N900 Video Featuring maemo.org Community Members

In case you have not seen it, there is a new Nokia N900 video, starring some of the maemo.org community members.

http://www.n900-mobile.co.uk/

To see the video, go to the above link and click on 'Developers' on the right side.

Can you identify everyone in the video?

Maemo Minute #3: There's a '.deb' for that...

The Nokia N900 has everything going for it. Killer hardware that makes mouths drop, a great OS enabling you to be as connected as possible while out and about, all in a package that fits in your pocket.

This week, we can also add another feather in the cap, so to speak - the opening of the N900 OVI store. This has brought the N900 into the spotlight as a platform for commercial developers. The maemo.org community is sure to benefit from this as the platform finally has the 'public' cachet it deserves. We've been fortunate to have a large community developer-base, and this is a welcome addition to that existing talent. Expect fun games, eye popping whiz-bang gizmos, and who knows what else. I've already entertained myself with a few games like Airport and Discs. Meanwhile, it is fun to show off gizmos such as Anglemeter and Level. I received the comment last night that "no phone should have a protractor in it!", after showing off the Anglemeter application to a friend.

Maemo's future is looking great! Hopefully, in short time, the OVI store will be chock full of apps for our Maemo-powered handhelds. Whatever it is we desire, I certainly hope there will be an app - no, a .deb for that.

Maemo Minute #2: N900 & Bluetooth DUN

Philip Langdale's bluetooth dial-up networking daemon (BT-DUN) for the Nokia N900 is a real godsend. Now I can tether my N800 and my laptop to my N900.

OK... What does that mean for an average N900 user?

I setup a BT-DUN connection to the N900 on my Win XP Pro laptop for those times at the airport when I need more screen real estate than the N900 affords. For a single user, this is a great way to share an internet connection.

I'm planning on setting up my N800 as an in-car computer with OS2008 maps, Canola and Carman as the 3 anticipated usage scenarios.

Why not the N900 for in-car use? Simple. Screen Size! At arms length, the N800's screen makes manipulating buttons much more friendly.

In addition, on long trips, I can pass of my well used N800 to my passenger to surf while the shiny N900 sits in its cradle or jacket pocket (no selfishness there).

Interestingly, while a device is connected via BT-DUN, the N900 is able to maintain its own internet connection. Either the same connection as the tethered device, or a different one (wi-fi, for example). The screenshots below show that the N900 is connected to wi-fi while the N800 is tethered to it using the cellular data connection.

____________________



Figure 1: N900 IP while N800 is tethered (N900 on wi-fi and N800 on cellular data)


____________________



Figure 2: N800 IP while N800 is tethered (N900 on wi-fi and N800 on cellular data)