and expect them to sell themselves? Is it really any wonder the sales staff spew b*llox about Vista if Nokia take an arms-length approach? Maybe a competitor who is more "on the ball" put them up to it? (conspiracy theory #1)

If your retail partners are mis-selling your product, who is to blame here? The retail partner? Or Nokia?

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

iball, where do you live? As an American living in Berlin, you can't be serious about missing Germany. The people may be knowledgeable, but customer service sucks so bad in Germany I sometimes can't comprehend it. Every clerk acts like its their own damn penny coming out of their pocket. Try to return something at Saturn Electronics and even though they give you 14 days to return they try 10 different ways to f you over. Go to the grocery store and if it doesn't scan because it's reduced AND marked on the package, the stupid clerk will go wandering off to make sure it's really 29 cents and not 39 cents.

I told an authorized Toshiba repair center the exact problem with my laptop, having researched in on the Internet. I told them that and wrote it on the report. I sent it back 3 times until they fixed it and Toshiba paid. It was clearly a defect. Like it was their own damn money. It wasn't, it was Toshiba's fault, and a well-documented failure.

I fell on ice and landed on a digicam, pulled out of my pocket and the LCD was cracked. Return it to Germany? Hell no. I took it to a repair center around the corner in the States (Germany has one center in Duesseldorf) and got it back in 10 days, good as new, no charge. (I didn't even ask for warranty repair - i just said what happened!)

About Nokia marketing. It stinks - typically European - expect the features to sell the product - and that the consumer will do the research. All the workers at the mall know about Apple products because there is hype behind them, people anticipate them and then read about them. Nokia comes out with a dopey product on a daily basis and then when something cool arrives...everybody just yawns. Kind of like the Sunday paper ads - oh, the chain store is having a sale...meh. In the end, you can't really say it's failing them, however, they are holding their own in the mobile phone market.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

You already know how I'd answer most of those questions, Mil, so no need to ask them any more. ;)

As to the last question, come on. Sure Nokia has an obligation to educate retail partners, but... Vista readiness??? Cripes. That's a willful bit of stupidity there, because the guy just had to make something up out of the blue.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

There's your problem...you're not in Germany, you're in Berlin. ;)
I spent all my time in Frankfurt and Munich. You know...the "real" Germany.
Ask any West German their number one wish and it will be "re-build the wall".
I've carried a couple of busted Moto RAZRs back to ProMarkt's and...man, what's the name of the place covered in red, again? Anyway, I've NEVER had a problem returning anything as long as I had the receipt, which I always did. In and out in 10 minutes flat and about 2 weeks later they call me on the phone to pick up the repaired item.
But you're in Berlin where the folks there tend to be kind of snotty. I never saw the attraction of Berlin for anything other than oogling chicks at the Love Parade...back when they still did those in Germany.
It reallysays something about a city when NONE of the big "conferences" (Frankfurt's Auto Show, Leipzig's Games Con, CEBIT in Hannover, Mac Live in Cologne, Embedded-World in Nuremburg, etc.) want to go there. The only "big" thing that Berlin can get is the now-silly Chaos Computer Club "con" and that's only because one of the hackers died under mysterious circumstance in Homburg.

Now, back on topic. I drove down to Wichita today (heard that line in a country song years ago and decided to do it) and hit up the CompUSA off North Rock Road right off highway 96. Found not only an N770 but also a "picture" of an N800. They didn't have any REAL N800s there. When I asked the ***** I'm-so-counter-culture over-pierced phuctard behind the counter where a real N800 was he said they were "special order". I told him "Don't be a fool, stay in school" and informed that then he might perhaps one day aspire to getting a REAL JOB, then walked off.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

You do realize that IFA just ended this week in BERLIN.

"The IFA – the highlight of the year
A record attendance by 1,212 exhibitors from 32 countries and orders totalling 2,75 billion euros are proof that the IFA is the world’s leading sales platform and the CE industry’s number one venue for doing business. A showcase for innovation and the technology of tomorrow – coupled with a spectacular programme of entertainment events – the IFA 2007 fascinated 235,000 visitors from around the world. "

That's supposed to be one of the largest consumer electronics shows - CEBIT is more trade show.

