After having spent last three days with OS2008 on Godot (my N800:-) ) it’s time to draw some conclusions.
Speed
For sure OS2008 is hella fast! Using it on N800 is a pleasure. CPU speed management’s improvements are there, and you can feel it. Opening menus and launching apps is a pleasure, well even more thant what it was before! :D
Menus
Talking about menus, first time I saw new larger OS2008 menus I wasn’t sure I was going to like them but after getting used to the new look I have to confess that, after all, they are not as bad as I thought. Perhaps it would have been a little better being able to freely choice your size, you know: size matters! :D
Application Manager
In one word (and a half): it works! On OS2007 it was a pain using it. Everyone remembers having continuously to scroll application list after every install/remove action. I mean, that sort of things that make you ask if people really use the program they write.
Now, at last once an application has been installed/removed, AppMan will remember our position. Ins’t it great? :)
And again: speed! Browsing applications is very easy and comfortable.
Web browser and Flash Player
MicroB is wonderful, rendering is pretty fine, even on complex pages. Flash videos are overall absolutely ok. I tried over a WiFi link and using an UMTS connection, and in both cases result was more than fine.
Skype, Gizmo and Pidgin
Spending almost all my day chatting with my friends (shhh… don’t tell it to my boss! :-) ), I basically need a wide range of IM protocols. Being able to use Skype, Gizmo and Pidgin is a must! And I just discovered that pidgin perfectly integrates in Maemo’s “tray” area. Sweet! :)
Final verdict!
Despite still being a beta, OS2008 looks wonderful. It’s amazing how a simple software upgrade can change so much a device! If you are looking for a great device with a high price:performances ratio, well N800 with actual reduced price and OS2008 upgrade could be a nice choice. Also remember that, beside a different look, the integrated keyboard and other design differences N800 and N810 share basically the same hardware (this also proves how good N800 was).
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I happily agree with you! IT2008 is looking great, it’s responsive and extremely thumbfriendly. I forgot stylus at home, but surprisingly I don’t need it. Yet, what’s best – N800 can now negotiate Wifi AP next to my office without giving link-local IPs (maybe some severe bugs with Cisco APs have been resolved) :-D
Regards,
Jari Laru
Hi
I too agree with your review. On earlier OS, I had lot of difficulty playing streaming video. Now it is amazing fast.
I have two points to check with you.
1 There is one built-in s/w maps. I have downloaded maps for it. Can we use it with a Bluetooth GPS receiver or this s/w is a trial version? Any idea?
2 I access a site ‘eenadu.net’ a south indian news daily which requires a eenadu.ttf font to be installed. Otherwise the above site shows just garbage. Do you have any idea how to install fonts on N800?
Thank you
@Venu: 1) it should be possible to use an external GPS antenna, AFAIK. I’ll do some tests as soon as I’ll get one. Even if I have to confesss I wasn’t impressed by maps application, MaemoMapper looks a loot better, at least for my needings.
2) to add new fonts simply create a /home/user/.fonts directory and put here all the fontts you need, reboot your device and you are done! :)
@Venu: I use built-in s/w maps with an external GPS antenna … it work fine …
OS2008 consumes more memory I think. I can’t seem to run more programs without being warned of low memory unlike OS2007.
That’s pretty much my only complaint.
@Erwin: tried enabling/increasing virtual memory? I hadn’t any problem running more programs.
Vito, Reg Maps, I am also using the Wayfinder map application with external BT GPS. It locates the addresses, shows maps etc., but it does not navigate during travel. It needs licence-key, a $130/- for every 3 years. Recurring expenditure? Its really stupid. All other GPS units are around $150 a one-time cost. I really doubt who will pay $130/- for every 3yrs for Nokia’s Wayfinder. MaemoMapper is another option, but I am still not comfortable in using it. During travel, it tries to download maps, due to no WiFi availability, navigation stops working. Did anybody tried navigating with Maemo Mapper successfully?
Hi Maddler,
I tried to create the said sub-folders. It did not allow me to create ‘.fonts’ because of ‘.’ in the folder name. I even tried without ‘.’ and copied the said font file into that and restarted the N800, but no luck. If you have done the same successfully, can explain the process little more in detail (venubvs@gmail.com), so I can check and redo it. Thanks anyways.
I don’t like Maps at all. Bad interface, bad usability, only a few functions. It can’t be compared to other GPS applications.
Still prefer Maemo Mapper.
about fonts: you ahve to create the .fonts dir using your xterm:
“mkdir ~/.fonts”
You could also create a link to .fonts in your MyDocs:
“ln -s ~/.fonts ./MyDocs/fonts”
this way Fonts’ folder will also show up in File Manager.
Hi, do you experience any changes in battery lifetime? N800 has 3.5 hours on battery, the N810 has 4 hours on battery (according to Nokia’s Specs).
Did it improve with the new OS2008?
I have been wondering if Pidgin for Maemo allows for Logging (message history) on the Preferences. I hope so. I don’t know why they’d take it out of the port, but it’s a bit of a requirement for me. =/