It’s that time again! You lucky folks in the UK should now be getting that orange notification icon, signaling that PR1.2 is FINALLY here. The rest of the world should follow on Wednesday, but were not sure yet whether it will slow release throughout the week or if every other region will get it immediately. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

If you don’t want to wait till tomorrow, you can always grab the update here and follow the steps in our How To Hard Reset the N900 guide.

Not sure what to expect from this update? Head on over to the Maemo 5/PR1.2 Wiki to get all the details.

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?

Currently there isn’t  an easy way to do a hard reset on the  N900. Nokia should include this in a future firmware as there is an urgent need for this feature: for performance reasons, a “clean start” and when selling your devices.

A Care Specialist for Nokia has shown how to do a hard reset for the N900, this is the only way to do this until we get an easier method. Haven’t tried this myself, but according to him it should work.

From a windows PC

1.You first need to download the flashing software.

The first software you need is called "Maemo Flasher", and this is the program that needs to be installed on your PC and can be found here:

http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/maemo-dev-env-downloads.php

Download the latest version of Maemo Flasher (which is currently 3.5 at time of posting this), and make sure you download the .exe file.

Install that file.

2.Next you need the software for the N900 itself.

That can be found here:

http://tablets-dev.nokia.com/nokia_N900.php

2a.This page will ask you to enter your IMEI, with very clear instructions on where to find it.

Follow the on screen prompts until you reach the download section.

There are two pieces of software you need to download from there.

1. eMMC content – This is the package to erase all data held on your 32GB storage.(For PR1.2 choose the one marked Latest)
2. OS 2009 (PR 1.2 version 10.2010.19-1) – This is your operating system. (.(For PR1.2 choose the one marked Latest) )

2b.There are two eMMC packages available, so download the Latest. It’s called:

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.13-2.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM.bin

2c.The OS is a little more difficult to figure out which one you need.

The notes alongside the software lets you find the right package easier.

I found the best way to check is to do the following: (On the N900)

1. Menu
2. Settings
3. About Product

This will show you this image(or similar)

Note the Version number on your N900′s screen.

Download the OS package that matches the Version on your device. As shown in the image above, using the red text as an example.

For people that purchased the N900 in the UK, the OS package will probably be the same as the red text. But make sure you check. Also be sure to download the Latest version of your package, which is marked by the word Latest.

Software downloads complete.

3.Place these two software packages in the following location on your PC.

c:\program files\maemo\flasher-3.5

You should now have two .bin files in the directory above.

Next steps.

4.Updating the N900 OS

1. Your battery needs to be 100% full to prevent any crashes which could leave your phone dead.
2. Turn your N900 off.
3. Press and hold the U key on the keypad.
4. Insert the USB cable, into a USB port, NOT a USB adapter. (a USB symbol should appear on the top right of your N900 screen, and also the Nokia logo in the centre).
5. You can now let go of the U key.
6. On your PC: Navigate to the Start Menu and select Maemo>Maemo Flasher 3.5>Maemo Flasher 3.5
7. In the command window you should now see: C:\Program Files\maemo\flasher-3.5>
8. Type: flasher-3.5 -F RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1.002_PR_COMBINED_002_ARM.bin –f

  (the file name above may be different to yours, you will need to replace the filename with the filename of the software you downloaded). One easy way to do this is to navigate to C:\Program Files\maemo\flasher-3.5 and get the name of the file their. Depending on your region the file name can be:

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1.002_PR_COMBINED_002_ARM.bin (USA)

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1.003_PR_COMBINED_003_ARM.bin (Middle East and North Africa)

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1.004_PR_COMBINED_004_ARM.bin (India)

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1.203.1_PR_COMBINED_203_ARM.bin (UK)

RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.19-1_PR_COMBINED_MR0_ARM.bin (Global)

9.This image below shows the completed update of the OS, in the command prompt on your PC. This would have now removed any Apps you may have installed on the device, and reset the homescreens to how they were when you turned it on for the first time.

Your personal data, such as Contacts, Images, SMS will still be on the device.
So if you want to remove these aswell, follow the next steps.

10.Do not disconnect or reboot the device the device. Just leave as is for now.

5.Resetting the Mass Memory

1.Type in the command window :

flasher-3.5 -F RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.13-2.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM.bin -f -R

This image below shows the completed reset of the eMMC (32GB HDD), in the command prompt on your PC.

This would have now removed any data you had stored there. Including Music, Photos, Contacts, SMS..

The complete reset of your N900 (Or Update) is now complete.

A minor firmware version 1.2009.44-1 has been released for the N900, that should set thing up and make way for the upcoming major update build 51 (PR-1.1).

The software is will be available as an over-the-air update (18.5Mb) or via the Nokia Software Update on the PC (160Mb+). N900 users connected to the Internet should receive a notification in the device’s Status Area that a software update of Maemo 5 is available. Alternatively you can go straight to the App. manager and go to “Update”, there you should see an update called ‘Maemo 5.”

We have yet to see a change log, but visible changes include:

-An updated Application Manager with icons for the various categories,

-New app catalogs (including OVI),

-App. Manager stays in the background during and after install

-Enabled OVI store via browser

-Red Pill Mode removed

-Prepares the Nokia N900 for the Ovi Store app (store opening shortly)

-OVI Store accessible via Browser

If that wasn’t enough, Nokia also pushed updates for several pre-installed apps, including the Facebook widget, Bounce, Documents To Go, etc.

What changes did you notice with the new N900 update?

We’ve known for a while that the N900 is supposed to receive a firmware update before the year ends, bringing the much request portrait mode.

Now we have confirmation that the N97 will also be getting an update before the year ends, specifically “mid-late December 2009.” No word yet on what it will bring, but at least now we know it’s coming.