World Cup Final last year, next year (or 2009?) is the World Track and Field, Championships, but whatever. The girls are definitely easy on the eyes and easy in general. :cool:

That wall comment is defintely not true any more. I have many friends in Munich and I met many of their friends this summer. I was at a table of 6 (erm, girls, previous comments apply to Munich girls too) on my last night in Munich and 5 were headed to Berlin for at least a long weekend and the other one wanted to come but didn't have time. They make jokes about how everyone from Munich wants to move to Berlin. So, there's my anecdote for the day.

:o Kind of off topic.

PS: Popkomm in 2 weeks - major music trade show - all the major record companies will be here - nothing like it in Germany. Berlinale Film Festival also kicks butt.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Wow, what a stereotype. C'mon, some of the gals at the counter are good eye candy. I was amazd the other day at Frys cause the guy telling people which register is open was an older white guy!! Musta been a token hire or a mistake.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

All I have to say is....Berlin sucks, Frankfurt rules!
Klappergasse 33 wins!

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

In the UK, some companies have been known to offer the high street sales drones new technology at a discounted price so that they're "up" on the tech they're supposed to be selling, and can speak with a certain degree of authority (although it doesn't stop them from talking trash about the competition/products they don't personally own).

Maybe something to bear in mind - I'm sure the sales drones will be plenty familiar with iPod Touches in no time (are iPods sold through retail stores...? It's been so long since I visited a bricks & mortar store!) :)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I can't see that happening between Nokia and Fry's/Best Buy/Compusa/etc drones. Too many reasons not to as opposed to reasons for, especially with $400 and up devices. Not saying there isn't a degree of merit to the concept, it just wouldn't work well in our high-turnover, low-skill-level-required stores here. Unfortunately.

And I still say it's a stretch to draw so many comparisons between the N800 and iPhone/iPod approaches, especially in retail. It would make more sense to compare with UMPCs, CE devices, and heck, even full-fledged PDAs. And while you may be right about the typical drone's eventual familiarity with the Apple products, just don't ask how good they are with those other devices. Seriously. DON'T ASK.

Oh, and LOL buggsy2.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

[QUOTE=Texrat;74422]I never ONCE saw an N800 on display at either of the Fry's here, and I practically live in those places. :D

Today at Fry's I found a red "Nokia Internet Tablet" shelf marker, and amazed because I'd never seen it there before (and I too am there frequently, shall we say), I looked high and low around on that shelf and others, but found nothing. Just a tease?

And I'm with TR on this...what the hell are you doing talking to those guys? :p

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I dislike some fry's employees and similar peoplle too when they don't really know what they are talking about, but please remember they are hired to help get people the product and answer basic questions. These people aren't 'experts' in any product and work for slightly better than minimum wage. It is easy to criticise them for being *****s but they don't have the knowledge to know everything about all the products their store sells. I don't think they have training sessions on all products. Let's try not to be so hard on them.

yes, it would be nice if nokia educated the general public better through their website. Apple has a freaking 212MB video download tto illustrate the functions of their product. granted, there really aren't that many functions on the ipod touch.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

No, no, no, sorry but I won't entertain ignorance from anyone trying to "sell" me something.
I eat vendors for lunch on that...particularly government vendors flogging Apple's server kit.
In my chosen career field, the wrong information gets the wrong people dead. Period.
So I tend to make sure my information is 100% correct, period.
If I don't know something then I damn well TELL the people I don't know it.
I expect the same from EVERYONE on the planet.
And if I hear "I don't know" from someone trying to sell me something in the store they WORK IN when I ask a basic question about a product, then to hell with buying anything from them.
I'd rather that "sale" or "commission" go to someone who's excited enough about the product(s) to know all they can about it. It's why I tend to buy in the smaller mom-n-pop shops.

