Back in May DataViz told us that Documents To Go Premium would be coming to the Nokia N900 after the 1.2 update. On May 26th, the 1.2 update was released, but all I heard from DataViz was the sound of crickets and I worried that they dropped this project since Maemo 5 was a dead end for the Nokia N900. I am very pleased to now inform you that Documents To Go Premium Edition for Nokia Maemo 5 is now available for the N900. The software costs $29.99 and if you want to know all about it, then stay tuned here for a full review tomorrow.

I have Documents To Go on my Google Android and iPad devices and find it to be one of the best ever Office suites and this software will have me using my N900 more now. With this software you can view, edit, and create Microsoft Word and Excel documents and spreadsheets right on your N900. According to the website, key features include:

• Native Word and Excel File Editing, including Office 2007 and 2010 files.
• Password Protection
• Quick Keyboard Shortcuts
• InTact technology to retain original formatting
• Multi-level zoom
• Live hyperlink support
• PowerPoint Support Coming Soon (Support for editing Microsoft PowerPoint files will be available as a free update once available.)

Customers who have already purchased Documents To Go Viewer Edition v 1 for Maemo will receive a FREE upgrade to Premium Edition. A 30-day, fully functional free trial is available for download via a pre-loaded download link on the Nokia N900 and also via Ovi Store. For those who interested in a view-only solution, Documents To Go Viewer Edition will remain available for $9.99.

UPDATE: I installed and started using DTG for Maemo, but didn’t get a chance to finish up my review so stay tuned for it. I did walk through the upgrade process, which is not really straightforward for everyone and seems to involve interacting with their website. Here is what worked for me:

Log into www.dataviz.com with your registration number and last name, then select ‘my account’.  Next to your product, your free upgrade hyperlink will be available.  All users that purchased version 1.0 of the Viewer will receive the Premium Edition free of charge. After going through this you should be able to enter your registration number and activation code to unlock the Premium Edition.

I know I am ruining my own chances at a fantastic offer, but wanted to let you all know about the cool Nokia Newegg.com promotion where you have the chance to pick up a Nokia N900 or E72 for just $1. There are special Newgg.com-Nokia banner ads with a yellow egg and the two devices, found on a couple of sites mentioned on the WOMWorld site, and when that egg flashes if you are the first to click through then you can get this deal. This is for North American Nokia fans only.

Feel free to click the egg above when it is flashing and if you do happen to stumble upon this over the next month please let us know. I understand there will be 20 such offers over the next month so some people are going to get a fantastic deal on one of these devices.

I’ve been using the Nokia E73 Mode as my primary T-Mobile device for the last couple of weeks and as awesome as the N900 is I am finding the utility and ease-of-use of the E73 Mode to be more compelling at the moment. If you are bored with your N900, then you should check out this Android Central post that shows Google Android Froyo 2.2 running on the N900. There are definitely limitations with the build at the moment, but it is pretty slick it runs as well as it does.

I wonder if the issues with the SD card mounting have to do with the fact that there is an integrated flash drive on the N900 since I have seen issue with apps on the HTC Incredible (one of the only Android phones with an integrated flash drive). I am pleased enough with the N900 and Maemo while also having my own Sprint HTC EVO 4G that I do not plan to attempt this port. Any readers try this out? Keep in mind, I am NOT recommending it and just thought it was pretty cool that it is possible.

There has been a lot of people writing in the press that the N8 is the end of Symbian and other such nonsense. Last Fall Nokia made it clear that future high end devices were going to be powered by Maemo (now MeeGo) so the fact that the Nseries lines is going this way is clearly no surprise to anyone. I think people may be a bit disappointed that the upcoming N8, that hasn’t even been released yet, has a visible end of life. As someone who bought and enjoys using the Nokia N900, I am a bit hesitant to get the N8 since if looks to be following the same pattern. Then again, I switch phones so often that this shouldn’t really matter. Others though do not switch this much and thanks to webOS, Android, and the iPhone people have come to expect their smartphones to be upgradeable for at least the 2 year contract cycle. We have not seen any news that the N8 will be upgradeable to MeeGo so this concerns people who were considering paying for this new flagship device.

We also have not seen much in the way of what MeeGo really means and I am not completely sold that Nokia is all in with this either. Nokia has changed their mind and it seems tough to sell to developers what the path forward is with changes and inconsistencies in your strategy. Rafe assembled an excellent article over on All About Maemo that lays it all out.

I mentioned yesterday that the 1.2 update was rolling out in the UK for the Nokia N900, but that I was leaving on vacation so I didn’t think I would get it. I am leaving in a couple of hours, but saw the update appear on my N900 so I couldn’t resist updating my device. I did get a low memory available error, but simply turned off all my application catalogs (except for Nokia), restarted, and the update was applied. I like to live dangerously and did not create a backup first, as prompted, and just went for it with the update. It took about 10 minutes in total time to update my Nokia N900, but my device is now update and reads Version 10.2010.19-1.002.

I have only spent a couple of minutes with it, but have the following quick thoughts for you:

• The custom positioning is not just for the first application screen, but all of your apps appear on the page and there is no longer a More apps 2nd screen. Everything appears on one, but I have not seen anyway to create folders for further organization.
• The Ovi Maps interface and functionality is MUCH IMPROVED! I like the easy view toggle, much better directions setup interface, walking and driving directions entry screen, and more. I plan to test this out a lot more when I return. We now need offline Ovi Maps support so I can take my N900 when I leave the country.
• I cannot figure out how to switch to portrait mode in the browser since rotating the display does not seem to do it.

