Wednesday, February 13, 2008
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43 comments:
Well I haven't bought one yet. I am waiting for the Intel MID's to come out. I need Skype video calling on the go and these MID's will accomodate that need. But I utterly LOVE the N810's form factor. Looking forward to the WiMax enabled N810.
On a trip to London last Summer, I could only get online in my hotel via my iPaq, which got me thinking about just why I carry my old Powerbook (original G4 12" Aluminum one) when 90+% of what I do is check email, surf, and chat. A couple of months after I got back, my PB battery started to die (the second one) and I managed to pick up a 770 when they were on sale for $130 or so. The 770 plus a bluetooth keyboard has served me just fine since then.
If I could get a decent word processor on it (i.e. Abiword or the Writer component of OpenOffice), I'd be perfectly set
I wanted a UMPC especially given the proposed price point before they were actually launched. Unfortunately, the price has always been well above the $400ish price that was originally advertised. When I learned about the Nokia IT, I was very interested especially given the real life price of $399. I bought the n800 last year about this time and I have enjoyed it. It has actually encouraged me to learn more about Linux, as my knowledge of Linux was virtually non-existent. It does most of what I expected, but I want to use it to take digital ink notes that can be converted to text like a tablet pc. It still does not do that for me, but I am not going to give up my IT. I am still in search of a good value on a used tablet pc for my digital notebook. I only use an actually pc only when neccessary. I normally do most of my personal stuff on my n800 and Nokia e62.
Both EeePC and N810 are great devices, but N810 fits in pocket.
I wasn't happy with the web access I was getting with my phone, then I saw all the software that was available, and then the $230 price, and then GrandCentral combined with Gizmo and I was hooked.
Thats easy! I bought it simply for its superior mobile internet access, with full access to flash video websites.
The browser and RSS feed app need kinetic scrolling and doubletap zooming.
I am a gadget freak. I had a Sony mylo before purchasing my N810. Wanted something that I could browse the web with, keep in touch with all my contacts, and check email occasionally. The N810 does that and more. My favorite feature so far? gotta be the ability to maintain online presence.
Now if only i could get my work pc to share an internet connection via usb...
You!
In part, iPhone envy. But also, I had an iPAQ for about a year and its limitations (poor browsing and internet experience, poor graphics) got old rather fast. I wanted something snazzier (i.e. as cool as the iPhone but not an iPhone). I think what really won me over in the end was the open-source goodness. The $250 price tag when I bought it also helped. I use it to take notes in my classes, read PDFs, chat online, browse, etc.
Have an eee pc, should of bought an n810 first - As a teenager in a household, privileges are feathery, they float off when you whiff the air with your troublesome breath.
Have a tendency to research everything before i purchase. I love the design on the nokia tablets, I want a n810 after consideration. I'll miss not having an FM radio turner, though. I need skype its dirt cheap phone service.
Holy Sh*t, my mother just picked up my eee pc and i thought she was gonna break it, ps im not just doing this comment, i have german to type.
Scum
I won my N800.
I have invested quite a bit into it:
a 4GB micro sdhc card that cost $70
an 8GB sdhc card that cost $40
an Apple keyboard which was $70.
Other than web browsing, my uses are video podcasts and IM.
I really want to get started blogging on it.
some small device I could carry around to browse the web, and also that I could put in my car to listen to music on. Then when I discovered Maemo Mapper it became even more useful.
What it really needs is Bluetooth PAN support. It took me all of thirty seconds to get online with my Windows Mobile 6 smartphone and Macbook, but my N800 doesn't support it at all.
You'd assume an Internet tablet would be able to connect to the Internet using as many different methods as possible.
Linux-based gadgets, I love them - especially when SDK is available.
I bought my Nokia 770 in late 2006, skipped n800 and almost got n810 - but bought EEE instead.
However, 770 - it's still in use, as book reader and as test hardware for some of my projects.
What would I add? More processor power and memory to 770, internal bluetooth and faster recharging to EEE.
I bought N810 as it is cheapest hardware ARMv6 platform.
Plans to use it as navigation too.
I wanted a device that'll allow me to be online BUT could be stored on a hotel's safety box. I traveled to Europe last summer and hauling my macbook pro was a pain... I had to be looking all the time for a secure storage place... With the n800 if you go out, just store it in the hotel... Also wanted a Skype/VoIP device, and with the latest rtcomm update I can log into my Asterisk box @ the office no problem.. byebye hotel phone rates :-)
I was initially interested in purchasing a UMPC device so I followed those blogs for about a year. The price point and form factor of the available devices really made me think what I actually wanted. Which eventually led me to purchase the N800 I have today.
