Playing 720p videos on Nokia N900

Ivaylo Dimitrov shares instructions on how to watch 720p videos on the N900. The instructions are not for the faint of heart, as they involve installing extra codecs, running the power kernel, and overclocking the device. Even then, "not all 720p videos will be playable of course, n900 DSP is just not powerful enough for some profiles."

Care should be taken for anyone attempting this, the overclocking will void your warranty (such as it is).

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Playing 720p videos on Nokia N900
2. Development
   • Source code for Maemo 5's "certman" now available
   • Framebuffer-based recovery boot for N900
   • IP Address Widget for Harmattan
3. Announcements
   • New, stable, version of "power" kernel for N900

Stable release of Community SSU OS updates for Maemo 5 and N900

Christian Ratzenhofer has announced that the stable branch of the Community SSU for Maemo 5 has been created. He says the stable CSSU had been "mentioned on the forums about 3 weeks ago, and I'm happy to announce that it's finally here! [...] We're trying to achieve an as close to stock Maemo experience as possible in terms of stability. The stable CSSU contains those packages from testing version 16.8 which were deemed stable. Basically nearly everything but modest/tinymail and the camera-ui replacement."

This is a big day for Maemo 5, where end users can now be encouraged to install a community-maintained version of Maemo. The "testing" branch will continue, and braver users can help everyone by using that and helping report bugs and assess packages' stability.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Stable release of Community SSU OS updates for Maemo 5 and N900
2. Applications
   • Nokia N9 gets copy and paste support in Terminal
3. Development
   • Wiki for Python on MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan moves to maemo.org
4. Devices
   • Android Ice Cream Sandwich running on Nokia N900
5. Announcements
   • ContactLaunch allows adding contacts to N9 application grid
   • Incredible Circus game for Nokia N9

New MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan bug tracker for Nokia N9 and N950

Nokia has, with efforts reaching back to Summer 2010, put together a bug tracker for Harmattan: "We have now prepared a new Bugzilla instance for any Nokia N9 or N950 related bugs at harmattan-bugs.nokia.com. This will help the N9 team ineract with the community and further improve the N9 software quality. We have cloned all open N9 bugs from the old Nokia Developer Bugzilla to the new Bugzilla. If you want to follow a currently open bug, add yourself in the CC field of the bug." As Neil MacLeod points out, there are a number of problems those of us familiar with the maemo.org tracker will remember fondly, like self-signed certificates, default voting limits, and strange component selection. This new tracker is indicative of positive progress, though.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • New MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan bug tracker for Nokia N9 and N950
2. Applications
   • Is anyone maintaining Firefox for Maemo 5?
3. Development
   • Review of operator-name-cbs-widget for Maemo 5 CSSU inclusion
   • Qt Quick best practices: using components
4. Devices
   • Nokia N9 default font metrics to change in future update
5. Announcements
   • Calenderr: daily updated Calendar app icon on Harmattan
   • DateEvent - shows your calendar entries on event screen

Nokia 3D World Gaze now available for Nokia N9

Nokia Beta Labs have released an application called "Nokia 3D World Gaze" that gives the user an augmented reality view of the world. It "gives you a new kind of viewpoint to the world, allowing you to see through the surface (and insides) of the planet all the way to the other side. Just point your phone to some direction and you will see reality in a way you have never seen before. In addition to geographical features such as continents in their real physical locations, Nokia 3D World Gaze allows you to see geotagged media, day and night regions, current location of the Sun, and other content from locations around the world." Your editor has made no secret of his desire to have an augmented reality application and this seems like a good one. Compass calibration can be tedious but seems to be effective, although it seems to have stopped picking up the compass earlier today. It is nice to have the early preview from Beta Labs, but don't expect it to be completely free of bugs.

Harmattan target for Qt SDK updated, no longer "experimental"

With the release of Qt SDK 1.1.4 the Harmattan targets have been updated and don't have to be enabled through the experimental section of the updater. "The other very visible change is the evolution to a single unified sysroot. From now on there is no tools-level distinction between the Platform API and its more productized subset. Now there's just a single target (with debug and release flavours of the build)." Apparently the SDK does not currently work in Ubuntu 11.10, so don't be surprised if you have trouble in the latest Ubuntu release.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Nokia 3D World Gaze now available for Nokia N9
   • Harmattan target for Qt SDK updated, no longer "experimental"
2. Applications
   • eBuddy XMS (like WhatsApp) beta for N9 launching soon
   • Nokia Internet Radio for N9
   • New maintainer wanted for Maemo versions of Conboy
3. Development
   • Best practices for Qt Quick: property bindings
   • Best practices for region-specific functionality, e.g. disabling YouTube features in China
4. Announcements
   • eCards for Harmattan
   • New stuff for creating/editing virtual keyboards on N900
   • First alpha version of Conboy for Harmattan

Qt Mobility 1.2 packages for Qt Maemo apps

Attila Csipa, a former member of the Maemo Community Council, and currently in the employ of Nokia Developer has started updating the Qt Mobility packages in Maemo Extras. He's taken "a completely differently packaged libqtm-12 as the previous one, so I fully expect some breakage. On the flip side, the way I'm doing things should make it possible for applications depending on it not to trip over each other and avoid promotion deadlocks. This release will also be the migration path for apps depending on libqtm-11, which I will kill with fire in the not so distant future as it crossed the point of no return unmaintainability-wise (is that a word?)."