What do you like in the update?

Great, just as I am getting ready to leave town for over a week on a cruise with my wonderful wife of 17 years Nokia goes and decides to release the N900 version 1.2 firmware update. The update is rolling out in the UK today and starts globally tomorrow. Unfortunately, I will not be able to provide you all with an in-depth walk through the update until after I return next week. In the meantime, let’s take a look at what you can expect.

New games will be released, including Jurassic 3D, Rollercoaster, Angry Birds level pack, and more. These games will show up in the Ovi Store after Thursday, 27 May.

You will also see some improvements in the communication systems. You will be able to accept or decline meeting invitations. Facebook IM chat will be included, along with some kind of video calling capability (not sure what client is being used here) via Skype as Jason tested out and confirmed. Portrait web browsing is included. There is also an Ovi Maps update and I sure hope it gives us a MUCH improved experience because it is quite lame at the moment.

Thankfully, you will also find the ability to customize the first level of the menu system icons.

Several of these updates are things we have been able to do with kludgy fixes so it is nice to see a single update incorporate these capabilities.

Here is my list of things I want to see improved in the N900 and I have no idea if this update will address any of them as details still are not fully revealed:

1. Improved email client that more closely matches other smartphones
2. Ability to send text messages in portrait mode with the on-screen keyboard
3. Ability to organize application icons/shortcuts into folders

Are you happy to see this update? What is the biggest feature you were looking forward to? What else would you like to see before Nokia abandons Maemo and switches to Meego?

I just mentioned the Nokia N900 Commuter Series OtterBox case a couple of weeks ago and the great folks at OtterBox sent along a sample for me to check out since they know I am such a fan of my Nokia N900. The Nokia N900 Commuter Series case looked attractive on their site, but after it arrived and I placed my N900 inside I have to say it may be one of the best cases ever made by OtterBox for a phone or PDA.

Package and contents

The OtterBox Commuter Series for Nokia N900 comes in a clear plastic package with OtterBox labeling and details on a cardboard piece sandwiched between two plastic pieces. Thankfully, OtterBox doesn’t require you to have Ginsu knives and a degree in plastics to get the case open and the two halves separate quite easily. Inside the plastic packaging you will find two halves to the case, a screen protector, lens cleaning cloth, installation card, and screen protector instructions. I did not use or try out the screen protector because I already have BodyGuardZ protector on my display and did not want to remove it for this review.

Installation

You will find two pieces that form this case and it is clear which piece is for the bottom and which piece is for the top. The bottom/back piece is the most substantial and has integrated silicone rubber plugs for the microUSB port and the 3.5mm headset jack to protect these openings from dust. I liked seeing the substantial silicone rubber piece along most of the top/right side with protrusions to control volume, toggle the power button, and control the camera capture button. There is even an opening next to the camera capture button for the IR port (I never use this though). You will find additional openings on the left/top and right/bottom sides for the stereo speakers, lock switch, microphone and stylus silo. There is no compromise really on any of the ports or openings with your N900 in this case. The keyboard is also fully accessible and the case just adds a couple millimeters around the edges.

I previously wrote about how you can use Google Docs on the N900, but it is a bit painful to navigate around and use it extensively. We have had a Documents To Go viewer on the N900 since launch last November, but have not seen any kind of full Office upgrade to this application like we see on other platforms like Android and the iPhone. I just saw a post appear on the DataViz blog that states Documents To Go Premium for the N900 will be available shortly after the 1.2 update. This should be the full monty and give us Office document editing and creation ability on the N900.

I searched around the Maemo.org site and see that a RC version of PR1.2 is floating around so our N900 devices should be updated soon. I am not going to upgrade until an official release is available, but look forward to getting Office capability on such a large device as the N900.

A great thing about Nokia devices is the open support for 3rd party applications, both within the Ovi Store and through outside locations. I received word this morning that Opera Mobile has come to Maemo in early beta form and can be downloaded now for your Nokia N800/N810/N900. After seeing a Tweet on this I immediately popped my SIM back in my N900 and download the new web browser to give it a go. I plan to work on a video review and post it later here on the site along with more thoughts on actual usage.

So far, I am pretty impressed with the browser and was very pleased to see it looks like the other Opera Mobile versions on other smartphone platforms. I like seeing Opera Turbo and Opera Link support and have my bookmarks all synced up already. The browser appears to be quite fast and works well so far. The one thing I have not found is a way to zoom in closer to the text so I will be searching for the zoom controls soon.

We now have the awesome default browser, Firefox Mobile, and Opera Mobile to choose from on the N900. With these three options, there should be no limitations to browsing on the go with the N900.

The merging of Maemo and Moblin was announced at MWC with the name of Meego. We just heard the news that Meego development is opening up to the public today with image downloads for netbooks, the N900, and Intel-based handsets. At this time, unless you are a developer I am pretty sure there is nothing for us N900 owners to download and try, but at least things are moving forward and we hear that the first version of Meego to install may be released in May. I am interested in seeing how Meego will differ from what we see today in Maemo, aren’t you?