Laughing Man | # 11 | 2008-01-08, 17:31 | Report

The thing about jailbreaking is you have to keep doing it with each firmware update. Until they decide to let the homebrew community play without disturbance (pretty rare). And sure you can keep doing it after a firmware update. Heck on the Sony PSP they've created ways to upgrade and downgrade your firmware just to play those games that do firmware checks. It's just, are you really up to the task. At the end it just seems the same amount of work as learning whatever OS and the software that goes with it on another device to me.

futures | # 12 | 2008-01-08, 17:33 | Report

amkaos, if reading the various posts on the forum is too tedious then just dont buy one.

My response and posts from others are quite clear. I read over the contributions on this site and other sites, and bought 4 N800s... I'm very happy.. only wish they had tv out.. but nothing else comparable does.

Asking for a list of "completed apps" is both impractical and unreasonable.

1. Everything including apps are subject to improvement
2. The only thing I would define as "completed apps" are the ones shipped with the OS 2007 or OS 2008. But even those are subject to change / improvement.
3. Lastly, how would one individual know / track development efforts of all maemo developers?

Bottom line is you should know exactly what it is you want, first check the manufacturer's product / support pages, and then search this forum or the web for the specific requirements and features you want.

amkaos | # 13 | 2008-01-08, 17:38 | Report

as i understand it, the jailbreak is now painless; once you learn it, there is no more curve.. you dont have to do it until and unless you see a FW you want.

DJames1 | # 14 | 2008-01-08, 17:38 | Report

If a friend or family member was looking for a cool portable music/media player with WiFi internet access, I would probably tell them to get the iPod Touch instead of the N800.

If a business collegue was looking for a pocket internet connectivity tool, I would probably tell him to get the N800. It's more functional, and I don't think it's at all difficult to understand or use for non-Linux people, as long as you don't go too far beyond the basics that Nokia is supporting.

Personally I also find my N800 to be very useful as a music/media player because of some specific capabilities that it has that the iPod doesn't (e.g., Rhapsody, FM radio, access to my UPNP media server at home etc.), but that would depend on your style of use.

akd | # 15 | 2008-01-08, 17:42 | Report

Agree 100%; as for me, also, the external speakers are a big plus, and btw they sound great for the size!

amkaos | # 16 | 2008-01-08, 17:52 | Report

thanx for the reply. i did say that i dont need another hobby--to hunt down apps, try sev installations, hunt for a fix only to find that the app never worked right to begin with etc
..#1) non-buggy apps is not the same as functional apps that can be improved
#2 is only half of what i said; the other half == or at least that everyone is satisfied with (not buggy).
#3) a current non-buggy list doesnt seem outta line to me..
thanx again

Hedgecore | # 17 | 2008-01-08, 18:10 | Report

I think a lot of this boils down to the tablets hosting a Linux platform... and much like I tell people who are making the switch from Windows to Linux, mindset is key.

Since the tablets are a near complete deviation of the pay software model, a lot of hiccups ought to be expected. Most of these neat apps are done by people on their spare time for the love of programming or the satisfaction of being able to say something like "awe cool, I paired my Wii remote with my Internet Tablet!". Unfortunately in a lot of cases you get the support / adherence to development timelines that you pay for.

Conversely, a lot of this stuff wouldn't exist if you had to pay for it. You'd also... well... have to pay for it. The niche is probably too small at current for people to dump a tonne of money into developing apps and start marketing them.

I'd actually offer you the opposite advice of TexRat. (Hah! ) Look at the posts of junior members (and try to filter through the rage and bitterness, hehehe) and see what the tablet can do. Most of it isn't too difficult and there have been problems as of late, but remember people are more prone to spout negativity and disappear than say positive things. (When's the last time you called up your TV manufacturer and told them 5 years on it's working great?)

All that said, tablets aren't for everyone. See if you can get some hands on time.

gompers | # 18 | 2008-01-08, 18:17 | Report

If you take the n800 for what it is, out of the box, it's great. Few people buy an iPod to do things other than play music and videos. If you're going to buy an n800 to surf the net, play music and videos, along with a couple other fairly robust applications (i.e. maemo mapper), it will be great for that.

If you want to stay on the bleeding edge of everything, you're going to have to go hunting for things. This forum is a great resource for things of that nature.

Despite all the "noise" from new users, most people generally don't have problems with their tablets. Those that do, generally either have a hardware problem (either related to the tablet, SD cards, home network misconfiguration etc.), or an inability to use google.

I view iPods and their ilk sort of like a guy who rides public transport and can only move on established routes. Sure its usually quite easy getting from point A to point B, or to point C, and it's nearly impossible to get lost, once you get the hang of it.

The n800 is like a car you can drive. The major highways are fairly well established and easy to find. The side streets might be in ill repair, but generally get you where you need to go as well, and sometimes you can go places that public transit can't take you. And sometimes you get lost. However, you can go pretty much wherever you want, any time you want.

Both are reasonable transportation, one is sometimes more hassle than the other, depending on where you want to go, and what you want to do.

I chose to drive.

futures | # 19 | 2008-01-08, 18:18 | Report

amkaos, you did not say non-buggy, you said "finished apps" see below quote. as you arent fully responding to the responses of others.. YOU HAVE NOT INDICATED WHAT FEATURES YOU ARE LOOKING FOR.. thus generic and vague responses from some folks.

IMHO, the N800 is not for you, as it is a constantly improving device, and the only thing you've said is you want something "finished" and had no bugs.

Texrat | # 20 | 2008-01-08, 18:21 | Report

Nokia Marketing had this clever ad bite, "Drivers Wanted", but damned if some silly little car company didn't snag it first.