Re: [Staffslug] Nokia N900 Review -- was: Re: Monday's Meeting (05-July-2010)

Steven, That's a great review - thanks. So good that I'm changing the subject line so that I can find it again in the archives when I need to reference it :-) Regards, - Richard Steven Maddox wrote: > Adam, > > OK I think the best way to view the N900 (like the previous 770, N800, > N810 and N810 WE models) is not as a phone but as a PDA (or "Internet > Tablet" as Nokia puts it), only this time it has > GSM/GPRS/WCDMA/HSDPA/whatever. > > As with any good PDA you use it for as much or as little as you want > with no restrictions just like a PC but in your pocket. Personally I > see Android, iOS (iPhone), Blackberry OS and Symbian all as Smartphone > OS's... very restricted "App" launchers with a focus mainly on their > usage as a cool phone. Meamo/Mer/Moblin/MeeGo or whatever the flip > their calling it now, is a cut above that as a proper PDA again in my > opinion. > > Nokia is keeping Symbian for this very reason as they consider Symbian > to be for Smartphones, and MeeGo for the "Internet Tablets" a the higher > end of the market. > > It won't ever be as slim as an iPhone with that slide out keyboard - but > could probably be a little slimmer, however since it is smaller than the > previous Internet Tablets, Nokia probably don't see the issue if there > is one, the size and weight doesn't bother me anyway. > > I don't agree the keyboard is an "ancillary addition", I think it's kind > of the whole point and a continuation of the N810(WE) model that people > really loved. However it wouldn't surprise me if the next model Nokia > release will be all android/iphone like and concentrate on fashion > rather than usefulness, and no keyboard... but that's just a guess :S > > The N900 charges via micro USB, which I believe is a European directive > thing to ensure all phones charge using the same cable from now on (to > help cut back on how many chargers are thrown away). But they do give > you a handy adapter to convert your old Nokia round plug on an older > charger to micro USB (the smaller round type not the fatter type like > old Nokia's had). > > The built in IR I've found is pretty pointless, there is a use I guess > if you want to change the channel on your TV... but yeah - pretty much > pointless other than that - but it doesn't detract anything at all. > > Haven't had any issues holding the device with the headphones plugged in > like they mention, to be honest Nokia can't really win if they were to > have put it on the left hand side as that would just annoy lefties then :) > > One odd thing is as you hold it portrait, the charger cable goes in the > top... not the bottom. Which confused me once when I was on a phone > interview for my current job as I spent an hour talking to the director > in to the speaker part wondering why I couldn't hear him properly :S > Yes I'm a dumb fuck, but I wasn't used to the charger cable coming out > the top as I hold it to my ear. > > I don't mind that there is no silly rubbery covers for the sockets > (there is only 2 anyway) as these often break off or get in the way of > connecting stuff anyway. With a 500 quid phone you're going to be > looking after it anyway so if bits build up on it then it's just not > being taken care of :) > > The stylus isn't needed for 99% of stuff, but again would you want to be > left short without one for anything that is fiddly to press on a web > site? So yeah I say that's a good thing, especially when you can get a > mouse cursor up on the web browser for playing things like Flash games, > the stylus is very handy there. > > The speakers (both of them, stereo) is much better than the usual tinny > sound you'd expect... obviously being so small it's no to die for, but > it won't annoy you off if you have to listen to it for hours. > > The stand should have been central on the back I agree with them there. > The stand is fine if you just want to put it down to keep an eye on > new messages or watch a video... but it will wobble if you push buttons > too hard, if the stand was in the middle it would have been OK. > > Even with the latest firmware about 90% of how you'll use the device > will be in landscape mode, the phone, web browser a couple of other > programs can do portrait mode however. But it should be noted that when > there was a bug on the older firmware where you could trick the phone in > to staying in portrait mode after closing the phone application, most > applications worked fine like that. I'm hearing that better portrait > mode is on the way in a later firmware, but to be honest you get used to > landscape mode and it makes sense for a lot more things than portrait > does (you don't see many portrait monitors after all). > > The 3D graphics are brilliant, the games are good, and it can play back > pretty any video codec you like - put it on the TV too, even better. > The screen is resistive not capacitive but it barely makes any > difference what so ever and the next model will be capacitive and with > multi-touch abilities (which the N900 doesn't have). > > Don't see a point in any mode physical keys than it has (on/off key, > camera button and volume). Any more just uses up space better spent on > the screen size. > > Getting to the phone is easier