Nokia N900

[Darryl_1983]

which plan is that mate and where from? i have o2 which ends next month but very good tarriff but want n900!!!!

That was through nokia/phones direct, middle of December time.

 

[rsatd]

Ok, got an answer from someone on maemo forums,

Read the Quidco website for full details of how the cashback works. In summary - you go to the Nokia website via a link in Quidco (you have to be registered*). Make your purchase as per normal (with the 10% code). If the purchase "tracks" properly then 20% cashback will be in your Quidco account and after several weeks you can get it paid into your bank.

*Registration is free but Quidco charge/take £5 per year from any cashbacks you make (in that year).

As their help area confused me greately in this early morning. Will ponder but probably give in when back home...

 

[Christo]

Well, its not really tested on 810, let alone 900, and so far sometimes it seems to lock up the device. I am thinking its the driver, as the camera application yu can download seems to do so as well. So if 900 can take pictures without locking up, it might even work better. After looking in the wiki, the face facing camera looks to be pretty much identical to 810.

For now, lets just try capturing some images with mplayer.

mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:outfmt=i420:device=/dev/video0 -vo jpeg -frames 7 -loop 1 tv://

For the bigger cam, try this:

mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:outfmt=i420:device=/dev/video1 -vo jpeg -frames 7 -loop 1 tv://

Run that from the terminal and see what happens, /dev/video0 should be the face facing cam and /dev/video1 should be the 5mp one. No idea if the "exteral" one is using the same or different driver. Lack of a 900 prevents me from playing with it .

If that works, il post the rest of the shell script, which basically will take a pic, and upload it to a web server somewhere, so you can access it remotely to see it. Would be a bit of an expensive "security" camera for 900 though

Neither worked. Thing is, its my phone so not good for security, could get some funny pics if you automated the script to take a pic every x mins, could make an app called 'life as a mobile phone' or something!

~ $ mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:width=640:height=480:outfmt=i420:device=/dev/video0 -vo jpeg -frames 7 -loop 1 tv://
Creating config file: /home/user/.mplayer/config
MPlayer SVN-r30099-4.2.1 (C) 2000-2009 MPlayer Team

Playing tv://.
Cache fill:  0.00% (0 bytes)   
TV file format detected.
Selected driver: v4l2
 name: Video 4 Linux 2 input
 author: Martin Olschewski <[email protected]>
 comment: first try, more to come ;-)
Selected device: omap3/et8ek8/ad5820/adp1653
 Capabilites:  video capture  streaming
 supported norms:
 inputs: 0 = camera;
 Current input: 0
 Current format: UYVY
tv.c: norm_from_string(pal): Bogus norm parameter, setting default.
v4l2: ioctl enum norm failed: Invalid argument
Error: Cannot set norm!
Selected input hasn't got a tuner!
v4l2: Cannot get fps
v4l2: ioctl set mute failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: ioctl query control failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: ioctl query control failed: Invalid argument
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.

v4l2: ioctl set mute failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: 0 frames successfully processed, 0 frames dropped.

Exiting... (End of file)
~ $ mplayer -cache 128 -tv driver=v4l2:outfmt=i420:device=/dev/video1 -vo jpeg -frames 7 -loop 1 tv://
MPlayer SVN-r30099-4.2.1 (C) 2000-2009 MPlayer Team

Playing tv://.
Cache fill:  0.00% (0 bytes)   
TV file format detected.
Selected driver: v4l2
 name: Video 4 Linux 2 input
 author: Martin Olschewski <[email protected]>
 comment: first try, more to come ;-)
Selected device: omap3/vs6555//
 Capabilites:  video capture  streaming
 supported norms:
 inputs: 0 = camera;
 Current input: 0
 Current format: unknown (0x30314142)
tv.c: norm_from_string(pal): Bogus norm parameter, setting default.
v4l2: ioctl enum norm failed: Invalid argument
Error: Cannot set norm!
Selected input hasn't got a tuner!
v4l2: Cannot get fps
v4l2: ioctl set mute failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: ioctl query control failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: ioctl query control failed: Invalid argument
Error opening/initializing the selected video_out (-vo) device.

v4l2: ioctl set mute failed: Invalid argument
v4l2: 0 frames successfully processed, 0 frames dropped.

