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-   -   A voyage into the unknown (https://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=32970)

edgedemon 2009-10-16 16:12
A voyage into the unknown
 
Hi Guys

First of all - Hello to everyone in the forums
Secondly - Damn you all for your endless enthusiasm :D

I have taken the plunge! Today I sold some shares and when the money hits my account next week I will be pre-ordering a N900.

Big step for me for two reasons..

I have never owned a nokia phone in my life!!!

I also have been a hardened windows mobile user, all the way back to the first SPV on Orange, and can't remember what it was like to have a non windows phone.
I guess the last straw for me was putting a hacked version of WM6.5 on my phone and realising that it still didn't cut it - the marketplace was expensive and didn't have the apps and despite the facelift - WM6.5 just doesn't have that 'must have' feeling.
I think the iphone rasied the bar, but I want an 'always on' experience and to fully use the gps receiver for all the location aware apps that are out there. I want my phone to be useful to my life, not just for calls and txt's and email.
Linux on a phone will be a new experience and I really pray that the apps will come, as it is a bit sparse at the moment, but Im sure with the community out there that this will change..

Its going to be an interesting journey and Ill let you know how I get on (now that Ive come over to the dark side ;))

Bratag 2009-10-16 16:20
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 348598)
Hi Guys

First of all - Hello to everyone in the forums
Secondly - Damn you all for your endless enthusiasm :D

I have taken the plunge! Today I sold some shares and when the money hits my account next week I will be pre-ordering a N900.

Big step for me for two reasons..

I have never owned a nokia phone in my life!!!

I also have been a hardened windows mobile user, all the way back to the first SPV on Orange, and can't remember what it was like to have a non windows phone.
I guess the last straw for me was putting a hacked version of WM6.5 on my phone and realising that it still didn't cut it - the marketplace was expensive and didn't have the apps and despite the facelift - WM6.5 just doesn't have that 'must have' feeling.
I think the iphone rasied the bar, but I want an 'always on' experience and to fully use the gps receiver for all the location aware apps that are out there. I want my phone to be useful to my life, not just for calls and txt's and email.
Linux on a phone will be a new experience and I really pray that the apps will come, as it is a bit sparse at the moment, but Im sure with the community out there that this will change..

Its going to be an interesting journey and Ill let you know how I get on (now that Ive come over to the dark side ;))
Interesting to hear your thoughts on the winmo 6.5 Might give some of the HD2 fanboys a reason for pause.

Welcome to the forums

solarion 2009-10-16 16:24
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 348598)
Hi Guys
I have taken the plunge! Today I sold some shares and when the money hits my account next week I will be pre-ordering a N900.

[...]

Linux on a phone will be a new experience and I really pray that the apps will come, as it is a bit sparse at the moment, but Im sure with the community out there that this will change..

Its going to be an interesting journey and Ill let you know how I get on (now that Ive come over to the dark side ;))
First, welcome!

Second, what kinds of apps would you like to see? What important apps are you missing? Maybe someone around here can give you a hand. :)

kaithomsen 2009-10-16 17:41
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 348598)
Hi Guys

Big step for me for two reasons..

I have never owned a nokia phone in my life!!!

I also have been a hardened windows mobile user, all the way back to the first SPV on Orange, and can't remember what it was like to have a non windows phone.
I guess the last straw for me was putting a hacked version of WM6.5 on my phone and realising that it still didn't cut it - the marketplace was expensive and didn't have the apps and despite the facelift - WM6.5 just doesn't have that 'must have' feeling.
I think the iphone rasied the bar, but I want an 'always on' experience and to fully use the gps receiver for all the location aware apps that are out there. I want my phone to be useful to my life, not just for calls and txt's and email.
...
Its going to be an interesting journey and Ill let you know how I get on (now that Ive come over to the dark side ;))
Hello edgemon and welcome!

I'm really looking forward to your comparison of the N900/Maemo 5 and WM6.5. I have been using the N900 now for a week and I have to say despite a few kinks in the software (still prerelease) it has been the best mobile Internet experience for me so far. Even better than what I've been getting used to from the iPod Touch/iPhone. And yes, please do let us know what apps you are missing compared to WM.

Regards,
Kai

moparman 2009-10-16 18:00
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
I have always hated Nokia and told all my friends that hell freezes over before i buy one..

But now its time to swallow the pride :D

I used a HTC TyTn II for 2 years and i loved it but now i just feel that WM 6.5 is just to far behind...It leaves a bad taste in my mouth..

Its Maemo 5 or a mobile running Android that in my opiniin is the future.
But i don`t se any Android mobile with sufficient hardware anytime soon..

edgedemon 2009-10-16 19:11
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by moparman (Post 348760)
I have always hated Nokia and told all my friends that hell freezes over before i buy one..

But now its time to swallow the pride :D

I used a HTC TyTn II for 2 years and i loved it but now i just feel that WM 6.5 is just to far behind...It leaves a bad taste in my mouth..

