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Comment by st_goliath | Hacker News Reader

I miss my N900. On screen keyboards are a PITA, they have zero haptic feedback and I constantly end up fat fingering all over the place.

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I don't miss my N900; I still use it. I do not use it so much as a phone and more as a pocket computer. Install PostmarketOS on it with Emacs. Made a configuration that is very comfortable with the keyboard. I actually use daily, using it to write my journal, emails, have Telegram working on it within Emacs. Even whip it out in the train now and again to do some explorative coding. My favorite use of it is writing down my dreams at night. I can do this blind at night, don't have to look at the keyboard or screen which is excellent for dream recall.

For all these things the device is perfect. Though actually browsing the web with a modern browser is a no-go it is simply too slow. Would give a lot for a modern replacement. I have looked into the Gemini PDA though it is not the same as you need to put that device down on a surface to really use it. Not so with the Nokia N900. If anybody knows of a modern equivalent, please tell me.

I'd love a modern equivalent. Maybe have a look at the Gemini by planet computers. Isn't there something you can do with pihole to get browsing? I remember someone doing this where it removes adverts and compresses images for a better mobile experience.

That is actually a great idea, thank you. A quick search came up with Browservice I will give it a go tonight.

Quite jealous… mine died after about 3 years because the usb port came unsoldered inside and the only way to charge it was to take the battery out and use an external charger :/

I only had the n810 but I gotta say I liked my Cybiko Xtreme keyboard better than that one.

I specifically wish that device could somehow have modern production, modern software and support, even with the same screen. The design was not beautiful but by gosh was it functional in supporting beautiful things, like comfortably chatting with my future wife during university lectures.

The n810 was pretty though, and to this day the keyboard slide makes the kiddos smile like "whaaat" :-)

The N810 keyboard was quite nice, too. Better than on the N900. Of the mobile devices I’ve had, only the Psion S5 had a nicer keyboard.

The biggest problem I had with the keyboard on mine was the top row being so close to the display, I think?

Then there was the stylus issue, where it seemed to be permanently incapable of reliable calibration. So much for mobile digital sketching.

I did some web dev work on the 810 while traveling, but quickly realized that my MSI Wind was like a speed demon in comparison. So it was more of a media player, clock, alarm, and ebook reader but it did those really well.

If it came back, it's the type of device I can see HaikuOS being a natural fit for...

N900 was the last phone I had with physical keys too, and I miss being able to type on it quickly and accurately, in a way I just haven't been able to on Android or iOS devices.

There was a lot else good about that phone too - a full-fat gnu/linux device that actually fulfilled its basic requirements to function as a phone! Terminal as standard :)

To be frank, while I preferred N900 keyboard for writing messages, I found programming on the phone to be less pleasant on N900 than it was on Neo Freerunner with resistive touch screen. I find today's capacitive screens to be a PITA for both these use cases though.

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