Exiting... (End of file)

 

[rsatd]

I see the problem, it doesn't seem to understand that we are trying to capture jpeg files, might be a missing library, hmm.

Current format: unknown (0x30314142)

Was getting that with another usb camera I played with on the linux box. Hmm, well I am likely to order 900 tonight, so will have a look at it when il get it

 

[Roady]

After a lengthly talk to vodas upgrade department i'm still torn between the n900 and the iphone... Also very confused over Voda's market target for the n900.

I'll outline the way i've understood it:

The N900 is available through certain stores and the voda website NOT as an upgrade to existing voda users. So for £35 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone for £150. 24 month contract.
or
£40 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone free. 24 month contract.

You need a PAC number to use an existing number with this phone, or you have a new number & contract. Therefore existing vodafone customers CANNOT keep their numbers.

When i asked about porting to another network and then coming back (to keep my number) it IS possible, but i'd have to remain on the other network for 1 month.

Vodafone have no plans to change this.

After her trying to sell me a N97 mini (and me being very negative) and then noticing i'd get it for free (been due an upgrade for nearly a year) she soon went off the idea.

I'm now toying with the idea of getting a 32gig iphone for £179 for £35 per month - 600 mins, free net+txts but being a long term nokia user+lover (12+ years) i really had my heart set on the n900

Anyone know any way around this seemingly stupid sales strategy for me? I really don't want to change my number, or go on another network for 1 month. Vodafone is the only network with coverage here.

As a side note: whats the n900 like when not in a 3G area? (no chance of that here, nearest 3G i've found is 16 miles away)

Sorry for the long essay!

 

[teh_captain]

Carphone Warehouse do it on the essentially the same tariff as the nokia direct store - Vodafone - 600 mins, Unlimited Texts, Unlimited (well 500Mb, but who's counting ), Free phone, 24 month contract for £35 a month.

If you don't want to stump up the £400 odd up front for a sim free N900 then IMO it's quite tempting.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Feel so badly screwed over by Nokia with this phone. Sold the 'flagship' N97 under false pretenses

 

[Christo]

Feel so badly screwed over by Nokia with this phone. Sold the 'flagship' N97 under false pretenses

Mate, you werent at all - why do you keep on saying that. You buy a phone for its capabilities when released. The reviews for the N97 were dire - you should have avoided it

---

New programmes coming out on N97/N900: http://vimeo.com/7380069, look quite nice

You can download demos from either here (read the readme): http://qtlabs.openbossa.org/mobile-demos/

Ah, or you can download them from the extras-devel repository (search for the programme names in the app manager).

 

[[TW]Fox]

It's capabilities are awesome. It's just broken.

Funnily enough it didnt say on the box 'Wont hold a signal'.

 

[Ronaldo]

I got n97 its on a auction site at the mo trying to raise money for n900. but n97 is great phone but does have bugs. i got cerificate for sign apps so i have loads of sat navs and other great apps installed. nice multimedia phone

 

[Airax]

I got n97 its on a auction site at the mo trying to raise money for n900. but n97 is great phone but does have bugs. i got cerificate for sign apps so i have loads of sat navs and other great apps installed. nice multimedia phone

If you think the is buggy then I'd avoid the N900. Its an amazing phone but its incomplete. The potential is there, its just not ready for mainstream use yet...

 

[Sone]

If you think the is buggy then I'd avoid the N900. Its an amazing phone but its incomplete. The potential is there, its just not ready for mainstream use yet...

I have had far less problems with the n900 than the n97, while not all the way there yet seems a much more complete device than the n97,

 

[RSR]

If you think the is buggy then I'd avoid the N900. Its an amazing phone but its incomplete. The potential is there, its just not ready for mainstream use yet...

Do you have any facts to back that up or is it a sweeping statment?

 

[Darryl_1983]

If you think the is buggy then I'd avoid the N900. Its an amazing phone but its incomplete. The potential is there, its just not ready for mainstream use yet...

Well I've had my N900 for over a month now and not really had any problems at all. Web browser closed itself a couple of time, but that's it.

Seems better than the 5800 i had before. My girlfriends iphone has frozen twice in the same time and she's had to reset it. So i don't see how the N900 can be called buggy, a lot of the software availible is still in development, but even so most of it is fairly good.

 

[Robbo]

Still happy with mine, absolutely fantastic phone!