Its Maemo 5 or a mobile running Android that in my opinion is the future.
But i don`t se any Android mobile with sufficient hardware anytime soon..
My thoughts exactly, my mate has just bught a HTC hero with android and some of the apps are amazing. I was torn between the N900 and an android phone, especially the rumoured sony experia running on the snapdragon platform

Things that have impressed me

Some of the apps based around google maps and location based services when out and about
I saw an amazing app that mapped the night sky and showed the stars you should see when standing outside and the sky moved to follow whichever way you moved
Geotagging photo's and posting things on the move - torture on WM

Im not totally anti WM, but having used it exclusively for the last 5 years, I want a change - it has fallen too far behind. The web has evolved to a point where mobile web can actually be useful on the move, and WM is still too clunky and its primary focus is still for business and phones are used for so much more now.
I remember the geeky buzz when I first got my SPV e100 running windows and loving hacking the registry - a registry on a phone, how cool was that? I just dont get that feeling now for WM, but I do get it for Android and the N900.

Im nervous as this is a risk, android has a massive choice of apps, and the n900 doesn't, but neither did the iphone when it first came out, so I will risk it and hope. Im not a linux user, but Im well aware of the massive community and ethos behind it, so am confident that the possibilties are there.
I have been seriously impressed by all the videos being posted online showing off the n900 and Im actually excited by the thought of owning one, a feeling I haven't had about a phone for a long long time...

mdl 2009-10-16 19:20
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 348852)
Im nervous as this is a risk, android has a massive choice of apps, and the n900 doesn't...
As I'm a newbie when it comes to mobile devices, but I'm a bit confused when posts say that the n900 doesn't have many apps. Isn't maemo based on debian? And if so, doesn't one (at least theoretically) have access repos with 1000s of applications?

The reason I ask is that I am considering whether to buy the n900. I'm not particularly interested in cheesy iPhone or Android mobile apps. I just want a pocket computer that can run all the beautiful *nix software I rely on (vim, emacs, w3m, etc.)

So two questions:

1) When people say that maemo 5 doesn't have a lot of apps, are they specifically referring to apps tweaked for the mobile device/touchscreen?

2) Am I completely naive in thinking that one can install .deb packages on this thing?

edgedemon 2009-10-16 19:24
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Ok apologies as Im new to this and might be misleading you - sorry

I based that statement on the apps available from the nokia n900 store so far..

http://maemo.nokia.com/maemo-select/applications/

thecursedfly 2009-10-16 19:29
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 348852)
I saw an amazing app that mapped the night sky and showed the stars you should see when standing outside and the sky moved to follow whichever way you moved
! ! :eek:

does anybody know if there is a similar application around for maemo? or for linux in general that can be ported?
I allready see myself embraced with my girlfriend teaching her which star/constellation is which one in the summer evenings... :o :o
hah, these romanting young fellas... :cool:

ps. sorry for the OT

rewt 2009-10-16 20:13
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
I'm running WinMo 6.5 on a Touch Pro (until my N900 shows up), and in my opinion it's not going to save the sinking ship that is WinMo. Even with all of the new HTC programs (TouchFlo 3D and other finger friendly apps/notifications/etc) to help WinMo along, 6.5 still seems too outdated and inefficient. Based on what I've seen of Maemo from videos and running on the SDK, it looks far better than 6.5 ever can be. I'm excited :D

edgedemon 2009-10-16 20:16
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecursedfly (Post 348875)
! ! :eek:

does anybody know if there is a similar application around for maemo? or for linux in general that can be ported?
I allready see myself embraced with my girlfriend teaching her which star/constellation is which one in the summer evenings... :o :o
hah, these romanting young fellas... :cool:

ps. sorry for the OT
Not yet, but Im keeping an eye out.
Sine it is already running on android, I dont think it will be long before something similar happens for maemo...

pupu 2009-10-16 20:23
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
As far as I understand it, a stargazing application would require a digital compass (not present on the N900).

Apart from that, it would be quite a bit more impressive if there was an actual good view at the stars, which is pretty rare for most of us city-dwellers.

livefreeordie 2009-10-16 20:24
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdl (Post 348863)
I just want a pocket computer that can run all the beautiful *nix software I rely on (vim, emacs, w3m, etc.)

So two questions:

1) When people say that maemo 5 doesn't have a lot of apps, are they specifically referring to apps tweaked for the mobile device/touchscreen?

2) Am I completely naive in thinking that one can install .deb packages on this thing?

The best way to run Debian apps is Easy Debian, but AFAIK it hasn't been ported to Maemo 5 yet.

I don't think the average user is going to install a full Debian environment under Maemo, though, so that's probably why you've heard there aren't a lot of apps. But porting them to be directly in the Maemo repos should be fairly easy for devs, so I wouldn't worry.