Better yet, Nokia can toss out the appropriate video capture software for Mac/PC/Linux and hold a contest for us folks here. Best "walkthrough" on a stock device, from basic features to installing new software, etc. wins a prize or two. I figure that's the ONLY way you'll see something like that because Nokia's just too damn lazy to do it on their own. A free N95 or E90 to the winner should drum up MORE than enough contest entries and they'll still save money by not hiring outside or making someone internal do it. All submissions become property of Nokia of course.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Fry's specializes in having lots of stuff at a low price. It doesn't specialize in techs that know a lot. I don't want any help; I just want the staff to get out of the way and let me get what I want, or at most tell me what aisle it's in.

For people with that attitude, Fry's is perfect. That's why they are so popular. Oh, and they also have a pretty easygoing return policy.

The one thing I most missed when I worked in Manhattan and in Moscow was Fry's.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

there any chance of a new product? any rumbles?

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I never really talk to the workers there cause when I do they never have a clue what Im talking about, But I did this time because There was one the other day on the shelf and I thought it was weird it was gone. But the guy didn't know where it was or if they had sold it because he didn't seem to know what he was doing with their own computer system. He also told me about one that a nearby frys had but when I called them they said it was sold to an employee once the price dropped and they assured me the system says 0 in stock. But its all good thats why we have the internet. But the frys in California did stock them because I know of two people that bought one at that frys. And I also saw a 770 there earlier in the year. (hmmm wish I would have got that just because)

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Sure, I understand that. And I would agree.

But, at the bare minimum, they should train their employees to tell the truth. If they don't know, say so. Being told erroneous crap is worse than being told no information at all.

I admit i have often been a "buttinski" when I over hear an employee tell a customer out right incorrect info. Even when I am not completely sure what they ask, I point them to some web sites and google to at least start the learning process.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Outside the the fact that everyone seems to agree that people at these places don't know much about the products, the more disturbing note is that big retail chains are dropping the N800. Not a good sign for the future of the product!

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Bingo. I'm with geneven in that I zip into Fry's, get my gear and-- well, I'd like to say zip out but we all know the cattle queue doesn't allow that. :D

But if I *did* fail to do my research on my own and if they don't know an answer, I'd definitely rather hear that than something like... an N800 sent back for Vista compliance... :rolleyes:

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I picked up an older issue of Linux Journal Magazine, September 2007. They named the N800 the "Ultimate Linux Handheld"... I know there are other handhelds out there running linux but I can't rattle them off the top of my head. But reading the article, the guy talks about it seemingly like a new device and that nokia is supporting it and devoting R&D dollars to it. Future still seems promising, but the doom and gloom is looming.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

I've heard a few hints that the next tablet might be presented somewhen in October - I can't vouch for any of this rumors of course, but maybe that's one of the reason?

Seeing the low price for the 770, I guess Nokia over-produced them and had problems with getting rid of them. Maybe the don't want the N800 to end up like that too and cut production already? And as the tablets have always been available shortly after their official presentation...I know, it's unrealistic, but still...

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

Sounds to me like those stores are just dropping it to make room for something else.
If it's not selling then they're not going to dedicate shelf space to it.

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

For what it's worth...

I went to Fry's to find some "stuff" and I want to see a N800 before I ordered it online ( ~ $340) I found a single N800 on the shelf. It was one of the "Fry's Return" and so it was marked down to $219 from the posted amount $240. [ on or about Sept 6, 2007 ]


why, yes -of course- :rolleyes: I bought the thing.
So far, it's been good not great. I still have much to learn about this tool.

----

Kermit

Re: N800 discontinued from frys and Circut City
 

i bought mine in saturn germany ( they only had 7 over the whole country, now only 6 then). First all the salesmen were saying that they didnt have until I found one guy who said they got one by mistake cos he thought its a phone.
The only penguin of the shop was hidden behind 10th of ipod or whatever. There's probably not a huge customer demand but I found it sad that it was hidden and not on any catalogues..