My-Symbian ~ My-Maemo ~ My-MeeGo

[FritzTheCAt]

FritzTheCAt wrote:

[...] Video on the new N900 not available on the Youtube!

JUST SAW IT ! THANKS!

[My-Symbian]

[kalel17]

how is the media playback? Like what is the maximum bitrate, can it handle vids at 720p and 1024p?

[FritzTheCAt]

Michal Jerz wrote:

I have just received the retail version of the N900. Maybe it's too short to confirm it yet, but there seems to be no trace of the screen "decalibration" issue I've had on the proto. The device feels even faster than the proto I've had (which translates to "exceptionally fast"), superb stable, Bluetooth and FM radio now work perfectly. It's been just a couple of hours, but so far I wasn't able to find anything related to performance, stability of functionality I could complain about. What I am considerably more worried about is that now I can confirm that the features missing on the proto, i.e. voice dialing, MMS, handwriting recognition, etc. are STILL NOT THERE, and the Maps application still lacks voice guided navigation. Which is a real shame and I really hope that these features will be added pretty soon. Other than the previously mentioned, further increased performance, no issues with the touchscreen and Bluetooth/FM finally 100% working, I haven't actually noticed any groundshaking differences compared to the prototype. Maybe that's because the last firmware I've had on the proto (2.2009.42-9) does not seem to be too far away from the firmware the retail version came with (2.2009.42-11). Unboxing video will be posted shortly. Updating the review will take several days. In the meantime, I am of course open to any questions.

Michel....Can you kindly look where the phone is made, Finland&Korea et al..What version of OVI MAPS is used , and how good the navigation is compared to the Google maps is ? Thanks

[gadgety]

Thank you for answering my questions, Michal and so quickly!

Resistive screen. Yes of course, that's what I meant to say. My bad. I must have been in a hurry when I wrote that.

No sync of phone via BT and no voice dial even in conjunction with other devices. Yes, that is truly appalling. It's almost 2010.


Glad the front cam isn't disabled! When you have the time, could you try it in a voip call or a chat? If it does work, I might even overlook the lack of voice dial.

Your info that handwriting recognition for the N8xx series was pretty good under Maemo 4 sounds promising. The possibility to port it to the N900 ought to be there.

Man, you work late hours. Thank you so much!

[My-Symbian]

[hkx]

how is the battery life on this devices? idle, moderate use, heave use, with gsm only?
will you be testing this in several situations and describe what you did and wich connections ere on in the final unit?

looking forward to the answer and tests for the full review.

thanks

[mirrorofsorrow]

Michal, I'm glad you finally received the final unit and I hope you can keep it until you buy your own. So many devices around the internet and so few information. You are among the few who answers every qwestion.

So, I have a few more for you:


1. Does the latest pc suite, identifies the phone?
2. If yes, you can see the contents of both 28GB and memory card?
3. When you receive a call and you hang up, is there a call summary?
4. Can you see in the call log the duration of each phone call (not only the last one)?
5. When you turn your phone (landscape -> portrait) the pnone application activates?
If yes, it works in all applications (eg browser, madia player, dashboard) ?
6. Is there an option to format the memory card? I haven't seen it.
7. When you tap the menu bar into settings, is there both restore original settings and clear device?
8. Which is the product code of your device?
9. Did you test the radio application? Performs well?
10. Did yoy notice any glitches in the video recording?
11. Where is your device made in ... ?

Thank you in advance.

[win2kpro]

Michal,

thanks for the video.

How does the keyboard/keys feels? Similar to E90?

And how is the keyboard back light?

Thanks

[dannycamps]

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5. When you turn your phone (landscape -> portrait) the pnone application activates? If yes, it works in all applications (eg browser, madia player, dashboard) ?

I think this one has been covered by Michal already. At this point in time, portrait mode is supported in the phone app only. Support is planned for the browser in a few months and for the entire OS in Maemo 6.

For me, voice-dialing is something I have never used and probably never will. I do however use MMS quite a bit and would like support added for it. Reading the conversations at Maemo.org, it seems there is some back-and-forth concerning who should add the MMS support. Should it be added by Nokia as a native part of the OS or should it be added by the OSS group as a separate application. IMHO it should be part of the OS and I don't care who adds it

I also find it silly that they seem so against adding support for Java/Midlets as it would only increase the number of readily available applications.

-Daniel

[Liquid_Li0n]

How is it when you make backups of the device before firmware upgrades.
Is it like S60, when you make a backup, upgrade the firmware and restore the backup, do you need to reinstall some apps?

