This series of articles (3) shows how to build a global positioning system (GPS)-aware application using the Linux-based Nokia N810 Internet Tablet and its built-in GPS receiver. You will find that developing for the Nokia N810 is a real joy. The developer tools and community forums provide a wealth of resources to get the job done, as well as these articles.
I used to love my N800, but to be honest – it is slow, buggy and the browser struggles to render a lot of pages. The UI is slick, but the input method can be really frustrating and only really works in pute Maemo apps without hassle.
My experience with using apps for Maemo written in Python was very hit or miss. Some were very good (the blog tool I forget the name of, for example) some were okay, but needed work (Canola 2 never played my mp3’s without glitches and weirdness, but the UI was slick), and the utter tripe (Mitter, thank goodness Mauku added Twitter support is all I can say!) This was down to a number of factors – buggy libraries, slow, poor UI design and just plain weird things the Python apps did to Menus and things like that. Maybe that was down to the programmer – it made me try not to install Python apps is all I can say.
I haven’t used my N800 since I got my iPhone. That speaks volumes.I used to go to my N800 every evening for casual browsing, but my iPhone just flies in comparison.
So – Maemo development, yeah. Biggest issue? They tied it to Linux. No option for Mac/Windows – unless the VM image counts? But developing an app in a VM is a bit like an exercise in extreme pain. It is slow and cumbersome. The UI of the guest OS is not like the native host. It felt painful. I’ve also installed the dev environment under Ubuntu, and install process is very long and kind of vague in places. Yeah, I got a working scratchbox install, the emulator worked and I managed to run my apps, but I’d much rather run it natively under Windows or OS X.
Edited 2009-02-24 14:37 UTC
I bought an N810 recently, and the newer releases of Maemo, specifically the latest edition of OS2008, are much MUCH better. Plus the N810 now has a real keyboard as well as the touch screen.
OS2008, which is also available as a free upgrade for the N800, implements a new Mozilla-based browser, and has a host of other improvements. I noticed that the current release of OS2008 is substantially faster than the older OS2008 release that came preloaded on the device.
With regards to compatibility, I’ve thrown a bunch of media files at it and it has played them all. Plus, I’ve downloaded the Maemo versions of Gnumeric and Abiword, which means that I can open Word and Excel documents right on the tablet.
Lastly, the N810 has a real GPS, with WayFinder software. From what I gather, the iPhone’s equivalent is basically just Google Maps.
I can’t speak for the N800, but I bought the N810 to avoid the iPhone, and thus far I’ve been very impressed by it. The browser can be a little slow when Flash animations are around, but its speed is usually comparable with Firefox on my Eee PC most of the time – so it’s not that bad. And although there’s no fancy touch-to-zoom feature like the iPhone, there is a zoom control button on the top of the unit, so zooming is still very easy.
Define “joy” 😉
When I read things like this, I don’t think “joy” (second article):
Yes, I know, the articles aren’t really about GUIs, but on a small device being able to quickly prototype and test user interface designs is a big factor. I would have liked to see the author comment a bit about alternatives for a wysiwyg approach.