Your editor recently tried to publish a QML application, which used Qt Mobility, but it refused to work on a freshly installed PR1.3 on his N900. Unfortunately, v1.1 was broken in Extras and v1.2 was an experimental version which had not been intended to be published as far as it did. Hopefully, Attila's efforts will soon bear fruit, as having these libraries up to date makes it easier for application developers targetting the N9 to also publish their app for the N900.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Qt Mobility 1.2 packages for Qt Maemo apps
2. Applications
   • VoiceToGoog - Google-backed speech recognition for Nokia N9
   • Promoting Woodchuck apps to Maemo Extras
   • Capture screencasts directly from N9 and N950 screen
   • eBuddy demoed on the Nokia N9
3. Development
   • tablet-browser-view-test source now available, for embedding Maemo 5 browser in apps
   • Open source Maemo 5 browserd
   • Testing IPv6 networks with Nokia N9
4. In the Wild
   • Nokia N9 runaway sales success in October for Finland's biggest operator
5. Announcements
   • Football Live Scores for N9
   • ProfileMatic - automatic N9 profile changing
   • Open Video Player (same codecs, new UI) for N9 and N950
   • SportsTracker now available, for free, for Nokia N9

Upcoming security fix release for N900 for PR1.3 & CSSU

A new security update is coming for PR1.3 and CSSU: "Recently, Nokia has been in touch with some CSSU devs and the council about a Fremantle software update. As the version number implies, this is a simple fix for the DigiNotar issue and a fixed security control panel applet. The update should be released in a few days. Non-CSSU users can update immediately. If you ever want to install CSSU, the installer will work fine on PR1.3.1. Nokia has also agreed that the patches may be redistributed by the community and can be used in CSSU and Cordia." Users of the plain PR1.3 should see the update offered. Users of the CSSU will want to wait for the patches to be integrated before trying to update.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Upcoming security fix release for N900 for PR1.3 & CSSU
2. Applications
   • In-development augmented reality app for Nokia N9
   • Official Spotify client for N9 released
   • Simpler way for synching multiple Google Calendars on Harmattan
3. Development
   • Prepare your MeeGo and Harmattan apps for apps.formeego.org launch
   • Harmattan: inactive doesn't have to be boring
   • Harmattan PR 1.1 Quick Fix - Inverted Menu
4. Community
   • Documenting maemo.org maintenance and community roles
5. Devices
   • White Nokia N9 announced
   • More info about Tizen, the MeeGo successor
6. In the Wild
   • N9 manufacturing video
7. Announcements
   • FM radio GUI for Nokia N9
   • libconnui-dev and operator-name-cbs-widget for N900
   • n9-apps.com launches
   • NFC tag writer for Nokia N9

Mer-based MeeGo Community Edition now named "Nemo"

Carsten Munk, guardian of Mer and a member fo the MeeGo Community Edition Steering Group, chaired an online meeting where the future direction of the MeeGo Community Edition was discussed. Of the minutes, the most immediate change was that it was decided the "new project name is Nemo, non-namespace-clashing usage should be found and slogan."

The name has sea-related connations, but emphasises that despite many of the same people being involved, it's a separate project and should not be seen as "the" Mer distribution and user interface.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Mer-based MeeGo Community Edition now named "Nemo"
2. Applications
   • Khweeteur Twitter client now Woodchuck enabled
   • Talking games with Thomas Perl
3. Community
   • London-based meetup for MeeGo & Maemo users during Nokia World
4. Devices
   • Getting cursor keys on Harmattan 1.1 via Swype input method
   • PR1.1 Harmattan update for N950 now available via over-the-air SSU
   • Autumn release of MeeGo Community Edition for N950
   • Provide feedback on N9 email & Mail for Exchange
   • Discuss N9 Contacts & IM issues with the developers
5. Announcements
   • Ionic e-book reader for Harmattan
   • MeeSpot - an offline-capable Spotify client for MeeGo Harmattan
   • Update to gPodder released for Maemo 4 & 5
   • Toshl expense tracker for Harmattan

Software update coming for N950 to more closely align with N9 Harmattan release

Nokia's "N9 developer" blog shared the interesting news that "the N9 team is in the final stages of preparing an update to the Nokia N950 image, which will align the software more with the Nokia N9 product image."

