Pangs Of Guilt

[The Buccaneer]

Resisting the urge to make a poll here, but...

I have a Pandora on preorder, have had so since the 30th sept 08 - which I am really looking forward to getting hold of, it'll be the first gadget purchase of mine since the Nokia N95-8GB I got on contract back in November 2007.

Said N95-8GB has seen better days. I have to use a desktop charger to charge the battery now, since I dropped the phone while it was charging and the pin inside the charging socket snapped off. The case has seen better days too, and it's just getting a bit long in the tooth in general (still use it to browse the internet and check my emails daily and occasionally tether it to my laptop for internets.)

Anyways, I'm due for an upgrade on my phone in April, and the only phone that's really piqued my interest is the Nokia N900... I like the look of it very much, having had a fiddle with one in the Vodafone shop yesterday. Problem is, though, is that I almost feel guilty about thinking of getting one. It's internals are awfully similar to the Pandora - so it can do much the same things (apart from those kick-ass game controls, that of course the Pandora has), and I feel that perhaps getting an N900 would stomp on the Pandora's turf?

Anyone got any nuggets of wisdom about this? Anyone got an N900 and is willing to offer their views? Would it be pointless to get both, seeing as they're both using the same(ish?) SoC and all that? Or are they sufficiently different that they can stay separate from each other?

I would very much appreciate any input people have on the matter, and I can't think of a better place to ask these questions, as everyone here seems rather nice and well informed (for the most part har har).

Thank you, everyone!

 

[Consequence_9]

personally, I'd skip it. It is just too similar to the pandora to merit a purchase all it's own if you're already getting a pandora imo. The only real feature advantage it has over the pandora is 3g (& phone obviously), but you're just as well off going with another phone for that. Hell you could even get a smaller phone & tether it to the panda if you really wanted to get the same effect (I'm sure I'll be doing that occasionally for longer emails & whatnot when I don't feel like using the pre's keyboard). Speaking of the pre (I know, I know, I won't shut up about it) I just got the plus & I'm in love with it... perhaps a little too much ... anyways, if that's an option it's worth checking out. Easily the best phone I've ever owned, a million times better than the iphone, etc.

 

[The Buccaneer]

personally, I'd skip it. It is just too similar to the pandora to merit a purchase all it's own if you're already getting a pandora imo. The only real feature advantage it has over the pandora is 3g (& phone obviously), but you're just as well off going with another phone for that. Hell you could even get a smaller phone & tether it to the panda if you really wanted to get the same effect (I'm sure I'll be doing that occasionally for longer emails & whatnot when I don't feel like using the pre's keyboard). Speaking of the pre (I know, I know, I won't shut up about it) I just got the plus & I'm in love with it... perhaps a little too much ... anyways, if that's an option it's worth checking out. Easily the best phone I've ever owned, a million times better than the iphone, etc.

Yeah I have looked at the Palm Pre and I do like the look of it, only problem is I don't think Vodafone offer it, and I'd quite like to stay with them, as once I move home from university this coming summer, I can't get signal from any other network but Vodafone.

I have decided, though, that if I end up with an N900, I'd keep it strictly game free, as that is most certainly Pandora territory. Also I suppose the upside of having both would also be that any game released for Maemo, I could help port across to the Pandora, as I'd be able to see how they work on both devices (not that I know a damn thing about porting - but I'd quite like to learn!) (I've seen quite a few awesome things, like Red Alert - I spotted a video of it on youtube, looks spectacular).

The only other phone that looks good to me that Vodafone offer, at the moment, is the Nokia X6, although that's still on Symbian, which I'm weary of, as it's not the best OS for a phone with only a touchscreen.

Thanks for the input, Consequence_9

 

[OrR]

I had to make the same decision half a year ago and I also chose the Pre. It's simply a brillant mobile communication device and does everything the Pandora doesn't. Of course, in Germany we are lucky that we can buy it without any carrier binding. For 409 € you can join in on the fun, that is if you don't mind your y and z being swapped...
When my Pandora arrives, the Pre will be the Wifi hotspot for my Pandora and the Pandora will be the extended battery of my Pre. :wub:

 

[Ravnos]

My N900 will be here either today or tomorrow, and I've also pre-ordered a Pandora. There's some overlap, but there's going to be some overlap with any smartphone you buy. The Pre runs a similar SOC to the Pandora IIRC, and so does the Droid. What changes is the OS experience and the features. I like Maemo, I need to have a phone, and having used a friend's N900 and owning an N800 previously, I thought the N900 would be a good fit for me. If you think it's a good fit for you, get one. You'll probably be doing things with both that one or the other can't really do, there will be some overlap and similarity but there should be enough distinction that it's worth it to go for it. Just my opinion.

 

[The Buccaneer]

My N900 will be here either today or tomorrow, and I've also pre-ordered a Pandora. There's some overlap, but there's going to be some overlap with any smartphone you buy. The Pre runs a similar SOC to the Pandora IIRC, and so does the Droid. What changes is the OS experience and the features. I like Maemo, I need to have a phone, and having used a friend's N900 and owning an N800 previously, I thought the N900 would be a good fit for me. If you think it's a good fit for you, get one. You'll probably be doing things with both that one or the other can't really do, there will be some overlap and similarity but there should be enough distinction that it's worth it to go for it. Just my opinion.

I like your thinking! Honestly, I was just waiting for someone to come along like this and say it's ok to get one!

Thank you for the input, I think I probably will get the N900 because I can get a decent offer on it, and it's the best phone, feature-wise, that I've seen.

Still got to wait until mid April until my upgrade period begins though...

 

[OrR]

The N900 would have been my second choice. In the end I decided against it. It's priced higher, I don't really need the high res screen because I'll have one on my Pandora and I am absolutely in love with the way the Pre does multi tasking etc. The N900 has quite a few more advantages, though. There is some great hardware in there.