Continue reading Conversations on Nokia N900 Adds Support for Facebook Chat, AIM, MSN & More With Extra Protocol Plugins at The Nokia Blog
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Continue reading Mac OS X 10.3 Installed On Nokia N900 Because It’s Possible at The Nokia Blog
Use coupon code MR2NCGS?ZTG63B to get the Nokia N900 for $429.99 at Dell. Coupon expires after 300 redemptions or 6AM EST January 30th, 2010, whichever comes first. It’s cheaper than Nokia’s retail sites right now ($569) and even Amazon.
The Nokia N900 packs a powerful ARM Cortex-A8 processor, up to 1GB of application memory and graphics accelerator. There’s also a 5 megapixel camera, built-in GPS, hardware keyboard, and more. Take a look at my Nokia N900 review for more details and my thoughts on this device.
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I previously shared an easy guide to install .deb files on the Nokia N900 using Red Pill mode, but that functionality has been removed on the latest firmware updates. Another method to install .deb files requires using X Terminal, but it could be overwhelming at first. I think I understand it better now, so here’s a guide to help you install those files on the Nokia N900, too.
Before you continue, use common sense and only install .deb files from trusted sources! Some developers provide these type of files for users to test their applications. In this guide, coder Chris Burris allowed me to use his upcoming FourSquare app dubbed BarrioSquare as an example. Check out the BarrioSquare group page to join the testing.
The Download
Let me first show you how I downloaded the .deb files. I simply clicked on the download link from a webpage and the browser asked where I want to save it to. I chose the default, which says, Location: Nokia N900.
Browser asks to download the .deb file
Browser asks where to save the file
The Installation
1. First, install rootsh to enable root access.
2. Open X Terminal on the Nokia N900, type sudo gainroot and press enter. This will not work if you skipped the first step.
3. I find it easier to go into the same folder where the .deb is located. The cd TheNameOfDirectoryHere command changes your location to that directory. Therefore, if you downloaded the file in the default folder, type cd MyDocs
4. Check if the .deb file is in your current folder by typing ls. This command lists the contents of your current folder. You know you’re in the right folder if you see the .deb file on the list.
5. Now that we’re in the same folder as the .deb file, we can install it using the command dpkg -i TheNameOfFileHere.deb
6. That’s it! That’s how you install .deb files on the Nokia N900. You should also note that some .deb files (like BarrioSquare) will not install without other files preinstalled. These are called dependencies. Read developers’ full instructions to see whether dependencies are needed.
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TuneWiki had a widget for the Nokia N900 since launch, but today, they’ve released a full application called TuneWiki Social Media Player (SMP) that you can download for free at the Ovi Store. It works like the widget where you can read lyrics while listening to music, but they’ve added some cool new features. I’m in love with the new internet radio and the option to watch music videos with lyrics!
TuneWiki SMP automatically grabs your music library and you can sort them by artists, albums, or song titles. Playing a song will display the album art next to the lyrics, as well as music controls for shuffle, repeat, play, etc.
Tired of your songs? Another killer feature of TuneWiki SMP is its internet radio. It includes a list of music genres loaded with A LOT of radio stations not included in the default one on the Nokia N900. It will also show the lyrics of the song playing on the radio if it’s available.
There’s a long list of internet radio stations available.
There’s an option to search Youtube for the music video of what’s currently playing. It doesn’t matter if you are playing from your Nokia N900’s music library or from the internet radio. It will display the lyrics next to the music video!
Watch music videos with lyrics
TuneWiki SMP also lets you find out what other Tunewiki users are currently playing. You can select the regions or even your GPS location to find out the type of music people are playing near you. Icons of users show up on a map (powered by Google Maps), and clicking on them gives you the music title. From there, you can search Youtube for its music video, or find other users in the world currently playing the song.
Find out what other people are listening to.
For a free application, TuneWiki SMP offers a lot to its users. It’s a no-brainer must-have app for the Nokia N900. You can download it now from the Ovi Store.
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Joikuspot for the Nokia N900 is going to be a must-have app when it comes out. If you’ve used Joikuspot on previous Nokia devices, then you might already know that it connects your laptop or other devices to the internet via WiFi using your mobile phone’s 3G connection. They’ve just released several screenshots for Maemo fans to preview. Check it out.
More photos are available at Joiku’s Facebook fan page.
Joikuspot is much easier to set up than tethering through bluetooth or a USB cable, but one setback is that it drains the battery faster than the other 2 solutions. However, I’ve used Joikuspot before in other Nokia phones and absolutely love it. I can’t wait for the Maemo version on the Nokia N900 to come out.
Update: Lasse Maki, CTO and Founder of Joikusoft just notified me that the launch schedule is within three weeks, just before Mobile World Congress. They are still doing additional testing & debugging.
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There isn’t a lot of applications for the Nokia N900 at the Ovi Store, so it’s kind of a big deal when new apps show up. The latest one I noticed is called WikiHow. It lets you access over 60,000 how-to articles on several topics. For example, I just learned how to practice proper sushi etiquette. I like what WikiHow is trying to do, but I have a couple of things to complain about their app.