In terms of firmware updates, the period between the current and upcoming updates is considered very short, clearly illustrating that a short period between updates is a sign of how important a device is to Nokia.

Via: N97fanatics

As we expected, firmware version 20 (Also known as V2.0) for the N97 has appeared in the very last week of October, keeping true to Nokia’s promise of an “October 2009 release.”

The firmware has yet to appear for some product codes and as a FOTA update on the N97’s SW Update app. The SW Update on the N97 does inform the user that an “important” “Phone Software” is available for the N97, but it doesn’t allow for updating over-the-air, well at least not yet. But it does point to the www.nokia.com/softwareupdate site to update the phone via the PC.

The download on Nokia Software Updater (NSU) ranges anywhere from 130 to 150MB and overall I can report that the update on my N97 went smoothly.

Improvements in firmware 20.2.019 are (Thanks to Allaboutsymbian):

• A reworked memory mapping model – this means that applications use the (relatively) limited RAM much more efficiently and you should rarely see any memory errors. Note that the available ‘Free RAM’ after booting is now a lot less (around 47MB), but don’t take this raw number too literally – apps apparently use less RAM than before
• Kinetic scrolling in the User Interface in all lists and larger-than-screen views
• The keyboard driver has been enhanced so that a long press on any key brings up its associated ‘function’ symbol (or number)
• Music player shows album art more reliably, plus extra MP3 ID3 information
• Half a dozen new social media and services widgets have been added by default
• Camera still and video improvements
• Improvements to stereo speaker volume
• Offline mode for homescreen widgets (shown below)
• Ovi Maps 3 is now included (shown below, saving 7MB of your C disk, compared to the current situation)
• Ovi Store client now integrated (saving more space) (Ovi Contacts also not in the final distribution as expected)
• More responsive touchscreen driver (so fewer ‘missed taps’) and the usual minor bug fixes across the board
• Improvements to Sync system (hopefully paving the way for more reliable syncing with, among others, iSync on the Mac)

The feature that stands out the most however is the Kinetic scrolling implemented throughout the UI, making the N97 feel like a completely new phone. This is especially handy in the Music Player. With the added speed and smoothness, this updates breathes much needed life in the N97, making it even more pleasant to use.

Skype is missing, but what we are hearing is that this will be added soon as an update in the SW Update application. We were also promised several new built-in widgets and apps, but I have yet to find a new app or widget other than Vlingo.

What new feature did you find in this new update? Did you find any other apps or widgets other than Vlingo? Let us know.

The highly anticipated firmware version v20 (also known as v2.0) was promised to be available sometime in October. The first reports indicated an “early October” release, with this later on becoming “mid October” and now we’re hearing “the end of October.” With less than a week to go before we actually reach the end October there are just two scenarios left. Either the firmware becomes available this coming week or will  be pushed back to a later date.

The last scenario is unlikely as it would indicate problems with the firmware that need to be ironed out. The reason why this is unlikely is because the N97 mini has just been released sporting the same firmware v20. A delay for the n97’s  firmware v20, would mean delays for the N97 mini’s launch.

Because of this were willing to bet that firmware v20 will start to roll out sometime this week, with a host of pre-installed apps, new widgets, kinetic scrolling, long press for alternative characters, more free Phone Memory, additional album art and info in the music player and other performance enhancement and bug fixes.

When do you think we’ll see firmware version 20?

Image: Courtesy  The S60 Blog

When taking pictures using previous Nseries devices, the camera would either tell you whether it could properly focus (Green focus bracket) or not (Red focus bracket). With the latest firmware v20.115 for the N86 8MP there’s a new focus point indication feature, that shows you where exactly the camera is focusing on.

If it detects faces it will focus on these faces, if not, you will see a single focus bracket showing where the camera is focusing on.

The video below was deliberately taken without any faces, showing the focus point indication bracket. Notice how it’s colored green, when it’s properly able to focus. Also notice how the bracket’s position changes depending on the “scene” as the position of the camera changes.

A new feature added in firmware v20.115 to the N86 8MP’s camera is Face Detection. This software feature scans for facial features and focuses on those area to make sure they are in focus once the image is taken. You can see that it’s working by the focus brackets that are dynamically adjusted in relation to location of the faces on screen. This is the same feature found in many digital cameras.

The feature is enabled by default and can be turned off in the camera settings. As you can see below the feature works really well. In fact, it works so well that the N86 8MP can detect faces, even when I pointed it to a picture being displayed on my laptop!

Nokia has just release the long awaited firmware v20.115 for the N86 8MP. As expected, Nokia’s imaging flagship receives tons of camera related improvements and features, most notably Face detection, a first in a Nokia camera phone.

According to Allaboutsymbian this update bring the following updates:

Camera improvements:

• Improved still image quality
• Improved video quality
• Face detection added
• Red-eye removal added (Nokia note: "this is image processing which removes the red-eye. You need to be in red-eye reduction flash mode for it to be operational. Other flash modes it is disabled as there is a small shot to shot impact due to the extra image processing.")
• New focus point indication – this shows where in the scene the camera is focussing
• Improved Close-up focus. (Nokia note: "As a result you will find in most situations you can focus much closer than before. The new focus point indication will also help in confirming which part of your subject is used for critical focus checking")

Significant bug fixes to:

• Web
• Music store client
• RealPlayer
• Ovi Maps
• Here and Now
• N-Gage client
• Nokia Messaging

Other improvements:

• Automatic VoIP re-registration.
• Ovi Chat shortcut on the homescreen
• new Ovi services splash screen
• Ovi Store client

The update is quite  large at 7557 kb (for a firmware-over-the-air update) and is accessible from the home screen by pressing *#0000# or by going to the Software Update application. We’ll be taking a look at the new camera features very soon.