What led me to purchase the N800 over other devices are the following:
- Price (I bought for $200)
- Internet browser
- Podcast player
- Portable Entertainment Player (pics, videos, ebooks, games)
- Fits in my pocket
What I would suggest to add to it:
- Better zoom feature on the browser. Also make it more finger friendly like the iPhone
- Adobe Air and Google Gears. I really see this device as a way to take your online information with you when you offline.
- Larger internal storage like the iPod Touch or Archos. When I was deciding which device to purchase, the one strike against the N8x0 devices was not having a large internal storage compared to its competitors. As a consumer, I don't get the immediate satisfaction of being able to take my music collection with me where ever I go.
All in all, I just LOVE my N800.
I stumbled across the N800 online about a year ago. I read and read for weeks and learned as much as I could about it. No idea how to use Linux... but I always wanted a laptop for travel but would never use it otherwise. The N800 seemed perfect for access to email and web while on work travel. And it seemd useful for web browsing from the sofa, garden, garage, basement, coffee shop, ...
So, I picked up the N800 in Feb 2007.
Got the iGo Ultra Slim recently when Amazon had them cheap.
Also have a 'mobile router' for the times a hotel only has wired internet.
Also just got the N810 a month ago. Yup! I am hooked on ITs now!
I started looking for a UMPC and my first stop was the iPod Touch. I didn't like the fact that it was designed for music and videos because I was looking for something designed for the internet. I had never heard of the n800 or the n770 until I read a thread on some forum about UMPCs which referenced them. That lead me to a Google search which lead me to this:
http://tabletblog.com/2007/09/thoughtfix-is-biggest-nerd-ever.html
As nerd as it sounds, I was very inspired -- Thanks Daniel! I found an n800 for just over $200 on buy.com and it won over the iPod Touch (and others) for these reasons:
1. Linux OS -- can't beat it
2. External speakers -- I don't want to have to carry around headphones
3. Price
4. Ability to have GPS one day (that day was Chirstmas last year)
5. Removable storage
As far as adding to it, I would say these features were on my wish list:
*Please let me know if these already exist*
1. The ability to access my password-protected SMB shares
2. A VPN client that can interface with Microsoft
3. The ability to rotate the screen vertically
4. An easier way to carry it on my person without having a big coat with big pockets or a backpack
I wanted a second pc to take with me as I venture onto campus and around the city. The EEE offers so much in terms of mobile computing and is the perfect match for my needs.
I actually decided to pass on the Nokia N800 and N810. It was a very frustrating and tough decision. I finally settled on a used HTC Hermes AKA (Cingular 8525). I wanted something to replace gps nav,Ipod Nano,Sony Ericsson w600i and give me mobile internet through 3G or wifi. At first 3G internet wasn't a consideration until AT&T dropped the price to $30 a month unlimited and we have good 3G coverage. So to sum up my needs: gps,wifi,cell phone, music, video, pictures and a good organizer. N810 did almost all of it for $400 but when I learned I could get the Cingular 8525 for $200 I was sold and the slide out qwerty keyboard did it. The amount of incredible mods for windows mobile 6.1 and the upcoming 6.5 is amazing. Also the linux crowd just finished the underlying groundwork and drivers for the phone and very soon will start on the Qtopia gui which I plan on heavily investing and bug reporting. Toss in gps navigation using Route66 Nav7 or TomTom Go 6 with an external bluetooth gps receiver rocks. The phone also supports SDHC microSD cards at the 8gb level and soon 12gb. Can you tell I love this phone.
* Bought a 770 at launch - loved it
* Bought a N800 at launch - developed unhealthy attraction to small, grey devices
* Bought an N810 at launch for sysadmin work - was slightly disappointed in the value for money and/or incremental price over the N800
* Bought another N800 from play.com for £130 for use as a home media centre controller/VOIP phone/etc etc - love it.
Bottom line: *nix sysadmins: buy an N810. Anyone else: N800. Do it. Do it *now*.
