Video

I guess that not every device is perfect and the Nokia n800 is no different. I can ready ebooks great. I can surf the web just like I am using a desktop. I can even watch youtube videos and see web pages that use flash. My Nokia N800 is a wonderful device. I even named her Lara and have a wallpaper of Lara Croft on the background.

But the one thing that the N800 fails miserably at is video. I cannot for the life of me get any dive video that I download on the internet to run with a good framerate. My best results were with Mplayer but the video just doesnt cut it. I feel like I am watching a dubbed movie. So other than the lousy video quality I still love this device.

I just bought a mobile keyboard and I cant wait to start using it. I will be able to type on my tablet wherever I go. Oh just to inform you this post is typed entirely on a keyboard attached to Lara using an OTG adapter. I really enjoy being a mobile tech geek.

FBreader

I have recently come into possession of some html ebooks and I wanted to see if I could give FBreader a try. I am a ebook junkie and every time I look for a new device I look to see if eReader is available for it. Having support for ereader was a serious factor when I was deciding whither to buy the n800.

I did have a difficult time installing the program cause the site was down at the time. But I found the Google group of the software and discovered an alternate location to download the file.

When the program was up and running I loaded a book up and started reading. The default reading settings were horrible. Each time I went to page down the book would only scroll one line. So I went on to google and found a great article at Teleread.com. This wonderful article showed the basics of FBreader.

After I cleaned up the settings I was a happy camper. The program works great with a few kinks. Occasionally the program will continuously page down until I press page up. Also there is no support for bookmarks. Which would be great considering FBreader lost my place when I first ran the program.

FBreader is not perfect but is a good program. I can't wait until they add bookmark support. Now I just have to figure out what format to save my ebooks in.

EEEPC 900

I can tell you right now that my next purchase will be the Eeepc 900. It seems to be the perfect device for me. It has enough power to do basic web browsing and the screen is large enough to watch videos on. Heck its the same size at those portable dvd players. Those portable dvd player cases are great for holding the Eeepc, I might get one of those also. I love the size, the power, and the fact I can install windows xp on it.

As much as I love tablets I don't I will be using them anymore. I finished college so I don't have to take notes. I also don't spend too much time in long boring meetings. I just need a device that I can watch videos and surf the web at lunch. Maybe a little gaming.

The big decision is whether to buy the version that has xp on it or go for the larger hard drive. I am leaning toward the hard drive but I only have one copy of xp and it is installed on my laptop. I anxiously await the day I can go online and purchase the wonderful Eeepc 900.

Moving

I have been moving this week and I found myself in an interesting position. I took the day off from work to wait for the washing machine to come in and we haven't moved in yet. So there were no seats or tables in my new place. Just a bunch of boxes. There was no internet and unluckily the power company was working on the power lines. So there was no electricity. But I did come prepared. I brought one chair, a foldable table, and my laptop. The night before I downloaded some DL.TV and Tekzilla so I had some entertainment. The battery lasts about 2 and a half hours if I don't play any video games. So there I was sitting all morning with a table, chair, and my laptop. But since I am into mobile technology I had entertainment and made the best of a bad situation. Lucky for me I only had to wait two hours. I snapped a lousy quality picture of my little workstation on my phone. I guess it was just another situation made bearable my mobile tech.

Gigabyte

I really love the design of the Gigabyte UMPCs. The Gigabyte M704 is pretty much my ideal UMPC. It has a sliding keyboard and can operate with it closed. The screen has a nice 1024x600 screen so I don't have to scroll sideways when I surf. It also means less issues running programs that don't fit on the 800x600 screen of my old Samsung Q1. When I do get a new UMPC the decision will be between this one and the Samsung Q1. I just wonder what the price of the Gigabyte M704 will be.



Next we have the Gigabyte M700 which has no keyboard but does have integrated 3g for easy access to the internet. If I didn't want a keyboard I would go for this device. It does have a nice 1024x600 screen also. I wonder how the pricing will compare to the M704.


Last we have the Nokia n810 competitior the Gigabyte M528 which is an awsome device. UMPC portal and JKK have some great videos and pics of this device. It has a 4.8-inch 800x480 screen which is larger than the 4.13-inch 800x480 Nokia n810 screen. I have read that the keyboard is even better than the Nokia. The Gigabyte M528 also has specs closer to a umpc. It has 512MB of RAM and a 4GB SSD which blows away the Nokia. It also runs Ubuntu Mobile which seems to be favored over the Maemo platform. It seems we have the first device that might be able to take down the Nokia n810 platform. If they can price it close to the Nokia then we might see a brutal fight on our hands.

OTG

This accessory was another reason I wanted to buy the Nokia n800. It lets me use thumb drives in my Nokia n800. Not only does it allow thumb drives but also allows for the use of usb keyboards. This functionality is something I wish I had in the 770.

These adapters have been around but it is not common to have the OTG functionality. Without the OTG functionality I would have to run some terminal commands. I have never been a big fan of the linux terminal. So this pretty much enables plug and play usb thumbdrives and keyboards.

I found the plug from the Internet Tablet Talk forums. They can be ordered from here. I recommend this to every n800 owner.

Nokia 800 Software

As requested I will tell all the applications that I run on my Nokia 800. I currently only run Garnet VM and under that program I run eReader. I have been using eReader for years and I just love the software. The drm is not annoying at all. I really like being able to read my ebooks on so many different devices.

I have a few minor software programs. MH Shot Tool is a simple program that I use for taking screen shots. I downloaded the camera program so I can use the web cam as a camera. Thats about it for the programs I have installed. I was thinking of installing Bejewled under Garnet. I really love that game. But for the most part the Internet is the killer app for me. I was also thinking of getting myself a keyboard and see if I could do some blogging from my tablet.

I knew I wanted to install the latest OS before I even bought the device. The installation had one litte hickup. It took me two reboots before I could get the tablet in the right mode. But it was quickly fixed. So I installed the 2008 os and boy was I happy. The whole unit seemed snappier. I am really excited to see what the future brings.

I have very simple needs for my Nokia n800.