Are the "close icons" on the shortcuts still that abnormally large?

Does the phone now has a accelometer to use every function in portrait and/or landscape?

like on the E90, can you switch on/off the keyboard lighting manually?

[Michal Jerz]

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how is the media playback? Like what is the maximum bitrate, can it handle vids at 720p and 1024p?

If you can post some links to such videos it'd be very helpful for me to check them. I have a lot of work with launching the My-Maemo site and updating the review so I'm afraid I won't be able to prepare such videos for test myself.

16:9 PAL/NTSC DivX/XviD/H.264 videos play just FANTASTICALLY with bitrates like 5-6 Mbps. By "fantastically" I mean perfectly, without a single frame being dropped, with audio perfectly in sync, etc.

I'll try to record some videos in 720p on my Canon 7D, convert it to DivX and check how it works on the N900, but - as I wrote - it'll take some time, so if you have some links to such videos I could check them much quicker.

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Can you kindly look where the phone is made, Finland&Korea et al..

The label under the battery says MADE IN KOREA.

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What version of OVI MAPS is used

I have no idea as the version isn't indicated anywhere. There is no "About" dialog and when the app loads it only says "OVI Maps" without any version number.

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how good the navigation is compared to the Google maps is ?

Maps are the same as on S60 phones. Quite detailed, to a house number level.

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No sync of phone via BT and no voice dial even in conjunction with other devices.

Actually, sync via BT with other devices is supported when it comes to transferring contacts, calendar and to-dos. The "Transfer and Sync" app allows you to sync/send/receive that kind of data to/from/with other smartphones/PDAs/computers. But there's no profile to sync the phone book with audio BT devices like BT handsfree sets.

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Glad the front cam isn't disabled! When you have the time, could you try it in a voip call or a chat?

If I only find an app for that. By default video calls/chats are not supported.

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how is the battery life on this devices? idle, moderate use, heave use, with gsm only?

Well, it's been just one day since I got it so it's hard to say. I disconnected it from the charger (with 100% charge) yesterday around 5 pm (17:00) and then I was using it quite heavily (configuring, browsing the web, downloading and installing apps, playing with it to see what's new), made 1 GSM phone call and one Skype call, etc. until early morning (like 5 am or so). Today at around 1 pm (13:00) it still had some 10-20% power left, so with quite heavy use it already provided 24 hours. GSM and WiFi was enabled all the time and Bluetooth was also enabled and in visible mode.

It is also worth remembering that Lithium batteries obtain full capacity only after 3 charging/discharging cycles so it should be better than that. I'll keep you informed.

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1. Does the latest pc suite, identifies the phone?

I haven't checked PC Suite yet. I need to install it as I don't use it. I'll check it later today.

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If yes, you can see the contents of both 28GB and memory card?

I can see them even without PC Suite as they're "mass storage" and are mounted as removable discs even without any software.

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When you receive a call and you hang up, is there a call summary?

No, but connection time is being shown all the time during the call so when disconnecting you can simply take a look at it...

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Can you see in the call log the duration of each phone call (not only the last one)?

No, just the date and time of the connection, but not duration.

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5. When you turn your phone (landscape -> portrait) the pnone application activates?

Yes, if you enable this option (Launch by turning) in Phone app's settings.

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If yes, it works in all applications (eg browser, madia player, dashboard) ?

No, it seems to work on the desktop and in Task manager only. Actually, as the N900 is going to get portrait support for other apps (some people already have 46-something firmware with portrait-enabled web browser, pictures can be found in the Internet) it would conflict with those other apps' own portrait mode...

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6. Is there an option to format the memory card? I haven't seen it.

Yes. In File Manager when you tap and hold the Memory card, a menu pops up and it contains the "Format" option.

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7. When you tap the menu bar into settings, is there both restore original settings and clear device?

No. The "Clear device" option has unfortunately been removed and the "Restore original settings" is now the only option.

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8. Which is the product code of your device?

0560826

I got it from the UK.

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9. Did you test the radio application? Performs well?

Actually, it does not work. The app launches, but I can't make it produce any sound. I will further investigate it.

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10. Did yoy notice any glitches in the video recording?

Haven't had time to check video recording yet. Will do tomorrow.

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How does the keyboard/keys feels? Similar to E90?

