An interesting post at the Symbian-Guru, showing 10 things Android does better than Symbian got me thinking. What struck me was that all of these things that Android indeed could do better than Symbian, were all things Maemo had already taken care of. Everything from the Browsing experience, multiple home screen and even notifications are advantages that Android may have over Symbian, but certainly not Maemo. In fact, all of these “new” features set to be introduced in the upcoming version of Symbian can be used right now using the N900 and Maemo.

After using Maemo on the Nokia N900, Symbian looks and feels outdated. Judging by the recent Symbian^3 and ^4 videos, fails to impress with just minor changes. Even Engadget seems to agree.

The N900/Maemo combo’s multi-tasking abilities could make any PC proud. Symbian in contrast feels leisurely when performance is concerned and is limited in multi-tasking. Unlike Symbian, Maemo is actually useable. The classic example is that of having multiple applications and browsers open and still having the ability to keep a Youtube video playing in the background and even having enough horsepower to show a preview of this video on the Dashboard! Unlike Symbian, the N900/Maemo combo never keeps you waiting and there isn’t really a limit to how many apps you can keep open with 1GB of RAM. For many PCs this is plenty enough, for a mobile device this is simply heaven. The best part is that performance never suffers, even with multiple apps or browser windows open.

Apps look great with next generation effects, even the system sounds are cool. There aren’t confusing soft keys, just point to where you want to go. Applications are also updated automatically and so far I’ve didn’t have the need to update the firmware using a PC. Sure, Maemo on a smartphone is fairly new and still needs a few fixes here and there.

We can also mention Maemo’s tightly integrated uploading features, Skype and Conversations. Features that Symbian doesn’t necessarily lacks, but isn’t as polished as Maemo.

Last but not least, we can mention Maemo’s crown jewel, its browser. Something that Symbian and in fact any other mobile device can match.

I can go on and on, but simply put: Maemo is in my opinion better than Symbian. For this reason I’ve simply stopped using current Symbian device, especially 5th edition based devices. One notable exception are the E72, E55 and E52. It’s sure going to take a lot to get me back to Symbian.

Do you agree? Is Maemo/MeeGo better than Symbian?

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I really love the N900. It’s a great all-round piece of gadgetry: crazy multi-tasking, best browser so far, speedy performance and 4 home screens that make trips to the menu a rare thing. On top of that there’s the great Skype integration and it’s simply fun to use. It even has graphics that could make a PSP proud and and an open platform that would make a developer blush. And yes, out of memory warnings and apps closing on their own are finally a thing of the past. Even with its geek phone status, it also seems to appeal more to the average consumer, when comapred to other recent Nokia phones like the N97. Despite having a lot going for it, Nokia seems to have forgotten about the mighty N900. Here’s why.

1.No free, voice guided turn-by turn navigation: When devices like the E72, N97 and X6 received their lifetime free navigation upgrade, N900 owners had to watch in envy as their device didn’t even have voice guided turn-by turn navigation. We are not even sure whether  this update will come eventually or whether they will just skip it and focus on their next Maemo/MeeGo device.

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The Nokia N900 has received a small 16.2Mb over-the-air update that brings it up V3.2010.02-08 (PR1.1.1). This is likely an over-the-air only update that has started to hit many, but not all product codes and should reach most if not all by this week.

This minor update will make room for a second, major update that’s supposed to come out very soon that could bring Qt to the N900.

Other than make way for the upcoming major firmware, it also should properly support OpenGL ES 1.1 and fix a bug that I’ve been experiencing myself where the N900 can’t to a WiFi network until it is restarted. More of these community reported fixes can be found here.

What other changes have you noticed?

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In a previous post I mentioned how much I love the Nokia N900’s Sketch app. It’s a very powerful little app and a formidable tool to create art. I always have my N900 with me, which means I also always have a way to do sketches or full blown drawings, which is a very relaxing way for those moments of down time. For this reason I decided to create a special section called the N900 Sketch Gallery, to showcase the possibilities of the N900 as an art tool. This shows how mobile tech, in particular our Nokia devices, can not only make our lives easier, but create  Above is the latest addition to the N900 Sketch Gallery, called "Row of Space."

Remember to add your creations to the Sketches from the N900 Flickr group. If you’re planning to sketch on your N900, I highly recommend using a screen protector.

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Jay did a sketch, MS Jen did it too. Judging by this Flickr group, it seems that many of you tried to sketch using the N900, with some impressive results to show. I simply had to try it, but could this beat  my trusty pencil and paper? My experience so far has proven that it’s pretty difficult to even come close when it comes to accuracy.

All I can say now, is that I’m hooked. The combination of the N900 and the Sketch app proved to have impressive pixel sharp accuracy. Even better is the ability to get every possible shade and tint, allowing me to mix and match the colors to create depth, shading, etc. Since I always have my N900 with me, it can now double as a handy way to create quick sketches or even take photographs as inspiration for future art projects. I could also upload them to various Flickr or Facebook groups to share my ideas and inspiration with others. Above you can see my first attempt with the Sketch app.

