harrivii | # 1571 | 2010-12-12, 07:59 | Report

[QUOTE=danramos;894269]

Well, the question is a misdirected one. The reason question here is, does the N900 have a transfer contacts option? Or even an option to export your contacts to a vcf (vcard) file like Apple, Palm and every other device (including the N800) have done for over the past two decades? If so, then you could upload your contacts to http://contacts.google.com. Once they're in your Google Contacts list, they'll automagically appear on your Android device.


I tested transferring my contacts from N900 to Galaxy Tab. In N900 there is an option to export all contacts as vCards (versions 2.1 and 3.0). You must be viewing the list of all contacts when this option shows in the menu. Export asks for a folder name and saves each contact as a separate vCard file in that folder. The files included all my contact fields (all phone numbers, regular an email adress fields etc.).

In the next step I copied all vCard files to my MacBook Pro. Then I imported them in Apple Address Book by selecting them all and opening in Address Book. From Address Book it is possible to export all contacts as a single file.

The last step was to import that one file to Google Contacts. Now I finally had all my contacts transferred from N900 to my Galaxy Tab.

etuoyo | # 1572 | 2010-12-12, 08:07 | Report

Held it very briefly but was summoned back to restaurant by the wife so did not get much play time (I cheekily snuck out in the middle of dinner).

The one thing that concerned me was the keyboard. I am very used to n900 and blackberry and can type pretty rapidly on them. With the few seconds I spent with the Tab I was kind of struggling. Most concerning of all was typing symbols. With the N900 virtually all symbols are available by pressing either alt or shift. So even if I have to type a symbol (which I often do) it does not really slow me down. With the Tab it looked like that could be an issue. Typing on screen as well could also be much slower than on the N900 keyboard. I am hoping I can adjust. Will also try out swype to see how fast that is.

Think I may go have a little play today and take the wife to try it out as well. If she likes it will make my decision easier. I would really miss having a device with an FM transmitter though to listen to all my music on the car stereo rather than just a few cds. Although the fact that the N900 media player lacks a random function makes it much less useful as an mp3 player than it should.

The 16gb of internal memory also worries me. I am used to 32gb with the N900 plus 16gb micro sd. If 32gb micro sd cards were reasonably priced I would not be bothered. Unfortunately they cost far more than double the price of 16gb. Hot swapping cards doesn't seem to appealing to me and I think I would probably even lose them doing that.

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Last edited by etuoyo; 2010-12-12 at 08:58.

etuoyo | # 1573 | 2010-12-12, 08:56 | Report

[QUOTE=harrivii;895060] I don't have a Mac so unfortunately I can't use that solution.

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1574 | 2010-12-12, 10:38 | Report

Very real concerns indeed.

Personally, when you get used to on-screen typing, it can be quite fast, but there is a learning curve when moving from a physical keyboard. Once you get used to targeting characters appropriately, you'll be amazed at how inaccurate that you can be with certain keyboards -- they feature good error correction for regular words.

The FM transmitter is a pretty sad omission. Thankfully there are solutions, but they're not nearly as elegant as having a transmitter built in. Thankfully, they can be inexpensive. For example:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.18246
http://www.amazon.ca/Premium-Transmi.../dp/B0028U82VO
http://toronto.flyerland.ca/products...roduct-5375267

I've been using 8GB with my N810 with a bit little trouble (many more songs/audio-books than I can listen to -- most remain unplayed, and a movie or two), so I think I'd be fine with 16GB+16GB. What types of things do you usually store on the device that warrant that amount of space?

But I agree, it would have been *much* nicer if the unit shipped with 32GB standard.

etuoyo | # 1575 | 2010-12-12, 11:07 | Report

I have a ridiculous amount of photos on my device. Of course I don't need to look at all of them but like to have them at hand to view or to show to people. They are resized to fit the N900 resolution. With the Tab having a higher resolution I think they may have to be higher so may have to use even more space. Also have tons of videos (mainly tv shows and sports). Again resolution issue. They are 800x480. Not sure how good that would look on the Tab. If I have to resize then would take a huge amount of space. On the N900 the pictures and videos already take up a huge chunk of the 32gb.

Then I have about 7gb of music and other audio files. I also have an additional 20gb of music but as I don't really listen to that it is not such an issue.

Oh and of course there will be the 15 free movies from Samsung including Sex and the City 2

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1576 | 2010-12-12, 11:31 | Report

Ah, I see, I see! This is certainly a case where more would be better! Of course, you then have the Apps on top of all of that media!

Yes, it would have been nice if Samsung included 32GB as default, but I can see why they did not. The 16GB flash storage was almost a quarter of the component price of the entire device so I'm guessing that it's a high quality SSD. I can also see why they chose not to offer a 32GB version off the bat. Its a very risky production move to produce units that may not sell, especially if their research confirms this. Remember, they'd have to make quite a few to satisfy thousands of retail locations around the globe that would need to hold one or two. If they had an online distribution channel, it would be a very different matter.

The last time that I checked, there was a SanDisk card for $80 -- quite an expense, but a nice bit of storage. Prices will drop, but it will take quite some time for this to happen.

Perhaps the compromise that you'll have to make is being more selective with the things that you hold on your device. Swapping those tiny microSDs is a recipe for disaster -- you have to be sitting stationary or they can easy get lost!

Hahahahaha... Sex in the City 2 was a *horrible* movie. I didn't even make it through the whole thing with my GF and I try to keep an open mind. I wake up with night terrors from that experience.

mikegre | # 1577 | 2010-12-12, 12:42 | Report

I have an iphone and a Galaxy Tab. The error correction on the iphone is terrific but really sucks on the GT. And not only that, but when you try and correct a typing error on the GT, the method they use also sucks. I'm still struggling with it after 3 weeks of use.

Other than that. I have no complaints although it would be nice if they activated the phone function. Which they or *someone* else will do eventually.

Great message board, btw. Just found it. Thanks.

mikegre | # 1578 | 2010-12-12, 12:52 | Report

How about using your idea the other way... by having the Tab be the mothership and having a small device to use as a cellphone handset. This presupposes that here in the States Samsung will get a cellphone interface onto the Tab. of course. And I know you can buy a bluetooth ear dongle thingy but that sort of destroys the coolness factor, dontcha think?

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1579 | 2010-12-12, 13:26 | Report

I hear that the Gingerbread keyboard has been successfully installed on many devices which is supposed to have much better error correction and features than the stock Android keyboard (and possibly swype). It may be possible to install this on the Tab.

Also, many users have activated the phone portion of the Tab. I think this is limited to certain carriers so far, and I'm not sure which ones!

Again, I could be wrong about this.

Capt'n Corrupt | # 1580 | 2010-12-12, 13:29 | Report

I 100% agree.

I think this is a fantastic idea. In fact I've written about it before:

I wish that there were more bluetooth 'handsets' that would act as a small holdable phone with simple information (eg. caller ID) that you could use instead of interacting directly with a Tab.

With this type of a device, you would be able to keep the Tab in your bag, and have the ease and mobility of a mobile phone, without needing two completely different devices.