In 2006 i brought the 770 just for its wide and wonderful screen and internet browsing. From then on i was completely addicted to the internet tablets. Later on brought the n800 but skipped the n810 because it had nothing much new.... but will definitely buy the next version
Just traveled through Vietnam and Cambodia and the N800 was invaluable. However I did have to send it to warranty repair for a problem I had since I got it. The included headset and any other headset would only offer mono output not stereo. Has anyone else had this problem? Is that audio port a combo input and output? Not sure what that inline button on the included headset is for. Maybe microphone?
N810 - and then an n800 as backup since I wish to hack but don't want to be without.
I was looking at UMPCs and tablet PCs (OQO 2 and the TufTab from TabletKiosk), but they were expensive. I wanted something I could see outside, so wanted a transflective screen. The TufTab supposedly had a Linux version with full hardware support.
Then the n810 came out. Transflective screen, built-in GPS (though I may still use a WAAS 5Hz BT model), everything else and runs Linux. And did Flash 9 in the web browser for navigation and YouTube (there is enough non-YouTube flash I access).
I was worried about the cost and that I might not use it much. Instead I use it constantly. My laptop is now only for a few things (including tablet development - until I install the toolchain on the n800).
I have a cradlepoint router for web access anywhere (until/unless I can get EVDO in usb host mode...).
I was shopping for an e-book reader. I've read e-books using PDAs before but wanted a new device and eInk technology looked quite interesting. However I found the eInk readers to be way too expensive and a bit too large for something that could pretty much only be used for reading.
Looking for alternatives I came across the N810 and instantly fell in love. Not only is it a decent e-book reader (luckily I mainly read txt and html) with a great display at just about the size I want, it would also serve as the laptop replacement I had been wanting for a long time. I rarely need access to more than news, IM, e-mail and notes on the go (I've got Outlook on my smartphone for everything work-related) but do not want a smartphone that's too big for comfort. The N810 fit the bill perfectly. It does everything I need really well while still keeping maximum portability. On top of this there's a lot of icing on the cake with Linux, the GPS (which if nothing else is an excellent replacement for standard road maps), ScummVM, Media Player and the fact that it uses the same kind of charger as my phone and headset.
I've had it for a few weeks now and have a hard time finding anything I dislike or miss.
I second Robert Taylor's comment! Thoughtfix certainly sold me on the benefits of the internet tablets. I got my N800 in Dec 2007, survived the frustration of broken repositories over the holidays, and am now pretty happy with it.
I got it because I am a student and have Wi-fi just about everywhere I go. I really don't like the idea of paying a cell phone carrier every month for internet access, so I keep my cellphone as a phone and just pay for voice. (I have found, however, that my wifi coverage isn't quite as extensive as I had thought...still good enough, but there are times when I wish I had a cell connection. I haven't tried connecting via bluetooth DUN, but again, I don't really want to pay the phone company for those bytes.)
The big push for me came when the prices dropped to ~$220. I could no longer resist.
I was looking for a portable device that I could surf the web, check gmail, and read PDFs on, and muck around with linux... was seriously considering getting a Jornada 680 or 720 and installing linux on it when I learned about the 770. Finally got one in Feb 2007 and used it quite a bit, it was awesome on a trip to Ireland. When the N800 dropped in price I upgraded for more RAM and faster processor. With the latest OS2008 I've been incredibly happy with stability and features, have it with me almost 100% of the time and use it often enough that my wife no longer rolls her eyes when I take it out.
Inspiration for my N810 -
Since I got my first pocket radio in about 1960 (wish I still had it) I've been drawn to affordable portable technology. That red transistor radio my father bought me was my inspiration.
Since about 1993? I've owned HP95LX, HP100LX, HP200LX, HP Jornada (), IPAQ Compaq (poor), LG VX9800 and all were portable networkable and gotten after the price dropped significantly.
I almost got the N800, continuing my spendthrift ways, but decided to blow the entire extra $200 on an N810, instead of a fill-up on my diesel Ford Maxivan (42 gallons) and a lunch.
I'm glad I did.
Why the NIT?
Had to the have a screen size which a Palm/Ipaq didn't offer.
Been using Linux since about build 0.92.
GPS
WiFi
Size matters - it rides in my shirt pocket with room to spare, with a screen big enough to read.
I'd add OpenOffice/MS compatibility - which would probably have been here by now if the developers had gotten their discount N810 immediately.
I want a teleport button.
I used to have a Psion 3a, 5, and 2 5MXs. I missed having a toy so I bought a 770 when the price dived and have had a lot of fun with it (and have also grained an even greater respect for the Psion).