The app lacks any fancy picture editing feature, but Nokia could develop this into a fully featured and make it one of the star apps for the Maemo OS. Even if they don’t, the Sketch is a very powerful little tool that I will be using in the next couple of weeks to see what it’s really capable of!

Do you…Sketch?

If so, join the Sketches from the N900 Flickr group and share you creations.

Update: Eventhough the N900 can handle a lot, I would highly recommend using a screen protector, to avoid screen getting scratched. Sketching sometimes takes some heavy use of the stylus which could result in in fine scratches. Sketch safe and use a screen protector

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Recently we told you that Joikuspot for the N900 was on its way, but now we have an even better news: it should be here within three weeks, according to Lasse Maki, CTO and Founder of Joikusoft.

Another interesting details, especially if your thinking of transfering your Symbian license to your N900, is that it won’t be possible, well at least not initially. Apparently this has to do with the fact that the Maemo OS has totally new environment and their existing DRM solution will not be supported from the start. This means that you’ll probably have to shell out another 7 Euros for that Premium license.

Along with the extra details, they also released several new screen shots, showing more of the simple but pretty UI, should look right at home on the N900.

Are you getting Joikuspot Premium for your N900?

Via: The Nokia Blog

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Helping to feed people’s unstoppable appetite for  Weather and let’s not forget the productivity apps, there’s the excellent Documents To Go for Maemo and now KOffice. There’s now an Alpha version available through the Extras-developer repositories.

As the a result, the usual word of caution applies here. This version supports text files, spreadsheets and presentations in OpenDocument format (ODF) and Microsoft Office formats. The viewer requires the latest update (PR1.1) to the N900 software.

If you don’t have the Extras-developer repositories, you should create a new catalog in the App. manager:

After you’ve updated,  a new 9 megabyte app should appear with the “’freoffice” name. Even considering it’s as an Extras-developer app, it seems to be a less refined solution, when compared to Documents To Go for Maemo. On the other hand, there’s no denying that it cost the incredible price of $0.

The question now is, which of these solutions will get document editing first. I’m betting on Documents To Go for Maemo, especially with the Mobile World Congress, just around the corner?

This seems a like a battle between Microsoft Office and Openoffice, but on the mobile front. Which do you prefer? Documents To Go for Maemo or KOffice?

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Joikusoft has posted information regarding the upcoming JoikuSpot for the Maemo OS. It seems that the solution for the N900 will be published soon, sporting a new UI showing  the actual throughput speed. They also said that we could expect “much more.” We aren’t sure what the extras will be or whether they will offer a Premium and Light version, but what we do know is that interface looks beautiful with its analog meters. With Maemo’s flexibility and power, we’ve known for a while now that it would offer some pretty slick UI options and Joikuspot seems to be a prime example of what’s possible.

The winners of our The Nokia Guide and Dataviz contest were actually chosen by the Product Manager of Documents To Go for Maemo! After much deliberation and to be as fair as possible, they narrowed it down to the top 15 comments they thought were the best and chose at random from that group.

I have to say that we got some great and creative suggestions that are actually being evaluated and that could make it into the next Documents To Go update. The Product Manager of Documents To Go for Maemo had sa:

“You guys are fantastic, thanks so much to everyone who commented! Your feedback is the most important piece for us when it comes to developing a feature set. Rest assured that many of the features you’ve mentioned (PDF, Google Docs integration, swirl zoom, localization, ODF support, etc) are being evaluated by our developers as we speak. Others (like MS Project/Visio support) I hadn’t even really thought of! I can assure you we’ll look into them for the future.

As we need to balance the addition of features with the timeliness of getting a product in your hands, I can’t make any guarantees as far as what will or won’t be in future releases, but please keep the feedback coming.  We want to make Documents To Go as user friendly and feature rich as we can, and that all starts with your feedback.  Thanks again to The Nokia Guide and its readers for all of your excellent comments. Stay tuned for updates!”

The Winners are:

1.lichmd

2.Zok

3.Master of Gizmo

4.Andrew Flegg

5.christexaport

Congratulants to our 5 winners on the license key for the  Nokia N900 Documents To Go Viewer Edition courtesy of Dataviz. We would also like to thank all who entered the contest, keep reading The Nokia Guide as we’ll have more details on upcoming releases and updates for Documents To Go for Maemo. We also have some great contests planned.

The emails of our 5 winners have been send to the Product Manager, who will get in touch very soon with your free license!

The Nokia N900 doesn’t come with a Podcasting app preinstalled, but you can easily download the Maemo 5-compatible  gPodder. If you’ve stored all your Podcasts in an OPML file it might seem like you’re out of luck as gPodder doesn’t support a way to import OPML files stored on the N900.(At least not yet.)

There is a neat workaround for this problem.

1.Store your OPML in the N900’s mass storage root directory.

2.In gPodder go to “Subscribe” and choose “OPML file from the web”

3.Type: “file:///home/user/MyDocs/x.opml” with x.opml being the name of the OPML file you chose.

Doing this will import all your Pod- and Vidcasts in the N900.