Well, you should be able to do it with Nokia Map Loader if you are using XP (or vista?).

If Map loader doesnt work for you, a workaround would be to download the maps and extract them manually.

- Download the maps for your region/county
- Connect your n900 in mass storage mode.
- Browse to cities/diskcache
- Unzip all the zip files to this folder (diskcache)
- Choose to copy & replace all if prompted

Its also worth noting that ovi maps uses vector maps that consumes less storage space as well as allow routing.

Shaq

Actually, there is such feature but only if you setup "routing" to some destination. See (and vote ) for bug https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7178 to bring it main map screen.

, I need to note - it is buggy, see another bug https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=7177 but that is a not serious bug - you can leave N900 in switched ON state with Maps application.

Aside from portait mode (and T9/multi-tap), I'm hoping they add improved profile support in the next firmware.

I miss being able to have different profiles, as I use at least three profile during the day.

This would also allow developers to come up with a profile scheduler, but I'll save that for another wish list.

Nice review; tap-and-hold on a song in the library to add it to playlist (yea, bad feature implementation there). Nice stuff though, and I agree with much of what you've said, its a fat phone (if perceived as a phone), but an nicely sized mobile computer.

Interesting read, thanks

Some ideas about the UI (mostly the browser):

Configurable option so that close application goes to last used application instead of the "multitask screen"

Same for web pages, so that close a browser window goes to the last viewed browser window.

Select text (hover mode) in browser by proximity "button" or camera button.

Remember the zoom state between page loads in the browser

Remember the zoom state / font settings per-site. (Maybe asking a bit much that .. )

When you close a browser window and click on the last viewed one to get back to it, it does a last minute re-draw, and (at least on TMO in classic dark theme) can slightly mess up. Stop doing this.

The browser "long press" menu could have more options - at least back one page (without going to the history screen) would be useful. There's probably others (view source?, don't use css, like mozilla's view->page style->no style?)

An enhanced functionality wish-list item:

Please provide a full set of kernel modules to work with the stock kernel. In particular the firewall and routing ones, and filesystem ones!

People are starting to look at home-brew kernels (some at considerable personal risk ) and while this is great for the advanced user (in theory) it is something of a minefield for the adventurous but clue-deprived. A bit of help from the Nokia kernel people here would remove the necessity for normal users to go kernel-flashing in order to get functionality that is normal and expected on standard linux installs.

Favourite suggestion from the article:

I think would be the 5-way (but why not 6?) vertically swipable desktops. Swiping upwards from any desktop gets you desktop 5. Scrolling down from there gets you where you started from, scrolling up again gets you desktop mod4(initial-desktop-number + 2). Reverse up/down for desktop 6... Well, not likely to happen maybe, but can't hurt to think about it (actually n-dimensional desktops have been considered in a different thread..

20. Ability to make playlist

1. At the moment, the N900 has playlists but only ones you’ve imported
2. Please can we have the ability to make playlists on the N900 itself like S60 music players?

I am creating playlists on a daily basis. At first I did not get the logic but once I grasped everything it is very simple and easy.

all i wish is to get firmware update before christmas as promised

If they fix only one thing, it would have to be Ovi Maps!

Yes Ovi maps made my phone hang 3 times today.

Good read. The only thing I strongly disgaree with is the number one on your list. The contextual single menu button is brilliant (IMHO). Doesn't take long to get used to works perfect once you learn it. Sacrificing it for "pick and play" would be very short sighted.

Function > form.