No clarification as to when the release could be expected (beyond "soon") was given; however it will be an in-place, SSU-style, upgrade if the device has already been reflashed with the beta2 firmware.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Software update coming for N950 to more closely align with N9 Harmattan release
2. Applications
   • MyMoves - gesture control for Harmattan - available in Nokia Store
   • ClipMan, clipboard manager, is now available for Harmattan
3. Development
   • Technical information on Harmattan browser
   • Packages for Python on Harmattan updated
   • Developer outreach blog from N9 and N950 developer offering team
   • First "real" Qt app available for Android, MeeGo and Symbian (no Maemo?)
   • First alpha release of Cordia HD available
4. Community
   • Minutes from Maemo community meeting
   • Poll to rename MeeGo Community Edition (as part of move to base on Mer) open
   • Scope/breadth of Mer
5. Devices
   • Konttori's thoughts on past few months in the Harmattan team
   • IdeasProject for Nokia N9 challenges for ideas to improve Swipe UI
6. Announcements
   • SketchIt - simple sketching for Harmattan devices

Help Woodchuck schedule downloads better

Neal Walfield has asked for assistance in improving Woodchuck (a library which schedules downloads to the "most suitable" time) by asking users to complete a user survey which will feed into a university research project:

"We suspect that significant amounts of data that you use are downloaded on demand and that this data could be effectively prefetched. Although prefetching sounds easy enough, there are a number of issues that need to be considered: when should data be prefetched? what data should be prefetched? how do we avoid exhausting free space? How do we enable applications to coordinate the use of shared resources?"

"To this end, we are conducting a user study. We'd like you to participate by running our data collection software, which gathers information about the data you use, your network connectivity, and your battery use."

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Help Woodchuck schedule downloads better
2. Development
   • Lipstick QML UI: MeeGo CE/Mer
   • Mer & Plasma Active collaboration meeting minutes
3. Announcements
   • Woodchuck, delayed retrieval engine, ported to Harmattan
   • Bedside - a simple LED-style clock
   • XMCR: an XKCD reader

Intel forms new Linux venture with Linux Foundation, LiMo & Samsung: Tizen

As you'll no doubt have heard, Intel is forming a collaboration, in conjunction with a hardware vendor and hosted by the Linux Foundation, to produce a new Linux-based mobile OS. No, not MeeGo; this is "Tizen". The main difference is that the buzzword of "HTML5" is being used as the preferred/primary application development framework, rather than MeeGo/Symbian/Harmattan's Qt. Andrew Savory has an in-depth summary of the announcement:

"In order for Intel to bring other companies on board, they needed to cut all ties with Nokia and make a concession by losing Qt. But if you're throwing out Qt, the value proposition of MeeGo needs to be reconsidered. Without Qt, MeeGo doesn't have the rich developer story - no APIs, SDK, documentation. You need an alternative."

MeeGo's stated selling point compared with, say, Android was its open development and governance. This was, however, never realised. Tizen seems not to be repeating this "mistake" (promising something they can't deliver) and participation is on an invite-only basis. That raises the question of Tizen's advantage compared with other HTML5-capable runtimes, such as Android, iOS or Windows.

Mer relaunched to take over from MeeGo

Carsten Munk, Robin Burchell and David Greaves have relaunched Mer to provide a focused successor to MeeGo: "How does the concept of a truly open and inclusive integration community for devices sound? After all if "upstream is king" - then contributions will end up the same place, no matter if it's Tizen, Maemo, MeeGo or openSUSE." Governance, deliverables and focus of Mer are being discussed. In your editor's opinion, the clearer definition of the "Core" of the project - delivering something which can boot and provides the basis of other, clearly defined, projects is something which MeeGo never got right.

In this edition (Download)...

1. Front Page
   • Intel forms new Linux venture with Linux Foundation, LiMo & Samsung: Tizen
   • Mer relaunched to take over from MeeGo
2. Applications
   • VLC for Nokia N9
   • Matchbox hacking enables title swiping
3. Development
   • Cordia Tab hardware hits a roadblock with Chinese manufacturers' lack of respect for GPL
   • H-E-N9 USB hostmode enabler N9
4. Community
   • New Maemo Community Council makes themselves (slightly) public
5. Devices
   • Nokia N9 starts shipping
   • MetaWatch incoming call notification from N950
6. In the Wild
   • More info on Nokia's Meltemi surfaces
   • Plonk wins "Best Apps for Tablets" in Intel's AppUp Developer Challenge