Feels the same as on the prototype. Please check my preview. The only difference is that in the final unit keys are made of a little bit more "rough" plastic, not as "slippery" as on the proto, which is a good thing. Also, some symbols on the keyboard are now bigger.

Backlight is very good, controlled by the ambient light sensor.

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I also find it silly that they seem so against adding support for Java/Midlets as it would only increase the number of readily available applications.

That's right.

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How is it when you make backups of the device before firmware upgrades. Is it like S60, when you make a backup, upgrade the firmware and restore the backup, do you need to reinstall some apps?

There are several firmware update methods. I believe that the SSU (Seamless Software Upgrade) that's OTA and can be done directly on the device does not clear user data. Whether firmware update via NSU clears it - I don't know. I'll be able to confirm it only after I do it, i.e. when the first update is made available...

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Are the "close icons" on the shortcuts still that abnormally large?

You mean the "X" icons on the desktop shortcuts? I don't have a feeling that they're abnormally large. They're large just enough to be used with a finger and not only with stylus....

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Does the phone now has a accelometer to use every function in portrait and/or landscape?

You mean if every application works now in both modes? No, still the phone app only. Support for portrait mode for the browser is already being worked on and internal firmware versions with browser working in portrait are already tested by some people. Some pictures of that can be found on various forums, e.g. here:

http://pixelpipe.com/item/c5f4da05-04d4-42a0-a657-533c7654d7eb

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like on the E90, can you switch on/off the keyboard lighting manually?

As I wrote, keyboard backlight is controlled by the ambient light sensor so it is always on when you need it.

[tito_66]

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Maybe it's too short to confirm it yet, but there seems to be no trace of the screen "decalibration" issue I've had on the proto

I am happy to hear about that and I really hope that u do not find decalibration problem in your final unit after long time of use.

but if there is no "Send/Share via Bluetooth" options in File manager from where I can send songs and clips I store in the device via Bluetooth and Can I make new folders in file manager and in main menu and Did u experience any lag in device's response to touch after opening many applications and keep them running in background ?

sorry for asking many questions.

[Rushmore]

Could you try the following Flash content sites:

1. Addictinggames.com (games playable with sound or full screen?)
2. Google video (non-Youtube sites).

I am curious how well Flash games and standard Flash video works (besides Youtube, since already reported)

Thanks!

[Sylarr]

Michal Jerz wrote:

If you can post some links to such videos it'd be very helpful for me to check them. I have a lot of work with launching the My-Maemo site and updating the review so I'm afraid I won't be able to prepare such videos for test myself. 16:9 PAL/NTSC DivX/XviD/H.264 videos play just FANTASTICALLY with bitrates like 5-6 Mbps. By "fantastically" I mean perfectly, without a single frame being dropped, with audio perfectly in sync, etc. I'll try to record some videos in 720p on my Canon 7D, convert it to DivX and check how it works on the N900, but - as I wrote - it'll take some time, so if you have some links to such videos I could check them much quicker.

I have PM'd you a link to two 720p x264 sample video's. Hope this helps.

[gadgety]

Michal Jerz wrote:

[...] If I only find an app for that. By default video calls/chats are not supported.

At least there's access to the camera, so there's still hope that it may be possible to port or develop an app for the N900, based on what is available for the the other Nxxx internet tablets.

Thank you!

[Michal Jerz]

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Maybe it's too short to confirm it yet, but there seems to be no trace of the screen "decalibration" issue I've had on the proto

And I'd also like to add that the screen is FAR more responsive than on the proto. Both with finger and stylus. Actually, there is NOTHING to complain about when it comes to the touch screen.

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but if there is no "Send/Share via Bluetooth" options in File manager from where I can send songs and clips I store in the device

Well, I hope it's just an omition and will be fixed quickly. For now, there's no way to send any files.

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Can I make new folders in file manager and in main menu

In the File Manager - yes. In the Menu - no.

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Did u experience any lag in device's response to touch after opening many applications and keep them running in background ?

Only when really A LOT of apps is working, like 15 or so, which is what you surely won't be doing too often.

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Addictinggames.com (games playable with sound or full screen?)

Games work with sound. But for games requiring mouse you need to switch the browser to the mouse pointer mode.

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2. Google video (non-Youtube sites).

video.google.com works normally. Videos play OK, also full screen. I don't see much difference (if any) compared to YouTube.

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At least there's access to the camera, so there's still hope that it may be possible to port or develop an app for the N900, based on what is available for the the other Nxxx internet tablets.

It surely is.