I can see a strong future for keeping the screen separate from the device, and I imagine that an n810 style device with truly seemless integration to a phone will be a popular device.
Now this is an interesting question, and one that I can't say I really have an answer to (it WAS almost 3 years ago :D).
Probably, though, it was because I had been a longtime Newton user who was thoroughly disappointed with the offerings from Palm. I had been considering a Zaurus for a while, but it didn't seem to offer a lot more compared to the Palms and was just a bit out of my price range.
I guess I noticed the announcement for the 770 on digg (back when digg was actually a fun website), and it just appealed to all of my desires for what a mobile device should do. I've been hooked ever since. :D
I would say the whole package (n800, in my case).
but the real kill features (that make the difference with things like the i-pod touch) are:
1) pocketable web radio with stereo speakers
2) fully featured browser with flash 9 on board
3) bluetooth support for 3G connection
4) open to 3rd party apps without any cracking
5) skype and gtalk (though with a very bad use of the webcam, due to the notoriuosly known driver issue with linux, that affects the asus EEE, too)
a
I got myself the n810.
Reasons: Skype (WiFi + bluetooth), GPS, Music, screen resolution, ability to slip in pocket, not a phone, Linux.
Linux for would-be hacking/development when on the go and eventually also for remote access to my home computer.
I love the device, but it could do with:
1/ longer battery life (double, triple)
2/ more RAM (I know this goes against battery life)
3/ more CPU power (ditto)
4/ Better and smoother out of the box ogg support
5/ Maemo-mapper in standard (I loathe cripple-ware that wants you to buy a real version, such as WayFinder)
Swapped my HTC Trinity for an N800, because I needed Linux inside, SSH and VNC.
Using the WM devices 'been a nightmare anyway.
Reasons (n800):
1) pocket size
2) price
3) good mediaplayer
4) i can use the same software i use on PC (notecase, winzig, gnumeric)
5) internettablet usage is really good (skype,msn,mail,...)
But i need more:
1) vga-video output
2) outlook or thunderbird sync
3) usb host
I'have to buy a EeePC ;(
Greetings:
The one thing that was an eye opener about the Nokia N800 was the webcam.
I thought that buying the N800 I would be able to Video conference with my cousin in Europe.
Its been about a year I have the N800 and from what I read in blogs and forums the Webcam is a big disappointment.
But I'm sure Nokia will improve this in the next generation tablet.
Regards Robert
YOU! Genuinely.If I hadn't read your weblogs and stuff I would still be kicking my ancient Zaurus 5500. Instead, over this last week, I have compiled the varigated snd-* kernel modules for the latest 2008 N880/810 kernel and now, with my brand new Edirol UM-1EX usb-midi converter, I can play the orchestral parts on my Yamaha EZ_AG midi guitar whilst playing the guitar solos on it. Since the USB interface only takes a few tens of mA it works fine with nothing more than a simple USB female-female connector. (You need to echo host to /proc/somewhere-or-other) I also grabbed the notedit binary .deb from the standard linux debian armel release (using dpkg-deb –extract and some jedi hand-waveing). The nted binary works rather well. So I CAN now compose with blobs and sticks AND play the (usually horrid) results directly on the N800 or the guitar. All while drinking in a bar! My only gripe is that, so far, I haven’t got Nokia’s weird alsa implementation to cooperate with nted to play stuff directly. That said, you can compose and dump to a .mid file and play that on ANY midi synth directly using midish or even play it on the N800 speakers using timidity. My dreams of a self-contained compostion system are now pretty well answered. AND THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!
grrr s/880/800/
I originally bought my 770 as a replacement for my ageing Newton MessagePad 2100. I was especially seduced by the handwriting recognition, albeit that it was a printed recognizer only. HWR is still a rare beast in Linuxland, while for Windows there exists the fabulous PenOffice (based on Newton's HWR algorythms).
However, the user experience with said HWR left me desillusioned and the built-in keyboard was hardly workable. Luckily some hackers provided a Bluetooth hack for the 770 that allowed me to use a "normal" keyboard.
I bought the N800 because reviewers claimed the HWR was improved. Sadly, I found that not to be the case, and Nokia's replacement for the 770 bluetooth hack was (and is) seriously flawed in the ergonomics department. The virtual thumbboard was a relief, but mainly because all other input options sucked.