Vim is installed by default, at least in the SDK.

lcuk 2009-10-16 20:26
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
pupu
how about taking the 10-20 brightest objects visible in the sky (take a picture) and work out based on a starmap?
or is this wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too big a problem?

R-R 2009-10-16 20:28
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lcuk (Post 348960)
pupu
how about taking the 10-20 brightest objects visible in the sky (take a picture) and work out based on a starmap?
or is this wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too big a problem?
yes... You're not going to try and do image recognition of faint light points your camera can't even see...
Not including a compass is to me the biggest (and only?) mistake that Nokia made for the N900...
(nonetheless it's gonna rock for all the other "classical" usage :) )

pupu 2009-10-16 21:16
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by lcuk (Post 348960)
pupu
how about taking the 10-20 brightest objects visible in the sky (take a picture) and work out based on a starmap?
or is this wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too big a problem?
With all the light pollution, the bright objects in the sky are probably airplanes and any app would show you what's supposed to be there more than what you actually could see.

Duffer 2009-10-16 21:50
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
You don't really need an internal compass on the device to enjoy a star gazing application. OK, it would look nice to rotate with your movement. However Stellarium is fantastic on a laptop and just knowing your approximate cardinal is fine.

mdl 2009-10-16 21:50
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by livefreeordie (Post 348957)
The best way to run Debian apps is Easy Debian, but AFAIK it hasn't been ported to Maemo 5 yet.

I don't think the average user is going to install a full Debian environment under Maemo, though, so that's probably why you've heard there aren't a lot of apps. But porting them to be directly in the Maemo repos should be fairly easy for devs, so I wouldn't worry.

Vim is installed by default, at least in the SDK.
Thanks for the very helpful info. Checking out Easy Debian now --- and one step closer to sending in my preorder. :)

allnameswereout 2009-10-16 22:13
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecursedfly (Post 348875)
does anybody know if there is a similar application around for maemo? or for linux in general that can be ported?
Hmm, someone is porting Stellarium to Maemo. This has at least manual location support. Not sure about GPS, and for function with autorotate you'd need digital compass I guess.

edgedemon 2009-10-17 12:05
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
I have just thought of something :eek:
I have two seperate numbers assigned to my sim card, one for business and one for personal - does maemo or nokia support this?

Damn - never occurred to me to think of this...

thecursedfly 2009-10-17 19:32
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by allnameswereout (Post 349082)
Hmm, someone is porting Stellarium to Maemo. This has at least manual location support. Not sure about GPS, and for function with autorotate you'd need digital compass I guess.
thanks! could you link me a source/page/thread about the porting?

allnameswereout 2009-10-17 19:40
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecursedfly (Post 349801)
thanks! could you link me a source/page/thread about the porting?
Voila :) ...

edgedemon 2009-10-17 23:53
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 349496)
I have just thought of something :eek:
I have two seperate numbers assigned to my sim card, one for business and one for personal - does maemo or nokia support this?

Damn - never occurred to me to think of this...
Anyone know if having 2 lines on 1 phone is supported?

qole 2009-10-18 00:18
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by livefreeordie (Post 348957)
The best way to run Debian apps is Easy Debian, but AFAIK it hasn't been ported to Maemo 5 yet.
Well, I've got the infrastructure (easy-chroot) in Fremantle Extras-Devel, so adventurous souls can try things out, but I'm finding it so difficult to use desktop apps in Fremantle at the moment that I'm not moving Easy Debian to Fremantle until I can figure out a way around the UI problems...

Yes, desktop Linux apps run on the N900. But man, they look ugly at the moment.... :(

edgedemon 2009-10-18 06:48
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 349989)
Anyone know if having 2 lines on 1 phone is supported?
Sorry to bump the thread, but I want to pre order this today, does anyone know if having 2 numbers, business and personal on the same SIM is supported by maemo or nokia???

Suurorca 2009-10-18 07:12
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by edgedemon (Post 350129)
Sorry to bump the thread, but I want to pre order this today, does anyone know if having 2 numbers, business and personal on the same SIM is supported by maemo or nokia???
I might have to advice some caution, as on some other forums there were claims that this would not be supported yet. No idea if the poster had any real information, though. Your best bet would probably be to visit some Flagship store with a proto and test it with your SIM. Or try to find some proto user in your vicinity from these forums. Or then just wait until the N900 hits the streets, but I understand waiting might be more than just a little difficult...
:rolleyes:

edgedemon 2009-10-18 07:20
Re: A voyage into the unknown
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Suurorca (Post 350135)
Or then just wait until the N900 hits the streets, but I understand waiting might be more than just a little difficult...
:rolleyes:
You are so right on that one :D

Even so, thank you for the advice....

Having dug around a bit, I have found out that to have line 2 you need Alternative Line Service (ALS). Is this supported under maemo? Im digging around on the nokia site to see if I can find the right place to ask over there as well..

edit2

I can see other people asking this as well, so Im taking it as an unknown..


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