WikiHow displays a random article when opened. I guarantee you the first thing users will notice is that you can’t drag the article to scroll. Instead, there’s a thin scrollbar… Yuck! You can use the arrow keys on the keyboard, which might be more convenient.
The articles themselves are very interesting and I can see myself reading plenty during a roadtrip or a long wait at the doctor’s office. The Survival Kit category might come handy in the future too. Wouldn’t you want to know how to escape from a sinking car or how to survive a long fall?
WikiHow has great content, but their application needs to work on the user interface! I mentioned above that we cannot drag an article, but I find that we can drag lists. Selecting an article from the list isn’t that obvious either. You have to double-tap.
Despite my UI complaints, the content really makes up for it. I also like that I can bookmark content for quicker access next time and also like the option to send links to articles via email.
The WikiHow application is free and available at the Ovi Store. If you don’t have a Nokia N900, you can also go to WikiHow.com to access many of the user-generated content. Check it out and let us know what you think.
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Nokia just announced a competition looking for hackers and modders in the US to submit ideas to transform the Nokia N900 into something else. The top three ideas will be chosen from the ideas submitted by a panel of judges, after which the finalist teams will be provided with a Nokia N900 and some support to actually build their mod. Cash prizes range from USD 3,000 to USD 10,000.
Here’s a video of some example hacks to get you started.
Examples from a previous competition held in October resulted in some cool mods, including a skateboard that tracks your tricks and lets you compete against friends with their own Nokia N900s, an N900-equipped kite that lets you control the camera from the ground, a spray can that brings light graffiti to the N900, a Nokia N900-outfitted belt that vibrates to navigate you in the right direction, and a Nokia N900 with arms that will draw what you photograph on an Etch-a-Sketch.
The final date for submissions is Noon ET, February 15, 2010. You can follow the progress of the project at blogs.nokia.com/pushn900/usa/
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Dell is bundling the Nokia N900 with their 15.6-inch Vostro 1015 laptop for $929. The specs are from their $499 ‘Economy Package’ configuration which gets you 2.1GHz Core 2 Duo T6570, Windows 7 Home Premium, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, 2 MP webcam, integrated WiFi, GMA 4500MHD graphics and a 6-cell battery. This bundle means the Nokia N900 is worth $430.
Flip the laptop on eBay close to its listing price and you might come close to getting a really good deal for the Nokia N900. Unless of course you’re interested in keeping the Vostro. I’m not sure how long the discount will be available, but it started on the 21st.
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2G/3G Mode Selection Applet works exactly as it sounds. Installing this applet adds 3 buttons to the Nokia N900’s status menu that lets the user change between 2G only, 3G only, or Dual (3G priority) connection. This is a really quick way to change modes without going through other settings. I made a video to show you how it looks.
You can also watch this video in HD on Youtube. Subscribe to the channel to preview the latest videos before they get published on the blog.
This is great for those who want to save battery by staying on 2G only connection, or prevent the phone from looking for an unsupported 3G connection. I personally keep the option on 3G only, because I don’t want my device to even bother looking for a 2G connection. This applet is developed by Faheem Pervez, the same person responsible for the awesome applet, Simple Brightness.
2G/3G Mode Selection Applet was available in Extras-Testing at the time of publishing this post, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes it to Maemo Extras by the time you read this. Confused? Read the guide to Maemo Extras first.
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I noticed a bug report about portrait mode on the Nokia N900’s web browser. Wait… there’s portrait view now? It seems this hidden feature can be enabled on the web browser by pressing Ctrl-Shift-o. This works on the latest Nokia N900 firmware 2.2009.51-1 and seems to be an undocumented feature. I made a video to show you how it looks.
You can also watch this video in HD on Youtube. Subscribe to the channel to preview the latest videos before they get published on the blog.
Pressing the three buttons toggle it on and off, maintaining the setting even after rebooting the Nokia N900. The screen automatically rotates when the keyboard is closed and the device is held upright. It goes back to landscape view if keyboard is slid open. The on-screen keyboard also appears in landscape view only.
Despite some of the drawbacks I mentioned above, it’s cool that Nokia left this “hidden feature” to be found by its users. I believe this option was hidden because it is simply not finished yet.
I actually prefer to use browser in landscape view, but some websites appear better in portrait mode. For example, my favorite Nokia N900 Twitter web app, Hahlo.com, looks great in that view.
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The Nokia N900 received a minor update on Monday to prepare for the major update released just now. The Maemo team is calling the update Maemo 5 PR1.1, but the version number is 2.2009.51-1. Nokia has provided the official changelog and wow it is long!
I was planning on just copying and paste the changelog here, but you’ll be overwhelmed. Read the Maemo 5 PR1.1 changelog.
The update is available through the application manager on the Nokia N900, so go check if it’s available for you. I’ll report back my thoughts after spending some time with the new firmware.