N800 Revisited

So a few months ago I started a dastardly experiment. I took my Nokia N800 out of my closet, put two 32GB SDHC cards in it, and tried it out as a 64GB flash-storage mp3 player. Results? Slow, sluggish, and to top it off there were no mp3 player apps I was happy with. I cannibalized the project, using one of the 32GB cards as an easily swappable storage drive for work files, and the other card became a backup of the first that I carry on my person.

The N800, however, still hasn't made it back into my closet. This is due, more than anything else, to the amazing speakers on this device. I used to wear headphones while I cooked or washed dishes. Now I bring my N800, which has a 4GB card full of music, prop it up, and let it's speakers fill the kitchen. It's not extremely loud, but it's loud enough and still sounds really good considering how tiny the device is.

I also keep it in my shirt pocket as I'm playing video games, such as Uncharted 2 on crushing mode. I can't wear headphones, as I need to hear if someone shooting at me, plus I still like to watch the cutscenes, but I can keep the game volume low and play music on the N800 during.

I have an eeePC 901 (netbook), and its speakers sound terrible. That's the only way to describe them, terrible. I can watch some videos on it, movies or tv shows, but listening to music is out of the question. Keep in mind this is a 9" netbook being compared to a 6" internet tablet. In addition to the N800 sounding better than the 901, it's actually louder. How did this happen?

This is, of course, another reason I'm anxious to get my hands on a N900, because I've heard the speakers aren't quite as loud but they're still fairly loud and sound pretty good. So maybe when I get my hands on an N900 I'll be able to finally put my N800 back in the closet. Until then, I don't see it going anywhere.

David