I did not buy any of my Itablets as a "surfing commodity", but rather as what reviewers claimed them to be: full-fledged Linux computers that fit in your pocket.
Well, they are not. The difficulties of getting "normal" Linux applications ported to the Itablets have resulted in a still absent decent PIM suite, or an office suite, or a lot of other stuff.
Nokia's decision to upgrade the IT Operating System without any regard for backward compatibility means that I have lots of programs that run rather slowly on my 770, and not at all on my N800 (and I'm not even going down the cesspool of bugs that is the latest incarnation, ITOS2008).
And I still can't have decent HWR on my Itablet. Earlier this week Sony Ericsson announced the Xperia, based on Windows Mobile, and it is testimony of my despair that I actually mused about buying one when it comes out, solely because I can run CalliGrapher on it.
And then there is the problem of media playback: the 770 was restricted by its slow processor to relatively low-resolution, low-bitrate video files. Fair enough, but the N800 is -- taking into account its faster processor -- even worse! And the reason is that Nokia used a botched LCD controller. I now have a device with an 800x480 screen that can play back videos in mostly 400x240 resolution (at full frame rates) and even then will "stutter" playback every few minutes! The worst part is that Nokia didn't even bother to change that LCD controller in the N810. Remember that this is a device that was also promoted as a Personal Media Player, so it's hardly a task Nokia didn't want users to perform on their Itablet.
The final straw for me was a reply I got on a post on a blog that talks about user interface improvements for the Itablet: A Nokia employee told me that frankly stylus input is not the way the Itablet will go (reducing it, in my eyes at least, to an iPhone (spit!) wannabee rather than an innovative pocket computer). I will not buy another Itablet; if I'm going to have a keyboard-based pocket computer, it'll be a Pandora (http://craiginator.bluwiki.com/).
The Nokia Itablets are great pieces of hardware, put down by Nokia's software.
I was in the market for an e-book reader (n800+FBreader), and (totally unrelated) a SIP phone (the main ISP in France has SIP access for free, it's called freephonie). A nice and convenient browser was a plus.
Now that I have it, I like other things besides e-books: the webradio directory, the web (starting at convenient del.icio.us tags).
Believe it or not, HGTV of all places highlighted the N800 in a segment of "cutting edge" electronics for the home, or something like that. That was the first I've heard of it.
I would not consider myself a gadget guy, and I never heard of the handheld "internet tablet" concept before. I was drawn to the N800 immediately, however. I think what I liked about it was that you couldn't label the thing: it wasn't a laptop, but you can carry it around and surf the web. It wasn't a phone, but you can make calls on it. You could watch videos or listen to music, but it wasn't an mp3 player. And so forth. Must be something psychological going on, or something.
Once I got it, I became much more interested in gadgetry again. The machine kind of forces you to tinker with it in order to get maximum potential out of it--it reminds me of when I was younger when we were still on DOS and even as an end-user you had to tweak things on your own to get things to work ). I've learned a lot since I bought my N800. I definitely don't use my home computer as much now that I have the tablet.
I've added a leather case, a couple of screen protectors, storage cards, an adapter that allow me to use a standard laptop microphone headset, a usb charger, a gps receiver, and a bluetooth keyboard since the original purchase. I've also purchased a couple of Palm apps, for use with the Garnet VM.
I bought a N800, partly because my brother works at Nokia, and helped on its development, and mainly because I like internet on the go, and to read my books wherever I am.
It proved to be a great partner in these and in several other stuff.
I use it mainly to browse the web, to listen to music (almost unlimited options here: vagalume - lastfm -, internet radio, fm radio, music sharing, and many good music players), reading books (thanks FBReader!, wait for Evince...), talking to my family (thanks Skype), and to carry my photos with me. A little gaming is allowed too.
Couldn't be happier with it.
I happened to see them online, was interested and a few days later, when at a close-out sale at my local compusa I snagged 2 for $500 i want to say last February... fresh on the shelves...
I use the wi-fi at school or home, tether on my phone in the car and when hiking or away from wi-fi. Canola has been nice to me, and i tend to forget about my wheel-scrob player...
Email, web, music, videos, instant messenger, games... all on the go! I wear cargo pockets and I've got so much in one device...
As a non technical user (prior to my purchase), I am very happy with it and wish there was more WOM!
And even moreover, the support from the community is amazing !
(I'm in class now... lol)
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