than navigating through the menu as you > can either have the icon on your desktop, or there is an option for it > on the drop down applet menu (comes up when you press the on/off button). > > Telepathy links pretty much links all VoIP and IM functionalities > together, including Facebook (new for PR1.2 firmware), Skype, MSN, and > SIP integration and anything else you can think of. And if heaven > forbid Pidgin has something Telepathy hasn't got (which I don't think > think is the case) then you just install Pidgin... lots of common > desktop applications have been ported to the N900, including Firefox. > > You don't need to "break out the keyboard" as they say for finding > stuff, there is an on screen keyboard too - you just have to enable it > and it pops up whenever you press on a text input area. > > Moving contacts and other stuff from an old Nokia phone is easy as the > two will directly talk to each other over Bluetooth for the transision > without even needing the PC Suite. I've never used the PC Suite with my > N900 at all, a) don't need it for anything as the phone is so > unrestricted you can do all maintenance on it yourself - even over SSH > to it and b) I have no machines with Windows to run it... stupid Nokia. > > The keyboard is ace, no missing symbols that you'd need on a daily > basis... it's not flat so as you run your fingers over it you know where > you are and can type quickly. On stuff like the Terminal and other > applications you can quickly access other stranger symbols like tilde, > pipe and backticks. > > I hear the Exchange functionality only works with Exchange 2003 or > something, but to be honest who cares it's Microsoft. And in any case > it isn't like it's standard IMAP, LDAP, etc anyway. Better off using > something like DavMail Gateway to convert your Exchange server in to > something standards compliant to connect to from stuff like the N900 and > iPhone etc... Even get your calendars that way. > > There is no MMS out of the box, however download an application called > fMMS and slap in some details and you're pretty much set. > > Had no issues with flash video playback either from YouTube or iPlayer > on it, was watching BBC News 24 the night of the election via the BBC > News web site over 3G the other month without a hitch whilst at a count. > > The in built MicroB browser is quick and comes with Flash already > enabled, but if you don't like it for whatever reason you just grab > another browser like Firefox, Opera, Midori, or even I think Chromium is > out for it now. And there's an application for changing the default > browser too. > > Copy and paste is throughout, if you want to select something on a > webpage just get out the mouse cursor to select. Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V work > in all the places you can't find an on screen Copy and Paste selection > too. It's X, their GTK+ applications (mostly) so expect the usual :). > Under the hood it's basically a modified Debian distribution compiled > for ARM, with .deb package galore and APT repositories. Browsing > through the "Application Manager" feels like your browsing through > Synaptic on Ubuntu. > > The camera is a bit better than they describe as the camera firmware is > open source so someone has wrote a better application canned BlessN900 > to get more out of the Camera than the normal "Camera" application does > with more options. > > 32GB of storage can be repartitioned if needed to give more space to > packages and less to the USB accessible part if needed, will play Ogg > Vorbis and Ogg Theora music and videos if you install the codecs. > > The in built FM Transmitter is good, there is an extra application too > to boost the signal if you need it. Also it can tune in to FM radio > stations if you download the Radio application. > > Battery life is better than heh says with the later firmware, and their > standard Nokia batteries nothing fancy... exactly the same ones the 5800 > uses so they're not expensive and you can always carry another around > with you if you're worried. > > God this reviewer goes on and on, and so have I now :S > > Excuse any spelling/grammer issues as it's very late :) > > In short... it's leaps and bounds above any other offering for the > common Linux geek and a complete no brainer of a choice. But the > reviewer has reviewed this phone a bit too soon (lots of stuff is better > since the new firmware has come out), was reviewing it like a smartphone > which is wrong in my opinion and probably has no Linux background to see > the true power of this device. > > Steven > > MORE PEPSI! WOOOOO! > > Gonna stay wired all night :) > > > > On 07/07/10 00:53, Adam Egan wrote: >> Steven, >> >> http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/nokia-n900-655862/r... >> >> Is there anything in there you would disagree with? Or anything you would add? >> >> Adam >> >> On 7 July 2010 00:35, Steven Maddox<s.maddox(a)lantizia.me.uk> wrote: >>> It woos itself :P >>> >>> Steven >>> >>> On 07/07/10 00:33, Adam Egan wrote: >>>> Are you the Steven that wooed me with your N900? >>>> >>>> Adam _______________________________________________ Staffslug mailing list Staffslug(a)staffslug.org.uk http://lists.staffslug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/staffslug