Just needs a few adjustments making and it would be far better for mainstream use, the iPhone wouldn't be able to viably stand against it with such a basic/bland/poor OS.

 

[teh_captain]

Went to a CPW and asked to have a play around, very impressed the phone flies in doing anything, whether it's messaging, home screens etc! I opened the browser and this particular CPW had unlocked WIFI, so connected to that and went on youtube and so awesome, nothing like i've ever been on before.

The screen i found you don't even have to press that hard, at first i was jabbing at it like a caveman but then started to caress it and it was a different animal. I even liked the H/W keyboard! I am definitely going to get one now; just need to decide how i.e. contract or fork out for a sim free variant

 

[Kitchster_uk]

After a lengthly talk to vodas upgrade department i'm still torn between the n900 and the iphone... Also very confused over Voda's market target for the n900.

I'll outline the way i've understood it:

The N900 is available through certain stores and the voda website NOT as an upgrade to existing voda users. So for £35 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone for £150. 24 month contract.
or
£40 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone free. 24 month contract.

You need a PAC number to use an existing number with this phone, or you have a new number & contract. Therefore existing vodafone customers CANNOT keep their numbers.

When i asked about porting to another network and then coming back (to keep my number) it IS possible, but i'd have to remain on the other network for 1 month.

Vodafone have no plans to change this.

After her trying to sell me a N97 mini (and me being very negative) and then noticing i'd get it for free (been due an upgrade for nearly a year) she soon went off the idea.

I'm now toying with the idea of getting a 32gig iphone for £179 for £35 per month - 600 mins, free net+txts but being a long term nokia user+lover (12+ years) i really had my heart set on the n900

Anyone know any way around this seemingly stupid sales strategy for me? I really don't want to change my number, or go on another network for 1 month. Vodafone is the only network with coverage here.

As a side note: whats the n900 like when not in a 3G area? (no chance of that here, nearest 3G i've found is 16 miles away)

Sorry for the long essay!

Get the 3GS and flog it. Use the money to buy the N900, you might even get a few quid in your pocket.

 

[Roady]

Get the 3GS and flog it. Use the money to buy the N900, you might even get a few quid in your pocket.

You mean buy 1 of them unlocked and outright (non contract) and just put my voda sim in it? Hmmm...!

Guess i really should have a play with each and decide, either way i want to keep my number...

Another thought, get the 3GS, try it for a month or so - if i don't like it - sell it and buy a n900! Ladies and Gentleman, i'm proud to announce, i think i have a plan!

 

[Ronaldo]

my n900 came from nokia shop online, do the n900 say made in korea?

 

[fullspizz]

After a lengthly talk to vodas upgrade department i'm still torn between the n900 and the iphone... Also very confused over Voda's market target for the n900.

I'll outline the way i've understood it:

The N900 is available through certain stores and the voda website NOT as an upgrade to existing voda users. So for £35 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone for £150. 24 month contract.
or
£40 a month you get 600 mins (+300 free) unlimited txt & internet and the phone free. 24 month contract.

You need a PAC number to use an existing number with this phone, or you have a new number & contract. Therefore existing vodafone customers CANNOT keep their numbers.

When i asked about porting to another network and then coming back (to keep my number) it IS possible, but i'd have to remain on the other network for 1 month.

Vodafone have no plans to change this.

After her trying to sell me a N97 mini (and me being very negative) and then noticing i'd get it for free (been due an upgrade for nearly a year) she soon went off the idea.

I'm now toying with the idea of getting a 32gig iphone for £179 for £35 per month - 600 mins, free net+txts but being a long term nokia user+lover (12+ years) i really had my heart set on the n900

Anyone know any way around this seemingly stupid sales strategy for me? I really don't want to change my number, or go on another network for 1 month. Vodafone is the only network with coverage here.

As a side note: whats the n900 like when not in a 3G area? (no chance of that here, nearest 3G i've found is 16 miles away)

Sorry for the long essay!

That is completely wrong what you have been told. You can upgrade online as an existing customer and keep your number etc. The main problems are that they have no stock and none of their CS reps appear to know when they are due. Plus, they are trying to get everyone onto the Jesus phone at the moment

I upgraded to my N900 online and it arrived Thursday morning, it's a cracking piece of kit and should only really get better as more apps, etc are released for it.